The highlight of our summer, a trip to Turkey!  The reason (or excuse) was a conference in Istanbul and the rest was pure adventure.  Many thanks to our good friend Bulent for his help and guiding in Istanbul.
Rob and Annette in Turkey!
Turkey, a country about twice as big as Germany and over 70 million people.
Istanbul, the start of the trip and site of the conference
where Rob did his duty, working hard
living in the very lively Taksim area
enjoying many serious scientific discussion with colleagues
and faithfully attending all the conference functions.
Bulent, a former student of Rob’s and professor in Ankara, who made everything happen.
A view from the Bosporus of the Historic Peninsula of Istanbul.
And then it was back to airport...
to greet a cute blond traveler.
Day 2, a trip to the Sultan Ahmed (Blue Mosque)
an amazing place!
In Turkey, one must be very careful to follow ALL rules!
The Aya Sofya, 1500 years old!
The perfectly restored and detailed wooden homes near the Sultan Ahmed
The Egyptian obelisk in the Hippodrome
The famous (at least for Rob) Pudding Shop, just as it was in 1975!
Day 3: a cruise up and down the Bosporus.
Relaxing on board of the public ferry.
and enjoying the very mixed skyline of Istanbul
The Dolmabahce Palace
Even the ferry stations are works of (architectural) art.
The castles at Anadolu Kavagi at the Black Sea end of the Bosporus
The village at Kavagi
The Black Sea from the castle at Kavagi.
complete with guide.
Day 4: back to the Historic Peninsula
Annette can’t decide whether life in the Topkapi Palace would be as nice as SLC
although the plazas and balconies are certainly glamorous
and the view of the Bosporus pretty tempting.
But the sun was getting hot
so we headed for the cisterns, an underground maze of water storage chambers.
Day 5: from Izmir to Ephosus
for a trip back in history and some of the best preserved ruins in the world
The library (immediately obvious, right?)
And the 25,000 seat stadium!
After all the ruins, it was time to relax
in a carpet room
with tasty delights (gözleme)!
Then it was off to the tiny village of Segacik
surrounded by medieval walls
with a break in the wall right in front of our hotel (Teos Pension),
which was handy for enjoying the sunsets!
Day 6, a drive around the Agean countryside to Foca.
where we saw all sorts of transportation
and windsurfing resorts
and roads blocked by goats!
The views were great (even of the ocean)
as was the sunset over Foca before yet another great meal.
View from the hotel at Foca, a mix of tourism and real fishing village.
Day 7: from Foca to Bergama.
The Asclepion, where medicine began in the first century with Galen
The famous snake symbol for the god of medicine that still serves as a symbol of medicine.
Annette joined the other pillars of medicine.
From Bergama back to Izmir
to see the first bike lane-and mounted police-spotted anywhere on the trip,
which the pedestrians happily used.
Then it was back to the airport and the long ride home to
our home in the mountains!