I am sitting at an internet cafe with a couple guys from Purdue, Adam and Cris. We are recovering from our great night on the Superfast ferry from Patras, Greece to Bari, Italy (eight and a third bottles of wine gone within 2 hours of leaving the port but it made it really comfortable to sleep on the floor of the lounge because we were too cheap to buy an airseat or a cabin bed). It is fantastic! Cara I have a story for you...
I am off to Pompeii to see more ruins and then we are going up to Rome. I am relieved to be in a country with a reasonably easy to understand language (well it is similar to French - thank goodness i took eight years). I love hearing overhead messages on airplanes, trains, and ferries that are probably important but they only speak in Greek, or Turkish, or Dutch. Isn't English the common language? Then why don't they say the message in English. Oh well, as long as I know what time to get off. The internet is expensive (1 euro for 15 minutes),
Ciao!
Katie
Pictures of Turkey and Greece on Kodak Gallery
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=z6muajd.96906zf5&x=1&y =-hmd981
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Blizzard #2
The two days we had in Arakhova were the only two days that the Mt Parnassos ski resort were closed. We decided to see the sights at Delphi and then head back towards Athens and the Peloponnese (we thought that migrating south would result in warmer weather).
We woke up early expecting to go skiing but learned that it was closed again due to high winds. We headed to see the ancient sight of the Oracle at Delphi. Unfortunately, the site was "too icey" and so we had to settle for a walk through the awesome museum (filled with statues from the pediments of the Temple and gifts to the Oracle) and a beautiful view of the valley.
We tried our luck at another site, the Monastery of St. Loukas, but as we turned off the main roads to the site the snow drifts were insurmountable with our little Renault rental, and obviously not open due to the lack of previous car tracks.
The drive down was exciting as we ran into a blizzard. For the next hour we were the only car without chains on our tires trecking on the main road back to the Nat'l Hwy. We almost made it until we were on the entrance ramp to the hwy when we got stuck and I jumped out to push, snow spraying from the tires in my face. After that we were golden, experienced MN drivers can handle anything! A three hour trip turned into 5.5 hrs but we escaped the thunderous snow storm and are relaxing in the seaside town, Nafplio.
Today, more ruins at Epidavros, a center for medicine in antiquity. The famous Temple of Asklepios, father of medicine and the favorite "bunch of rocks," aka ruins, for my dad. I found the most impressive theater yet (and I've seen A LOT on this trip!) A world-renowned acousitic wonder as it passed the pin-drop test from the center of the orchestra as someone else stood at the very top of the 14,000 capacity theater. WOW!
Next, two hours of rock climbing... well not exactly. We explored every corner and lookout tower of the 18th century Palamidi Fortress with views of the sea, Nafplio, and snow capped mountains. It felt like a setting for some war movie.
Getting lost on the way to the Bavarian Lion, we landed on a dirt road to the Monastery of the Metamorphoses. Again, not much to see at the site but a pleasant drive with the opportunity to see the beautiful Greek countryside with olive groves and goats a plenty. We slowed down to watch the sunset from the swingset on the Bouboulinas, a waterfront promenade. Off to dinner at 10pm,
kali nicta!
Love,
Katie and John
P.S. Shout out to Goff, McLam and Lizzard! Thanks for your emails and when there is dirt to report - not to worry you will be the first to know! (PS i'm traveling with my dad...)
We woke up early expecting to go skiing but learned that it was closed again due to high winds. We headed to see the ancient sight of the Oracle at Delphi. Unfortunately, the site was "too icey" and so we had to settle for a walk through the awesome museum (filled with statues from the pediments of the Temple and gifts to the Oracle) and a beautiful view of the valley.
We tried our luck at another site, the Monastery of St. Loukas, but as we turned off the main roads to the site the snow drifts were insurmountable with our little Renault rental, and obviously not open due to the lack of previous car tracks.
The drive down was exciting as we ran into a blizzard. For the next hour we were the only car without chains on our tires trecking on the main road back to the Nat'l Hwy. We almost made it until we were on the entrance ramp to the hwy when we got stuck and I jumped out to push, snow spraying from the tires in my face. After that we were golden, experienced MN drivers can handle anything! A three hour trip turned into 5.5 hrs but we escaped the thunderous snow storm and are relaxing in the seaside town, Nafplio.
