Turkeyia

Three stops in Turkeyia, although there were supposed to be only two. Viking decided to leave Istanbul early due to the bombing on the Saturday before we were supposed to board. This meant an extra stop to visit the site of the ancient city of Troy. From Troy we next went to Canakkale, the closest port to Ephesus.

We arrived in Istanbul a day before the ship was to leave and had scheduled a local guide to show us the main sights of Istanbul. Crowds were slight and we didn't feel at all threatened. Some photos from our tour.

A fountain on the Hippodrome, the center of ancient Istanbul.







The Blue Mosque







Inside the Blue Mosque








Hagia Sofia--once a church, then a mosque, now a museum








An interesting thing about Hagia Sofia is that when the Ottoman Turks converted it into a mosque, they didn't remove the Christian elements from the inside. They just covered them up. When the Hagia Sofia was converted to a museum, many of them were uncovered.







More from the inside of Hagia Sofia.








Troy and Ephesus had a lot in common even though they were from different eras. While they are interesting to visit, they are both essentially just piles of rock. Some reconstruction had been done in Ephesus but really none in Troy. They are both still active archeological sites, which somewhat explains the lack of reconstruction. The history is interesting and walking the sites gives one a special feeling.

Troy


















Ephesus








The facade of the library (reconstructed)







The great theatre where Paul preached to the Ephesians (Acts 19)







Next stop Athens.

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Location:Istanbul, Canakkale (Troy) and Kusadasi (Ephesus)