Exploring the good news of the kingdom of God
One of the cool things about a cruise is waking up in a different port every day. Each morning one goes to the window curious as to what new experience waits behind the curtains. This day, Yalta awaited, with her slumbering slopes slipping casually down to the Black Sea. Yalta is a summer destination for … Continue reading “Byzantine Travel Journal: Day 7 (Yalta)”
Today we were at sea all day. I always look forward to at sea days on a cruise because they are days when I don’t have to be anywhere or do anything, which is always part of a good vacation. I was getting caught up on the news from the States today and saw the … Continue reading “Byzantine Travel Journal: Day 6 (At Sea)”
We spent the morning on a boat cruising up the Bosphorus, taking in the sites from a different angle. We went north as far Rumeli Hisari (Castle), which Mehmed II built in 1452 to control of the traffic on the Bosphorus and prepare his army to lay siege to Constantinople the following year. Rumeli Hisari … Continue reading “Byzantine Travel Journal: Day 5 (Istanbul)”
Today, we only toured in the morning, but it was an inspiring and interesting day. We began with a short stop at the back side of the far end of the Hippodrome, which is the only part of the structure remaining. We hadn’t seen this Sunday, because it’s hidden from view by the buildings that … Continue reading “Byzantine Travel Journal: Day 4 (Istanbul)”
This day began early. We were out of our hotel by 6:00 a.m. on our way to the airport to catch a flight to Kayseri (in English “Caesar”), our ultimate destination a Central Turkey region called Cappadocia. Cappadocia was once inhabited by the Hittites (as in “Uriah the Hittite,” 2 Samuel 11), then the Greeks, … Continue reading “Byzantine Travel Journal: Day 3 (Cappadocia)”