Feelin’ a bit like Indiana... Jones that is!

One of the most memorable trips we’ve taken since moving to the Middle East has been to beautiful Jordan with a group of great friends. Highlights of the 10 days were trekking and camping through the desert, a 3 hour camel ride through Wadi Rum, visiting historical Petra and ultimately just floating around in the Dead Sea.

If we were thoroughly exhausted by the time the trip was over, it was strictly because we didn’t stop moving the entire time we were there! We even had a quick sneak into Jerusalem for 2 days, which was an interesting experience to say the least – the atmosphere there is very hard to express. I can only think of describing it as feeling constantly on edge... We were quite relieved when we crossed back into Jordan. Overall, I loved Jordan – it was beautiful all around. As for Jerusalem? I was glad for the experience, but I doubt I’ll be heading back there anytime soon…

Well, where to begin?

Clearly it’s been a while since I’ve been on here… it’s crazy how easily time slips away from us. So much has happened in the last couple of years it’s difficult to think of where to start the update…

First things first, we’re still living in Dubai. It’s our 4^th year here in this desert city and much has changed over the past couple of years. The school itself has grown and friends have come and gone, but the weather’s still consistent! Actually, last year I don’t think it rained here at all! We’ve become wrapped up in the easy lifestyle – 7-seater SUV, endless shopping malls, beaches, food… it’s a bit of a luxurious lifestyle. Definitely not something I’d be able to do at home – the financial bonuses are doing well to keep us here!

As for myself, I got ENGAGED, got MARRIED and now have a cute little 2-bedroom apartment in Dubai that the hubby and I live in all by ourselves! No more roomies – although they were great to live with! I’m happy to not be living like a university student anymore!

I guess one of the easiest ways to tell the story is in small chunks – forget the long elaborate descriptive writing! At this point, it would take me a ridiculously long time to catch up in detail. So, my plan is to share a few highlights of events from the past couple of years in the hopes that it will help to tell the story for me…

Valentine's Weekend in the City of Love

This past weekend found me in Paris, France for an IB Workshop. No need to wonder if I am in the right profession – if it will send me around the world to places I’ve never been, then it’s the right choice! We left Dubai on Wednesday evening (well, truthfully, it was more like midnight by the time we got out of here!) and arrived at the Euro Disney resort in Paris (where the workshop was being held) on Thursday morning around 8am.

We were surprised to learn that, although the resort was hosting a very large number of educators for the workshop, none of our rooms would be ready until around 3pm that afternoon... So rather than hang around the lobby for hours, a few of us decided to find a way into the city itself. (The resort is not actually in the heart of Paris, but is about a half hour train ride out.) So we asked the concierge at the resort and they directed us to the train station. While on the train into the city, we had our first taste of French culture when several locals decided to serenade those of us on the train. The accordion player was not too bad, but the man with the portable karaoke machine was my favourite! :) Usually you see guitars or harmonicas, but I guess beggars are stepping up their act with some new technology!

Our first stop that day was, naturally, the Eiffel Tower. We stood below, debating whether it would be wise to actually climb it with the weather being so cold (well, by Dubai standards anyway!) and in the end, decided to go for it! So we climbed up to the second level of the tower (the highest point you can climb to – after that, you have to take the lift up) which was almost 700 steps. (I knew the Stairmaster would pay off!) The view from the top was pretty incredible – the city itself is fairly large and the style of the buildings gives it a distinct European flavour. There were quite a few couples there who were being openly loving and affectionate, clearly proving the Eiffel Tower’s reputation of being such a romantic location. Although, I think my idea of romance is a little different than theirs...maybe if it had been evening and the tower had been lit up I would have seen what makes it so romantic! The French culture in general is very affectionate – everywhere we went there were people holding hands, kissing, hugging... *sigh* romance even in the dead of winter! It was definitely an experience.

We ended up walking around the city for the majority of the day Thursday and came back to the hotel just in time for the most disappointing and expensive buffet dinner I’ve ever had. Honestly, the food was cold, the selection was poor, and the buffet meal itself cost almost 30 Euros! Even with our IB discount it was still expensive! Needless to say, we didn’t eat at the hotel for dinner again.

