Sorry I have been offline for a few days, internet troubles...

We survived our Turkish domestic flight, and we have arrived in Adana, Turkey, on the very southern border. We stayed last night at the Hilton, which was a much needed touch of American culture. Earlier we were in Cappadocia, a mountainous region famous for its unbelievable rock formations, see below, and its pivotal role in forming the doctrin of the Trinity in the 4th century, via figures like Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus.

Much more to say, but I have to run so I just wanted to share the pictures. We're off to Tarsus today to see the home of our good friend St. Paul, then down to Antioch of Syria, modern Turkey.

Two days till I start my journey home, look forward to seeing you all.



Here is a good view fo the Cappadocian lanscape. Looks like a combo of the Grand Canyon and somethign out of a Dr. Seuss book. That little door at the bottom is someone's home, which we toured. It is carved right into the rock. Mike, I think this is a good real estate venture for you.













Here is a shot of our gruop tournig the undergruond village, a system of caves carved into the rock, which goes down about 100m! Claustraphobia, anyone?
















Great view of the landscape.















Another great view. All of those holes are little houses or storage areas, and some are churches, which run quite deep into the rock. Teh rock is volcanic, so it is easy to carve.














In some of the churches are incredibly well preserved frescoes, like this one of Christ the pantocrator.















The most famous fo these is the dark chruch, part of a monastic community, probably from about the 12th century. you see the front entrance here.












And inside you see some of the most breath taking frescoes ni the world, perfectly preserved becasue of the caves. This room is about 50 by 50 feet, and it is coveredin drawings like this.