Yesterday, we spent the whole day looking around Istanbul. It is a city like no other! The amazing clash of ancient culture with modern times is spectacular. We got to go to the Grand Bazaar this morning and tried to haggle our way to good deals; some are naturals at it...some got ripped off, but most of us got to dring tea with the store owners...so much fun!

Today, we flew from Istanbul to Izmir (Smyrna in Bible times). We stood on the hill where Alexander the Great gave his orders to build a new place for the inhabitants of that city.

The people are amazingly nice; the food is great! We are so grateful for our time in Turkey.