Today, more ruins at Epidavros, a center for medicine in antiquity. The famous Temple of Asklepios, father of medicine and the favorite "bunch of rocks," aka ruins, for my dad. I found the most impressive theater yet (and I've seen A LOT on this trip!) A world-renowned acousitic wonder as it passed the pin-drop test from the center of the orchestra as someone else stood at the very top of the 14,000 capacity theater. WOW!
Next, two hours of rock climbing... well not exactly. We explored every corner and lookout tower of the 18th century Palamidi Fortress with views of the sea, Nafplio, and snow capped mountains. It felt like a setting for some war movie.
Getting lost on the way to the Bavarian Lion, we landed on a dirt road to the Monastery of the Metamorphoses. Again, not much to see at the site but a pleasant drive with the opportunity to see the beautiful Greek countryside with olive groves and goats a plenty. We slowed down to watch the sunset from the swingset on the Bouboulinas, a waterfront promenade. Off to dinner at 10pm,
kali nicta!
Love,
Katie and John
P.S. Shout out to Goff, McLam and Lizzard! Thanks for your emails and when there is dirt to report - not to worry you will be the first to know! (PS i'm traveling with my dad...)
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
The road to Arakhova, Greece
Heckuva Day! The adventure continues as we left Athens for the beautiful town of Arakhova. The morning started off grim as we overslept our alarm, took forever to get the car rental, got stuck with a stick shift that was parked downhill on a hill (good thing Dad had drivin' one 20+ years ago), nearly ran over a dozen mopeds while battling the horrible (worse than L.A.) traffic in downtown Athens back to the hotel, got lost driving up to the Acropolis and probably should have parked the stupid car and walked up, were nearly blown off the top of the Acropolis by the katabatic winds (but the Temples were impressive and worth the trip and 18 euros), battle traffic again to Hwy. 1, and then we felt like we were home free to Northern Greece. We were wrong!
The overcast skies turned to a drizzle, then rain, then snow and sleet. We should have thought twice when we saw the first car spinning its tires on the ice and snow or the next car the spun around, hit the guard rail and turned around to go home, but no. We, experienced Minnesota drivers, continued up the mountain to our destination. With exactly 13 (unluckly) kms to go, we started spinning the tires and reving the engine, stuggling to get out of second gear on the sheer ice. I hopped out to push while dad attempted to steer us away from oncoming traffic. That failed and we were stuck in the oncoming lane and forced to reverse the car into the shoulder. A kind Greek couple stopped to help and despite the communication barrier, we were able to understand that they would take us to Arakhova and we'd call the tow truck. We passed no less than a dozen other stranded cars on the road and a tow truck - so Dad hopped out to join the tow truck while I continued to our hotel with the nice couple. Three hours later we were reunited.
However, I found out later that dad's adventure continued. Eventually, after many failed attempts to put chains on the tires of the other cars that were stuck, our turn came. The tow truck man had our car on the dolly and was securing it while Dad waited in the truck patiently. Just then, an oncoming car came over the hill a quarter mile away. Dad thought, "He'll slow down, he'll go around us." But then he realized that this car was not slowing down and was not turning to go around the tow truck. Then "CRASH!" the windshield cracked and the car was totaled. Luckily, no one was hurt and our rental car was ok. Another hour passed until they were able to return to the town.
The cost: 200 euros. The memories: priceless! Oh what a night!
Turns out all the roads were closed for the next day and Athens shut down due to snow emergencies (mind you it only snows there every two years). Even the snow resort, Mt Parnassos was closed due to snow - go figure! We scratched our plans and were stranded in our cozy chalet, in the beautiful and quaint town, Arakhova. The end!
Love, Katie
PS Greek Photos:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=z6muajd.45u75tlt&x=1&y=eg53el
The overcast skies turned to a drizzle, then rain, then snow and sleet. We should have thought twice when we saw the first car spinning its tires on the ice and snow or the next car the spun around, hit the guard rail and turned around to go home, but no. We, experienced Minnesota drivers, continued up the mountain to our destination. With exactly 13 (unluckly) kms to go, we started spinning the tires and reving the engine, stuggling to get out of second gear on the sheer ice. I hopped out to push while dad attempted to steer us away from oncoming traffic. That failed and we were stuck in the oncoming lane and forced to reverse the car into the shoulder. A kind Greek couple stopped to help and despite the communication barrier, we were able to understand that they would take us to Arakhova and we'd call the tow truck. We passed no less than a dozen other stranded cars on the road and a tow truck - so Dad hopped out to join the tow truck while I continued to our hotel with the nice couple. Three hours later we were reunited.