The second day we went back into the city for a late evening of walking around and visiting the Louvre. We managed to see what we wanted to see in just under 3 hours, but to really do the museum justice, you’d have to give yourself a lot longer than that. We were speed walking through several areas to get the art that each of us really wanted to see. They had a fairly extensive ancient history section (which of course I loved!) including Hammurabi’s Code – one of the oldest and first scribed code of law known to man. There were some very interesting pieces in the museum, some that were absolutely amusing, and others that had us standing in awe... The most impressive pieces was Antonio Canova’s Psyché ranimée par le baiser de l'Amour, (“Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss”) which was absolutely stunning. We stood there for a few minutes, just absorbing the statue. It was amazing. We also saw the Mona Lisa, which I hate to say was anticlimactic at this point – she was a lot smaller than I expected her to be! There were a lot of Christian religious paintings in the museum as well – including a painting after the beheading of John the Baptist as well as the Wedding of Cana (where Jesus turned water into wine – and probably where we get our open bar tradition from!). Needless to say, if you are planning a trip into Paris, the Louvre is a must!

The next and final evening in Paris found us visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral. From the outside, it seems a little strange for a cathedral – we’re used to the high, pointed towers, whereas the Notre Dame has tall squared towers. But the amount of detail in the carvings surrounding the outside of the building is very impressive. There were angels and demons, references to heaven and hell, and even a final judgment where the devil waits to see who will be condemned. All that before you even ENTER the church. The inside of the cathedral was unbelievable. The high arching ceilings and the sacred roped off historical areas added to the authority that the cathedral holds. A few people around us were moved to tears just being there. It was quite moving to witness. We were lucky enough to be there when there was a mass starting – which added to the atmosphere of reverence and amazement. Everyone heard the organ start up (which was pretty incredible to hear) and then suddenly the door next to us (the sacristy, to our surprise) opened up and the priests emerged for the mass. I was pretty awe-struck watching the procession.

From there we got lost trying to find L’Arc de Triomphe – where the finish the Tour De France – and spent the better part of the night trying to get there! When we did we were pretty amazed. While it is not that big, it is situated in the middle of pretty massive round-about (for those who are not familiar, it works soooo much better than stop signs – you just drive around the circle, merging slowly, rather than coming to a complete stop!), and is in the middle of the Champs-Élysées- the famous shopping strip in Paris with all the big name brands. Luckily, the majority of the shops were closed (converting dirhams to euros is really not that much fun!) but we managed to find a lovely little local restaurant where we had a bottle of wine and a lovely “French” meal. We got back to the hotel fairly late again, but it was well worth it seeing the city while we were there. I wish the hotel had been a little closer to the city centre, but it made sense as a workshop location for the program – there were literally hundreds of people attending. At least we got to see everything we wanted to! And got to practice our long-forgotten French!

Into the Wild...

So we’re back from our desert camping adventure! We spent about 2 full days out in the wilds of Oman, just a few hours north west of us along the Arabian Gulf. We travelled with Genna and Paul Debnam - one of my colleagues from the English Department at work and her husband, a teacher at a primary school in the area – a couple who have lived here in Dubai for a few years now and who are well travelled both in the Emirates and around the world. Their knowledge of the area and the terrain was impressive – even when it seemed we were in the middle of nowhere, they seemed to know exactly where we needed to go!

The first night we were there, we stayed in the middle of what seemed like a quarry (much of the rocky hills and mountains in Oman are mined and processed to make cement in the factories that line a large area near the border). We were about 200 metres above sea level in the middle of what almost felt like the lip of a volcano – there were large mountainous ranges that circled around the area that we made camp in and the only other sign of life was a farm that stood across from the camping ground on the other end of the quarry. Oh, and the hundred or so goats that roamed freely around the area... what an experience! It wasn’t the traditional camp site that we’re used to in Canada – let me tell you, those are LUXURY camping grounds compared to what you can find in Oman! You can literally drive up just about anywhere, pitch a tent and camp there – which is essentially what we did! Genna and Paul have an Off Road Guide of Dubai and the surrounding Emirates and countries, which had directions and tips for travellers and came in quite handy when we were travelling through endless stretches of desert to find their favourite camping ground!

