Today, May 29, I woke up to Jacee nearly burning down our hotel. I'm just kidding but she started to blow dry her hair and she blew a fuse! It was really funny to see her freak out. That day we went to the Minoan Palace of Knossos. It is the legendary home of King Minos mythical Minotar. It was uncovered in the 1920's and work has been done to reconstruct it to the previous state. The first palace was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt around 1700 BC. It was really interesting to see, especially because we don't know if that is really what it looked like. We also went to a museum and most of it was closed due to reconstruction, but it was still interesting. I think the most interesting thing we saw was a statue from 1st century BC and one from 2nd century AD and to see how much the technique improved. AMAZING! After that Erica, Meghan, Matt, Steph, Jenna, and I all walked around the island. We went down to the beach and walked along the pier. I found a new best friend during the walk. He was a big dog and he followed us the entire way, I named him Zeus and I love him! He was so hungry and thirsty and I felt so bad for him! We gave him some water and we finally saw him eating some trash. He would run ahead of us and stop until we would catch up and start walking ahead again. He reminded me of my childhood dog bubba. I miss Zeus and he really made me miss my little dog, Lanie! We went back to the restaurant we ate at the night before and I ate a grilled cheese and tomato soup, haha! During dinner we got free beer and the protest was in full force. There were so many people at the protest and they had bands playing and everything! It was so cool! We found out that the police don't interfere because they are feeling the reprimand of the Euro as well. Pretty interesting...
Today, May 30, we traveled by speed ferry again to Santorini. We pulled into the caldera and it was picturesque. We went to lunch and walked around the capital for awhile. Then a few of us went to the village of Oia, which is where they filmed the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. It was so pretty, the houses were all white with blue doors. I don't understand why they are like that I want to know what the significance is, but for now I don't know. Our bus dropped us off at the top of the hill which I was kind of disappointed because if they would have dropped us off at the bottom then we could have rode a donkey up the 263 stairs to the top. The views were so amazing!!! Tomorrow we are taking a bus tour and going to see some villages and the red beach and black beach and I'm so excited!!!! Until the next time I can share with you!!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Days 12 and 13 (May 27-28)
Today, May 27, we went on a walking tour of Old Town Rhodes. I love the mid-evil time period and that was what it was. We got stuck in the moat of the castle for what felt like forever! I thought it was so cool that we saw cannon balls and cannons! It also was so interesting to see in the museum how much Greece and Turkey have a similar history. It is also interesting to see just why the Turks and Greeks fight over their past! i loved how we walked down the streets and they were set up exactly how they were in that time. Well I guess not exactly, but still. There were shops everywhere with beautiful views! During that tour we met a kid from NY who was backpacking through Europe.He had been backpacking for 6 weeks and wasn't ready to go back nor did he know when he was going back. We ate lunch with him and found out his whole life story. He was a pretty cool guy. After lunch we went to the beach where we met up with Jacee and Eddie. They told us they had been snorkeling for the past couple hours and we had to try it! So Meghan, Stephanie, and I all borrowed their goggles and snorkel and went to the rocks where they suggested to go. The water was pretty chilly but you got use to it once you went all the way in. I was the first to go in and of course, I got bit by something! I think I might have actually been finned because it didn't draw blood, but the salt water stung it! As we snorkeled we saw a few different kinds of fish and some plant life in the water. The worst part about the beach was the fact that there was NO SAND!!! It was so pebbly and really hurt your feet to walk on!! But the water was very clear and very blue! Later that night...A few of us went to this restaurant called Chicken Mike's and ate and drank. We got free alcohol which was awesome! I drank lots of local wine and it was really good. It wasn't very dry but thats ok. We all had a very deep heart to heart, which brought tears to many of our eyes. It is amazing how much you relate to strangers, and I know I've said this before, but it was proven to me again. I mean here we all are traveling around Europe and for the majority of us our home life is freakishly very similar. We had a really good time and these are people I will never forget!
Today, May 28, we didn't have anything to do because we had our flight to Crete at 5 pm. So we just walked around Old Town and did a little shopping. We had ice cream for the second day in a row! It was so good! Our room in our hotel in Crete was absolutely AMAZING!!! It is huge and makes up for all of the small rooms we had before! Me and Erica have to share a bed but its really big so it doesn't really matter. Then last night we all went out to eat and on one side of the street was a protest about the Euro and on the other side of the street there was a futbol game going. Both sides were not concerned with the other but I was stuck in the middle loving everything!
Today, May 28, we didn't have anything to do because we had our flight to Crete at 5 pm. So we just walked around Old Town and did a little shopping. We had ice cream for the second day in a row! It was so good! Our room in our hotel in Crete was absolutely AMAZING!!! It is huge and makes up for all of the small rooms we had before! Me and Erica have to share a bed but its really big so it doesn't really matter. Then last night we all went out to eat and on one side of the street was a protest about the Euro and on the other side of the street there was a futbol game going. Both sides were not concerned with the other but I was stuck in the middle loving everything!
