Our new home

We've spent just over a week in Vancouver; finding a place to live, opening a bank account, exploring our new neighbourhood, and growing accustomed to the weather patterns!


The day before we arrived there was a BIG storm so there were leaves everywhere and it rained a lot. (Read: it rained almost constantly!) The city is under a "boil water advisory" so we've probably seen the worst of what our new home will be like. So far, we like it, despite the worst blip in the weather pattern for as long as most can remember! Here is a photo looking towards the hills of North Vancouver.

We've found a nice, warm, dry basement suite to live in. It has two bedrooms (we're anticpating a few guests!) and our landlord is an ex-Regent College student. His brother-in-law lives above us in the house with his wife (who is Australian - the closest thing to a NZer) and two small children. Everyone seems really friendly so we are looking forward to getting to know them in the coming months. We're only a minute's walk from the bus-stop for the UBC campus and not far from the neighbourhood shops.











Nathan celebrated his 30th birthday the other day. Since all of you weren't able to join us, God whipped up a few million snowflakes instead - an unseasonable white-out of at least a few inches! Here's the birthday boy as we walked home from the movies... and a few shots of the street where we've been staying.

Turkey Part 7

The morning we left Cappadocia it began to snow. We were glad of our nice, warm bus when we stopped (briefly) at a caravansaray – the original version of a motel stop when camels could only travel 40km per day along the Silk Road. Boy, it was cold! (See snow in picture!) As we travelled north to Ankara the roads became more treacherous and we saw at least 6 accidents in a couple of hours. Our driver was terrific and got us safely to the capital city, in time to visit the Ataturk Mausoleum & Museum, and the Anatolian Museum. Both were interesting but we would have liked to spend longer at the Ataturk Museum (pictured).

We then went on to Bursa, famous for its textiles. We saw the Grand Mosque and were there at the end of prayer time. (That was rather eerie!) Bronwyn’s highlight of the city was a traditional Turkish bath. Think: sauna, HOT bath, scrub down with a glove like a loofah, a foamy massage and rinse = three less layers of skin!

Finally we arrived back in Istanbul. We visited the spice bazaar in the evening to take in the smells and sights. It was much like the grand bazaar but with more food! Then on we went to our farewell dinner. We had some yummy salad, cheese, hot hummus, kebabs, and a sweet dessert which contained melted cheese! Nathan performed a haka and Bronwyn sang Po Karekare Ana with the other kiwis. Lots of goodbyes with our new friends before bed as the American were leaving at 3am – lucky them!

Here are our new friends from our Neon tour:

Turkey Part 6

Cappadocia was magical but very hard to describe! Our first visit was to the underground city of Kaymakli, one of many in the region. It was dug from the volcanic tufa soil by 6th century Christians hiding from the marauding Arabs. It was 6 storeys deep, containing stables, kitchens, cemeteries, wells, wineries, a church, as well as living quarters. It was a rabbit warren of narrow, winding tunnels leading to different parts of the city. This was mainly for defence purposes: if discovered by the enemy, the tunnels provided ample opportunities for disorienting and ambushing the intruders. Even the air vents had large round stones that could be rolled across the openings yet still let air through.

Then we visited Goreme, a Greek Orthodox monastery hewn from within the volcanic rocks in a valley. The landscape looked surreal, like some sort of Disney fantasy world. A number of churches were part of the monastery. Each had painted walls, some with 6th century stylized symbols that helped tell the gospel stories, others with 13th century frescoes of biblical saints and local saints (such as St Basil, St George, Emperor Constatine and his mother). We even found a chapel dedicated to Onesimus!

In the afternoon we visited Avenos, a small town famed for its pottery. The factory we visited showed us how they make their wares on electric and traditional ‘kick’ wheels. The time taken to intricately decorate each piece by hand was reflected in the prices – a 15x15cm tile would have set us back over $NZ1000! Sorry, no Christmas pressies from that shop.

Turkey Part 5

Our time in Antalya was very relaxing: a nice hotel, a sea view and not long on the bus for a day! We visited Perge and Aspendos. Perge had the most intact Roman Baths we’ve seen to date and a cistern in the centre of the agora (town square) that supplied the water to the different parts of town. Investigations have revealed that if the water level dropped in the cistern, first the poor part of town lost their water supply, then the wealthy part of town, then the palace and lastly the public fountains! At least one could always collect water from the fountain I suppose. (Check out the pipe holes at the left of the photo.)