When we first arrived at the site the first night, we were pretty shocked – unlike other camping that I’ve done, this site lacked any sort of greenery outside of a few sparse trees that had recently blossomed some small flowers. The ground had no grass and seemed more barren than any other place I’d seen before. However, sitting amongst the sparse trees in the midst of mountains, I felt more removed from civilization that I ever had camping elsewhere. Rather than only a small bush or a couple of trees that usually separate you from other campers in many of the overpopulated sites in Ontario, that site was almost completely deserted – the only sounds we could hear were the chirping of birds and the bleating of the goats that roamed the land freely around us. It was a really strange feeling for people who spend their lives in the city – but it was definitely a much more peaceful experience because of the absolute silence that followed the goats leaving and heading back to the farm. That night, seeing as how we had no real food to eat, we headed into one of the neighbouring villages and had dinner in a small local restaurant. We ordered local Omani/Arabic dishes and some Indian dishes that were recommended by our friends and the staff at the restaurant - it was quite delicious! The meal for the 4 of us cost about Dhs50, which is about a total of $15 back home... very cheap, yet delicious food! After dinner, we made a camp fire, roasted some marshmallows and sat around for hours in the silent, calm darkness without being disturbed... that is until about midnight when a small caravan of cars decided that in all that barren landscape, they had to bring their noisy party to an area only a few sparse trees away from where we ourselves were camped! Then they proceeded to have a dance party until about 5am! I myself did manage to drown them out and sleep a little, but the rough rocky ground made that a bit difficult!

In the morning we were awaked slowly by the bleating of our friendly neighbours... that is until they discovered that we had left a box of wood out by where our fire pit had been the night before. The buggers ATE the entire box – tearing it and shredding it and head-butting each other in order to get more of the cardboard for themselves! I never noticed before how goats will eat just about ANYTHING until I sat and watched them tear this box to shreds, scattering our wood everywhere, for the better part of an hour! After they were finished we packed up and headed back down the mountain to the beachfront where we spent a couple of hours swimming in the water and being gawked at by locals. The areas that we travelled through had little more than small villages scattered along the coastline, so foreigners swimming shirtless and in bathing suits is a sight to be seen apparently! They are not shy about staring either – they pulled right up to the waterfront to get a good look at all the foreigners sunning there! It was definitely an interesting experience! We could only sit in the sun for a couple hours however before the noon sun started to cook us at an unbearable temperature. (I cant WAIT until the head starts to subside – it’s definitely not possible to be out in the sun for a long period of time between noon and about 3pm here!)

So, we got back in the car and drove back towards the Omani/Emirati border and found a nice beach with some shady areas where we camped for the second night. We spent the afternoon sitting and reading in the shade, then pitched our tents around dinner time to claim our spot before venturing into another village in search of food. We were unable to find a restaurant that was open, so we went to a small market and bought some potatoes, butter, cheese, olives and bottles of water to make baked potatoes in the campfire that night. We were fairly content with the potatoes – they were just right when we took them out of the fire – moist and delicious with butter and cheese! But then our neighbouring campers – a group of local Emirati men from Ras Al-Khaimah (which borders Oman)– came and invited us over to their tent for a chat and some local food. There were 6 men sharing a proper traditional Bedouin tent, all on vacation to Oman for the Eid Al-Fitr holiday as well. And were we ever glad we accepted – they treated us like royalty! The food itself was a traditional fish and rice dish – cooked white rice and different types of fish from tuna to others that I can’t even recall. They even instructed us on the traditional way to eat the dish – with your hands, rolling the fish together with the rice in a ball in your hands, and then putting it in your mouth. It was a thousand times better than any fish dish I’ve ever had at a restaurant though! They then made us some local coffee and tea, which is traditionally had after a meal to help with digestion. The tea reminded me of the Turkish tea that we frequently had at restaurants in Istanbul, only it was a bit sweeter and the coffee like espresso, only less bitter. It was very good (yes, I even drank the coffee so as not to offend our hosts!)

We learned some local niceties as well – for example, if I am poured a cup of tea and don’t immediately drink, it means I have an agenda and have an issue I need to discuss with my hosts (of course, I only learned this after not immediately drinking – mostly because I can’t drink tea that hot right away!) Also, if I have had enough to drink, I return the cup to my host and tip the empty cup from side to side to signal that I’m finished – otherwise they are obliged to fill up your cup yet again! (which Moe learned the hard way with the coffee! J) The conversation with our hosts was also amazing – we learned that a few of the men were avid travellers, that one of them was moving to England for university (as a result, Genna and Paul were a great resource for him since they are from England themselves) and that another was heading back to Thailand in a few weeks for the FOURTH time – clearly he loved the culture there and frequently returns! They informed us about other Arabic traditions, including marriage traditions and familial traditions (as a few of them had either just gotten married or were expecting a child soon) and asked us many questions about where we come from, where we’ve been and about our experiences so far around the world. At the end of a long and relaxing evening in great company, they apologized for anything they had not done to make our stay more enjoyable (another Arabic tradition when company is leaving) and we returned to our tents, full-stomached and pleasantly exhausted. From the food to the conversation, it was definitely one of the more culturally informative and lovely evenings I’ve ever had overseas! Arabic hospitality really leaves nothing to be desired.

