I've been neglecting the LJ.  I just don't feel like there is much to say lately. 

I was going to put together a whole picture post and tell stories from our trip, but due to my lack of enthusiasm for journaling lately, a link to my flickr account will have to do.  There are captions and some stories with the pictures.  Enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaron-sarah/sets/72157617258530319/

It is our last day in Istanbul and we are actually looking at each other trying to figure out what to do.  We've seen all of the major tourist/historical sites and since neither of us speak Turkish, we will probably not venture out into the suburbs.  So I think the plan will to be go to the 'New District' (built in the last couple hundred years) and wander some of the back alleys a bit.  Before we came to this little internet cafe, we went back to the Tulip Guest House since Metin invited us to come back for another night out and Tavla (backgammon) rematch on Galata Bridge.  Sadly, he is out of town for a friend's wedding. 

*grumble*

Sarah just read me the weather forecast.  Chances of snow all week long, she says.  Booooo!  It's sunny and in the 60s here today.  Flowers are blooming everywhere.  I don't want to put a coat on any more.  I want to get out and ride my bike.  Dear winter, now you officially suck.  You were supposed to be gone by the time we got back.  

Anyway...

We have certainly enjoyed our time here in Turkey, but going out to eat every night is getting a little tiring.  Don't get me wrong, the food has been great, but I'd like to be able to cook again.  Having our own bed back will also be nice.  Not particularly looking forward to going back to work, but it is work that pays for bills and for vacations.

We asked each other what our favorite parts of the trip has been and we both agreed that walking around Ephesus was the highlight.  That was an awful lot of fun.  Close behind that, though, was going inside the Hagia Sophia and Sultanahmet (Blue) Mosque.  They are similar in size and function, but two very different places and both wonderful.

So goodbye Istanbul.  Goodbye, you insistant restauranteurs and salesmen.  Goodbye stunning views of Marmara.  Goodbye beautiful calls to prayer.  Goodbye Turkey.  Your warm hospitality will be fondly remembered for a long time.

Though we have thoroughly enjoyed our time here, it is clear that we only have a minimal view of this country and this city.  We have seen the cleanest, safest, most touristy parts.  The city and national governments have an interest in keeping those areas safe and inviting for us camera-toting hoards.  I guess we have seen a few pieces of more typical life in the country.  The tram goes through quite a large variety of residential/commercial areas and some of the towns we drove through on the way to and from Selcuk seemed rather authentic.  The fact of the matter is that even though Turkey has really modernized incredibly fast in the past decades and that the average standard of living has gone up, that it is still a relatively poor country in Western terms. 

Yesterday evening as we finished dinner, the owner (I believe) of the restaurant we were at sat down and started visiting us.  it turns out that he is a historian by training and has seen much of the country.  He told stories of rural parts of the country, that seemed to be confirmed by our drive through the country, that indicate that there is still a lot in Turkish society that leaves much to be desired.  The educational system is poor to middling at best, and economic prospects for most people are dim. 

This has been an amazing trip, one that I will remember fondly for the rest of my life.  But we have only seen a small sliver of this country and I hope that things that I have written here haven't made any generalizations based on our limited experiences. 

All that being said, we will be on the way home in less than two days.  We have seen most of the major sights in Istanbul, but I know there is much much more out of the city that is just aching to be explored.  I suppose that will have to wait for another trip or another lifetime.