After a great night in Canakkale, we woke up and ran out to the pier for one last lesson from this region.  We looked out over the water and saw the Island of Patmos.  Our professor proceeded to tell the story of Paul's vision where the man begs him to bring them the Gospel.  It was an amazing feeling to see the scriptures come to life right before my eyes.  I am continually surprised by how much I am learning and gaining from my experiences here.
Me at the Assos overlook
 We then drove to the beautiful town of Assos.  Assos is situated at the top of a high hill that overlooks the Aegean Sea.  It is the most beautiful view in the entire world! The deep turquoise water goes on for miles and every now and then you can see an emerald island floating in the sea.  I loved just sitting on the rocks and looking out over this majestic landscape...seascape.
Matt, Jacey, Me, and Rob at Pergamum
Me at Assos overlooking the Aegean
 From Assos we began to travel along the coast to Pergamum.  As we drove along the beautiful coastline, the tantalizing water seemed to be calling for us to come out and dip our feet.  Luckily, our professor convinced our bus driver and let us play in the water for about ten minutes. As lame as it may sound, this might be the highlight of the trip :) It was pure happiness to jump off the bus and run into the water.  I felt like a four-year-old on Christmas morning!
Me at Pergamum

Me at Pergamum
 We finally arrived in Pergamum, which the book of Revelations teaches is the seat of Satan.  Who knew it was Turkey ;)  Pergamum, like every other site we went to, was beautiful! There were tons of wildflowers that splashed the landscape with color.  The ruins were still in pretty good shape which allowed us to get a feel for what the city was truly like.  The temple of Zeus was at Pergamum and the stones that were used are this brilliant white color. It was stunning against the emerald grass! The ancient city was built on a high hill so we were able to look over the modern city.  It seems like any hill that you stand on in the Middle East allows to see for miles--I love it!
Ruins at Pergamum

Column at Temple of Trajan (Pergamum)

Assos
Turkey, day 2! We woke up in our hotel and used the diabolical shower once again and ate an interesting breakfast.  Honestly, cucumbers and tomatoes are not acceptable at 7:30 in the morning.  The whole group piled onto the bus and began the long drive to Troy. The scenery coming out of Istanbul is amazing! The hills just go on forever and covered in mustard fields and wild flowers. The drive lasted for a couple of hours.  I'm sure that our professors and bus driver appreciated our singing the entire time :) We finally arrived in this picturesque town  where we were going to cross the Dardanelles. This is where I ate my first real kabob.  I feel like I blog about food a lot, but it's just so delicious :) The Turks also eat this delectable lentil soup at most meals.  It's so good with a little bit of pepper and bread!

The crossing took about 45 minutes and it was so wonderful to just enjoy being on the water and looking at two continents at the same time.  A huge ocean freighter (not sure if that's even a word) passed us and it's wake soaked half of our group.  Loved it! We had another long drive after we got to the Asia side.  There is nothing better than listening to John Mayer and driving through beautiful country.  I highly recommend it to anyone have a rough day. Eventually we arrived at Troy.  Troy is breathtaking! The ruins are overgrow with wildflowers and wispy grass.  Our guide was able to point out the different layers from the all the archeological period.  I can't believe how long this city has been here! When we got to the theater we reenacted scenes from the Iliad.  It so helped the text to come alive to read it where it is supposed to have happened.  There's nothing like it.

After we played at Troy, we headed to a seaside town called Canakkale to stay for the night.  Our hotel was right on the water so most of us spent the night walking up and down the broad walk.  The sunset was unbelievable! The clouds looked like they were painted in the sky.  It was so nice to just sit on the rocks and listen to the water kissing the shore. We spent a good hour and a half just taking pictures and getting closer as a group. It was a night well spent :)

As Brother Muhlestein, my religion professor would say: All pau (done in Hawaiian).

Asia from our ferry

My roommate Becca and I, Canakkale

The freighter that splashed us

Beautiful sunset, Canakkale

Clouds painted in the sky

Andrew and I at Troy

Me at the ferry crossing

Me at Troy

Rob and I at Canakkale
Troy


Istanbul sunset




Turkey is definitely one of my favorites places on this planet! We flew in on Sunday night and drove to our hotel.  I drank in the city as we drove to our hotel.  The buildings are so colorful and the people of this city are simply amazing.  After we got to our hotel we were fed one of the most delicious dinners I have ever had.  We enjoyed four courses of delectable Turkish food.  There were a few sauces that I decided were too weird to eat, but I did try everything.