The next morning we went for an early swim, then packed up and drove back through the border. After a quick stop at Barracuda, the closest place for foreigners to buy any sort of alcohol (about an hour from our house here in Dubai ) for some wine and beer, we arrived home early in the afternoon, thanked Genna and Paul for inviting us on their trip, and spent the afternoon sleeping off the exhaustion that comes with a great few days of travel. All in all, it was a great trip!

New City ~ Fresh Start

So we’ve finally arrived and are (mostly) settled into our place in Dubai! And I have to say, I’ve never felt jet lag quite so strongly before! I think it is because the flight from Toronto to London was the same length of time as the flight from London to Dubai.... so it felt as if we were travelling for a lot longer than we actually were! Plus, none of the lights or television screens were working in our section of the plane during the second flight, so that eliminated being able to entertain ourselves for the 6 hours that we were in transit which was very frustrating!

We arrived late on the 22nd of August – around midnight or so – and by the time we got through customs and got to our flats, it was after 1am... The first flat that they had us in (yes, that’s correct, we had to move!) was a dormitory style shared apartments – much like you would find in undergraduate programs at university – and was in a shadier area of the city than where we are now. We didn’t mind it so much though because the people that were staying in that building were great and were all around our age, which was a big bonus! It was a 2 bedroom, 2 and a ½ bathroom flat with a large kitchen and living room area. It was nice, but definitely too big for just the two of us – I could have rollerbladed around the place if I had wanted to! But alas, we were only there for a couple of days before they had to move us to the other area...

The apartment that we are in now is a bit smaller, but we’re a lot happier with it because it’s cosier – more home-like! We still have 2 bedrooms and 1 and a ½ bathrooms, as well as a living room/kitchen area that is together in one big space. There is only one balcony, but we look out over the complex pool between the buildings, which is nice! It’s a quieter neighbourhood (if you don’t count the airplanes above us because we’re so close to the airport!) but there’s a shopping mall at the end of our street with a gym, grocery store and quite a few good shops in it! So it’s definitely convenient!

We’ve been at work for a week already (we only had 1 day to find our bearings before they threw us into work!) and so far it seems like it’ll be a much better experience than our last. I will have a lot of work to do this year because we’re creating a new middle school English program from scratch AND I’ve just been given a Year 11 IB Diploma English class which adds HEAPS of work to my schedule! I haven’t obviously had the training yet, but they’re trying to sort that out and I’m thrilled because it’s what I wanted to teach in the first place! They had me teaching Year 7 at first... but I’m not really a Year 7 type of teacher.... I prefer the older kids who are university bound, so needless to say, I’m happy to be given the opportunity to add this to my CV! Also, the people here are great (thus far!) and are on the most part fairly young, so that’s a plus!

We FINALLY got our phone situation figured out – we had some serious trouble getting it all set up and working, but we think we got it right this time! The first SIM card we got for our phone wasn’t even processed, so we went to the phone company and just bought a new one – we didn’t want to have to travel to another mall to get it fixed because it was where our first flat had been.... but then for some reason the NEW SIM card didn’t work either, so we ended up going back to the original store and low and behold, 3 hours later, they were able to fix everything up for us! Thank goodness because that was quite a fiasco!

Okay, onto the things people REALLY want to hear about! Yes I HAVE been to the Festival City Centre and it is AMAZING!! The mall is really big and TOTALLY eccentric! There are indoor waterfalls adorning every escalator in the place and the ceilings are decorated more elegantly than most hotels I’ve stayed in!! It has a lot of international stores – Aldo, Marks and Spencer, and an IKEA (which has been my new best friend for household stuff!). The best part is it’s super close to the school - about a 10 minute walk – I know, you hate me, right??? The only DOWN side is the Taxi queue ... honestly, people told us that it would be long... but we took a number and waited over an HOUR there the other night.... Mind you, it was Thursday night, which is the end of the workweek here, so that was our mistake!