However, I found out later that dad's adventure continued. Eventually, after many failed attempts to put chains on the tires of the other cars that were stuck, our turn came. The tow truck man had our car on the dolly and was securing it while Dad waited in the truck patiently. Just then, an oncoming car came over the hill a quarter mile away. Dad thought, "He'll slow down, he'll go around us." But then he realized that this car was not slowing down and was not turning to go around the tow truck. Then "CRASH!" the windshield cracked and the car was totaled. Luckily, no one was hurt and our rental car was ok. Another hour passed until they were able to return to the town.
The cost: 200 euros. The memories: priceless! Oh what a night!
Turns out all the roads were closed for the next day and Athens shut down due to snow emergencies (mind you it only snows there every two years). Even the snow resort, Mt Parnassos was closed due to snow - go figure! We scratched our plans and were stranded in our cozy chalet, in the beautiful and quaint town, Arakhova. The end!
Love, Katie
PS Greek Photos:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=z6muajd.45u75tlt&x=1&y=eg53el
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Athens
Check out Zach's professional photos of the J-term Turkey trip: http://homepage.mac.com/zacharyteicher/turkey2006/Menu5.html
Athens:
I did not have any problem meeting my dad at the metro station, thankfully, after all my trouble with traveling. The weather was beautiful yesterday (60s) and the forecast rain so we decided to climb Mount Lycavittos to watch the picturesque sunset right away. Better than the view was the Despina bakery on the way down - thank you Elizabeth - it was to die for! Then took a 13 hour nap - so much for an early start. Traveling is tiring.
Our view from the Hotel Cecil is the famous Acropolis but the morning clouds and drizzle were a bit disappointing. The ancient Greek Agora was impressive compared to many of the sights in Asia Minor because there is more effort and money in the reconstruction, namely the Stoa of Attalos, which houses a museum. Overlooking the Agora is the famous Haphasesteion, the best preserved classical temple in the ancient world. I am impressed that democracy started here (marked by another bouletereion, a theater-like structure for the council procedings). Later we visited the Roman Market place, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch, and the original 1896 olympic stadium, nestled into the hillside, also known as Killimarmaro.
The rain picked up so we headed to the National Archaelogical Museum, the home of many of the most classical statues and artifacts in greek history. The statues were incredible and they were set up chronologically. My favorite statues were of the infant Eros, son of Aphrodite. My dad preferred the bronze Poseidon throwing his trident (admiring his own physique from his younger days :). Then we wandered down to Syndagma square and the Parliament building where we were entertained by the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - soldiers in colorful shirts, white skirts, and tasseled heels marching around. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the hotel, learning that if we wanted heat, we have to ask the front desk to turn it on - no wonder we were freezing last night!
Tomorrow we will rent a car, drive up to the Acropolis, then drive to the Monastary of St Loukas and stay the night in Arachova. Tuesday we will explore Delphi all day and then ski on Wednesday at Mt. Parnassos. Take care!
Katie and John
Athens:
I did not have any problem meeting my dad at the metro station, thankfully, after all my trouble with traveling. The weather was beautiful yesterday (60s) and the forecast rain so we decided to climb Mount Lycavittos to watch the picturesque sunset right away. Better than the view was the Despina bakery on the way down - thank you Elizabeth - it was to die for! Then took a 13 hour nap - so much for an early start. Traveling is tiring.
Our view from the Hotel Cecil is the famous Acropolis but the morning clouds and drizzle were a bit disappointing. The ancient Greek Agora was impressive compared to many of the sights in Asia Minor because there is more effort and money in the reconstruction, namely the Stoa of Attalos, which houses a museum. Overlooking the Agora is the famous Haphasesteion, the best preserved classical temple in the ancient world. I am impressed that democracy started here (marked by another bouletereion, a theater-like structure for the council procedings). Later we visited the Roman Market place, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch, and the original 1896 olympic stadium, nestled into the hillside, also known as Killimarmaro.
The rain picked up so we headed to the National Archaelogical Museum, the home of many of the most classical statues and artifacts in greek history. The statues were incredible and they were set up chronologically. My favorite statues were of the infant Eros, son of Aphrodite. My dad preferred the bronze Poseidon throwing his trident (admiring his own physique from his younger days :). Then we wandered down to Syndagma square and the Parliament building where we were entertained by the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - soldiers in colorful shirts, white skirts, and tasseled heels marching around. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the hotel, learning that if we wanted heat, we have to ask the front desk to turn it on - no wonder we were freezing last night!
