Wednesday, March 11

Our group had a long day, with visits to three different ancient ruin sites, finally concluding our day in Bursa. Here is what some of our Seniors had to say:

"Gunaydin! Today we were on the road a lot and headed to the gymnasium of Sardis first. A few of us raced and the winner got prizes. Gülin told us that that gymnasium meant 'naked.' Ashley and I gifted our driver, Ramazan, two little fidgets that we got from our chocolate egg. We then ate lunch and had either chicken or meatball kebabs. Then we drove to the Artemis Temple where we saw a really cute family of dogs that followed us around. The view of the structure and mountain was really pretty. We arrived at the hotel and ate shredded beef, potatoes, and rice. Lastly, we got pudding for dessert. Then we headed to the mall across from our hotel!"

Eli '26

"Günaydın! 

Today we visited the ancient gymnasium in Sardis, where athletes traditionally trained and competed without clothing. I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a race there as well, thankfully fully clothed. Gülin and Ramazan are amazing. Ramazan is cutting up in that manual bus. 

Güle güle!"

Kira '26

"Today is Wednesday and we are more than halfway through our trip. I've had so much fun and really feel my life being enriched. Our wonderful tour guide, Gülin, has been super awesome and informative throughout this trip. We’ve gotten so much information from the history of Turkey, to the specific history of each ruin we’ve visited, to funny stories she has. We saw three different ruins, made two gas station stops, and one lunch stop. Today, I took some cool photos, ate chocolate ice cream (it’s more fudge-like in turkey), and have continued to be impressed with Ramazan, the bus driver, driving the manual bus through the crowded streets."

Anamika '26