The Mausoleum of Ataturk (‘Father of the Turks,’ founder of the Turkish Republic) reminded me of Lincoln’s Memorial. To the Turks, Ataturk is Lincoln plus Washington with a dash of Jefferson.

Anatolian Civilization Museum: Incredibly lifelike ancients, frozen in the act of hammering out their existences

Civilization Museum: These clay tablets preserve messages written in cuneiform.

Civilization Museum: A wooden comb! Just what I’d like to use on my hair

Civilization Museum: I first encountered this image as a slide in Art History class: the oldest known landscape painting

See the houses and the volcano?

Civilization Museum: These girls petitioned for a photo with me

Our typical lunch break: cafeteria-style restaurants hosted by gas stations

Baklava: Another delight of Turkish confections

Candied chickpeas – a favorite Turkish snack

I perched in the remains of a Hittite citadel

Hittite citadel: Germans reconstructed the walls in the distance with original materials

Dr. G, intrepid explorer

The whole crew, braving the Lion Gate

Lunching on kabobs

Chicken kabobs, to be precise

We detoured for many unusual rock formations in the region of Cappidocia

The first camels I spotted in Turkey! I didn’t ride them, either

Cappidocia: We descended into a city carved underground, our 6’7″ Addison muttering poetry to stave off claustrophobia in the tunnels.

Early Christians chiseled churches out of mountains, adorning the ceilings with saints, angels, and Christ

With Addison and Meredith, resting from the churches expedition

Cappidocia: We formed a tiny church of our own in the hotel’s conference room, our first Sunday in Turkey. Dr. G led us in readings from 1 Peter, Isaiah, Psalms, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Lord’s Prayer

Antakya: In lieu of a visit to Antioch, we gaped at Roman mosaics in a world-renowned museum. Ready to install this piece in your bathtub?