Turkey Day 1!

 I would just like to start by saying that Turkey is amazing! I had a wonderful week and loved every minute of it! The only downside was that in the middle of the trip I had a cold that I am still recovering from, but I didn't let it hold me back. A couple of students were sick but we all made it work. There is a lot I would like to post about Turkey so I am going to do it by day. The first day we arrived in Istanbul, Turkey. We then met our amazing tour guide, Negypt (I have no idea how to spell his name, but that is how you pronounce it). We then headed to the site were we could see the Blue Mosque (We go inside on the second day so I will talk about it in the next post) and the Hagia Sofia. the Hagia Sofia was beautiful! It means "Holy Wisdom" and was constructed in the mid 6th century A.D. It was originally a Christian church which is why all throughout the church there are Christian mosaics and paintings, like in the picture below, as well as faded crosses. The Ottomans converted the it in a mosque during the 15th century. They attempted to cover all of the Christian pictures, but in the end it just preserved them. Also throughout the church (which now acts as a museum) are giant Muslim calligraphies so it was really interesting to see the mix of the religions. We then went a walked through an archaeology museum which I have a ton of pictures from. The only problem is that I think I was pretty beat from all the traveling, because I don't remember what any of it is. For some general information about the trip, the food was, for the most part, amazing, except that all of our meals were either multiple courses or buffets. The hotels we stayed in were amazing and I had a great roommate! The weather was great, sometime a little cool, but very pleasant. I so some of the most beautiful sunsets and stars. This really was an unforgettable trip.

At the Airport in Istanbul

Outside the Hagia Sogia

Inside the Hagia Sofia