Mayor Tim Burget, right, and his wife Diane explored the ruins of Ephesus, located on the west coast of Turkey, during their trip in October. / SUBMITTED PHOTO
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TIMOTHY MEINCH
For Altoona mayor and ancient-history buff Tim Burget, book pages and maps are no match for tangible, life experiences – even when that means facing howler monkeys threatening to throw feces at him.
The monkeys did not stop the mayor and his wife, Diane, from climbing to the top of a pyramid in Belize in 2006, just as a bad back did not stop the mayor from traveling around Turkey for 15 days in October this year.
He slept on the floor of every hotel they stayed at, and spent four nights sleeping on the deck of a boat in the Mediterranean, and loved every minute of it.
The trip, like many others the mayor has taken, validated and enriched the historical stories and facts he has read about and learned from a distance.
“That’s why you go to these sites, to find out what is right in history,” Burget said a few weeks after returning from Turkey.
The Burgets chose Turkey partially due to their wonderful experience with the people in Egypt and Jordan in 2009. Plus, Burget could not resist exploring the wealth of ancient historical sites.
A four-day cruise aboard a Turkish gulet covered about 250 miles of the Mediterranean Sea, making frequent stops for swimming and hiking to Roman sites, such as the ruins of Ephesus where the Apostle Paul preached for many years.
Other highlights included visiting The Blue Mosque in Istanbul and the ancient city of Cappadocia, where the Burgets enjoyed a hot-air-balloon ride above the partially-underground city built in the rocks.
via Turkey revives ancient history for Mayor Burget | The Des Moines Register | DesMoinesRegister.com.
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