Aspendos had a stunning amphitheatre. It is the best preserved one known. The backdrop wall is still standing and the theatre is used regularly for theatre and dance performances. You literally could hear a pin drop – if everyone else wasn’t talking, that is. OSH might not let you climb to the top seats if this was in NZ, but in Turkey, it’s safer than crossing the road!

We drove for a LONG time the next day, via Konya to Cappadocia. In Konya we stopped to visit the Mevlana Museum. This museum was originally the mosque and monastery for an Islamic sect known as the whirling dervishes. They spin on the spot as a form of meditation. This is where their leader, Mevlana, is buried and we also saw some beautiful calligraphy, and walked across a 16th century silk carpet that looked hardly worn.

Turkey Part 4

The next ancient city we visited was Ephesus. It has only had 20% excavated but this is still more than any other archaeological site in the world. The highlights included a library and a huge amphitheatre, seating at least 30,000 people. More than the remains of the city, the experience of being where St Paul worked and lived for awhile (see Acts 19) – and where he wrote his letter to the Ephesian church – helped bring this part of the Bible alive.

The next day rained!!! Our weather up to this point had been fantastic so our trip to Aphrodisias was cut a bit short. We still saw the site of the temple to Aphrodite (converted to a church but now in ruins) and the amazing stadium. We could see the entrances for the gladiators and the pit cages where wild animals were kept to fight them. There was also a division at the floor level between the gladiatorial area and the larger area where chariot races were held.

We stopped the night in Pammukale. The area is known for its mineral springs and we enjoyed the natural hot pools at our hotel. The next morning we visited the calcium terraces (formed much the same way as the pink and white terraces were in Rotorua or Puente del Inka in Argentina). The water was warm where it first emerged but cooled very quickly as it ran down the slope. The ancient city of Hieropolis was nearby and its main features were the city gates (one obviously Byzantine, with a cross on the keystone) and the Roman baths that were converted to a church at one stage. Maybe it was the warmest place during the winter! You may be interested to know that Hieropolis is mentioned at the end of Paul’s letter to the Colossians (and check out his letter to Philemon as well! Do you see the connection?)

Then we drove over the mountain range to Antalya. A special stop was made where we could see the goat-hair tents of a nomadic family (convinced to stay for the sake of tourists!) The weave was quite coarse so the soot from the fire inside the tent used to create a seal from the weather. Nowadays clear polythene over the top does the trick, though I’m not sure I would want to spend the winter in one of these.

Turkey Part 3

After the night in Canakkale, we visited the ancient city of Troy. Excavations have revealed at least 9 cities at the site, built on top of each other as its fortunes waxed and waned. We saw original sun-dried bricks made from clay and straw, and the ramp where the Trojan horse was supposedly dragged into the city. A replica horse (made in the 1960’s) stands at the sites entrance and reminded Bronwyn of the “Dino” dinosaur at Wanganui’s Kowhai Park when we climbed inside for our photo! The horse from the recent movie ‘Troy’ stands near the ferry terminal at Canakkale.

The same day we visited Pergamum on our way to Kusadasi. The ruins of the city stand on a hill overlooking the valleys that surround it. We saw temple ruins, the site of the massive altar to Zeus (now in a Berlin museum), and rows of ‘depots’ or storehouses for food. The amphitheatre was spectacular as it was built into the natural steep slope of the hill. When some helicopters flew overhead as we sat there, the acoustics were magnificent, even without the wall behind the ‘stage’ area. At one point the wailing call to prayer drifted up from the town at the bottom of the hill, this was when our guide (Semih) began to read the letter from Revelation to the church at Pergamum!

Turkey Part 2

We travelled to the Gallipoli Peninsula the next day. We had lunch in the township of Gelibolu (Gallipoli) picking our fish from the counter and then eating it on the waterfront, overlooking the Dardanelles. Then we drove to the Aegean side of the peninsula, visiting ANZAC Cove (below), where the allied troops landed, and then memorials at Lone Pine Cemetery, Chunuk Bair (left) and the local museum. It was more emotional than we expected, seeing the futility of the Allies’ position and the “ideal” site where they should have landed. We felt very connected to our NZ history that day and it was great to have another 2 couples, Kiwi and Australian, to share it with.

