I suppose it's been a while since I posted. Even though I last posted with pre-Turkey plans, somehow I've been home for a month now and I'm just now having a chance to write something about the trip! Time flies when you are.... busy with school work!
I'll start with a few tales and a few photos from the first five days from Turkey, when my friend, Laura, and I traveled on our own for a few days before meeting up with our class. We arrived in Istanbul on different flights about three hours apart, and even though it was rather hectic at the arrivals gate, we managed to find each other without a problem. We headed on the public transportation to Kataba
ş after figuring out awkwardly how to use the subway system.
I was immediately aware that my travel (pantomiming) skills were rusty, but it didn't take long to warm them up again. Two trains, one tram and four lira later we had arrived at Katabaş, the ferry dock where our trip would begin at midnight.
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| The IDO ferry terminal where we arrived! |
Unfortunately, however, it was only 6pm. We purposely scheduled in a long time before the ferry would leave because we knew if we didn't then flights would have been delayed, but at 6pm it suddenly didn't sound like such a great idea. I was tired, jet-lagged, sleep-deprived, and hungry (and I'm sure in a really good mood!). We found a cafe next to our ferry terminal, ate some french fries, had a soda, and caught up on stories from our flights across the Atlantic.
It wasn't the worst place to hangout; you see, this cafe was right on the Bosphorus with a view like this:
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| Our view of the Bosphorus |
We eventually wondered around the area, but it turned out to be mostly residential. The streets were reminiscent of San Fransisco as sometimes the roads would just turn into a staircase. We enjoyed the adventure though as we found places like this:
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| Wondering around Katabaş |
And then we found a restaurant that decided to open just to feed us! Our first Turkish meal:
The ferry departed at midnight to Bursa (see the
last post for a map - the second map on the page) at midnight and at 2pm we switched to a bus that would take us the rest of the way to Izmir (the ancient city of Smyrna).
We had hotel reservations that night in
Selçuk, near Ephesus, and even though it was around 6am, we decided to go ahead and take another bus there and see if we could check into the hotel. By 8am we had found our hotel and the staff ushered us upstairs to this cozy loft and insisted we eat breakfast (and even though they later charged us for it, the hospitality was unmatched).
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| The breakfast/dinner area at Homeros Pension. |
We made the most of the day and after our room was ready we went back to the bus station to travel the 3k to Ephesus! Here are a few pictures that tell the story of our adventure:
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| We battled with quite a few cruise tourists, but it was fun to be on our own without a guide. |
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| Incredible. |
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| Post-Sightseeing Deliciousness - Turkish Pide |
We walked the 3k back to Selçuk and just beat the rainstorm which forced us to finally take a break and rest up before dinner. That night we ate on the pension rooftop with some other travelers - one of my favorite parts of travelers' lodging :)
The next day we took a bus to Pamukkale, which was about a four hour journey, but definitely worth it! Pamukkale means "white castle" which is appropriate since it is a mountain covered in carbonate minerals, making the whole thing white, and on top was an acropolis with fantastic ruins. Again, pictures are better than words:
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| The "white castle" |
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| There were pools along the way to take a dip |
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| The acropolis atop the mountain |
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| View from the amphitheater on top of the mountain. |
The view from the top was amazing, but I think my favorite part was the barefoot climb up there!
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| I do love barefoot activities :) |
After our exhausting adventure I snoozed on the four-hour bus back to
Selçuk. We found a kebab place for dinner and enjoyed another Turkish meal. Yum!
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| Turkish kebab dürüm |
This post is getting long, so I'll try to make the rest brief. The next day we borrowed bikes from the pension and rode 7k to the beach. What a lovely adventure! It was so nice to have nothing to do. Pure relaxation for the first time in a long time!
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| A nearly empty beach on the Aegean Sea |
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| Our little piece of paradise. |
We rode back after the sun started to descend, a little crispy from the beautiful day of sunshine. Once we returned the bikes we walked through the peaceful dark evening to find this roadside restaurant with delicious food:
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| Dinner of Turkish wonders: pita, humus, olives, pide... yum. |
The next morning we had a bit of a scare making the departure time for our reserved seats on the bus/ferry combo back to Istanbul, but by the skin of our teeth we made it! Phew! And treated ourselves with Turkish candy. I do love the pistachio-everything!
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| Road trip snacks! |
Here are pictures from the rest of the day:
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| Off to the ferry! |
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| Our ferry to Istanbul |
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| Arriving in Istanbul we had a wonderful view of the Bosphorus, even if the window were gross. |
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| A glimpse at the Aya Sofya and Blue Mosque |
That evening we rented an apartment from a friend of a friend for a cheap price and wandered around Taksim to find dinner. What we didn't know we would find was a night life unlike any other. I was in awe of
Istiklal street, alive and hopping way past midnight when we went home. Music and clubs were kicking, but those wandering the streets weren't just the typical night crowd, but rather families, older couples out for a stroll, etc. It was wonderful, refreshing and it made me smile.
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| Adventures in Taksim: Istiklal street |
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| Dinner: Lamb dumplings in a yogurt sauce and Turkish pancake. Again, Yum! |
We hadn't had enough of
Istiklal street, so in the morning we returned for breakfast and a bit of shopping before we were to meet up with our group that afternoon.
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| Breakfast pastries: Looked delicious, tasted okay... |
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| Istiklal street during the day. Still hopping with people. |
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| Looks delicious, tasted heavenly. LOVE Baklava. |
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That afternoon we headed back to the airport, which was odd because it felt like the end of the trip, when it was really just the beginning the reason we came: to experience Turkey as a student of International Policy, exploring the political side of things. But it was also appropriate to start anew at the airport since it was the end of our Turkey trip as adventurers. The next ten days were filled with a different kind of adventure. Those tales will come, as soon as I find another moment to procrastinate further!
