Today we caught a 6 am flight out of Istanbul to Bodrum. Our cab driver to the airport was insane. No regard for speed limits, stop signs, or even lights. Red doesn't mean stop here. It is insane. Organized chaos or something like that. The flight was uneventful besides the fact that we were the only females on the flight besides the stewardesses. It is a male country here. Getting to Bodrum! we picked up the car we have rented for the next five days to cover more of Turkey. It is easy to drive here if you are aggressive with a lead foot. I love driving here.
Bodrum is a quaint little port city that typically hosts the ferries to Greece. We will return here on the 5th to go to Kos, Greece. Driving around too pre-book our ferry tickets, we found an adorable little cafe on the sea/ocean/whatever for breakfast. They barely spoke English but a lot of pointing worked to get ourselves breakfast. Turkish pancakes are not breakfast food for anyone who decides to go to turkey. They are a mix between a crepe and a grilled cheese sandwich. Coffee here will knock your socks off it is so strong. You only need one a day else your stomach will burn a hole in them.
It pissed rain for part of the drive but nothing stopped us. The two hour drive from Bodrum to Ephesus was painless and filled with law school gossip. Upon arriving in Ephesus we dropped our bags at the Boomerang Bungalows. It is an amazing hotel run by this Australian Turk couple. It is clean and nice and super welcoming. Then we immediately walked to the ruins, which are part of the seven old wonders of the world. Incredible architecture that has been around since about 92 AD. It is in the process of being restored by the Amerindians. We walked the entire 8 km stretch both up and down it. My feet are burning from all of the walking. My nike step counter says I have done 67 km of walking since I left Canada. I believe it.
Ephesus is a bunch of ruins that we could have dine then headed off to Pumukkale and stayed the night there but we decided to keep it tame today.
Dinner was freshly chosen from the market across the street then cooked by our hotel owners for us. For a stir fry with baby corn, bamboo, Broccoli, red peppers, and chicken with orange juice and a bottle of water - it cost $7 total. Delicious and fresh. Tonight is an early night because we are driving to Pumukkale then to Antayla tomorrow. It will be amazing to sit in hot pools for a while the. Sit on the beach for a couple of days this trip so far has been very go go go. All of the history and ruins is done as of tomorrow until May 5 when we go to Santorini, Greece.
AFN
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Istanbul, Turkey
A couple of girlfriends and I set out to the land of Turkish delight and mosques for the break between 1L and summer at the castle. It was a tremendous feat to finish exams on Thursday then pack my entire apartment on Friday then leave the country on Saturday morning at 5 AM. I wouldn't do it again. Significantly too much stress but I have survived.
From Kingston to Toronto to Heathrwi by plane then by coach to Gatwick stayed overnight in Gatwick. At Gatwick, I plugged in my phone and electro-shocked myself. It actually hurts a ton to do that. My phone is fine. The castle came and got our luggage from the hotel in Gatwick which was amazing. Means we can travel with a little 35L backpack. Gatwick to Istanbul was the longest flight I have never slept on after barely sleeping the night before. At this point in the trip I have had about 6 hours of sleep. Nothing significant to be travelling across the world in. Brutal to be nice to those travelling with you.
Istanbul is a city that resides in both Europe and Asia. Old istanbul is in Europe and is obviously Roman influenced. The new Istanbul is in Asia and has feels of everything. As a city it is crowded and there are very few to no females on the roads ever. It is a definite Muslin country. No tank tops or shorts allowed outside. Mosques required full coverage of women skin. The men are blankly staring, cat calling, and permanently making you feel creeped out.
Upon arriving in Istanbul, we attempted to get through passport control. The IST airport is incredibly busy, no one speaks English, and they move people from one line to the other. We got through in under an hour which they tell us is amazing timing. I can believe it. The first thing we did upon getting to our hostel was to go eat. Food here is the classic kebab and rice or pita things. A lot of yoghurt and dill dip for bread as well. Not my cup if tea but I am slowly learning to eat it. We ventured out to the Aya Sofia square to see it and the Blue Mosque from the outside at night. Old Istanbul is super hilly and paved in cobble stone. Cars and buses do not stop for you to walk across the street and there is no cross walks either. The first night we went to bed to the sound of prayers at midnight.
