Friday, March 31, 2006
Izmir
Izmir is a nice city. It's very modern as compared to the rest of Turkey that we have seen (which I have to admit is very little). Still it heavily resembles what I expect much of modern Europe to look like. It has very few sky scrappers. Apartment buildings surround this city and it's bay. On the waterfront are many nice looking resturaunts that several people on our tour ate at and enjoyed. Also along this waterfront are many fine shopping areas.
During the call to prayer, the local mosques all through the area call out. You hear this throughout Turkey, but in Izmir it was the nicest so far. As they seemed to join in a harmony.
During the call to prayer, the local mosques all through the area call out. You hear this throughout Turkey, but in Izmir it was the nicest so far. As they seemed to join in a harmony.
Cappadocia
We've been staying in Dinler Hotel in Cappadocia the last few days. This area is really amazing. It looks alien. The formation of the rocks and "fairy chimneys" are a sight to see.
We visted many of these rock formations as well as some ancient Christian settlements. They used the local soft rock and sand to dig deep caves into the ground. They also created dwellings that closely resemble giant ant mounds. In the settlements they built stables for their horses, churches, kitchens, bedrooms and the other things necessary for life. The churches are amazing. They have many frescoes still visible.
The underground cities had ventillations systems that would provide fresh air throughout and were protected from being flooded with smoke. Another defense system was a giant round stone that they could roll from the inside, but the enemy on the outside could not move. It seems these ancient people had very amazing engineering ability.
We visted many of these rock formations as well as some ancient Christian settlements. They used the local soft rock and sand to dig deep caves into the ground. They also created dwellings that closely resemble giant ant mounds. In the settlements they built stables for their horses, churches, kitchens, bedrooms and the other things necessary for life. The churches are amazing. They have many frescoes still visible.
The underground cities had ventillations systems that would provide fresh air throughout and were protected from being flooded with smoke. Another defense system was a giant round stone that they could roll from the inside, but the enemy on the outside could not move. It seems these ancient people had very amazing engineering ability.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
People
One more thing...
There are quite a few of us on this tour. Everyone is friendly and we've really enjoyed sharing the experience with them. It's interesting to note that in our tour groups we are the youngest people on all three of the American busses. But the busses from Europe and Asia are filled with young and old. Why are there not more of American youth traveling the world?
Another thing that is interesting is the amount of people here that speak a 2nd, 3rd, or more languages.
There are quite a few of us on this tour. Everyone is friendly and we've really enjoyed sharing the experience with them. It's interesting to note that in our tour groups we are the youngest people on all three of the American busses. But the busses from Europe and Asia are filled with young and old. Why are there not more of American youth traveling the world?
Another thing that is interesting is the amount of people here that speak a 2nd, 3rd, or more languages.
I apologize for the lack of a response
So it’s been a fast paced trip so far. We’ve visited the ancient cities of Troy, Ephesus, and the Necropolis and Acropolis of Pergamum. All were amazing. Our tour guide is very knowledgeable. He personally guides our tours at each site. During the drives to each location he fills in details about what we will be seeing as well as general information on Turkey.
We did not tour the Gallipoli battlefields. I miss interpreted what our itinerary said. The battlefields are big and most tours recommend a day spent touring the area. We crossed the Dardanelles from a ferry at the city of Gallipoli. It’s a shame as this is such an important area not only for Turkey but for the world.
The Dardanelles is very pretty. It’s nice and clean. After crossing, we were now in Asia. The country side is very nice as spring is starting to come to this part of the country. There were many small villages with people farming.
Troy’s ruins are impressive. Especially considering that most of the site is unexcavated. We saw parts that date back thousands of years. Pergamum is also hardly excavated. But is still very impressive. It’s interesting how on each site we visit it seems that Britain or Germany seem to have sneakily grabbed some of the important artifacts. Our tour guide mentions each time there is an key artifact that is located in a museum in another part of the world. It’s very disappointing to hear that these countries refuse to return these items to where they can still be appreciated by all and in their rightful places.
We visited the House of the Virgin Mary as well as the ancient Roman city of Ephesus. Ephesus must have been an impressive city for it’s time, as it is impressive still after all these centuries.
The modern city of Izmir is a very agreeable place. If there was anywhere in Turkey that I would choose to move to, it would be Izmir. It’s in a bay, has wonderful city life. All the shopping, restaurants, people, places, and entertainment that you want to see is there. Most of the population is in the 30’s or below. That’s actually a national average it seems.