My roommates and I got along so well! We were attacked by our shower the first morning.  I don't know what it is about Turkish showers, but they did not like us.  We spent the rest of the day touring Istanbul.  We began the day at Topkapi Palace, where the sultans of the Ottoman Empire resided. The rooms were full of opulent clothing and dazzling jewels.  I was a little confused by their clothes: the sleeves were waaay longer than necessary. I'm sure that it was super comfortable during the long Turkish summers.
Blue Mosque

After the palace, we crossed the street and saw the Blue Mosque.  It was so interesting to see the inside of the mosque.  It was huge! I have never felt so small in my entire life. It took about 8 or 9 of us to circle one of the columns and I had to look straight up to see the ceiling. The tiling was incredible.  The colors were so vibrant and just beautiful.  Noon prayers had just ended and there were some stragglers who were still praying.  It was interesting to see such a different religion in practice. Even with all the tourists looking in, these devout men continued on as if it were only them and God.

Istanbul, Europe side
From the mosque, the group headed to the biggest bazaar in Istanbul.  There were over 4,000 shops selling everything imaginable.  Sadly, we only had twenty minutes here so I was not able to buy very much. In order to get to the restaurant we were eating dinner in, we took a boat down the Bosphorus. This is the best way ever to see Istanbul! We could see Asia and Europe from opposite sides of the ship.  I was in awe the entire trip.  I feel so blessed everyday when I think where I am.

My Turkish Delight :)
Dinner the first night was an interesting experience.  We went to this little restaurant that served fish and I am not a fan of seafood at all.  I would rather go hungry than eat fish.  I decided that I would try it.  It was not as bad as I thought, but I couldn't choke down all of it.  My sense of adventure is weaker at the end of the day.  Luckily, our tour guide offered to take us to get baklava. Baklava is the most delicious dessert I have ever tried!! It this pastry/honey/pistachio goodness :) I don't know how else to describe it, but it saved me from going to bed hungry in Istanbul!
Me overlooking the Wadi Qelt (the road from Jericho to Jerusalem)
Jerusalem is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in the entire world! There's so many wonderful things about this beautiful city.  There's so much about this place that I love that I decided to make another list :) So...here's my ten favorites things about the Holy Land!!

10. The cobbled streets
9. The plethora of smells in the Old City
8. Ben Yehudah Street (the Greenwich Village of Jerusalem)
7. The Jewish open air market
6. PITA!
5. The JC
4. The exposure to other cultures
3. The most delectable food in the world :)
2. The wonderful people
1. The constant reminder of Christ's presence in this ancient city

I have loved my time in Israel so far.  I have learned so much, about myself and the people of this land. We have been on lock down at the Center for two days now, which means we haven't been allowed to leave the JC to go into the city.  There have been some conflicts in the city and for our safety, our security team has decided that it was best if we stayed home.  We have heard some foreign noise from the surrounding neighborhoods, but other than this and the limited city hours, we have unaffected by the current situation and remain safe and sound :)

Tomorrow we begin our adventure to Turkey!!! Can't wait!!
Some friends and I at the oldest bakery in the Old City


A sweet, old Muslim man outside the Dome of the Rock
Happy Birthday, Israel! Last night the country was bursting with joy as the people of Israel celebrated their Independence Day. We went to Ben Yehuda Street, the Greenwich Village of Jerusalem, and found ourselves in the middle of the biggest party in the city.  Street vendors starting setting up their stands packed with patriotic goodies in the early afternoon. There was blow-up flags, silly string, flags, and a plethora of other items. Each plaza turned into a dance floor as bands blared music over their speakers celebrating the creation of the State of Israel.

At the end of the street we found a band playing upbeat music and started an impromptu dance party. As we danced people began to gather around us and take pictures of the Americans celebrating their beloved holiday.  The best part of being in Israel is the sweet people that we have the privilege to interact with.  They were excited to see us enjoying their celebration and participating in this holiday along side them.
The Dome of the Rock

Earlier in the day, all of the students in the JC took a field trip to Jericho, the oldest city in the world.  We descended over 3500ft as we went from Jerusalem to the Jordan Valley. Jericho looked more like what I thought Jerusalem would look like.  The area surrounding the city is desert.  For the most part the land is pretty barren once you're outside of Jericho.  The city, however, is an oasis tucked into the hills of the midbar wilderness.

