The View from the Hillside

After an overnight train ride, we made it to Armenia and traveled to Meag's house, with whom we were staying, in her small village called Yeghenazor. We went to a hillside, and here was the view. For as underdeveloped as the city is (Meag's place - like many - had no shower, a non-flushing toilet, obviously no a/c, and was frequented by a billion bugs), the environment around it is amazing. Mountain views and beautiful sites.

San Sambea

This beautiful church is in Tbilisi Georgia. If you didnt know, Georgia is the first christian nation in the world. It is also the fabeled land of Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece. Georgians are proud to say that this church was built using only donations and not from some organization like the vatican. Maybe you have even heard of Gregorian chants? This is where its from... the country of Georgia.

Georgian Breakfast

This delicious breakfast was served up at our local Georgian eatery. Its bread shaped like a boat filled with cheese and eggs. The perfect heavy heart-attack way to start the day.

Sounds of the City

In Istanbul they have many sounds. Every day, five times a day the call for worship rings out from singers who remind the faithful its time for prayer. I caught this one around 11pm one night. It sounds just like in the movies.

The Hookah

On our last day in Istanbul, Derrick and I tried Turkish apple hookah from a local water pipe cafe. We also tried the outrageously strong Turkish coffee and absolutely delicious apple tea. Our cafe friend, who was Kurdish, wanted to get in on the photos. While there, Derrick also taught me how to play backgammon, where I beat him two of the three times.

The Obelisk

This obelisk doesn't look Turkish at all - and that's because it isn't. It's Egyptian and was brought to Istanbul around 350 BC from the Luxor regıon of Egypt. It's located in the Hippodrome (the area near the Blue Mosque and Haggai Sophia). It just seemed a bit out of place there.

The Beach

Yesterday, we visited the Black Sea in a part of Istanbul called Kilyos, which is a 1.5 hour bus ride away from the city center. The beach was not quite as salty as the ocean, but salty enough to refrain from submerging your head in too many times. We opted for a private part of the beach owned by a restaurant, whıch was actually cheaper than the rest of the beach and allowed us to have some drinks and a table wıth an umbrella. The Turkish cabernet I tried wasn't half bad, and we ate a snack of "maedia" again. Despite my pleas for him to stay out of the sun, Derrick got an unpleasant sunburn on hıs shoulders -- not the best when we're back to backpacks this afternoon and evening.