Day 10 and 11 (May 25 and 26)
Today, May 25, we went to Virgin Mary's house in Ephesus. I was surprised at how moving this was for me. I really wasn't expecting that to happen at all. You see I don't usually relate to to any religion, but I grew up Catholic. However, in that moment I felt something rush over me and found myself almost in tears. It was a very cool feeling. The house is supposed to be where St. Mary spent her last years together with St. John. It was discovered in a dream by a nun in the 19th century and found and verified by two popes in later years. At the house you first walked in to the actual house, I had to cover my shoulders with a scarf they provided because I wasn't dressed appropriately ( I didn't realize we were going there when I got dressed that morning!), but you walk in and see this beautiful alter and a statue of St. Mary behind the alter. It was so pretty and I felt it was only appropriate to genuflect and do the sign of the cross as I left. After I left I donated money and got candles and made two wishes and put them in candle case. There were 4 or 5 water fountains there for you to drink out of that each represented something different, like wealth and happiness. They were all full of holy water. I drank out of all of them. There was also a wishing wall that many people from all over have wrote down their wishes and put them on this wall. I of course made two more wishes and placed my wishes on the wall. Sevim said she made one 12 years ago and it came true when she got married. After that we went to the Roman City in Ephesus, which is where Christian people hid. It was really cool to see. The library was amazing and I really wanted to see the first advertisement ever recorded, which was for a brothel. I really wanted to also see the actual brothel, as bad as that sounds but the road was blocked off. After that we went to a Turkish rug store. We got to see how the women made the rugs by tying each and every knot by hand. I really felt sorry for them because that is so monotonous. It would drive me crazy! We got to see the silk worms and how they get their silk as well as all of the beautiful rugs they had! Unfortunately they were too expensive to buy, but I did get a free coke and glass of homemade wine out of it! :)
Today, May 26, we didn't see anything, it was more of a traveling day. We traveled to Marmaris and ate lunch, I ate Mcdonalds for the first time in so long! It tasted just like home! It is our last day in Turkey and I am really going to miss it. Sevim didn't go with us to Marmaris, but she came to the hotel this morning to say Gule Gule (Bye). It was so sad and I am really going to miss her! It is amazing how close you become to someone you've only known for 11 days! We are on the ferry going to Rhodes. I am so excited to see what Greece has to offer! The ferry is very unique, especially since I've grown up on boats. It was a high speed ferry so it was like a ferry speed boat! Really cool and not what I was expecting! Once we got to Rhodes it was really late so we just had time to eat dinner and go to bed. It had a beautiful view though!
Today, May 26, we didn't see anything, it was more of a traveling day. We traveled to Marmaris and ate lunch, I ate Mcdonalds for the first time in so long! It tasted just like home! It is our last day in Turkey and I am really going to miss it. Sevim didn't go with us to Marmaris, but she came to the hotel this morning to say Gule Gule (Bye). It was so sad and I am really going to miss her! It is amazing how close you become to someone you've only known for 11 days! We are on the ferry going to Rhodes. I am so excited to see what Greece has to offer! The ferry is very unique, especially since I've grown up on boats. It was a high speed ferry so it was like a ferry speed boat! Really cool and not what I was expecting! Once we got to Rhodes it was really late so we just had time to eat dinner and go to bed. It had a beautiful view though!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Day 8 and Day 9 May 23 and May 24
Today, May 23, 2011, we went to the ruins of Heirapolis, in Pamukkale. It is made up of warm, heavily mineralized water flowing from springs creating pools and terraces. Also located there is the largest cemetary in the world. This place was absolutely stunning! You had to take your shoes off to walk in the water so we did. The limestone was rough on your feet in some places, but the water felt so good. We nearly walked down the mountain! Then we journeyed to the grave yard but we only made it to the beginning because it was such a long walk and it was SOOO hot! Which I'm not really complaining about! Still no suntan thought. :( After that we went to our hotel. There was no elevator so we had to carry our suitcases up the stairs, and there were so many stairs!! I had a hard time carrying it and I hit my ankle and bruised it! I'm pretty sure my bag is going to weight more than 50 pounds...uh oh! Then we all swam in the pool and laid out! It was so nice to relax with literally everyone. Then several of us went to the hot tub. Come to find out it was a natural hot tub and contained the good minerals in the water like at Hierapolis, which is really good for your skin! Since the hotel was a spa I figured I'd treat myself to a massage...it was awesome!
Today, May 24, 2011, we took a tour of the City of Aphrodite. It was so pretty and very different than all of the other ancient cities we've seen so far. There wasn't building or anything everywhere, it was much more spread out. One thing I thought was very cool was that they are still excavating the site. So it would be really interesting to come back eventually and see what else they've found! After that we went to a leather factory in Kusadasi. They started off by giving us a fashion show! It was so funny because some of the people took it so seriously like they were modeling for high end clientele. Then as we were sitting there drinking our apple juice watching them model they pulled me and a few others to come back stage and put on our own leather jackets to model them off. It was so funny and so unexpected! I think we did really good though, haha! I'm not a big fan of real leather, but I love leather jackets so I was in heaven. I got to try on really expensive name brand leather jackets made in that store and I really wanted them all, but even after the discounts we got they were still way too expensive! Unfortunately! They kept saying charge it we take credit cards and I was like my mom will kill me and I would like to eat in Greece, they didn't really understand what I was saying and they were very pushy! That is ok they just really wanted to sell a coat, I understand! When we got to our hotel we first noticed how beautiful the view was. The ocean was all around it and the hotel was just beautiful to begin with! So a couple of us noticed a pier with a diving board into the ocean. We went down there but there was no lifeguard and the waves looked a little too intense so we decided to swim in the pool instead. We swam until dinner then had to go change for dinner because this place is pretty fancy and we couldn't wear our swimsuits to dinner. The food was so good and they actually had ice cream!!! Only 2 days left in Turkey :( I can't believe how fast this is all going, 10 more days in Greece then its home bound!