Upon awaking to the 5 am prayers, we set out for breakfast. Turkey apparently has veggies, bread, some sort of fruit, and I think it is cheese but I am not sure, and honey or Nutella for breakfast. Weird. We did the Blue Mosque, Bizentine Cistern, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Spice bazaar, Hippodrome, and the Turkish baths the next day. It was pissing ran so everything was not busy. The Blue Mosque is pretty but like all other mosques really. I wouldn't recommend it as a top 5 in Istanbul. The cisterns are amazing. They are these underground aqueducts that were only found recently to exist. The history is amazing and dates back got the 17th century. The Ottomans imported water from 19km away and stored it under the city. Amazing infrastructure and incredible detail on the marble pillars. There's a mysteriously two headed Medusa statute in this completely out of place with a detailed history I am sure of. The palace is not spectacular besides the views of Asian Istanbul. The harem is located within this palace and I found the history amazing. Interestingly the harem was protected by Black Eunuchs. There is no windows in the harem besides in the elite harem room. It makes you feel very caged in. I am sure it was not a great life. We stumbled upon the grand bazaar by accident. Sierra read the map to go to the spice bazaar wrong. It is that classic money grab bargaining for lamps, Turkish delight, and other trinkets. The spice bazaar was an amazing site. It is the only place in Istanbul that smelled good. They sell all sorts of spices and teas. I bought a few teas and spice for Dad. The hippodrome is three random stolen Egyptian spears/statutes. I'm sure it was a big deal to steal and transport in one piece but feels very out of place. The hippodrome backs right onto the Blue Mosque. All of these sites were in a 5km range. Nothing is far from each other. It is like the old city was built on top of each other. The most amazing part of the day was having a Turkish bath. They strip you, soap you, wash and exfoliate everything, then wash your hair for you. We went to the oldest turkish bath in Istanbul. I also had an olive oil massage which I believe was well over due. Having a Turkish bath by a large large large women is very entertaining. My girl sang to me. The other two girls with me theirs didn't. We had Indian for dinner which was revolting but whatever. You travel with people and can't have it your way all the time.
Today we did Aya Sofya, Taksim Square, and a boat cruise on the Borphous. Aya Sofya is my favorite mosque. It was originally Christian church from 6500 BC until 400 AD. Multiple crosses have been painted over and other Christian figures were tiled into the roof. Due to the age of the building the painting by the Muslims has started to wear off so you can see both the Christian and Muslim works in the same space. It is the largest inside space I have ever seen. It only opened to the public in 2011. It is sad as they restore it that they are just repainting the Muslim things and not the Christian. It makes sense but is a little sad. One of the girls I am traveling with has zero street smarts. We all went into H&M to check out the clothes. Upon not finding us after one go through of the store, she decided to leave on her own and walk in Istanbul alone. I have never been so pissed in my life. You do not leave the group. You wait outside. It is a city where women are not equals and it is known for its missing persons/sex trade. Taksim square is where all of the riots are occurred this year. I can see how it gets violent quickly. The police were already setting up barricades for International Workers Day on May 1. I guess it becomes a bloodbath with riots and protests on that day in Istanbul in this square. I am so glad we are out of this city tomorrow. We did a boat cruise to see both the Europe and Asian side of Istanbul by water. Pretty but damn cold on the water after sunset. Dinner was uneventful at a pasta place. Have packed up the hostel for our 6 am flight to Bodrum tomorrow.
AFN
From Kingston to Toronto to Heathrwi by plane then by coach to Gatwick stayed overnight in Gatwick. At Gatwick, I plugged in my phone and electro-shocked myself. It actually hurts a ton to do that. My phone is fine. The castle came and got our luggage from the hotel in Gatwick which was amazing. Means we can travel with a little 35L backpack. Gatwick to Istanbul was the longest flight I have never slept on after barely sleeping the night before. At this point in the trip I have had about 6 hours of sleep. Nothing significant to be travelling across the world in. Brutal to be nice to those travelling with you.
Istanbul is a city that resides in both Europe and Asia. Old istanbul is in Europe and is obviously Roman influenced. The new Istanbul is in Asia and has feels of everything. As a city it is crowded and there are very few to no females on the roads ever. It is a definite Muslin country. No tank tops or shorts allowed outside. Mosques required full coverage of women skin. The men are blankly staring, cat calling, and permanently making you feel creeped out.
