Where East meets West... Istanbul, Turkey

Today I walked from Europe to Asia. Yes, it was only over a bridge but still that's pretty cool. Istanbul is a city of 20-22 million people and it sits right on the river where Europe meets Asia. It was just like the movies, with all the boats and people converging in that spot. A seriously interesting place to people watch! We visited the Blue mosque, Aya Sophia, basilica cisterns, the Bosphorus river, and the Grand Bazzar. It is a GRAND Bazzar too. So many people! There were so many shops and people had their towels spread out everywhere selling things. Adam and I were so exhausted today though. Our flight in from Israel was very late so we got in at 2am. We had a terrible night of sleep and then we woke up early because we wanted to see as much as possible today. I don't know if I was just exhausted but it seemed like a pretty hard day of navigating through the city. You need to bring your A-game when navigating through large cities. Thankfully, people were really nice and helped us. Later today we are flying to Africa :) I woke up in Europe, walked to Asia and flew to Africa. Haha. 3 continents in 24 hours. My life is Epic. Now if only I could get some sleep. 

What a truly unique place

I can't believe 14 days have gone by and I leave Israel tonight. To actually stand in the place that Jesus was born and where he slept as a baby, and to walk along the road where He carried the cross and see where he was crucified and rose to life 3 days later, has been so incredible. When you are sitting in the US and you hear about places on the other side of the world from more than 2000 years ago it seems almost like a fairy tale. Now that I have seen these places, I have a new understanding of what life back then would have been like. We walked through the burnt house, Rabi's tunnel and Hezekiah's tunnel which are all places that have been discovered during archeological digs from over 2000 years ago. As archeologists continue digging they are discovering new things all the time. Most of which are 30+ feet below the ground. We are definitely on information overload right now though.  It's hard to believe that in 48 hours I will be attempting to hike Kilimanjaro, with absolutely NO training or conditioning of any kind. We meant to go for some jogs but just kind of ran out of time. I'm not going to lie I'm a little nervous about just showing up to the highest free standing mountain in the world and just having a go at climbing it.

Keeping kosher in Jerusalem

My parents did a home exchange for our ten days in Jerusalem. The house we are staying in requested that we keep their dishes kosher. When we agreed we didn't really realize what a fiasco it was going to be. There are 2 sets of everything: plates, cups, silverware, pans, dish rags. One is for dairy and the other is for meat. I have a new appreciation for anyone who keeps kosher. It's a lot of work! We have seen so much in the city. We visited: Yad Vashem the Holocaust Museum, Knesset and Dome of the Scroll, Mt of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Absalom's tomb, Kidron Valley, the tomb where Jesus was buried and the hill where he was crucified. We took a drive down to the Red Sea and did some snorkeling. The corral and sea life were so beautiful. I wish I would have gotten an underwater camera. We also visited the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock today. I didn't realize that it is 36 acres! It was surprisingly undeveloped though. It was so incredible to be standing in a place that is significant for almost very world religion. You can definitely feel the religious tension too. Yikes! 

Holy City- Jerusalem, Israel

In normal Olson fashion we have been going non-stop since we left Tel-Aviv 4 days ago. We have visited Caesarea Maritime, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Jordan river, Capernum, Mt. Of Beatitudes, Megiddo (armegedon), Dead Sea (its the lowest place on earth at 1200 ft below sea level. The sea has 29% salt, when a normal ocean only has 4%), Qumran caves (where the Dead Sea scrolls were found) and Masada. Gees... seeing it in writing makes it even more overwhelming. It's really incredible to see so much history and biblical significance in one place. Some of the things we saw, that they uncovered in archeological digs, date back to 3000 BC! Like the town of Megiddo, 30 different civilizations have been built 1 on top of another as new rulers come in and conquer. What I wouldn't give to be able to see the world for 1 day how it was 5000k years ago. It's amazing to be able to see all the places listed in the bible as well. Where Jesus lived and taught. Every time I read the bible I will have a whole new understanding of the places and the culture. It has been a little overwhelming though, like taking a drink of water out of a fire hose. If I have to eat Pita and Hummus 1 more time I'm going to hurl!! We had a really fun day floating down at the Dead Sea. We covered ourselves in the mineral mud and soaked in the SUPER salty water. Adam said his skin feels like a baby butt :)

Beaches and family! Tel aviv, Israel

My mom and dad flew out to visit with us for 2 weeks in Israel. It is soooo nice to see family and to relax in nice places and eat nice meals. Couldn't pick a better place either! Tel aviv has been a great town. We are staying right near city center along the water. We rented bikes and drove all along the ocean, through the outdoor market "Carmel Shook" and through the old town "Joppa". Today we went to the Tel Aviv museum. They have an archeological dig that dates back to 800 b.c! Tel aviv has a great feel. There is a University here so it has a really young population. Every resident that turns 18 has to serve 2-3 years in the military. Everyone goes for jogs and bike rides along the water. I don't think I've seen a community with more fit young people. Adam and I were getting a little worn down since we had been on the road for a month straight. The place we are staying has a washer AND a dryer :) We have been doing 1 load of laundry after another since we got here. I got to dry my hair for the first time in a REALLY long time and for the first time in over a month I will be sleeping in the same bed for 3 nights in a row! Yay!! It's definitely going to be a good 2 weeks :)