Today, May 24, 2011, we took a tour of the City of Aphrodite. It was so pretty and very different than all of the other ancient cities we've seen so far. There wasn't building or anything everywhere, it was much more spread out. One thing I thought was very cool was that they are still excavating the site. So it would be really interesting to come back eventually and see what else they've found! After that we went to a leather factory in Kusadasi. They started off by giving us a fashion show! It was so funny because some of the people took it so seriously like they were modeling for high end clientele. Then as we were sitting there drinking our apple juice watching them model they pulled me and a few others to come back stage and put on our own leather jackets to model them off. It was so funny and so unexpected! I think we did really good though, haha! I'm not a big fan of real leather, but I love leather jackets so I was in heaven. I got to try on really expensive name brand leather jackets made in that store and I really wanted them all, but even after the discounts we got they were still way too expensive! Unfortunately! They kept saying charge it we take credit cards and I was like my mom will kill me and I would like to eat in Greece, they didn't really understand what I was saying and they were very pushy! That is ok they just really wanted to sell a coat, I understand! When we got to our hotel we first noticed how beautiful the view was. The ocean was all around it and the hotel was just beautiful to begin with! So a couple of us noticed a pier with a diving board into the ocean. We went down there but there was no lifeguard and the waves looked a little too intense so we decided to swim in the pool instead. We swam until dinner then had to go change for dinner because this place is pretty fancy and we couldn't wear our swimsuits to dinner. The food was so good and they actually had ice cream!!! Only 2 days left in Turkey :( I can't believe how fast this is all going, 10 more days in Greece then its home bound!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Day 6 and 7 May 21 and May 22
Last night was seriously so much fun! It was Turkish Night in Cappadocia and I was very impressed with everything there! We started the night out with free drinks and free appetizers then they dimmed the lights and the magic happened! The first act was the Whirling Dervishes. Their grace and beauty was mesmerizing. Watching them spin over and over again in such an elegant pose almost put me in the same transcendental state as they were in. Then they stop…and immediately bow…and not a single one of them stumble or wobble, they stand up and walk out. Everyone in the room was beyond words and the crazy thing is they would stop and start all over again and spin for a good 5 minutes and they did this 3 times in a row! Then they came out and did a traditional dance that was beautiful, but the girls didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as the boys. The boys were very believable because it was a love story about two guys being in love with the same girl and the other girls were jealous of this one girl, but the girls looked like they were tired of doing this dance. Which I’m sure they probably are and they probably perform it a lot but being a dancer myself I know that you perform better when the crowd is into it, but the crowd can’t get into the dance and relate to it if you have a blank stare on your face and you look miserable. That is all I could really think about during the dances, which is a shame because the dances were truly beautiful! Then they grabbed everyone in the crowd to learn the dance too. We were in several giant circles just going around in circles having the time of our lives! The lady next to me was Turkish but didn’t work there, she told me that we were doing a traditional dance that they would do at a wedding. Even before that I could feel the culture all around me but once I knew exactly what we were doing I was blown away. In America a traditional wedding dance is the Chicken Dance and this was far from the Chicken Dance. We all glided across the floor occasionally bumping into the people next to us because some of the people were a little uncoordinated, but it was an amazing feeling to look around and see literally everyone with huge smiles on their face sharing with me my own passion, dance. The free alcohol could have had a lot to do with that but still it warmed my heart. Then we all sat down and the belly dancers came out. I related most to the belly dancers, being a dancer myself. I loved watching them and I have said several times I want to learn belly dancing. I mean who doesn’t want to put on a cute outfit and dance and jingle! I would be the first one in line to sign up for that class!! I was talking to my teacher, who has taken belly dancing classes, and she said that every time she would leave after class she would feel so much better about herself and her body. She said that everyone did no matter what size they were and I just think that is amazing. When you dance you want to feel beautiful and sexy and belly dancing does just that, because they say it is better to have some meat on your bones because then you can truly see the isolation of the body. It is also a really good core exercise and actually in Turkey the government pays for girls to take belly dancing classes as a part of their wellness plan. I think that is absolutely amazing and I wish the government in America would do that, not even just for belly dancing but for exercising since we are such an overweight society. I would totally work out if I didn’t have to pay for a gym membership! After the belly dancing they did some more traditional dances and then it was time for everyone to get out and show their best dance moves on the floor. It was so funny to see how other nationalities danced but in that moment they didn’t care what they looked like. I found myself also not caring and I pulled out the cabbage patch and a few other moves that even shocked me! It was seriously the best time and I really enjoyed seeing the culture because it wasn’t just tourists there, Turkish people from the city came too and enjoyed themselves.
