Just a brief note today, since I'm at an internet café and running out of time...

We spent all day Tuesday in İstanbul - toured Hagia Sophia in the morning and took a boat tour of the Bosphorus ın the afternoon. Had a super fun dinner with my mom's cousin (who lives here) in the Taksim neighborhood - bustling, modern, nary a headscarf in sight.

We spent all day Wednesday traveling from İstanbul to Selçuk - a ferry and three buses. Today we visited Ephesus - lots of beautiful Roman ruins. We also saw the house where the Virgin Mary spent her last days, and the tomb where John was buried.

The weather is beautiful. There are poppies and roses and cats everywhere. And turtles!