May Term 2013

Turkish Delight: or how I paid homage to Jules Verne I’ll get to the explanation for the title if you’ll read to the end, but since this is the last day of my adventure, I tried to do a lot. One thing I wanted to do was “trek” in one of the many valleys here.  There … Continue reading »

I am beginning to understand why 6 million visitors choose to come to Cappadocia. Part of it is the weather—at least in the 7 months of the year when it’s not snow covered. We’re at 4,000 feet, which makes evenings temperate (in the 50s), with warm days (in the 80s), and apparently it’s like this … Continue reading »

Bursa tility. Back in the day, Bursa was an important city, linking up with Chang’an and the Tang dynasty on the Silk Road. Back in the day, it was the gathering ground for the Ottomans to begin to tighten the noose; it was where Osman’s dream of being Sultan started taking shape, and he and … Continue reading »

My day began at 3 am, when I woke up to wish our students a pleasant flight home.  They’re probably in Chicago by now. Here’s what I did on my own: My touring began at 8: 15, when I headed for the tram to finish at least three more checklist items in the morning. The first was … Continue reading »

My 27 new best friends and I will be saying goodbye early this morning as they head back to the United States, leaving at 3:30 am for Munich and thence to Chicago.  Perhaps it was appropriate that we spent half the day together, viewing still more of the attractions that bring 10-15 million visitors to Istanbul, then the … Continue reading »

Those of you who have followed my blogs over the years know how fond I am of noting that Xi’an in China was the capital for over 1000 years, most recently 1000 years ago.  Imagine my joy in being in Istanbul, which for over 1000 years was the new “Rome” (under the name Constantinople), and for … Continue reading »