Today, May 21, was the longest bus ride of my life!! We stopped at the Mevlev Order or the Museum of the Whirling Dervishes. We went to Rumi’s museum and for the first time in my life I felt like an outsider. The Turkish women there made us all feel very unwelcome and awkward. Whirling Dervishes spin in circles in order to reach an ultimate state of prayer. The Whirling Dervishes are very religious and have to focus to reach this highest power of prayer. Usually the museum is full of tourists but today was not that way. As we walked in we looked around and immediately saw we were the only ones not covered and very underdressed. As we continued to walk through the museum we continued to get several dirty looks and many elbows to the stomach, arms, and legs! Although, at the time I didn’t really think anything of it and I wasn’t feeling discriminated against but then again most of the time I am oblivious to negative things around me. I tend to always focus on the good of everything so in a way me being so naive saved me from ruining my experience at the museum. All I was thinking about was how crowded it was, and it was very crowded! Afterwards when other people started saying how they felt discriminated against there is when I finally realized that maybe I was mistaking their desire to see the tombs of Rumi and other Whirling Dervishes for discrimination. The old women weren’t elbowing me because they wanted to see the museum that bad, they were elbowing me because they didn’t think I was worthy enough to see what they came to see. They were truly disgusted with us Americans. Sevim said that these women were not true Islamic for two reasons. The first one is that in Islam you welcome everyone and even Rumi himself, the founder of Whirling Dervishes, said all religions should come and see this. The other reason why they couldn’t be true Islamic followers is because they were praying to headstones of graves of specific people who passed away. In Islam you don’t pray to the people or physical things, you pray to God always! In Turkey though Sevim has said is very modern and not all women or men follow the belief literally. She has said that when women come over from Iraq or Iran or any other really dedicated Muslim country they feel more relaxed and take down their hair and unveil because they can. They feel that freedom. So maybe that had something to do with the way we were treated. I’m not totally sure, but I now know how it must feel to truly be discriminated against and it is not fun! The bus ride after that museum was very quiet as people were reflecting on what they had just experienced or sleeping! Then 5 hours later we arrive in Antalya! I honestly cannot tell you how much I slept that day on the bus. When I was actually awake I did see beautiful picturesque sceneries with the mountains coming straight up from the ocean. We also drove through the mountains so see the mountains and then the valleys was breathtaking, and I didn’t get carsick! Thank you Dramamine! Once we finally got to the hotel, it wasn’t quite as nice as our previous hotel. The staff was rude and our triple was really a double with a cot and we paid how much money…needless to say our teacher was not very pleased with this hotel, but that is ok. I mean are we really here for the hotels? I know I’m not! There was a really cool bird in the lobby and I was trying to teach it how to whistle. I felt kind of sorry for this bird because it was off in a corner by itself and it acted lonely. I really wanted to take it home with me just like the million other stray cats and dogs. P.S. Mom I’m in love with all of these animals so I might come home with a few! Just kidding but I really do want to take all of them home!
Today, May 22, we went to the Perge which was an ancient city from 1500 B.C. It had agoras, bath houses, streets, and shops. It was so interesting to see how ancient cities were set up. Most of it was destroyed by an earthquake but you could still get the idea of what it would have looked like. The frame is still pretty much intact. Walking down the streets I felt as though I were lost in time. I felt like I could actually see the people selling their goods and the pools and fountains sparkling in the sunlight. I could see people roaming from store to store and maybe stopping in to take a nice bath. I would love to see an erect version of one of these ancient cities and luckily I believe we get to and I cannot wait! We also stopped at the Aspendos Theatre, which absolutely took my breath away. I have always wanted to see an ancient theatre where gladiators fought and that was people’s entertainment and I finally got to! I found out that the reason for the archways at the very tip top of the theatre was for acoustics. Which when you have seating for 15,000 people you need to have good acoustics! I loved seeing the view from various seats around the theatre. I sat in the first row where the richest people sat and all I’d have to say is I’d be scared there because there isn’t anything stopping the lions from coming and eating you! Which they did fight lions in there..so cool! I also went up to the very top of the theatre and saw the view from up there. It was amazing I mean not only could you see the entertainment but just over the wall of the theatre were the mountains and it was gorgeous! I also go to experience how hot it was in there with no ceiling and there were few people in the actual theatre I couldn’t imagine sitting in there with 15,000 people baking in the hot sun! When we first got in there I saw a cat roaming around so of course I go and try to pick it up but become grossed out by the fact that I could tell she had just had kittens, I guess it startled me. As we were walking out of the theatre I saw one of the little kittens and so I picked it up because he was lost and an old man pointed to a corner indicating there were more kittens so I went over there and found three more kittens laying in the shade! I loved them all and had to hold each and every one of them! I really thought about taking one home but I wouldn’t know what to do with it in my hotel! Then we went to the Antalya Museum where we saw many marble statues and they were beautiful. I realized that one day I would really like a statue of myself to maybe put in my house or even better at a museum! Most of the statues weren’t of anyone special they were just described as young woman, dressed women, young man, etc. Which surprised me, I’m not sure why but I guess I just though all important people have statues. From there we went to the Kursunlu Waterfalls and I swear the beauty was a slap in the face. I have said just how beautiful everything is and how so many things took my breath away but nothing has like seeing the waterfalls. It was just so natural and peaceful. I really could not believe my eyes, the way the sunlight bounced off the water is how I would picture paradise, honestly. I could have spent the rest of my life in this one area. I got so many beautiful pictures and played a little in the waterfall. I was like a child again exploring my woods behind my house, but my woods do not compare to this jungle of beauty! For lunch today we had fish…I didn’t eat it. I got kabobs, but I did try the fish, it was sea bass, and I wished that I had gotten it. What!!!! I just said that?? Yes I was surprised at myself too! They even served it to us whole…with the head, eye balls, and tail. That was gross and in a way I am happy I didn’t get it because I so would have swallowed a bone! Tonight, we all just hung out in the lobby and talked. It is amazing how much you can relate to so many different people. It is good to see that everyone goes through struggles in their life and sometimes we aren’t sure how to deal with them. But for one night we were all together not stressing over our home life or what we had to do tomorrow, we were just enjoying the accompany of strangers relaxing in Turkey. I love this group!
