Turks, Tea, and Tulips

My latest and greatest adventure, and sadly the last big trip of the semester, was a weekend jaunt to Istanbul, Turkey. There was a lot of hype leading up to the trip because some friends had gone the weekend before and the city did not fail. 

Gorgeous. Breathtaking. Incredible. Peaceful, even. How a city of 17 million people can be peaceful is beyond me, yet Istanbul achieved it. We only had three days in Istanbul so we made the most of it, staying in the city center called Sultanahmet. It was the hub of all young life, tourist sites, and hidden treasures. After living in Bulgaria where most things are different, I didn't think it would be too much of a shock going to the Middle East, especially considering I'm going to spend six weeks there with my aunt and uncle. It is unlike anything I've ever experienced. It was busy and quiet and a little overwhelming with all the men trying to stop me to sell me something or get me to come into their restaurant. It was mainly Keegan and I and we were not short on taking compliments. Everywhere we turned someone was there with a smile and a flattering remark. It was the hair. I'm telling you. See for yourself:

This is pre-windswept, according to Keegs

So here is my take on 5 things you should hit while on vaca in Istanbul. 

1.  Boat tour of the Bosphorus- my favorite part of the trip hands down. Especially when the weather is just fantastic, you can't help but enjoy the rocking boat, the blaring Turkish music (it really did help make the ride, trust me), and the amazing landscape laid out before you. This really gives you a perspective on how big and unique Istanbul really is.

2.  Galata Tower Cafe- undiscovered by most tourists (except now I guess, but I'm not too worried), it is found in Tacsim and very close to the actual Galata Tower, but with the same view (I'm all about the views in Istanbul), enjoy some apple tea and take in the breathtaking picture of both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. On your way there, eat a fish sandwich from a rocking boat restaurant and enjoy the ever expanding view of the city as you cross the Galata Bridge.

3. Blue Mosque- seriously amazing piece of architecture and place of religious worship. Beautiful on the inside, they do close it for prayer in the middle of the day, but it is totally worth going back to see later to just sit and enjoy the intricate painting/script; you have to wear a headscarf if you're a woman and take off your shoes. I do look pretty stylish if I do say so myself. It's a great place to appreciate the religious history of the city itself (also the Hagia Sophia) and to have a quiet moment with God. Inspiring.

4.  Grand Bazaar- it's a great experience, at least once, to be hit on and is completely overwhelming for someone who doesn't shop a lot (aka me), but it was fun to look at all the evil eyes and gold jewelry and scarves.  And, because most shop owners think you're pretty, they'll give you a discount- it worked for me! 

5. Walk everywhere. Keegs and I did a ton of walking every day and it was great because we saw the tourist-y stuff that was near our hostel, the coast, Aksaray, and the non-tourist streets around these areas. It was really great to see how normal Turks live in a massive city and to get to experience places that most visitors don't venture to see. Just walk and explore- that is what traveling is all about right? Turn down a random side street and see where that'll lead you!

Other tidbits: Tea- Drink it. Period. Don't ask questions. If you don't like tea start to because you'll want to drink it while you're here. Especially the apple tea; even if it costs a few lira more, get it. It'll be worth it, most of the time. Get pides. It's reminiscent of an open calzone, but better.  Turkish delight and baklava are house specialties and quite delish and the great thing is you can find them anywhere.

It was the Tulip Festival while we were there so the city was littered with gorgeously vibrant flowers in celebration of the tulip. It's all month long and it adds a small town feel to this monstrous metropolitan. Imagine these, in different colors spotting Istanbul. Absolutely amazing. 

As the semester winds down, Istanbul was a great last traveling hoorah as I buckle down to finish essays and readings for class and start to study for finals. Nasdrave to the next two weeks, it's going to be a crazy, amazing ride. But I'll leave you with one last picture to tide you till next time. 

Sunburns and City Views

Right now I live in Bulgaria, in a city called Blagoevgrad, shortened to Blago. And while being here in the Balkans I've had time to travel some around the area and my latest adventure was to Athens, Greece. I know immediately what went through your mind: white houses with blue roofs and shutters and clear blue waters with ships docked at the port. While that would have been the most picturesque vacation ever, that's not how mine was. BUT IT'S GREECE! So adventure of a lifetime.

I was meeting a friend who I study with at Truman in Athens, Abbi, who is studying in Northern Ireland for the semester and it just so happened that we could be in the same place at the same time. I love it when that happens!

my travel buddies: Mary in the middle, Abbi on the right

Mary and I ventured down to Athens on a 10 hour bus through the entirety of Greece and while it was a nice bus, the sleep was less than adequate. Just know that, all you out there who are going to travel in the Balkans. Bus is way better than train- it's faster and still super cheap. So do it! But you can't get comfortable sleeping. As per usual, Mary and I had a really good talk on the way down, then navigated the metro with the help of a very nice lady who could see we were disoriented at 6:30 in the morning.

The first thing we saw was the Acropolis. Holy. Cow. It was gorgeous.

from the Acropolis

up close...isn't it a beaut?!

I love history and the US doesn't really have history, not like the rest of the world. So being around ancient ruins was just fantastic- all weekend it was just amazing sight after amazing sight: Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Zeus, the Olympic Stadium, the beach!  I won't bore you with the details of how I finally got to see someone from home, that we had gelato twice a day, that we got soaked trying to get gelato before we left, that we wound through the crooked streets, and got to enjoy the beautiful sunshine.

