Day 20 and 21....

Okey Dokey! Yesterday was a super long day, but what's new? Because we got back to late, I couldn't update my blog and the pictures. I need to do that today because we are leaving tomorrow morning for a new city called Konya. That's suppose to be a very Turkish city that practices very conservative Islam. Nothing I can't handle. AND...our tour guide leaves today (YAY!) so we'll be free!

Yesterday was a blur. We tried to go as early as possible to the Open Air Museum in hopes to escape the heat, but its foolish to try to run and hide from the sun. Besides, I like the sun. I don't know why everyone gets so fussy when the heat gets turned up a smidgen. Yesterday was about 93 degrees. What's the big deal people?!?!

The open air museum holds a huge collection of volcanic formed mounds that Greek Christians used as monasteries and convents and then eventually open churches for the community. Some of those churches date back to the 10th and 11th century while others from the 12th and 13th. More than 700 years old. We climbed like the little tourists that we are, in and out of all the shapes, bumping out heads, tripping on broken steps, marveling at old frescos and paintings. It was great to see a culture preserved in such a fashion. However, with all antiquities, something has to get destroyed. Silly tourists are always looking for a way to make their mark on history, usually in a bad way. I hate seeing beautiful antiques destroyed by, "Bob was here." and "Katie loves Anthony."

After the Museum we went to a Pottery house to watch traditional Turkish pottery made in the old fashion way, with a push wheel and hand paintings. The stuff was super expensive and was totally calling my name. Seriously. I wanted into the room and every pot or vase or plate kept saying, "Buy me. I'm expensive, but I'll look great in the new house you don't have yet." So my buddy Adam and I went out for the hunt. We both found pots that we loved. They have a huge hole in the center because that's what the Hittites would use to pour wine out of. They'd throw the pot over their shoulder and pour. There's a picture example. So we bought one. Never mind the price. It was great and it’s being shipped home as we speak!

After the pottery shop we went for dinner and then to a late show of the Whirling Dervishes. The Whirling Dervishes are officially titled Sufism or Islamic Mysticism. I’ve seen them before in Egypt, but these are different. They weren’t as upbeat as the Sufis I’d seen in Egypt. They did a lot more praying too. I’m going to try to find out why this was. Is it because one was giving me the tourist experience or they are just different schools of thought. I’m working on that one.

The next day was more nonsense touring by our lousy tour guide. We had to go to the hospital again for another member of our group who was sick. We took her again today to get some more tests done and she seems to be getting better.

We went to visit another mosque early in the morning and those typically tend to be the most peaceful parts of the day. This is one of the largest mosques in Cappadocia and well, it’s really not that big especially after you’ve been in the Blue Mosque or Hagia Sophia. We also went to go visit the old Greek city, now renamed, Mustafapasa, a Turkish name. During WWI the city’s Greek population moved out and the city became Turkish. The old Greek buildings were pretty much abandoned during the war or the transition of people from one city to the next and its basically become a ghost town. It was neat and sad to walk past the old buildings, some in use and others in ruins. Although the Greek population is gone, their heritage is still somewhat alive in this city by what they’ve left behind and what hasn’t been changed by the Turks.

Being Turkish isn’t easy. It’s like being…me, in a sense. I’m never Egyptian enough for the Egyptians or Slovak enough for the Slovaks, and even though I was born and raised in the USA, I’m still considered an outsider by standards. I have to be more Egyptian than the Egyptians, more Slovak than the Slovaks and more patriotic than the most patriotic American to prove that I belong or fit in. For the Turks it’s the same thing. You have to be more Turkish than the more patriotic of Turks in order to prove your loyalty, in essence. That’s a remedy for disaster. No wonder its difficult for Turkey to enter the EU.

A country with so much history, so twisted, Hittites, Seljuks, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Muslims, how do you keep a national identity when you had no country, but suddenly do, when you had no leader and then did and then he was gone, when you thought you had a clear plan that is now not so clear. This is why the Turks are so confused. Now I have to take that confusion and teach that to a class of 30 plus students, half of whom don’t know the capitals of the 50 states and think that Turkey is something that belongs on their plate come November. Ish!