Today, May 21, was the longest bus ride of my life!! We stopped at the Mevlev Order or the Museum of the Whirling Dervishes. We went to Rumi’s museum and for the first time in my life I felt like an outsider. The Turkish women there made us all feel very unwelcome and awkward. Whirling Dervishes spin in circles in order to reach an ultimate state of prayer. The Whirling Dervishes are very religious and have to focus to reach this highest power of prayer. Usually the museum is full of tourists but today was not that way. As we walked in we looked around and immediately saw we were the only ones not covered and very underdressed. As we continued to walk through the museum we continued to get several dirty looks and many elbows to the stomach, arms, and legs! Although, at the time I didn’t really think anything of it and I wasn’t feeling discriminated against but then again most of the time I am oblivious to negative things around me. I tend to always focus on the good of everything so in a way me being so naive saved me from ruining my experience at the museum. All I was thinking about was how crowded it was, and it was very crowded! Afterwards when other people started saying how they felt discriminated against there is when I finally realized that maybe I was mistaking their desire to see the tombs of Rumi and other Whirling Dervishes for discrimination. The old women weren’t elbowing me because they wanted to see the museum that bad, they were elbowing me because they didn’t think I was worthy enough to see what they came to see. They were truly disgusted with us Americans. Sevim said that these women were not true Islamic for two reasons. The first one is that in Islam you welcome everyone and even Rumi himself, the founder of Whirling Dervishes, said all religions should come and see this. The other reason why they couldn’t be true Islamic followers is because they were praying to headstones of graves of specific people who passed away. In Islam you don’t pray to the people or physical things, you pray to God always! In Turkey though Sevim has said is very modern and not all women or men follow the belief literally. She has said that when women come over from Iraq or Iran or any other really dedicated Muslim country they feel more relaxed and take down their hair and unveil because they can. They feel that freedom. So maybe that had something to do with the way we were treated. I’m not totally sure, but I now know how it must feel to truly be discriminated against and it is not fun! The bus ride after that museum was very quiet as people were reflecting on what they had just experienced or sleeping! Then 5 hours later we arrive in Antalya! I honestly cannot tell you how much I slept that day on the bus. When I was actually awake I did see beautiful picturesque sceneries with the mountains coming straight up from the ocean. We also drove through the mountains so see the mountains and then the valleys was breathtaking, and I didn’t get carsick! Thank you Dramamine! Once we finally got to the hotel, it wasn’t quite as nice as our previous hotel. The staff was rude and our triple was really a double with a cot and we paid how much money…needless to say our teacher was not very pleased with this hotel, but that is ok. I mean are we really here for the hotels? I know I’m not! There was a really cool bird in the lobby and I was trying to teach it how to whistle. I felt kind of sorry for this bird because it was off in a corner by itself and it acted lonely. I really wanted to take it home with me just like the million other stray cats and dogs. P.S. Mom I’m in love with all of these animals so I might come home with a few! Just kidding but I really do want to take all of them home!
Today, May 22, we went to the Perge which was an ancient city from 1500 B.C. It had agoras, bath houses, streets, and shops. It was so interesting to see how ancient cities were set up. Most of it was destroyed by an earthquake but you could still get the idea of what it would have looked like. The frame is still pretty much intact. Walking down the streets I felt as though I were lost in time. I felt like I could actually see the people selling their goods and the pools and fountains sparkling in the sunlight. I could see people roaming from store to store and maybe stopping in to take a nice bath. I would love to see an erect version of one of these ancient cities and luckily I believe we get to and I cannot wait! We also stopped at the Aspendos Theatre, which absolutely took my breath away. I have always wanted to see an ancient theatre where gladiators fought and that was people’s entertainment and I finally got to! I found out that the reason for the archways at the very tip top of the theatre was for acoustics. Which when you have seating for 15,000 people you need to have good acoustics! I loved seeing the view from various seats around the theatre. I sat in the first row where the richest people sat and all I’d have to say is I’d be scared there because there isn’t anything stopping the lions from coming and eating you! Which they did fight lions in there..so cool! I also went up to the very top of the theatre and saw the view from up there. It was amazing I mean not only could you see the entertainment but just over the wall of the theatre were the mountains and it was gorgeous! I also go to experience how hot it was in there with no ceiling and there were few people in the actual theatre I couldn’t imagine sitting in there with 15,000 people baking in the hot sun! When we first got in there I saw a cat roaming around so of course I go and try to pick it up but become grossed out by the fact that I could tell she had just had kittens, I guess it startled me. As we were walking out of the theatre I saw one of the little kittens and so I picked it up because he was lost and an old man pointed to a corner indicating there were more kittens so I went over there and found three more kittens laying in the shade! I loved them all and had to hold each and every one of them! I really thought about taking one home but I wouldn’t know what to do with it in my hotel! Then we went to the Antalya Museum where we saw many marble statues and they were beautiful. I realized that one day I would really like a statue of myself to maybe put in my house or even better at a museum! Most of the statues weren’t of anyone special they were just described as young woman, dressed women, young man, etc. Which surprised me, I’m not sure why but I guess I just though all important people have statues. From there we went to the Kursunlu Waterfalls and I swear the beauty was a slap in the face. I have said just how beautiful everything is and how so many things took my breath away but nothing has like seeing the waterfalls. It was just so natural and peaceful. I really could not believe my eyes, the way the sunlight bounced off the water is how I would picture paradise, honestly. I could have spent the rest of my life in this one area. I got so many beautiful pictures and played a little in the waterfall. I was like a child again exploring my woods behind my house, but my woods do not compare to this jungle of beauty! For lunch today we had fish…I didn’t eat it. I got kabobs, but I did try the fish, it was sea bass, and I wished that I had gotten it. What!!!! I just said that?? Yes I was surprised at myself too! They even served it to us whole…with the head, eye balls, and tail. That was gross and in a way I am happy I didn’t get it because I so would have swallowed a bone! Tonight, we all just hung out in the lobby and talked. It is amazing how much you can relate to so many different people. It is good to see that everyone goes through struggles in their life and sometimes we aren’t sure how to deal with them. But for one night we were all together not stressing over our home life or what we had to do tomorrow, we were just enjoying the accompany of strangers relaxing in Turkey. I love this group!
