Busy week

I must apologize for the relatively sparse blog posts over the past week.  We were honored to have the Wisbeys come visit us in Istanbul, we've been trying to show them everything we've enjoyed here.  We've also had several students come down with minor illnesses (coughs, colds, stomachaches, etc), and those have required them to slow down and rest more than usual.  I think also that because this is our last week here the students are trying to do everything they haven't gotten to yet, so they are spending a lot of their free time doing those things rather than resting and writing blog posts.  Anyway, in case you were wondering, we're still fine and we're still here. I'll try to catch you all up on some of the things we've been doing.

We've been taking several Turkish culture classes, and I'll post more info on those.  We also visited Topkapi Palace, the home of most of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, and the Church of St Savior at Chora (now known as the Kariye Museum).  After we went to Chora we had dinner at one of our family's favorite restaurants in Istanbul, Asitane.  This restaurant features Ottoman cuisine, and last year we met one of the chefs who developed the menu.  Everything I've ever had there was amazing, and I've found recipes to duplicate a few of the dishes, though definitely not all.

This weekend, the students went to Cappadocia with Dr. Paul Mallery and our son Aydin.  They will be there until Sunday night.  I know they have some internet access, but I'm not sure how reliable it is.  They are staying in a "cave hotel" where the rooms are carved out of the rock.  This is great natural climate control, but not so great for internet access!  I talked with Dr. Mallery on Skype last night and he said that they had a full day and were enjoying the things they saw, but they were sitting outside on the terrace in the dark to get WiFi so they could use Skype.  I'm not sure whether they will post from Ephesus or not, but I'm in touch with them regularly.