Yesterday the school organized a day touring around Dubai since we hadn’t really had the chance to see much of it yet. We started off the morning having a breakfast cruise along the Dubai river, on one of the most luxurious boats they have in the city for meals – the head of our school said we had to have breakfast because dinner was way too expensive! It was very modern looking, surrounded entirely by large windows, with outer decks where you could enjoy the scenery and take photos. It was stunning and the food was wonderful!

From there we had a private tour of the Burj Al Arab – for those who are unfamiliar with the name, it’s the big 7-star Sailboat Hotel on the coast of Dubai. The owner’s son attends school where we work, so we were privileged enough to be invited into the hotel. And what an unbelievable place it is! First off, no one can even drive up to the hotel without first having made an appointment (even for coffee) or a reservation – security was pretty tight! When we walked into the hotel, they greeted us in the traditional Arabic manner – with rosewater for our hands and dates to eat. But just walking into the hotel was breathtaking – there was a massive water fountain directly in front of the doors where the water was programmed to change flow at various times. It’s very hard to describe, but it was amazing to watch! It was like its own show because the patterns in which the water would spout out was mesmerizing! There were escalators that took us up from the lobby to the upper floor which was framed by giant fish tanks – very pretty! Upstairs was even more luxurious – everything is so unbelievably detailed that it’s actually difficult to focus on one thing at a time! Standing at the top of the escalators, you can look straight up to the very top of the “sailboat” and see all the room’s balconies as they stretch up 27 stories. There is a fountain there that shoots water from the floor above the lobby to the very top of the hotel. Everything is adorned with gold – gold plated actually – and is just stunning. One of my personal favourite rooms was the Oriental restaurant/bar that had Swarovski jewels strewn about the ceiling and studded around the doors and mirrors! I was in heaven!

They took us up to the 21st floor to see one of the 3 bedroom deluxe suites which was pretty incredible. It was two floors and bigger than our flat about 5 or 6 times over for SURE! The KIDS bathroom alone was probably the size of our whole flat! It had everything from mosaic showers, to gold-plated mirrors, to digital projectors displaying a clock on the wall! I could never do it justice in writing, but hopefully the photos help a little! They took us into a meeting room where we had some refreshments and enjoyed a stunning view of the city and the palm and world islands being built around the hotel. Needless to say, the hotel was beyond incredible!

After our visit to the Burj, we went to the Madinat Jumeriah Souk (which was a lot like the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, only a lot cleaner and less hectic!) nearby to have lunch and shop around for a while. We weren’t that hungry so we went to Starbucks (you’d think it was random, but they’re totally taking over the world!) and then bought some cool knick knacks for the flat. It was lovely because the outside of the souk looks like the building has just grown up out of the desert itself. The giant sandcastle look to some of the buildings has grown quickly on me and I love the way it gives the city such a distinct sense of heritage – like they are acknowledging their past and trying to integrate it into where they want to be in the future. The architecture here is stunning – from hotels built like ancient Egyptian temples (adorned by the giant pharaoh statues even!), to the wild eccentric designs of hotels such as the Burj, there is so much to see here that has been touched by so many different nationalities and cultures. It’s stunning to say the least.

Tomorrow we head back to work (on a Sunday, which will take some getting used to!) and get to meet the whole staff of the school, as last week was only orientation for us newbies! I’m looking forward to a busy and challenging year.

Final Trips and Fond Farewells...

On the first weekend in June we went on our last class trip with our school here in Istanbul. We travelled to the Antalya region, in the south of Turkey on the Mediterranean. We left the school at 8pm on a Thursday night and slept on the bus overnight while we travelled. The entire drive took about 10 hours to get from Istanbul to Antalya – a very sleepless and uncomfortable 10 hours!

Our first stop was a waterfall not too far from the city of Antalya. It was aside the Mediterranean and had a beautiful view of the city along the coast behind it. We stopped there for some photos for about 20 minutes before heading on. Our next stop was an ancient theatre that is still used today for productions such as plays and ballets. The theatre seats about 15,000 people and dates from the middle of the 2nd century A.D. While we were there they were setting up the stage for a new production that was to start in a couple of weeks. The theatre was undergoing several renovations to ensure that its seats were sufficient to accommodate the crowds attending the shows. However, the guide - entirely in Turkish of course! – explained the various seating areas that were used in Roman times. Throne-like seats for the nobles around the stage, and waaaaaay in the back of the theatre, single rooms for the prostitutes “entertaining” during the shows! Regardless of the history involved, the students were fairly bored during out stop there – that is until they noticed the gladiator on the landing above us! There was this great big BEAR of a man dressed as a Roman gladiator that was obviously there for photo opportunities! We definitely took advantage of him being there and took some funny photos there!