Day 5
So I guess I will start putting the dates since I am getting so far behind and sometimes I don't get internet! Today is May 20, 2011 and the first place we went to was the underground city or the Kaymakli. It once housed around 15,000 people. It had both common rooms and individual rooms. I was so excited to actually be able to go see this, I have seen it so many times on the Travel Channel and History Channel. It was amazing to see how the Christians lived when in hiding from the Muslims. I absolutley loved it and the fact that the people left nothing behind facinates me even more! I wish we knew more about it but Sevim said they just don't. After, we went to Pigeon Valley and it had a beautiful view of the valley with rocks that had man made pigeon hole in them. We also saw a lot of pigeons! It was raining so that kind of sucked and we weren't there for very long. Then we went across the street to a jewelry store. The owner gave us a tour first and told us a little about what they did and told us mainly turquoise was found in Turkey. The people were so very polite and made each of us feel very special. They let us try on anything we wanted to try on so of course I tried on the biggest piece of jewelry they had! After that we drove over the Red River, which is the longest river in Turkey. We then had lunch and it was so good! We had tomato soup and beef stew in the clay pot they cooked it in. I loved it and it reminded me of home! Then we went to the pottery town of Avanos and saw them actually hand drawing the clay pots and other things. We got to see them mold the clay, which only reminded me of Ghost and made me really want to make my own pottery! Unfortunately I didn't get to but a girl on our trip did. She was so funny doing it and you could tell how much fun she was having so I am very happy for her! Later, Saviem told her one of the men said to the other man "what in the hell is she doing?" I thought that was really funny! The owner of the store said that pottery business has been in his family for 200 years! Pretty Impressive! Then we went to the Open Air Musuem where they built churches out of the tuff. They were in Goreme and the churches were decorated with unique frescoes depicting various scenes from the Bible. It was very beautiful and very unique. They were very small and fun to explore. We stopped at two places to take pictures, one there was a rock shapped like a camel and there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky. The second place we stopped was to see fairy chimneys and the valley was known as a "girls dream" because of what the chimney's looked like, which I will not say but some men would be jealous! hehe! I also rode a camel! That was so cool, it was so wobbly and I felt like I was going to fall off. He was a stubborn camel and didn't really want to move, which made me nervous but overall I LOVED IT!!! It is time for Turkish Night! Gule gule! that means goodbye!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Day 3 and Day 4
The early mornings are starting to get easier, thank God! The first place we went today was Topkapi Palace. It stands today as it did when Mehemet II built it in 1460. This palace housed a traditional harem. A harem is a place in the palace where the Sultan would invite girls to come live with him and he would have affairs with them. Much to my surprise like the movie The Other Boelyn Girl, which I love and am so fascinated by! The Harem cost extra to get in and I was going to go see it because we heard it was beautiful but we got lost trying to get back to it! The palace was very big and beautiful. We saw his bed, which would fit several people in it, how ironic! We also saw the sword of David, the rod of Moses, the saucepan of Abraham, the turban of Joseph, the skull and right hand of John the Baptist, the footprint of Mehemet, and sword of Ja'far. Now, I know that we will never know if any of these are actually real but the idea that maybe they are is really a one of a kind experience, especially because we weren't expecting to see any of this stuff. We went to the Egyptian Bazaar, which is a world market place. It was built with Egyptian money from their imports. It was literally mad chaos!! People were everywhere shouting at you to come buy things in their store. Shouting comments like "pretty ladies" "spice girls" just to grab your attention and as soon as you make even the slightest eye contact with them they wanted you to come in! Our tour guide guide warned us not to believe the sellers when they say their product is of excellent quality or their jewels are real. All they want is your $$$!!! We also took a boat ride on the Bosphorous. It was very cold and windy but completely AMAZING!!! You could see both the European side and the Asian side, I have never experienced that before thinking about seeing a whole other continent from the other was astonishing! The buildings on the Europe side are small and built up the hill. I like that they do that I think it adds a lot of character and charm. I also think it is neat how they conform to their surroundings, we don't do that in America. We'd bulldoze whatever was in our way before we would work with it. I've started to notice that people drive very crazy here, and that all goes back to the Islamic belief of "God's will", if God wills it then it will happen. If they crash that was God's will for them. They also don't wear seat belts and their children don't sit in car seats or the backseat necessarily! That is so crazy to me and so totally different to what we are use to in America. Our last place we went to was Camlica hill. I didn't get to see the view of Istanbul because we got there later than what we were supposed to, but the sunset was beautiful...go figure right?? That night we also rode the sleeper train. Erica and I shared a room. They were so small that if I stretched my arms out I could touch both sides of the walls! However, it was also very interesting how it was set up. You went in and sat in two chairs in front of you was a little storage compartment and to the right of that was a single sink. The chairs folded down into a bed and then there was a hide-away above that. When the beds were folded out they were just big enough for you suitcases to fit...no extra room! The ride was pretty bumpy and kind of noisy which I wasn't expecting. Today I also used my first "traditional toilet" aka a hole in the floor you squat over...good thing all those years camping prepared me for this!! The train also had a traditional toilets and I hear this is only the beginning! We rode the train from Istanbul to Ankara.