Tomorrow we will rent a car, drive up to the Acropolis, then drive to the Monastary of St Loukas and stay the night in Arachova. Tuesday we will explore Delphi all day and then ski on Wednesday at Mt. Parnassos. Take care!
Katie and John
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Wraping up the Rock N Roll/ Higher than Sophia Turkey Tour
We wrapped up our Rock N Roll (or as Andy Overman likes to say, the Higher than Sophia) Tour on the 19th with a great farewell dinner. The trip included so much that time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to leave.
I spent the last 22 hours on trains from Istanbul to Athens but I finally arrived this morning at 6:30am. Turkey and Greece are surprisingly similar, except Turkey has a stronger Islamic influence (evident by the dozens of domed mosques and minarets along the skyline). Both languages are hard to understand but Greek is easier to read once you learn the letters (thank you organic chemistry). My dad is flying in at 2:30pm today and we will explore the acropolis overlooking Athens for sunset.
I have been traveling a lot lately, so let me recap what happened in the last week.
The Macalester group spent four nights in Kusadasi (a resort town in the summer), a night in Hierapolis (water pipe and Efes all night long!), and back to Istanbul for three nights. We visited more Greek and Roman ruins (hence the Rock N Roll tour). Along the way were Priene and Miletos (two cities built on the grid plan with streets that meet at 90 degrees no matter what the incline and both with impressive theaters), Didyma (where we saw the oracle at the Temple of Apollo), Selcuk (the ultimate cultural experience: camel wrestling!), Aphrodisias (center for art in the ancient world), Hierapolis ("resort town" in ancient times because of the cascading hot springs), and Sardis (home to the largest ancient synagogue with beautiful mosaics).
My Favorites:
SITE: Ephesus, because of the preserved facades in front of the library, agora, Temple of Hadrian, and Trajan's Fountain (except the water used to fall three storeys and they didn't restore the pillars to full height), as well as the theater. Some of these entrances were reconstructed but most of the ruins are in great condition.
THEATER: Pergamon, because of the spectacular views.
MUSEUM: Aphrodisias, because it was the center for art in ancient times and I only wish I was that good! The excavations have found dozens of larger than life marble statues and reliefs. The attention to details was amazing!
The integration of Persian, Greek, Roman, Christian, and Ottoman cultures is interesting. For anyone who has played the game Risk, holding/capturing Turkey is hard because it is at a major crossroad in the world. This is evident in the numberous empires that have conquered and established major cities and trade routes in Turkey. It is a country unlike anything I have seen; the whole country is an outdoor museum. They treat their ruins like national parks in the U.S. Their tour guides require extensive training (like going to college) and every tour group is required to have one (a bit of a misunderstanding on our part because our professors have PhD's in the subject; nonetheless we picked up a tour guide).
Thanks for reading! For those of you starting school on Monday, have fun!
Katie
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Troy, Pergamon, Smyrta and Epheus
Wow! Turkey is full of cool stuff! We are having an amazing time learning basic Turkish (enough to use the Bayan and order Börek), sightseeing, and drinking fine Turkish wine.
I recently discovered that the Greek (300-30 BCE), Roman (until 4th cent. AD), Byzantine (not sure on dates), and Ottoman (1X00 until 1923) empires flourished all along the coast of Turkey - leaving tons of marble and stone ruins for archaelogists to dig up. Interestingly, they date the buildings and settlements based on the ceramics found at the sites. These empires typically added on to the previous work so a variety of architecture is found among the ruins.
Ephesus was the most impressive - home to one of the seven wonders of the world: Temple of Artemis, goddess of fertility. This temple - now a hole in the ground wıth one reconstructed column - was over 400 ft by 250 ft at the base and had 130 columns at over 60 ft each. The entire thing was made completely out of marble! The ancient town of Ephesus was home to St. John and the Virgin Mary (they both died here and there were large churches built in their honor during the second century AD). The most impressive ruin was the library at Ephesus because its is largely intact from over 2000 years ago (see photos). The large marble streets of Ephesus were lined with fountains and large marble and bronze statues that rested on marble bases with Greek inscriptions. Currently, most of the statues are in museums or were taken for gifts to emperors but the bases remain.
The theater at Pergamon was amazing! This Greek theater (later used by the Romans) was located in the hillside with spectacular views of the countryside and river valley. The capacity was 100,000 people (the theater at Ephesus was similar but less impressive with capacity of a mere 25,000 people).