Next, we went to the site of the Apollo Temple, where not much is left of the ruins other than a few of the pillars and some stones. When standing there however, you can imagine what the temple would have been like in its entirety – large narrow pillars making up the walls with a fantastic view of the Mediterranean Sea! There were quite a few tourists visiting the area while we were there – and it is quite a stunning location – but sadly, our students were more concerned about getting to the hotel pool than they were the historical significance of what they were experiencing! Go figure! THANKFULLY it would be several more hours before they were to get their wish!!

Our next stop was the ancient city of Phaselis, an important trading city founded in about the 7th century B.C.E. Not much remains of the city other than some small ruins, however, the ruins are such that you can still make out the various rooms and mosaics that decorated them throughout the city. And the main road that travelled through the city itself is still distinguishable, which helped a little!

Lunch followed Phaselis, at this restaurant that our tour guide insisted was next to this “great waterfall” – imagine our surprise when we pull into the parking lot and see a thin pipe sticking out of the rock face with water gushing through it!! I immediately thought “this guy has GOT to be kidding!” Thankfully, that was NOT the “waterfall” that we had been promised! Walking through the centre of the kitchen area, we were amazed to come outside to the sound of rushing water – we were eating in the midst of a waterfall! And not a small one either – a wide and rushing waterfall! It was probably the coolest place I’ve ever eaten at abroad yet! Each “table” was low to the ground and had cushions surrounding it instead of chairs. Everyone sat in groups around the tables and marvelled at the beauty around us – it was so peaceful! All you could hear were the birds and the sounds of the waterfall... it was stunning!

From there we went to the site of the ancient city of OLYMPOS which sits within the mountains and is surrounded by farm land and beaches. The Turks claim to have little information about the city itself, however it apparently dates from the 2nd century B.C.E and being a rich commercial city, was of greater importance than Phaselis. Of course, the students were more interested in getting to the beach than they were in the historical ruins, so as they scurried off to the water, Morgan and I decided to explore the site ourselves. (Thankfully, since we had paid for the trip, we did not have to act as chaperones!) I was really impressed with this site because much of it was almost covered by the growth of the woods surrounding it. Over time, the vegetation around the site has grown to give it an almost “Secret Garden” feeling – where, once you step off the main road, you feel as if you’ve stepped into another world entirely... It was so peaceful because there was hardly anyone in the ruins with us – strangely enough, most of the tourists there had a similar inkling to the students and made their way to the beach rather than walk the ruins.... weird! Using the ancient waterway as a path, we walked through tombs where sarcophagi are still intact, ruins of houses and alleys... it was incredible! There were even large pieces of mosaics that you could see lying within some of the ruins – you could make out the pattern that had been on the floor at one time. We did manage to make our way (albeit slowly!) to the waterfront where our colleagues and students were and went for a short dip in the water before heading to the hotel!

The hotel itself was lovely – a resort-style complex with a large pool in the centre. The weather during our stay was incredible, so we were very lucky in that sense. And although the trip itself was short, we had a nice relaxing time and enjoyed the sites we were able to see.

Upon returning to Istanbul, we spent the next week preparing ourselves to leave the city and return home... Although our experiences within the school were not always positive, it was with a heavy heart that we had to say goodbye to some of our colleagues and friends there. To the few that took us under their wing and guided us and supported us throughout this trying year – we truly thank you. You were a great asset to us over the last year and have become even greater friends than we could have hoped for. We will truly miss you and working with you every day, and we wish you all the best for the future! To those back home – I cant wait to see you when we return!

Much love, Christine xoxo

A Journey into the Past...

On one of our last weekends in Istanbul, Morgan and I were invited to stay at the summer house of a couple that we had begun tutoring at the start of the school year. We booked a flight from Istanbul to Izmir, in the south west of Turkey, and spent two wonderful days being toured and pampered!

We arrived at the summer house late on Friday night, as Ozlem was meeting us from Ankara and her flight came in 3 hours later than ours. Ozgur took Morgan and I to the waterfront in Izmir while we were awaiting her arrival to see a bit of the city. The city itself was a lot smaller and nicer than Istanbul – at least the area that we live in. It seems more geared toward tourism and I found it to be more welcoming in its design than cramped and crowded Istanbul. As the summer house was about an hour drive from Izmir, we didn’t arrive there until after 1am!