We love to hear the call to prayer at the local mosques. It’s very beautiful. We’ve been told that it is “annoying” from some people. But we find it enjoyable.
We are very active with all the different places we travel to. More updates (hopefully) to come later. Including pictures of Izmir and the Necropolis and Acropolis.
We did not tour the Gallipoli battlefields. I miss interpreted what our itinerary said. The battlefields are big and most tours recommend a day spent touring the area. We crossed the Dardanelles from a ferry at the city of Gallipoli. It’s a shame as this is such an important area not only for Turkey but for the world.
The Dardanelles is very pretty. It’s nice and clean. After crossing, we were now in Asia. The country side is very nice as spring is starting to come to this part of the country. There were many small villages with people farming.
Troy’s ruins are impressive. Especially considering that most of the site is unexcavated. We saw parts that date back thousands of years. Pergamum is also hardly excavated. But is still very impressive. It’s interesting how on each site we visit it seems that Britain or Germany seem to have sneakily grabbed some of the important artifacts. Our tour guide mentions each time there is an key artifact that is located in a museum in another part of the world. It’s very disappointing to hear that these countries refuse to return these items to where they can still be appreciated by all and in their rightful places.
We visited the House of the Virgin Mary as well as the ancient Roman city of Ephesus. Ephesus must have been an impressive city for it’s time, as it is impressive still after all these centuries.
The modern city of Izmir is a very agreeable place. If there was anywhere in Turkey that I would choose to move to, it would be Izmir. It’s in a bay, has wonderful city life. All the shopping, restaurants, people, places, and entertainment that you want to see is there. Most of the population is in the 30’s or below. That’s actually a national average it seems.
We love to hear the call to prayer at the local mosques. It’s very beautiful. We’ve been told that it is “annoying” from some people. But we find it enjoyable.
We are very active with all the different places we travel to. More updates (hopefully) to come later. Including pictures of Izmir and the Necropolis and Acropolis.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Istanbul
Istanbul! Wow, it’s an amazing city!
We landed with no trouble on a cloudy day. At times there is a slight drizzle, but not enough to pull an umbrella out. We landed about 20 minutes early (10:00 AM EET) and soon meet up with our travel group. They divided us up into three groups. Each going to a different hotel. We were sent to the Orsep Royal Hotel. It’s very nice considering what a busy location it is set in. The equivalent would be near Time’s Square in NYC or 6th Street in Austin. This part of the city is the oldest. It is inside the old Byzintine era walls. All the streets are curvy and it’s easy to get lost here. Luckily we are just a few meters from all the key sites here in Istanbul.
After we landed we had a short drive of about 30 minutes from the airport to the hotel. During this drive we saw the walls of Constantinople, a fishing village, the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia Mosque. Once you pass the walls of Constantinople and enter the old city, the streets become narrow and winding. At our hotel there is construction going on, so our bus had to drop us off a block from the hotel. This was not bad as we got to see immediately the wonderful cobble stone streets and the many eclectic shops that make this area so unique.
Our hotel room is very small. It’s just big enough to have 2 beds, a tiny desk, 2 tiny night stands, a small bathroom, and a small closet. But this is about what you would expect from any metropolis. You’d be hard pressed to find something like this in NYC for the price.
Once we checked in and got settled we walked to the river and then walked to the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia Mosque. We found our only complaint so far with Istanbul. And that’s the pushy street vendors, and crooks. Several stores have guys that stand out side and try to ploy you to go into their store or restaurant or store. At times it just feels incessant. The other street annoyance is the guys that pretend that they want to be your friend or guide. Our tour guide warned us about how they use this to try to rob you. As well as many other street scams.
The Hagia Sofia is amazing. It’s size is a little daunting. To think that it is so old and still around is amazing. To think that they could build something like this so grand so long ago is also amazing.
We walked over to the Blue Mosque which is just across the park. We took off our shoes and stepped inside. I didn’t think they would let us in since I was in blue jeans and Yulia didn’t have a head scarf. They didn’t seem to mind as we were with quiet a few tourists without scarves and wearing blue jeans. The size of the mosque is immense. It’s huge!