The conditions were that of a perfect weekend. 23 C (70s F) and breezy. We just explored the Plaka district where we were staying and I fell in love instantly. Oh man. It was just a great time. We did all the tourist-y things that you are expected to do and we definitely had a good time doing it. One of my favorite moments was one night, after going to Palm Sunday Mass (they run on Orthodox Easter which runs a week behind Roman Catholic holidays and services) we decided to climb this hill that had a church on top. It looked really high and so as we started on a walking path up the side we were second guessing ourselves. But that doubt was wiped away by the sight that awaited us at the top. It was Athens in all its glory, glowing a light phosphorescent white as we took in the city by night. It was magical. And some random Korean kid asked to take a picture with us. I don't know why.

We also went to the beach and that was amazing. The sun was so warm and though I'm the kind of person who would rather be cold than hot, I could even appreciate it. We laid out on a pretty chill beach, the only distractions being old leathery men in speedos and one grandma who liked to let it all hang out, if you know what I mean. Soaking up all that vitamin D was wonderful...until we all got burnt. Me most of all. My back got really burnt and my legs too. But that didn't deter me from continuing the adventure; we had a great time even after all of that. Now that I am back I look really tan so I can only hope that some time spent on the Mediterranean in Lebanon will give the same results. I'll come back lookin' black! Ha. If only, right?

Our last day was rainy and we spent it going to Corinth. It was a beautiful bus ride and Corinth itself was really great. Just being where Paul preached and thinking about that was one of the coolest things of the whole trip.  The beach, also, was just incredible. I mean look at it! It was a little stormy and rained some while we were there, but we had brought a picnic of Greek bread and we stopped into this small cheese shop once we arrived and had a cute little exchange with the Greek lady who gave us some delicious white Greek cheese. Oh it was good. We ended up eating it in the bus station, but afterward we enjoyed this:

yep, I was really here.

I know, I know. B-E-A-Utiful! And we finished the day with gelato before leaving. That is when we got soaked by the flash flood in Athens. No worries though....we got our gelato! And it was yummy, like the other six times we'd had it!

As the bus pulled out from Athens and Mary and I settled into our seats, we looked back on the really awesome time we had in Greece with Abbi and the memories made and the friends met and the gelato eaten. I'm not sure I would have wanted to do this trip with anyone besides these two. They made it great. And though I am still recovering from getting in at 5:15am on Tuesday, I look forward to the next adventure: Budapest part one: Friends. Cheers.

Strikes and Gutterballs....Bulgaria Part Two

So, part two....and go. 

Well, I received a warm welcome on my first day at the university to a lady barging into my room, speaking fast Bulgarian which was then followed by a man who came to check the smoke detector. At least he said good morning. It was pointless going back to bed, so I got up and vacuumed which was great and disgusting all at the same time because it just is. My room, just to give you a view. You walk in and on the wall with the door is a bunk bed and next to that on the next wall is a desk, the door to the bathroom, and closets/ drawers. On the connecting wall are two huge windows with blinds (thank God) and a bed and then on the last wall are two desks and a closet. It's nothing special, three girls to a room, no big deal. But what I love is the bathroom. It's three rooms...yes, rooms... for the sink, toilet, and shower. I couldn't believe it when I walked in. There are about 6 light switches, which are huge, to light it all. But the shower is its own room; and it pours from the top so right over your head, not at a slant in the states. The water gets hot really fast and it's wonderful.

I went to lunch with the group from the van and then we walked around Blagoevgrad for a little bit and it was really great. Everyone is really nice so it was a fun group.  People on the streets don't smile and then give you the look-over when you do smile at them; it's hard but I'm working on that.  It was nice to see that I wasn't the only blond; there are some blond Bulgarian women and though I still stick out like an Eskimo in summer, it made me feel better. Blagoevgrad is really pretty in an old city kind of way. The buildings are somewhat old and dusty looking, and they are painted many colors that have faded, but it's just a really cute city; I'm looking forward to keep getting to know it. It's definitely bigger than Kirksville, that's for sure, but that's not too hard to accomplish.

We went on the first shopping trip for essentials at Kaufland, the new Walmart for the next four months. It was big and it went well but it was just different. Everything was in Bulgarian, obviously, and so finding things that looked familiar was interesting. Nonetheless, I did get everything I needed for a mere 66 leva. Cheap. I'm telling you people, it's a great vacation destination. So come visit me! 

Sabine's birthday was on Tuesday so Esra, Mary and I went out with her to the bowling center (though we didn't know that at the time) near the university's main building and had dinner. I swear I've had pasta every day since I've been here....I didn't know I was in Italy. It's good pasta though so I'm not complaining. I had this spinach pasta with a white cream sauce and it was really good. Ordering is sometimes a shoot in the dark but surprisingly a lot of restaurants have English menus so that is great. Anyway, had dinner, ordered cocktails (I had an orgasm- kahlua, bailey's, and cream or something of that variety) and started bowling. If you know me it takes me forever to actually warm up and this night was no exception. Three games of bowling- 6 leva. Legit. We had a great time bowling and I wasn't the worst one, although I did have my fair share of gutterballs.  Sabine was really good actually, I think she might get into professional bowling; okay...I doubt that, but she did really well. And it was a really fun time. 

After that we went back to Skapto and Esra surprised her with a caramel cake which was really good, pretty sweet so one piece was definitely enough. She had also bought party hats and they were the greatest because I think it said happy birthday on it in Bulgarian so that was fantastic. Afterward we just talked for a while and then hit the hay. I froze overnight because my heater isn't functioning properly so that has been great sleeping and waking up uber cold. Showers are the only way I'm not freezing to death in the morning. And there is some exaggeration in this so parents, don't freak out and call the university, I've asked them to look at it. I'll be fine. I like the cold anyway. It's just more of a hate-hate-ish relationship right now. It was a much better day than the hysterics I threw myself into on the first night with only Stainer and Kirk to comfort me. Oh well, it has gotten much better and I really do love it here.