My trip to the far north

Greetings from Winnipeg, where it's snowing. Hard. In March. I flew to Winnipeg on Tuesday after getting notified of acceptance on Monday at the University of Manitoba's joint Masters program in Peace and Conflict Studies. The program sounds lovely, but I knew I would need to see Winnipeg for myself to know what I'd be getting into if I accepted my place at U of M. I met with the program's faculty on Wednesday and was very impressed. Thursday I went for a city tour and then poked around down town on my own until I got too cold and gave up. I flew out later that evening.

Overall I was very impressed by how nice and hospitable everyone was (the license plates all bear the motto "Friendly Manitoba"), and the city's Old West feel was fun and appealing. Too bad the weather is a different story!


The University of Manitoba


Downtown Winnipeg


In the legislature building next to the provincial animal, the bison (pronounced bizon, if you want to sound like a local)


The frozen Red River near its junction with the Assiniboine River, known as The Forks


Ruins of St. Boniface Cathedral in the French-speaking district of Winnipeg




Assiniboine Park, next to the Winnipeg Zoo

Istanbul and Cappadocia

The past week in Istanbul has been one of the most interesting of the whole trip. We've seen a fifth century church with beautiful mosaics, two Ottoman palaces, two mosques, and the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia was especially impressive because both its Christian and Muslim histories are very visible, and it's absolutely gorgeous inside and out. Our guide for the duration of our time here in Turkey is an Istanbul local who is able to share lots of insights into Turkey's secularist Islamic culture. On Sunday we got another very interesting perspective when we went to a Christian church service and a discussion afterward with some of the members of the congregation. Turkey is 97 percent Muslim, so it was very interesting to hear what it's like to be part of an extremely tiny religious minority.

The mosaic in the Hagia Sophia

Inside the Blue Mosque in Istanbul

The Bosphorus Fortress in Istanbul

Today we flew to Cappadocia. The terrain here is very different from Istanbul. It's desert-like and much colder. There are also pointy rock formations and cliffs everywhere. This afternoon we saw a pottery workshop where many of the techniques used have stayed more or less the same for the past 4,000 years, since the time of the Hittites. Then we saw a series of ancient churches, houses, and monasteries located inside the pointy rock formations that are everywhere. Originally the churches used the caves to hide from the Roman soldiers when Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire. Definitely one of the most interesting sites of the trip!

Cappadocian rock formations

A second century church carved into a rock formation

We'll be here in Cappadocia for two nights and then on to Kusadasi for another five days. Finally we're headed back to London for one night before flying home. I can't believe I'll be in California in one week!

A Whirlwind Tour of the Ancient World: Rome, Athens, and Istanbul

After two weeks in Florence, we headed to Rome for five days. Seeing the Coliseum, various ruins, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Vatican were real highlights. We also attended mass at St. Peter's Basilica, and saw the Pope because it was a holiday!

The Pantheon

The Trevi Fountain

The Coliseum

St. Peter's Basilica

We got a whirlwind tour of Athens during our six hour layover. It was enough time to get a great tour of the Acropolis.

In front of the Parthenon

Yesterday we arrived in Istanbul. Today after class we took a tour of some of the major city sites, most notably the Hagia Sophia. It is a beautiful city, but definitely very different from the European cities we've seen so far. I'm looking forward to understanding Turkey's culture and sites better in the next two weeks.

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

Florence and then some

For the past two weeks we've been relatively stationary in Florence. We have class every weekday morning and afternoons are spent seeing museums and churches on our own. I've seen at least two museums or churches every day and still haven't even scratched the surface! Obvious highlights include Michelangelo's David, the Duomo and its famous bronze doors, and some of da Vinci's unfinished works. I've also especially been enjoying class. We're beginning to recap on all our major semester themes, and focusing on the big picture has reminded us how much we've seen and learned in the past few months.

Florence

Ponte Vecchio

The Arno River

We've also taken a few class day trips. Our first was to Siena, which is a beautiful medieval town that holds some of the earliest works of the Renaissance. Our other one was to Ravenna, where the church of San Vitale holds the famous Byzantine mosaics of Emperor Justinian and Queen Theodora.

Siena

Mosaic of Justinian in Ravenna

This weekend I took an overnight trip to Venice with four friends. It's probably the most beautiful city I've ever seen. Highlights included looking at the city's beautiful unique architecture, checking out all the blown glass Venice is known for, and seeing da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. More than anything, it was great to get away with just a few friends and feel independent enough to navigate the train system on our own.

Venice

On Wednesday we're moving on to Rome for five days, and from there we're headed to Istanbul, Turkey. I'm stunned that there are only three weeks left! It's flown by, and I'm not entirely sure I'm ready for it to be over!