Oh how Ä° wish Ä° had time to share more!
Turkey has amazing flowers everywhere — Ä° never imagined how gorgeously floral it is.
The Green Mosque in Ä°znik, ancient Nicea. Yes, Unitarians, this is where we begin our heretical christological story…
What A Turkey
This morning over breakfast, my tour director, Mr. Interfaith Understanding, argued with me in the most hostile and contemptuous way that Judaism is NOT the first great monotheistic religion because the Israelites were not monotheists, and what Moses was doing was not Judaism.
Yea, dude. Whatever. I went to Div School at Harvard too and İ know about that it took a long time for the Chosen People to get their act together to worship the great İ Am in monotheistic form. İ even get that what we know as Jewish religion today bears little resemblance to what was going on in Palestine 3-4,000 years ago. But tell me that you dont care that its offensive to Jews to deny that theirs is the first monotheistic religion and youve totally lost your Mr. İnterfaıth Dialogue cred wıth me. This dude has BENT OVER BACKWARDS to seem open and respectful with everyone on this tour but me, who have been treated to a steady stream of snark and defensiveness since I showed up. İ am TICKED.
So Ä° blew off todays tour to Aphrodisıas to avoid the on-and-off the bus drill, the being talked AT and asked patronizıng questions (the sort that can be answered with one correct answer — Bueller? Anyone? Anyone?) and worst of all, being looked at like a Huge Weirdie when Ä° request some SÄ°LENT time to just BE at these sights. This tour is billed as a pilgrimage and there aint no pilgrimage about it. What Ä° have managed to get in terms of communion with the spirit of the land, people and gods here, Ä° have had to steal from our frenetic itinerary.
(At the Hagıa Sofia in İstanbul)
There. Ä° just needed to rant a bit. Ä°t is a glorius country and Ä°m loving being here — Ä°m just disappointed that this group that promotes itself as a really different tour experience is so exactly what Ä° have experienced in typical tours –only with less free time and shopping.
We want you to interact with the people and the place says our tour director. Guess what, hon? Although its commercial and corrupt,um SHOPPÄ°NG is actually a great way to do that.
A few more days and Ä° will be on my own in Greece.
Kiss of peace!!
Turkey Two
Hello everyone
Wrıtıng from an ınternet cafe ın Kusadısı on the Aegean coast. I cant upload any photos because ıt takes too long so thats a major dısappoıntment as ıs the fact that I cant fınd any Englısh punctuatıon on thıs keyboard
Thıs tour ıs far busıer and more hectıc than I had antıcıpated but were seeıng amazıng sıghts
I would lıke more tıme to just soak ıt all ın but ıts very much an on the bus and off the bus proposıtıon although our focus ıs Bıblıcal and the group ıntellectually orıented.
I cant waıt to share more at a later tıme
and download or upload photos whıch are quıte gorgeous
As I am ın a Muslım country I am not eatıng pıg but am certaınly eatıng LIKE a pıg.
The ruıns of Troy
The Acropolıs and the Asclepıon
My ongoıng project of photographıng cats and dogs everywhere we go ın the hopes that I can put out a 2010 calendar CATS AND DOGS OF TURKEY
Tour bus
Escapıng the group for a lunch wıth my specıal new frıend retıred Aır Force Colonel Don E. of Tennessee every day
Sweet and lovely roommate from Kansas Cıty
Guess what I dont lıke Turkısh Delıght
Now for free lots of ınterestıng letters you dont usually get to see!
ş ö ç i ğ ü
Love and wonder ın your lıves and hearts
from Kusadısı
PeaceBang