There are so many intricate details it is hard to describe with words. The first thing I noticed was the size of the four columns supporting the roof. Then I noticed the roof. The roof has many smaller domes and a large central dome. There was a few people working on updating the mosque’s lights while we were there. It looks like there is much intricate work done to take care of the mosque.
Tonight we are having a dinner with our tour group. We will be eating at our hotel. Then it’s probably going to be an early night for us. The next day we start at 8am to travel to Gallipoli. I can’t wait!
We landed with no trouble on a cloudy day. At times there is a slight drizzle, but not enough to pull an umbrella out. We landed about 20 minutes early (10:00 AM EET) and soon meet up with our travel group. They divided us up into three groups. Each going to a different hotel. We were sent to the Orsep Royal Hotel. It’s very nice considering what a busy location it is set in. The equivalent would be near Time’s Square in NYC or 6th Street in Austin. This part of the city is the oldest. It is inside the old Byzintine era walls. All the streets are curvy and it’s easy to get lost here. Luckily we are just a few meters from all the key sites here in Istanbul.
After we landed we had a short drive of about 30 minutes from the airport to the hotel. During this drive we saw the walls of Constantinople, a fishing village, the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia Mosque. Once you pass the walls of Constantinople and enter the old city, the streets become narrow and winding. At our hotel there is construction going on, so our bus had to drop us off a block from the hotel. This was not bad as we got to see immediately the wonderful cobble stone streets and the many eclectic shops that make this area so unique.
Our hotel room is very small. It’s just big enough to have 2 beds, a tiny desk, 2 tiny night stands, a small bathroom, and a small closet. But this is about what you would expect from any metropolis. You’d be hard pressed to find something like this in NYC for the price.
Once we checked in and got settled we walked to the river and then walked to the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia Mosque. We found our only complaint so far with Istanbul. And that’s the pushy street vendors, and crooks. Several stores have guys that stand out side and try to ploy you to go into their store or restaurant or store. At times it just feels incessant. The other street annoyance is the guys that pretend that they want to be your friend or guide. Our tour guide warned us about how they use this to try to rob you. As well as many other street scams.
The Hagia Sofia is amazing. It’s size is a little daunting. To think that it is so old and still around is amazing. To think that they could build something like this so grand so long ago is also amazing.
We walked over to the Blue Mosque which is just across the park. We took off our shoes and stepped inside. I didn’t think they would let us in since I was in blue jeans and Yulia didn’t have a head scarf. They didn’t seem to mind as we were with quiet a few tourists without scarves and wearing blue jeans. The size of the mosque is immense. It’s huge!
There are so many intricate details it is hard to describe with words. The first thing I noticed was the size of the four columns supporting the roof. Then I noticed the roof. The roof has many smaller domes and a large central dome. There was a few people working on updating the mosque’s lights while we were there. It looks like there is much intricate work done to take care of the mosque.
Tonight we are having a dinner with our tour group. We will be eating at our hotel. Then it’s probably going to be an early night for us. The next day we start at 8am to travel to Gallipoli. I can’t wait!
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Waiting in Brooklyn
We are staying in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach neighborhood over night with family. In the morning we'll go over some last minute tasks and then head to the airport around 1pm to make our flight.
I think we have everything we need. What ever we don't have we can get in Istanbul.
The weather looks bad for the day we fly in to Istanbul, but we will leave it behind us as we travel south out of the rain and into the sun as we head toward the Mediterranean.
I think we have everything we need. What ever we don't have we can get in Istanbul.
The weather looks bad for the day we fly in to Istanbul, but we will leave it behind us as we travel south out of the rain and into the sun as we head toward the Mediterranean.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Busy Packing
So we are busy packing and trying to get ready for our trip to Turkey. We've got a bunch of things still to do, but it's getting there.
If you look on the web site I have links to weather.com information for each of the cities we will be visiting. We are a little worried right now with the forecast of rain in each city. That's going to really suck if there is rain on the 29th of March as that's the day we are supposed to be in the direct path of a solar eclipse!
Keep your fingers crossed for us please!
If you look on the web site I have links to weather.com information for each of the cities we will be visiting. We are a little worried right now with the forecast of rain in each city. That's going to really suck if there is rain on the 29th of March as that's the day we are supposed to be in the direct path of a solar eclipse!
Keep your fingers crossed for us please!
Friday, March 17, 2006
What is this for?
While in Turkey, we hope to post a few stories about our travels on this blog. Check back often to see what updates we have and what we are up to.
