When we last saw our heroes, they were knee-deep in all things surgical. Ok, that's a lie. It was a solid neck-deep. There. I said it. Suffice it to say, the majority of the past 3 months has been spent in one recovery mode after another. But that's an update for another day...some day! :)
For now, I thought I'd resume the old travel blog so we don't have to rely on Eva's memory once we return back to the states. That's never a good plan. In case you missed it, the whole fam (minus Zane, who's living it up with all the cousins and friends, in multiple states) has ventured across the ocean once again. This time, Paul's missionary journeys are the focus, along with the 7 churches of Revelation. More on that to come. We left the evening of Dec. 26th and arrived in Istanbul just a few 10 hours later. We flew through the night and, for the most part, everyone seemed to do just fine. (If you're wondering...movies, just all the movies...that's how I deal.) The adventures began right away as we had some "issues" on our trip to the hotel. It was supposed to be an hour or so away from the airport...3+ hours later, we arrived! :/ The traffic was so incredibly horrible, the guide thought we'd make it to the hotel faster if we got out and walked/rode metro. The GPS still said we were an hour away, and we'd already been traveling well-past an hour. We decided to just go for it...2 metros, 1 bus trolley, walking the hills and roads of Istanbul...and then, when it was all said and done, our initial driver had beat us to the hotel and then drove to where we were trying to hail some cabs, a couple hours later. For real. The guide said the city of 2 million went to a city of 20 million, with no change in the infrastructure. So...there's traffic...a LOT of traffic. Regardless, although everyone was completely wiped out, it was a fun twisted adventure to start the trip. Plus, we saw the city...a LOT of the city...in a unique way for sure!
The best part about that first night was enjoying a late-night dinner with James and Sarah Kuhle at our hotel, Ciragen Palace Kempinski. The food was incredible, and we had just a wonderful time with this sweet couple! We were so out of it, we forgot to get any pictures though, so we took a picture beside a Christmas tree, much like Sarah had just posted on IG...we'll see how good Isaac's photoshopping skills really are. :) #didn'thappenifthere'snopic
In keeping with the high expectations set by dinner, the breakfast buffet did not disappoint. Really, Eva?!? Is this really worth documenting?!? Oh my, yes...100%. My only regret is my hair taking so long to dry (adaptor wouldn't run my hair dryer so I had to use the baby one in the room. Wet hair for days) that I didn't have time to get seconds...or 6ths, like the son who shall not be named. Anyhoo...it was a bummer that Renee had to sit out for the day, but she was definitely the most-rested when we got back together for dinner that night, as we were all dragging just a bit. You'll see why when you hear all we packed into that first full day!
We started off the day at St. Sophia, once the largest Christian church in the world. The mosaics on the ceilings were unbelievable to see in person! The second "room" depicted the life of Mary, taken from traditional stories that have been passed down through the years, some took quite a few liberties with the facts, but it was still a beautiful thing to see. The first "room" depicted the life of Christ and was equally stunning. My absolute favorite was the mosaic saying that Mary "Contained the Uncontainable" in giving birth to Jesus...what a solid way to describe that miraculous thing we all just celebrated!!
We were able to see the remaining Byzantine walls of Istanbul, which were still massive in some areas, the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque (*where Peyton and Ally had to don the mu-mu skirts like yours truly had to do while in Israel...paybacks), and Chora, the former Christian Monastery that the Ottomans changed to Mosque in the 16th century, and which now operates as a museum. Talk about breath-taking!! This place is really indescribable! It's crazy to imagine all the people down through the ages that have passed through these halls. Of course, once again, there are things that are extra disheartening to see in any historical religious structure. It is truly believed that the spirit of one of the saints is trapped in one of the columns, and that it has healing powers. So people were lined up to stick their thumb in a hole and twist their hand around to receive said healing. It's so heartbreaking to see people so devoted to something that can never do anything for them...and then think how Christians DO have all they need to live an abundant life, and yet many, maybe even most, can't be bothered to live out any sort of passion for the true Healer. Like I said...heart-breaking.
After enjoying another yummy meal, we set off for the Underground Cistern. This place speaks for itself, but it was a really cool thing to see. Funny thing to note, when we first descended into the cistern, it looked as though there were actual royalty seated near the entrance, with people taking their picture!!! SO cool. Oh wait...no, it's a wedding!! AWESOME. Ummm....nope...just a photo/prop booth where random Joe/Jill Schmo were waiting in line to have their picture taken like a Sultan. Dude. This isn't Cedar Point. Move on. Whatever. But there were even Medusa heads carved on giant bases for columns...one was upside-down, and the other was sideways...so the workers wouldn't look directly into her eyes. Duh. :0
Top Kapi Palace was next on the agenda, and that was another unbelievable spectacle to behold!!! Just to walk from one end to the other would take an hour or so, if you're looking at anything whatsoever! The kitchens that fed anywhere from 4,000-25,000...the staff of Moses on display (underwhelming in its stick-ness)...and many other luxuries! We ended our adventures with a brief visit to the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market, where there are over 6,000 individual shops. It was reeeeally overwhelming, but still really cool.
Unfortunately, that pesky traffic got the better of us again, and we were once again, arriving to a late dinner. Food-amazing. Restaurant-superb. Running into the associate dean of Tippee College of Business at the University of Iowa, and Bryce getting to do a little networking-priceless! :)
Day 3 was today...it started at 4 AM. So, yea...you'll have to wait on that one. We flew again, drove again, and walked again today. The end.
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