Here is another of Nathan’s poems:

As I approach the Aegean Sea
One word resounds within: Gallipoli
And soil red reminds me of men fallen
Motivated by duty to their Monarch, Nation and Maker

As I stand in ANZAC Cove
Inexplicable tears rise, like the terrain reaching to heights above
And thoughts come crashing in
Like the men who stormed these pebbled shores:

Another’s war
Grand plans gone wrong
Human folly
A misjudged landing
The cutting of apron strings
The birth of a nation’s identity

As I stand at Chunuk Bair and gaze at my country’s memorial towering there
Another voice reminds me of others who fell in shared ground
Foes then, but friends now
And the shared experience that gave birth to the nation I stand in now

As I leave the Aegean Sea and the hills behind
I remember those who gave their lives
And hope, beyond all hopes
That their memory will live on!

Turkey Update

Our first day in Turkey was a whirlwind of sightseeing. We began in the old quarter of Istanbul city and visited the Hippodrome, where chariot races were once held. Right next to the site is the Blue Mosque, named for the beautiful blue tiles that line its interior walls. They had gorgeous shades of aquamarine, turquoise, royal and navy blues and many different designs including tulips and carnations (the national flowers).
Then we moved on to Hagia Sofia Museum, a church that was converted to a mosque that was converted to a museum! It had some stunning gold mosaics of Christian saints that were being uncovered from the plaster walls and ceilings, where the Muslims had covered them 600 years ago. There was also evidence of Christian symbols in the stonework, but many of these were also defaced.

The next stop was the famous Topkapi Palace, home to the Ottoman sultans. Much of the artifacts collected there were royal gifts, spoils of war and Muslim relics. We’ve seen the rod of Moses, David’s sword, Joseph’s turban and Mohammed’s cast footprint! By far, the most interesting exhibits were the clothes and furnishings that had survived, and a collection of Ming Dynasty china that included green-glazed dishes that apparently turned red and cracked if the food contained poison – very popular with the sultans for some reason!

After lunch we were taken to the Grand Bazaar, a rabbit warren of shops selling jewellery, leather goods, souvenirs, sparkly fabric (no patchwork cotton, unfortunately), clothes, and apple tea. We had seen a similar bazaar in Kusadasi so we got off lightly, only buying a pair of Turkish slippers!

Our afternoon was enriched by a cruise along the Bosphorus, our guide pointing out Ottoman palaces, a fortress and bridges that spanned between the European and Asian continents. Our evening was topped off with a dinner and belly-dancing show. The food was delicious and the entertainment hilarious.

European Highlights - Last leg!

The change when we entered Austria was stark. It is one of the most beautiful places we’ve been. The forests had lots of deciduous trees scattered through the evergreens and autumn had definitely set in. Because of damage in various wars, many of the buildings were more modern in style, but still mostly in stone. It also seemed so clean and orderly after Italy. We visited Salzburg, Mozart’s birthplace and Sound of Music territory, and went up to Eagles’ Nest (Hitler’s retreat that overlooked the Austrian and German mountains - pictured). The time traveling through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium went very quickly. We enjoyed lots of food (fondue, chocolate, sausages) and at various times were entertained by yodeling, alpine horn playing, and dancing. Here is one of the views from the top of Mt Stanserhorn and of the the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne (both in Switzerland).
In many ways it was not enough time and we are sad it is over (for now) but we have so many great memories and new friends.

European Highlights - Venice

After four days of glorious food and (watered down) cocktails on our cruise we climbed back on the bus and headed back to Italy. Venice was one of our favourite stops. The islands that make up this famous city were beautiful and we would like to go back one day!

It was a novelty getting around by water taxi but Bronwyn is glad she doesn’t have to ride in a gondola every day – they wobble too much! We visited St Marco's Square, the Rialto Bridge (above) and saw some lovely Venetian glass.

Our excursion that day took us to Burano, a small island, famous for its brightly coloured buildings and intricate lace.