Day 5 Pergamum Smyrna

Leaving at 6:30, as we will do everyday in Turkey. Headed to Pergamum . Temperature will about 80 today! The "we" section starts in Acts which means Luke probably joined Paul. This is where Paul saw the vision to go to Macedonia.

Arlene and I hiked down to the beach before leaving to get pictures of the Agean. Beautiful! We loved this hotel except for the hard beds! Turkey has the best watermelon and tomatoes. Some sort of peppers are served at each meal.

Sharon did the devotion today emphasizing social context of the Bible. Geology is evident that there was a flood.

Gedes is the river that caused the silting of the harbor of Troy.

We will be visiting two of the 7 churches today - Pergamum and Smyrna.

(On the way through the mountains my friend, Arlene, had to watch out the window so she could help the driver drive. :))

When we stop the bus gets washed the bus driver tips the washer 5-10 lira. There is no charge. The business charges them a fee and the fee goes to clean restrooms so it is a win win!

As a tourist we can see the economy's improvement by the road construction. Residents see improvement in medicine, technology, education etc. Industrialization of Europe helps Turkey.

Turkey is the fourth fastest developing country in the world. Tourism helped it started to boom. 16th biggest economy in the world. Textile and automotive are big industrial products. Known for quality textiles. Many well-known clothing companies are produced in Turkey. A lot of hand work is still involved. Most major car manufacturers are in Turkey. Great location! Centrally located - European Customs Country. Most factories are near Istanbul. Can produce and deliver an ordered car in 8 days!

Agriculture is a big industry. Can sell to anywhere in Europe-2 days max delivery time. 70% hazelnuts are from Turkey. They grow everything except coffee.

Tourism means tourism from neighboring countries not necessarily from the U.S. We only contribute minimally. Turkey has great beaches. Some places have 11 month summers. The Aegean Sea is the warmest right now than it has ever been. There are many theme hotels - ex. Venetian, Topkapi, etc. Which can be $2000 per night and are all inclusive. Russians are highly represented in these tourists. They have money that they can now spend that they could not spend under Communism.

Coach tours-Japanese are the biggest users of coach tours. They do shorter tours but spend just as much money as a 10 day tours. Australians are in second place.

8% unemployment, officially! 6% inflation rate which is considered good. Minimum wage is only payed to people who have an extra income ex. Bellboys, waiters ($400) per month. Average income is $14,000 per year. The government is starting to look at taxing tips.

Salt refinerys from water in the Aegean Sea.

Pergamum was amazing. We took a gondola to the top. The theater was a highlight. On the opposite side of the mountain there is a reservoir created by a dam visible from the highway.

 

We stopped for lunch and some of us ordered Pide which is like a very thin crusted pizza. Delicious! Did a little shopping and now we are headed to Smyrna which is about 2 hours away. Now is a good time to take a rest!

 

 

 

 

(Disclaimer: I know I have made many errors so far. Just consider the source and give grace where needed, please! Not a lot of proof reading going on here.)

Izmir or ancient Smyrna is the fourth largest city in Turkey. Beautiful 5 star hotel tonight! Heading to the thermal pools before dinner! We visited Smyrna today in the heart of Izmir. I think I have my priorities wrong. The pool really isn't more important than the ancient site! :)

The air conditioning doesn't work and the jets in the jacuzzi are pitiful, but there is a pianist in the lobby. We all had to wear these "swimming hats" in the pool. They look like the ones food servers wear. Very fashionable! However, the water was warm and very refreshing after a long day.

I have tried 3 times to load more pictures,but they keep "failing" so all I am sending I what I've written for now.

 

 

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