Goodbye, Alanya

Our Alanya (Oba neighborhood) beach sunset

Tonight we had a very nice McGhee Center farewell dinner with the entire crew. Tomorrow we leave Alanya for a two-day visit to Istanbul before we head home. That way, Kelly can visit a few more sites there that she was not able to visit originally, but it also seems fitting to end in Istanbul where we started. This return to our beginning reminds me of the boat trip up and down the Bosphorous Strait that we took as a class and family during that first week in Turkey. The Bosphorous winds itself through the middle of Istanbul between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. But more appropriately for this blogpost, it also separates Europe from Asia - West from East. And our trip to Turkey has been such an incredible experience in a totally different culture, but now we are returning from whence we came.

Mix of historic and new on Istanbul's Bosphorous Strait
Dohlmabace Palace surrounded by modernity

Now that the tourist season is over (and maybe due also to the length of time we have spent in Alanya), it has felt easier to be a part of the Turkish culture (notwithstanding that we are still in a Mediterranean resort city). We will miss all that Alanya has offered us, and we will certainly never forget it or this experience as a family! - Alan

Last ruin of the trip, ohhhhhh

Just this week, in mid-December

I will definitely miss my work view