Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Travel Time: August 5-7, 2015
Our first destination on our second tour through Europe was Istanbul. We flew Alitalia (https://www.alitalia.com/en) from Chicago to Rome, had a 4 hour layover and then from Rome to Istanbul. The 5 of us were on different flights so we had to wait in the airport at Istanbul for everyone to land. Fortunately, our flights were very close in timing. Once the group was together, we took a taxi cab to the city. For accommodations, our friend Anthony had set us up with a couple who were serving as ‘need greaters’ in Istanbul at the time. They lived just a block away from the Bethel facility so we were incredibly thankful to them for opening up their home to us. That night, they had their meeting and even though we were somewhat jet-lagged, we got all cleaned up and ready to go. The Kingdom Hall was within walking distance and their meeting was in English. Afterward, we met some of the friends and then went for a walk to find something to eat. I will say, most places close early in Istanbul so there isn’t much of a nightlife scene. We finally found a place that was still open so we were able to eat and then get to bed.
The following day was our only real full day in Istanbul so we tried to make the most of it. Teri and Andy were very kind to take us out as our tour guides for the day. We stopped in the morning to grab a quick coffee and meet the rest of our group. Then it was out to tour the city. Our first stop was to eat breakfast. The Maxey’s took us to a nice rooftop spot where we had a great view of the Bosphorus strait that separates Europe from Asia. We then went walking to see the Blue Mosque (http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-blue-mosque). There was a large crowd of people outside but line to get inside was fairly short. As a woman, I had to make sure my hair was covered. I came prepared with my own scarf so I didn’t have to rent one. You are required to take your shoes off at the door so I would definitely wear socks and prepare yourself for the smell of feet. The architecture inside is beautiful. You can see with all the blue tiles why the mosque has that nickname. It was definitely crowded so we didn’t spend too much time inside. Just enough to capture a few photos and move one.
Our next stop was the ‘church-turned-mosque’ Hagia Sophia. It was built by the Byzantines but later turned into a mosque with the Muslim influence. Now, it is used as a museum. It was built in 537. The building in itself was amazing due to its dome like structure. Inside, we saw several marble pieces dating back to the original construction of the church. I personally enjoyed seeing the artwork depicting Jesus Christ. Although we don’t condone replicas or images of any sort, it was fascinating to me that this image was created just 500 years after Jesus had walked the earth; possibly one of the oldest replicas still in existence today. We easily spent a good hour inside looking at the different pieces of history. And might I add, enjoying some spots that had air conditioning. That Istanbul heat was no joke! We even bought the fast pass tickets to get inside just so we could avoid standing in the heat longer than needed.
By the afternoon, we went walking down the main street over to the Grand Bazaar. It was as if a shopping mall and flea market collided into one building. You could easily get lost inside; in fact, we lost Tj at one point! To our surprise, he has being catered to by some Turkish men who wanted to sell him a rug. Figures. After we found him, we went for some Turkish delights. I personally am not a huge candy lover, but I did have my fair share of baklava. They had a chocolate flavor with pistachios on top that was to die for! As the sun set, we took a water taxi near the Galata bridge to the Asian side of Istanbul. The Asian side was definitely a little more laid back in my opinion, not as conservative as the European side. Not to mention the boat ride gave us the perfect panoramic view of the city. We even saw dolphins swimming! Teri took us to a nice sit down restaurant where we had different small plates of Turkish food. The waiter was so nice. He even went to the neighboring restaurant to bring me a plate of fresh hummus. We had a really great experience.
Our final day in Istanbul was spent touring Bethel. I must admit, so far Istanbul was not my ‘favorite’ city (and I use that word loosely) primarily because of the heat and the heavy Muslim influence. However, visiting Bethel instantly put Istanbul at the top of my list. The brothers and sisters shared with us all the history, not only of the preaching work in Istanbul, but the history of Turkey as a whole. They explained to us that in the past, it was very hard to witness to people because of their strong beliefs. However now, due to the secular state of mind of the younger generation, more and more are willing to listen to the truth. The statistics for publishers was astounding. We also ran into some sisters who looked very familiar to us. It was shortly thereafter that we realized they were sitting next to us at the International Convention in Athens, Greece! It was such a coincidence. We really enjoyed the tour. Afterward, Tj went with our new friend Steve out in field service while I went back to the Maxey’s house to catch up on some rest. That evening, we all met up and it was time to fly out. Even though our stay was short and sweet, we were able to get a lot accomplished. On the plus side, we met some amazing friends and saw some really cool architecture. My deltas would be the heat which we weren’t used to and definitely the call to prayer at 5am. Overall though, I would definitely love to visit Istanbul again primarily to help out with the preaching work. I am looking forward in the future to hearing about some of the great experiences our brothers and sisters are having out there. Our next stop, back to Athens!
For the full album, please ‘click’ on the link below:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YjxsganebzYtiuiZ9
Enjoy the photos!
Agape,
Asia Johnson
Traveling Threefold Cord 