I woke up on the sleeper train to Ankara walked out my little sliding door and for the first time saw the Turkey I expected to see. The beautiful country side with rolling meadows and green pastures. Truly a site to see and much different than busy Istanbul. We stopped in Ankara at the train station and had breakfast, which consisted of olives, cucumber, tomato, eggs and of course BREAD!!! I cannot tell you how much bread I have eaten on this trip but lets just say I will probably have to go on a diet when I get home!! From there we went to the Anatolian Ancient Civilization Museum. It had remnants from the Stone Age, Neolithic Age, Hittites, Urartians, Phrygians just to name a few. we saw painting, statues, pottery, and various other items similar to that. We also went to the Mausoleum of Ataturk, which is where he is buried. He was the national founder of the modern Republic of Turkey in 1922. He also gave women equal rights to men. Surprisingly this was my favorite thing of the day, because something amazing happened while we were there. So May 19 (the day we were there, Day 3) marked the national holiday known as Youth Day and while we were there we saw crowds of young Turkish boys and girls come in carrying enormous flags with Ataturk's picture on it and they went into the Mausoleum and showed their appreciation to Ataturk. I don't think I would ever see this happen in America. That wasn't the amazing part though, there were these two old men that came to visit Ataturk and at the time we didn't know who they were but they were in front of his grave speaking loudly to the grave and there were guards everywhere and a camera crew, so we figured they were someone very important. We followed them out secretly trying to sneak a picture so say we saw someone important when we see this very young boy probably no older than 8 years old go up grab the man's hand and kiss it. The old man responded by kissing the boy on his forehead and his cheeks. We later found out that those old men were veteran soldiers who served for Ataturk. This completely blew me away, especially because in Turkey every man is required to be in the military for 1 year. So to see a young boy so appreciative of these veterans brought tears to my eyes. It touched me so deeply and made me realize how little we actually appreciate our veterans. I mean we have veterans day but everyday should be veterans. I mean our men and women volunteer their time and you don't see anyone running up to kiss their hands! So to all the men and women out there who have fought for my country I owe all of you a kiss on the hand or better yet the biggest, deepest, most sincere thank you that I could ever give to anyone! You are truly hero's in my eyes! As we were leaving Ataturk's Mausoleum we got to see the changing of the guards which Sevim, our tour guide, said only happens at there at the Mausoleum. It was really cool and when they march they kick their legs up to 90 degrees and have to walk the whole way like that..CRAZY!!! Then we had the longest bus ride ever to Cappadocia. we made two stops along the way, which was nice. We first stopped at the Salt Lake which is ironically a like that is drying up and leaving salt deposits behind! I walked in the water and it really hurt my feet! The salt was so hard but made my feet really smooth. The water felt so nice, it was warm. Then we stopped at a Caravan Palace along the silk road, where merchants stayed the night under protection. This place was very cool. the aroma of the place made you feel like you could of actually been there with them or maybe that was just the methane getting to my head since there were a lot of cow poop outside! Still, it was very cool! We finally made it to our hotel where I ate and showered for first time in two day, the shower part not the eating I couldn't go that long without eating! The warm water of the shower felt so nice and the fact that I was actually clean felt so so good!!
p.s. sorry I am a little behind on my blogging but I will catch up...eventually!
I woke up on the sleeper train to Ankara walked out my little sliding door and for the first time saw the Turkey I expected to see. The beautiful country side with rolling meadows and green pastures. Truly a site to see and much different than busy Istanbul. We stopped in Ankara at the train station and had breakfast, which consisted of olives, cucumber, tomato, eggs and of course BREAD!!! I cannot tell you how much bread I have eaten on this trip but lets just say I will probably have to go on a diet when I get home!! From there we went to the Anatolian Ancient Civilization Museum. It had remnants from the Stone Age, Neolithic Age, Hittites, Urartians, Phrygians just to name a few. we saw painting, statues, pottery, and various other items similar to that. We also went to the Mausoleum of Ataturk, which is where he is buried. He was the national founder of the modern Republic of Turkey in 1922. He also gave women equal rights to men. Surprisingly this was my favorite thing of the day, because something amazing happened while we were there. So May 19 (the day we were there, Day 3) marked the national holiday known as Youth Day and while we were there we saw crowds of young Turkish boys and girls come in carrying enormous flags with Ataturk's picture on it and they went into the Mausoleum and showed their appreciation to Ataturk. I don't think I would ever see this happen in America. That wasn't the amazing part though, there were these two old men that came to visit Ataturk and at the time we didn't know who they were but they were in front of his grave speaking loudly to the grave and there were guards everywhere and a camera crew, so we figured they were someone very important. We followed them out secretly trying to sneak a picture so say we saw someone important when we see this very young boy probably no older than 8 years old go up grab the man's hand and kiss it. The old man responded by kissing the boy on his forehead and his cheeks. We later found out that those old men were veteran soldiers who served for Ataturk. This completely blew me away, especially because in Turkey every man is required to be in the military for 1 year. So to see a young boy so appreciative of these veterans brought tears to my eyes. It touched me so deeply and made me realize how little we actually appreciate our veterans. I mean we have veterans day but everyday should be veterans. I mean our men and women volunteer their time and you don't see anyone running up to kiss their hands! So to all the men and women out there who have fought for my country I owe all of you a kiss on the hand or better yet the biggest, deepest, most sincere thank you that I could ever give to anyone! You are truly hero's in my eyes! As we were leaving Ataturk's Mausoleum we got to see the changing of the guards which Sevim, our tour guide, said only happens at there at the Mausoleum. It was really cool and when they march they kick their legs up to 90 degrees and have to walk the whole way like that..CRAZY!!! Then we had the longest bus ride ever to Cappadocia. we made two stops along the way, which was nice. We first stopped at the Salt Lake which is ironically a like that is drying up and leaving salt deposits behind! I walked in the water and it really hurt my feet! The salt was so hard but made my feet really smooth. The water felt so nice, it was warm. Then we stopped at a Caravan Palace along the silk road, where merchants stayed the night under protection. This place was very cool. the aroma of the place made you feel like you could of actually been there with them or maybe that was just the methane getting to my head since there were a lot of cow poop outside! Still, it was very cool! We finally made it to our hotel where I ate and showered for first time in two day, the shower part not the eating I couldn't go that long without eating! The warm water of the shower felt so nice and the fact that I was actually clean felt so so good!!
