Off to Paris!

My family and I had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas in Turkey and now we are off to Paris for a few days. Our time in Turkey was very full and busy, with lots of touring and walking. We are all tired but happy to be together. Here is a brief recap of our time together, as well as some pictures… They arrived Tuesday evening about 2 hours late. Some dear friends of mine went with me to pick them and all their luggage up! We then walked around my old neighborhood - where I lived this summer - and did some shopping. We met my roommate and Turkish friend for dinner at a nice Turkish restaurant, and then rode the public bus back to my apartment. Wednesday we did a bunch of touristy things in an area called Sultanahmet - Basilica Cisterns, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Grand Bazaar. Selma met us for lunch and it was great to see her. We also were able to fit in a visit to the Hamam, the Turkish Bath. This is one of my favorite things to do and I was thrilled that LB was willing to do it J For dinner that night we went to some of my American friend’s home, it meant a lot that they were able to meet my family. Thursday we flew out really early to go to Izmir for the day. We toured the ancient city of Ephesus, as well as Mary’s House, Saint John’s Basilica, and Artemis’ Temple. We enjoyed a typical Turkish lunch, and afterwards we were shown how Turkish carpets are made. My parents were quite impressed with them and made some purchases!
Christmas day we slept in and tried to recover from all our travels! Mom fixed our typical Christmas breakfast of cheese grits, breakfast casserole, and fruit. We sang Christmas songs, read the Christmas story, and then spent some time reflecting on Christmas and its meaning. After that we headed over to see my school and classroom. Kind of a strange thing to do on Christmas day, but it seemed to be the most convenient time. Mom cooked crunchy chicken, brown rice, broccoli, and jello salad for a late lunch/early dinner and then we did gifts!! I got lots of fun stuff - a new computer, clothes, Itunes gift cards, and some movies and books. We watched “The Christmas Story” and then skyped with friends and family back home. It was a truly great day.
Saturday was our last day in the city and the weather was beautiful. I took them on a cruise up the Bosphorus Strait - one of my favorite things about the city I live in! Had a quick lunch at a local place and then headed to the Spice Bazaar for some more shopping. We ended the day by heading over to Taksim area, going up in the Galata Tower, and then dinner at my favorite restaurant.

I am exhausted but looking forward to the rest of our vacation!