Turkey Day 1: Arriving in Istanbul

Last semester I created a separate page for Turkey, which will give the background of many of the sites we are going to this trip.  But for ease of reference, I think I will just add a new entry on the blog each day this time.  The internet in our hotel here in Istanbul is good, so I can upload a video highlight and plenty of pictures . . . on the other hand, it is now midnight, and I am exhausted, so I do not think that I will write a lot of commentary.

First, the highlights video montage.  Remember that my camera selects segments of all the clips I take each day randomly, so I have little control over them.  But they still give a feel for our day:

We left the Jerusalem Center at 11:00.  Though our flight was scheduled until after 3:00, security concerns here always require LOTS of extra time.  We had more than we bargained for, because our flight was delayed almost two hours.

The dreaded sign

Students scattered about during the long wait at the gate

The flight itself was uneventful, shorter than the Tel Aviv airport wait but with surprisingly good food.  I spent the time learning a little Turkish. We arrived in Istanbul sometime before 7:00 and began the process of getting visas, passing through immigration, collecting our luggage, and then meeting our guides, which included Fatih from last semester.

Riding the airport bis from the plane to the terminal

"Reunion Pic" with some of the members of my recently graduated Old Testament class.  I still have their final papers and exams waiting at home though!

Bryson looked like he needed a friend for this pic

Some of the women being "turkeys" in Turkey

Four of my boys sporting closely cropped hair cuts.  Rather short, earning them rough head rubs from Papa Hunts

On our big Turkish buses, so different from last semester

We drove from the airport to and across the historic center of Istanbul and then crossed the Golden Horn to the commercial and urban hub just to the north.  There we got off at Taksim Square, which is kind of like Time Square is to Manhattan.  We walked there to our restaurant, where we had a good meal and a good time visiting.

These flower pics, especially the tulips, are for Elaine.  I love to give her tulips, one of her two favorite flowers

My tablemates at dinner tonight

The Aqueduct of Valens, which we saw on our way back to our hotel