Kyrgyzstan Field Trip - Burana Tower

Continuing the "Fall Break" theme, and trying to get out and see a bit of this lovely country before real winter hits and we're "in the city," we drove east today and visited the Burana Tower.

Here is a quick "Wikipedia" article that gives some of the background of the Burana Tower - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burana_Tower

This was one of the signs we saw as we were walking up to the tower.

The path to the tower.

The "map" of the area.

Our first view of the Burana Tower.

The yurt "gift shop" at the site.

There was another school group there today.

The view of the southern mountains from the tower.

So, we climbed up the tower, and these were the steps, as we were going back down.

View of the mountain range from the top of the tower.

Using my zoom lens.

From the top of the tower the kids noticed that the structures on the ground were the Greek letter "omega." Cool, huh?!

The gift shop and the museum view from the top of the tower.

The earthworks view from the top of the tower.

The kids, at the top. Yes, you might notice that Sissi is still a bit teary-eyed. It was a bit dramatic going up and down those stairs....they were steep!

Sissi, going down the steps. We had Uncle Scott in front, then the boys, then Jeff, then Sissi, and then me. All the adults had our "flashlight" apps going on our phones so that the stairwell was lit. Still, I'll be honest, it was dark, steep, and a tight fit. I cannot imagine during high tourist season when there are people going up AND down these stairs at the same time.

At the bottom, looking up. Can you see Magevney waving?

We walked over to the earthworks next. This is the view of the tower and the mountains from the top of the earthworks, where it is supposed that a citadel once stood.

A view down the valley and mountain range.

The kids, jumping on the top of the earthworks.

Walking over to some of the excavation areas.

Not much flora left after the snow.

One other neat "note" from today...as we drove east, to the city of Tokmok, we drove through Kazakhstan for about 1 minute. It seems that the river is the natural border between the two countries, but the road crosses the river in two places, and so for a brief moment, we went into Kazakhstan!

First Kyrgyz Field Trip - Ala Archa National Park

This week is "Fall Break" for most of the schools here in Bishkek, so we took some time on Saturday to head out of the city a little ways and enjoy the mountains!

We hope you enjoy the lovely pictures and God's amazing beauty that abounds here in Kyrgyzstan.

Our view of the mountains from the park.

As we walked in to find a "campsite" and set up for our picnic.

One of the local birds.

Sissi, posing on some rocks.

The guys, starting the fire for our lunch.

Our kids! I got some great shots of them all around the camp site.

Another cute picture of the kids.

And another one.

Krypto really loves having a little one around.

The kids, and their picnic lunch.

My boy, Gwangi.

A cute family shot that our friends took for us.

Our camp fire, cooking shashlik/kebabs.

Another amazing view.

Sissi, down by the river.

My sweet girl. She found a great spot to take more pictures.

My oldest, Krypto.

Family shot!

As we left the park, this is what we saw...it looks like a painting!

The name of the park, Ala Archa, means multi-colored trees in Kyrgyz (specifically a juniper tree, but there are obviously LOTS of trees in the park)...yep, they got that one right, especially in the fall!

I really loved the teal and burgundy colored house tops with all the fall colors. Awesome!

Maybe we should move to this valley ;)!? Seems so peaceful here!

Another view of the valley.

The entrance to the park!

The other side of the entrance to the park.

A Day in Istanbul

We arrived in Istanbul late last night.

When leaving Chicago we had a bit of a delay sitting on the tarmac because of all the extra traffic in the area...about 45 minutes...but, we made up most of that time in the air and only landed about 15 minutes late.

Once in Istanbul, we went through customs, got our luggage and met with our AD to head to his house which is on the Asian side of Istanbul. We got to take a car ferry, and that was fun!

Today, we got up to a wonderful breakfast of croissants, eggs, cheese, and apples. Then we put on our walking shoes and headed out to take a bus, then a ferry, and then a tram to arrive back on the European side of Istanbul, where many of the historical sites are located.

Here is our view from the ferry...East meets West.

Our view of the Blue Mosque or the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.

We arrived just in time for prayers to start, so weren't able to go inside. The outside was very interesting and Uncle Ed talked about how the chain was put in place so that no one, even the Sultan, could ride their horse into the mosque.

An Egyptian obelisk, built in the time of Moses, put in place in Istanbul over 1500 years ago to show the extent of the kingdom.

Uncle Ed giving a pretty incredible history lesson on our tour today.

The marker for the obelisk in the Hippodrome.

Another historical marker in the Hippodrome, the Serpent Column. It was made from the melted shields of the defeated Persians in a battle against the Greeks.

On the steps, leaving the Blue Mosque, with the Hagia Sophia in the background.

A fountain gift from the German Kaiser.

A memorial put up by Constantine to mark the founding of the city of Constantinople.

Lunch on the street with friends...shaved meat with french fries, tomatoes, pickles, and a sauce wrapped up in a tortilla-like wrap.

The entrance to the Hagia Sophia.

The ceiling with the Ichthus Wheel in the center.

The open area in the Hagia Sophia. Renovation ladders on the left. Beautiful chandeliers on the right.

Mosaic on the wall...Mary, Jesus, and John.

Mosaic of Mary and Baby Jesus.

There is restoration going on throughout the Hagia Sophia.

The Million Mile Marker...or the Zero Mile...where all distances in the Roman Empire were measured from.

Road signs.

Only 5,000 km or so from Bishkek...

We also went underground, to the Cisterns.

Very dark, and damp, and neat to walk through these.

.

The upside down head of Medusa. There is another one that was put in sideways.

The busy bus area on our way back to the Asian side of Istanbul.

Tomorrow we are off to Bishkek! We'll keep in touch.