We saw the old city wall that the fell when Joshua and his army blew the ram's horn.  Being in Israel makes the Bible come alive and my appreciation for this wonderful book has increased so much! I love walking where the prophets of old walked and taught.  I feel a closer to connection to them.  I am able to understand how truly difficult their lives were and, in turn, how great their faith was.  I am humbled by the opportunity to live in the Holy Land and have a renewed determination to take full advantage of the spiritual oasis that lies just outside my door.

The pictures don't really match, but oh well :)
Prayers at the Western Wall
Yesterday was the highlight of our trip so far!!! We had class like normal, but then we went to the Western Wall to welcome in the Sabbath.  I was not sure what to expect.  In my mind I had this picture of a reverent, contemplative religious ceremony.  I could not have been more wrong!

When we got there, we immediately found ourselves on a huge plaza with people every where.  Scores of Jews had gathered to welcome in the Sabbath. The first plaza does not segregate men and women, but to go up to the wall our group had to separate. As we got closer to the Wall, we were able to see women of all ages praying and chanting.  It was an overwhelming sight! The devotion among these people is amazing! While my friends and I were returning to the main plaza, we walked past a group of teenage girls who were singing and dancing. Upon seeing us, they immediately invited us to join and before we knew it, we were dancing and singing in Hebrew. After our 'song' ended we returned to the main plaza. There seemed to be added celebration since Monday and Tuesday is Israel's independence celebrations. Once we got to the main plaza, we joined another group of dancers. A large group of BYU students and Israeli soldiers were dancing and singing.  It was one of the most joyful moments I can recall.  The excitement and joy was exuding from these soldiers and the BYU students were excited to interact with locals our age. The young Israeli's are so full of life! They were lively, enthusiastic, and simply beautiful :)
Celebration at Western Wall, much like the one we saw.
Coming back to the JC, I realized that Fridays at the Western Wall are more than just welcoming in the Sabbath--they celebrate the Sabbath.  This is an event that the Jews look forward to each week.  It is not a burden, but rather it is a delight.  The events of Friday night looked less like religious duty and more like an anticipated event that had finally arrived.  This attitude about the Sabbath is wonderful and one that I hope to adopt.  Being able to worship on the Sabbath is privilege and deserves to be celebrated.  And celebrate the Jews do :)
As promised, here are pictures!
Girls in my OT class at Nabi Samwil, birthplace of Samuel the prophet

A 'holy' olive tree :)

My roommate, Deidra, and I at Nabi Samwil

Jenni and I: We made it!

View of the Old City from the JC


Delicious pastry in the Muslim Quarter

O, Jerusalem, I love you!

Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane

Another view from the JC
Jerusalem never ceases to amaze me! Yesterday we took our first fieldtrip of the semester.  I feel like I'm back in kindergarten with fieldtrips, sack lunches, and the eager anticipation of the first day of school.  All I need is recess :) For our fieldtrip we went to seven overlooks around the city.  I am stunned by how much we were able to see! At the palace of Saul we were able to see both the Mediterranean and Dead Seas, all of Jerusalem, and into the West Bank. From the south end of the city, we could look into Bethlehem and Jordan.  It surprises me how close all of these sites are together.  I had always figured that Bethlehem was far away from Jerusalem, but in reality it's no more than five miles.  From a hill behind this old monestary, it's possible to see the Church of the Nativity which is built over the site of Christ's birth.
I cannot believe that I am living in a place where all of these wonderful events happened.  I saw so many biblical sites yesterday:
The Nativity
Saul's Palace
Burial of Rachel
Jericho
Moab (Ruth)
Gethsemane
Gibea
Where Abraham bound Isaac
Bethlehem
Land of Ephraim
Gibeon
Mary and Martha's home
Old city of David

The Jerusalem Center (JC) is the most amazing building in the world! This is the most expensive apartment I'll ever live in, haha :) From almost every room there is a view of the Old City and East Jerusalem. The staff here is amazing.  We have great security that vigilantly monitors our safety.  Whenever we come home they are there to meet us at the lower gate. I feel like I'm an ambassador :) Our kitchen staff keeps us soooooo well fed! They have the best use for pita this world has ever seen: French toast! I was baffled when I realized that my French toast was pita, haha. Oh Jerusalem, I love you!

Pictures are coming!! I took almost 100 yesterday!
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