p.s. sorry I am a little behind on my blogging but I will catch up...eventually!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
First Two days in Istanbul
Arriving in Istanbul I had very high expectations of my trip and everything that I will see and do. As my new friends and I walked down the streets I was surprised to see how romantic this place was. It is so intimate with couples holding hands strolling down the streets only to stop for a sweet little kiss. Truly beautiful! The scenery is just as beautiful as the people, if not more. With side streets that go straight up a tall hill and shops stacked on top of each other and a view of the ocean that would take your breath away, I knew that I wasn't in Charleston, Illinois anymore! As we walked we got hungry, but not knowing the language we were confused were to go and so many people shouting "Here! This is were you want to go!" we really looked like a bunch of lost puppies! However, we were still hungry and needed to eat. We didn't want to sit down at some place that would be too expensive so we decided to go where the majority of the people were at. Our waiter was very nice and helpful, he talked us into sharing a huge plate of several different kinds of meats and a few vegetables. There were two different kinds of chicken one kabob and one on the bone, I didn't try the one on the bone because I don't like it, there was steak kabob, meat balls, and lamb. I tried lamb for the first time and I said it tasted like the way Long John Silvers smells...I'm not sure how that is but that is all I could come up with. Maybe the smell of the stray cats pee filled the air along with other food cooking and ocean in the background, but I'm not sure! Although, I actually did like the lamb better than the meatballs, and no they weren't actually in ball form either...weird! Oh and the humus...SO GOOD!!!!
My initial reaction to Turkey and Istanbul was excitement followed by relief because we had finally made it! I was very surprised how nice the people were here, well really the men they are really all that I've actually talked to besides our tour guide who is really nice and very beautiful! I was also surprised with how busy Istanbul is. I guess I didn't really think of it as this busy. I love all of the history and culture that you feel when you are here. I mean we have studied all of these places before in school but today I actually reached out and touched the marble of the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia! So, I guess my real initial reaction was surprised. I didn't know what Turkey would be like. The men are so very outspoken and the women are very quiet, again besides our tour guide. It also surprised me how different the women were. There are women covered head to toe and then there is my tour guide in a brown tank top and her long hair blowing in the wind! Today, we went to the Blue Mosque and we had to cover our heads and our shoulders out of respect. Our group was actually the only group that did just that. Our professor told us that some people actually thanked her that we did that and were surprised with how polite us young Americans were! That made me very proud to show other countries that not all Americans are ignorant and rude. We also went to the Hippodome, which was once a huge stadium in Byzantine Constantinople built in the third century A.D. There is an obelisk, which is Egyptian, in the stadium and has Hieroglyphics on it. It was very unique and very interesting, I want to learn more about what it was for. We went to the Haghia Sophia, which was once a Christian Church, then turned into a Mosque, and restored and turned into a museum. There they have a wishing wall and you have to stick your thumb inside of a hole in one of the pillars and make a wish, but for it to come true you have to make you hand go all the way around to the same spot...I did it! My wish better come true! We went to the Spice Bazaar, that was very interesting! A man forced my friends and I to eat chocolate and gave us free apple tea all because he was in love with one of the girls, Jenna, and he wasn't the only one! Our last stop was the Chora Church. There were beautiful murals and frescoes on the ceilings. They had to paint the pictures because in the 11th century many people couldn't read so that is how they told the stories of the bible. It was very interesting and beautiful! We ate at a restaurant called Hamdi Restorant and I didn't realized but I ate lamb again! This time I actually liked it! Well off to diner!
My initial reaction to Turkey and Istanbul was excitement followed by relief because we had finally made it! I was very surprised how nice the people were here, well really the men they are really all that I've actually talked to besides our tour guide who is really nice and very beautiful! I was also surprised with how busy Istanbul is. I guess I didn't really think of it as this busy. I love all of the history and culture that you feel when you are here. I mean we have studied all of these places before in school but today I actually reached out and touched the marble of the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia! So, I guess my real initial reaction was surprised. I didn't know what Turkey would be like. The men are so very outspoken and the women are very quiet, again besides our tour guide. It also surprised me how different the women were. There are women covered head to toe and then there is my tour guide in a brown tank top and her long hair blowing in the wind! Today, we went to the Blue Mosque and we had to cover our heads and our shoulders out of respect. Our group was actually the only group that did just that. Our professor told us that some people actually thanked her that we did that and were surprised with how polite us young Americans were! That made me very proud to show other countries that not all Americans are ignorant and rude. We also went to the Hippodome, which was once a huge stadium in Byzantine Constantinople built in the third century A.D. There is an obelisk, which is Egyptian, in the stadium and has Hieroglyphics on it. It was very unique and very interesting, I want to learn more about what it was for. We went to the Haghia Sophia, which was once a Christian Church, then turned into a Mosque, and restored and turned into a museum. There they have a wishing wall and you have to stick your thumb inside of a hole in one of the pillars and make a wish, but for it to come true you have to make you hand go all the way around to the same spot...I did it! My wish better come true! We went to the Spice Bazaar, that was very interesting! A man forced my friends and I to eat chocolate and gave us free apple tea all because he was in love with one of the girls, Jenna, and he wasn't the only one! Our last stop was the Chora Church. There were beautiful murals and frescoes on the ceilings. They had to paint the pictures because in the 11th century many people couldn't read so that is how they told the stories of the bible. It was very interesting and beautiful! We ate at a restaurant called Hamdi Restorant and I didn't realized but I ate lamb again! This time I actually liked it! Well off to diner!
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