The weather is nice, 50s, and today I got a bit sunburned. Our hotel overlooks the Greek island of Samos. We are at Kusadasi, a resort town in the summer but rather calm in the off season.
I uploaded more photos, please sign in to Kodak gallery following the link below to see them. http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=z6muajd.4687rrdd&x=1&y=78vgf0
Güle güle,
Katie
I recently discovered that the Greek (300-30 BCE), Roman (until 4th cent. AD), Byzantine (not sure on dates), and Ottoman (1X00 until 1923) empires flourished all along the coast of Turkey - leaving tons of marble and stone ruins for archaelogists to dig up. Interestingly, they date the buildings and settlements based on the ceramics found at the sites. These empires typically added on to the previous work so a variety of architecture is found among the ruins.
Ephesus was the most impressive - home to one of the seven wonders of the world: Temple of Artemis, goddess of fertility. This temple - now a hole in the ground wıth one reconstructed column - was over 400 ft by 250 ft at the base and had 130 columns at over 60 ft each. The entire thing was made completely out of marble! The ancient town of Ephesus was home to St. John and the Virgin Mary (they both died here and there were large churches built in their honor during the second century AD). The most impressive ruin was the library at Ephesus because its is largely intact from over 2000 years ago (see photos). The large marble streets of Ephesus were lined with fountains and large marble and bronze statues that rested on marble bases with Greek inscriptions. Currently, most of the statues are in museums or were taken for gifts to emperors but the bases remain.
The theater at Pergamon was amazing! This Greek theater (later used by the Romans) was located in the hillside with spectacular views of the countryside and river valley. The capacity was 100,000 people (the theater at Ephesus was similar but less impressive with capacity of a mere 25,000 people).
The weather is nice, 50s, and today I got a bit sunburned. Our hotel overlooks the Greek island of Samos. We are at Kusadasi, a resort town in the summer but rather calm in the off season.
I uploaded more photos, please sign in to Kodak gallery following the link below to see them. http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=z6muajd.4687rrdd&x=1&y=78vgf0
Güle güle,
Katie
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Warning Trojan Horse Ahead
We arrived today in Gallipoli, which is about four hours SW from Istanbul. Driving down the Asian coast of Marmara would take longer so we drove west and then crossed the Hellespont by ferry, where Alexander the Great crossed the Marmara on his quest for world domination. The air was brisk and we could taste the exhiliration of victory. However, the ANZAC and Ottoman troops in WWI were not so lucky. Over 110,000 people died here in 1916. This bittersweet strait is deadly, even for Leander and Hera (an old poem that tragically ended when they drowned swimming across the strait). Nonetheless, our trip is cool but it is freeeeeezing cold.
Today it didn't rain, which is a nice change. Earlier we stopped at an ancient Byzantine castle and ran around on the walls and bunkers - it was fun. Two people have gotten sick so far - hopefully it isn't because of the dead chicken heads we were playing with in the streets - haha just kidding. Hopefully the rest of us will stay healthy, but if we don't, our group is essentially a walking pharmacy, so I think we'll be okay. I bought a mosaic lamp and a Turkish rug yesterday -whoops it's a good thing I have a job. So much for traveling on a budget.
We're seeing Troy tomorrow, then on to Pergamum (Bergama), Sardis, Smyrna, Priene, Epheses, and Didyma. I'm excited! Check out the Macalester homepage, my picture is on the front page www.macalester.edu. Bye!
Today it didn't rain, which is a nice change. Earlier we stopped at an ancient Byzantine castle and ran around on the walls and bunkers - it was fun. Two people have gotten sick so far - hopefully it isn't because of the dead chicken heads we were playing with in the streets - haha just kidding. Hopefully the rest of us will stay healthy, but if we don't, our group is essentially a walking pharmacy, so I think we'll be okay. I bought a mosaic lamp and a Turkish rug yesterday -whoops it's a good thing I have a job. So much for traveling on a budget.
We're seeing Troy tomorrow, then on to Pergamum (Bergama), Sardis, Smyrna, Priene, Epheses, and Didyma. I'm excited! Check out the Macalester homepage, my picture is on the front page www.macalester.edu. Bye!
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Istanbul Photos
Click the link to see some photos:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=z6muajd.4687rrdd&x=1&y=78vgf0
thanks
katie
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=z6muajd.4687rrdd&x=1&y=78vgf0
thanks
katie
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Hey you dropped something... my heart!
