Day 3

I just spent over an hour uploading photos and typing and when I went to publish the blog post there was an error.  So this time around you might get the shortened version of day 3.

We got some much needed rest and headed down for breakfast -very interesting food selection - anything from olives, to meats, to plain Greek yoghurt (that is how they spell it), to loaves of french bread and yes some more french fries.  After breakfast, we met with Pastor John and he had no news to give us about a possible flight.  So he sent us off to tour the area of Istanbul around our hotel. 

Socorro, Ida, Heather and I outside our hotel

Istanbul is a very busy city.  Lots of action going on even in the morning.  We walked around and visited a few shops.  What Heather and I noticed right away was that most of the people on the streets and in the shops were smoking.  We are not used to that since in the US smoking is prohibited in most areas.  It seems that it is totally acceptable to smoke while you direct traffic, drive a bus, or even serve food. 

Since there were many flights that were cancelled, there were a couple of individuals that were traveling alone.  One was a young man from Germany and he was traveling to Uganda to work in a village with his brother for a couple of weeks.  The other was a young lady who was also traveling to Nairobi to work.  I can imagine how lonely it must have felt to be in such a foreign land and have nobody.  A few members from Calvary invited them to join us for dinner and it was my first moment of how kind all of these people are.  They are some of the nicest people I have ever met.  It is such a comfort to be surrounded by such a large group of Christian people who truly care for all of God's people.

Imagine that - fries with our lunch!!!!

Lunch ended at about 2:00 and Pastor John was just informed that there is a flight available at 6:00 and we needed to be ready in 2:15.  Heather and I only had our carry-on luggage with us so it was pretty easy to pack up our backpacks and be ready in 15 minutes.  As we traveled to the airport, we were able to see the wall the had been built in Istanbul (previously the city of Constantinople) many, many years ago.  It was built to protect the city from sea and land attacks and is now being restored as it is deteriorating in many places (I'm sure you didn't think I would provide you with a mini-lesson on Turkish history - did you?????)

We are scheduled to arrive in Nairobi at 1:30 am.  It could be a long night and an even longer day!