On Saturday they took us to see the ancient city of Ephesus, dating to the 10th century B.C, and some of the ancient sites around the ruins of the city itself. It is said that Androklos, the mythical founder of Ephesus, founded the city when a prophecy told to him by an oracle came true – “A fish and a boar will show you the way.” The city was very impressive in that a lot of it is still very well preserved. When it was thriving, it was a successful and important port city that was surrounded by some very important sites of the ancient world. Ephesus was most famous for its temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis, daughter of Zeus, and goddess of forests and hills. It was also the site of the Celsus Library, which held 12,000 scrolls and also served as a tomb for Celsus himself, and St. John’s Basilica, built in his memory since Ephesus is where he is believed to have written much of his Gospel after Jesus’ death. Ephesus is said to have played an extremely important role in the beginning of Christianity in the 50’s A.D., as St. Paul spent a few years there himself, writing some of his Acts which are now found in the Bible, and St. John is believed to have taken the Virgin Mary there after the crucifixion to live out the remainder of their days.

We started our tour of the city at the shrine built at the site believed to be the place where the Virgin Mary went to spend her remaining years after the crucifixion. The small house is only two small rooms with an altar and religious paintings of her, and serves as a place where Christians worldwide can make a pilgrimage to pay their respects. The shrine sits atop a hill that has an amazing view of the ancient city of Ephesus as well as the surrounding countryside, making for a serene and peaceful atmosphere.

From there we walked through the ruins of St. John’s Basilica, which also sits atop a hill overlooking the country-side as well as the site of the Temple of Artemis. There is quite a bit of the foundation still standing today, and walking through you can see evidence of various rooms that were used for worship. For example, in the centre of one room were steps leading down into a small, shallow pool used for baptisms. Up on a nearby hill the ruins is a fortress that is supposedly built around the grave of St. John himself – this was closed to the public however, so we were unable to see the tomb ourselves. Still, the view from the Basilica was quite impressive nonetheless.

When we entered the ruins of the city of Ephesus, we first visited the site of the Church of St. Mary, which was much larger than the shrine dedicated to her. There are still remnants of the altar left standing, as well as a larger hall that houses what looks to be a large basin used for baptisms. As the ancient city was home to people who played many significant roles in the beginning of Christianity, it is almost surreal to think we were walking in the footsteps of so many worshipers that have visited the site through the centuries – both when the city was actually being used and since excavations began in 1869.

Sitting within the Great Theatre was extremely impressive – the knowledge that the ancient people had of acoustics and how to create an open-aired structure that would allow for such great sound was truly incredible! The theatre itself is quite large – having the capacity to house 25,000 spectators – and is under constant reconstruction and excavation. While sitting at the top of the seats within the Great Theatre we watched a tour-guide give a demonstration on the acoustic sound – I was very impressed to learn that I could understand everything he was saying, without him having to raise his voice at all! The Celsus Library was just a short walk away from the Great Theatre and most of what still remains is the remarkable entrance of the library itself – flanked with pillars and statues of the Virtues – and the inner foundations where the scrolls had been kept in ancient times. The site itself was not too large, but it was still inspiring to see a place that housed so much knowledge.

We had to make a short stop within the gate of Hercules, which simply consists now of two pillars, both with a relief of Hercules holding a lion’s head on them. The legend is that the lion had been terrorizing villagers, but as it had an unusually thick skin, no one had been able to kill it. Along came mighty Herc, a demi-god (half-man, half-god) and thrust his arm down the lion’s throat until it suffocated and died. The relief is a symbol of his victory over the mighty lion. Naturally, being the mature adults that we are, we had to stop to take our own “Hercules” photos!

After we finished our tour through the city, we travelled the short distance to the site of the ruins of the Temple of Artemis. While the site itself leaves a lot to the imagination – nothing is standing other than a single pillar and some stones – it was still worth the visit to say that I have now been to the sites of THREE of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World!

On the Sunday, we visited Güzelçamli National Park, where we spent the afternoon on the beach enjoying the sunshine. The park has something like 11 beaches, but only the first 4 are open to the public as the others are only 1 km away from the Greek island that sits just off the coast of the park. Apparently they have a problem with refugees and fugitives, so the army patrols the remaining beaches where the distance between the island and the beach is close enough to swim across! Overall, it was definitely a trip worth remembering!