Upon arriving in Istanbul, we attempted to get through passport control. The IST airport is incredibly busy, no one speaks English, and they move people from one line to the other. We got through in under an hour which they tell us is amazing timing. I can believe it. The first thing we did upon getting to our hostel was to go eat. Food here is the classic kebab and rice or pita things. A lot of yoghurt and dill dip for bread as well. Not my cup if tea but I am slowly learning to eat it. We ventured out to the Aya Sofia square to see it and the Blue Mosque from the outside at night. Old Istanbul is super hilly and paved in cobble stone. Cars and buses do not stop for you to walk across the street and there is no cross walks either. The first night we went to bed to the sound of prayers at midnight.
Upon awaking to the 5 am prayers, we set out for breakfast. Turkey apparently has veggies, bread, some sort of fruit, and I think it is cheese but I am not sure, and honey or Nutella for breakfast. Weird. We did the Blue Mosque, Bizentine Cistern, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Spice bazaar, Hippodrome, and the Turkish baths the next day. It was pissing ran so everything was not busy. The Blue Mosque is pretty but like all other mosques really. I wouldn't recommend it as a top 5 in Istanbul. The cisterns are amazing. They are these underground aqueducts that were only found recently to exist. The history is amazing and dates back got the 17th century. The Ottomans imported water from 19km away and stored it under the city. Amazing infrastructure and incredible detail on the marble pillars. There's a mysteriously two headed Medusa statute in this completely out of place with a detailed history I am sure of. The palace is not spectacular besides the views of Asian Istanbul. The harem is located within this palace and I found the history amazing. Interestingly the harem was protected by Black Eunuchs. There is no windows in the harem besides in the elite harem room. It makes you feel very caged in. I am sure it was not a great life. We stumbled upon the grand bazaar by accident. Sierra read the map to go to the spice bazaar wrong. It is that classic money grab bargaining for lamps, Turkish delight, and other trinkets. The spice bazaar was an amazing site. It is the only place in Istanbul that smelled good. They sell all sorts of spices and teas. I bought a few teas and spice for Dad. The hippodrome is three random stolen Egyptian spears/statutes. I'm sure it was a big deal to steal and transport in one piece but feels very out of place. The hippodrome backs right onto the Blue Mosque. All of these sites were in a 5km range. Nothing is far from each other. It is like the old city was built on top of each other. The most amazing part of the day was having a Turkish bath. They strip you, soap you, wash and exfoliate everything, then wash your hair for you. We went to the oldest turkish bath in Istanbul. I also had an olive oil massage which I believe was well over due. Having a Turkish bath by a large large large women is very entertaining. My girl sang to me. The other two girls with me theirs didn't. We had Indian for dinner which was revolting but whatever. You travel with people and can't have it your way all the time.
Today we did Aya Sofya, Taksim Square, and a boat cruise on the Borphous. Aya Sofya is my favorite mosque. It was originally Christian church from 6500 BC until 400 AD. Multiple crosses have been painted over and other Christian figures were tiled into the roof. Due to the age of the building the painting by the Muslims has started to wear off so you can see both the Christian and Muslim works in the same space. It is the largest inside space I have ever seen. It only opened to the public in 2011. It is sad as they restore it that they are just repainting the Muslim things and not the Christian. It makes sense but is a little sad. One of the girls I am traveling with has zero street smarts. We all went into H&M to check out the clothes. Upon not finding us after one go through of the store, she decided to leave on her own and walk in Istanbul alone. I have never been so pissed in my life. You do not leave the group. You wait outside. It is a city where women are not equals and it is known for its missing persons/sex trade. Taksim square is where all of the riots are occurred this year. I can see how it gets violent quickly. The police were already setting up barricades for International Workers Day on May 1. I guess it becomes a bloodbath with riots and protests on that day in Istanbul in this square. I am so glad we are out of this city tomorrow. We did a boat cruise to see both the Europe and Asian side of Istanbul by water. Pretty but damn cold on the water after sunset. Dinner was uneventful at a pasta place. Have packed up the hostel for our 6 am flight to Bodrum tomorrow.
AFN
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