Istanbul is filled with vendors and friendly people who want to "Help you spend your money" as one man said today. My other favorite line that we get is, "Hey you dropped something... [look down]... you dropped my heart." Gag me! The men are very friendly (women are not common in our tourist/historic district). We were told that if we smile the men may think that we love them and that we well take them back to America and marry them. AH! Oh well, we always walk around in a group.
The food is great and very filling! Endless bread baskets of all types followed by huge entres of kebabs and pides (bake pita with cheese and meat), which are amazing! After, we have Turkish tea (today it was apple) in little Tukish tea cups (great size for taking shots). I feel like our schedule consists of sleeping, eating, eating, (well, we walk around the looking at really old buildings in between eating), naping, and eat again.
Today we went to the Dolmabahçe Sarayi, a 285 room palace built ın the 1800s for the Ottoman Sultan and his many wives (and mother), as well as administrative and enormous celebration salons/rooms. Later, when Turkey became a state, the president, Ataturk, lived (and died) there and now it is a museum. I have never seen so much crystal - one chandelier weighed over 4.5 TONS!!! The palace was impressive! I wouldn't mind being the Sultan's mother or wife since the palace had dozens of Turkish baths that were entirely made of marble.
Other than the 5am call to prayer, 30 degree weather and constant drizzle, the airplane mishap, oh, and the lack of hot water or water pressure for showers, we are having a great time, honestly! Good night!
Katie
The food is great and very filling! Endless bread baskets of all types followed by huge entres of kebabs and pides (bake pita with cheese and meat), which are amazing! After, we have Turkish tea (today it was apple) in little Tukish tea cups (great size for taking shots). I feel like our schedule consists of sleeping, eating, eating, (well, we walk around the looking at really old buildings in between eating), naping, and eat again.
Today we went to the Dolmabahçe Sarayi, a 285 room palace built ın the 1800s for the Ottoman Sultan and his many wives (and mother), as well as administrative and enormous celebration salons/rooms. Later, when Turkey became a state, the president, Ataturk, lived (and died) there and now it is a museum. I have never seen so much crystal - one chandelier weighed over 4.5 TONS!!! The palace was impressive! I wouldn't mind being the Sultan's mother or wife since the palace had dozens of Turkish baths that were entirely made of marble.
Other than the 5am call to prayer, 30 degree weather and constant drizzle, the airplane mishap, oh, and the lack of hot water or water pressure for showers, we are having a great time, honestly! Good night!
Katie
Thursday, January 05, 2006
İ made it to Turkey!
İ knew that flying on the cheaper airline was a bad idea. I thought it would be like Sun Country or something but it was not!
The number to call to confirm the reservation was disconnected so i showed up to the airport early just in case. İ discovered that the 9am flight was changed to 745am and i was a mere 5 minutes early. İ was the last one board (but İ got to sit in the first row). The plane was supposed to take 3 hours yet they did not bother to tell me that we had to go to Antilya first (a resort city on the Turkish Riviera on the Med. Sea way south of Istanbul). Then we back tracked to Istanbul, but NOT European Istanbul - Asian Istanbul! İ arrived three hours late but I was fortunate because one of the professors on the trip noticed that i was arriving at a different airport and kindly sent her cousin and a van to pick me up two hours away. İ dont know what i would do with out her. I was frantıcally finding a bus to take me to the other side of Istanbul when I saw a Turkish man with a wirery fro and a sign that said KATIE PASTORIUS, thank God!
Well, Turkey is interesting! There are 16 million people who are mostly Muslim, poor, and unemployed. There are schoolchildren selling tissues, flowers, and cinnastix in the middle of the freeway (where the cars are at a standstill because two million cars cannot drıve on the same road at rushhour - it is nuts!) . However, the food is GREAT! Tons of bread with spicy sauces, doners, and Kebabs - not like at home but roasted lamb, chicken, and beef served with cous-cous and tomatoes (for only 5 dollars!). I am stuffed from dinner and I think I need to walk ıt off. Around the hotel is the historic district - ıncluding the Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazzar, and the Blue Mosque.
No more planes for me (until i fly home)! Have a good day
Katie
The number to call to confirm the reservation was disconnected so i showed up to the airport early just in case. İ discovered that the 9am flight was changed to 745am and i was a mere 5 minutes early. İ was the last one board (but İ got to sit in the first row). The plane was supposed to take 3 hours yet they did not bother to tell me that we had to go to Antilya first (a resort city on the Turkish Riviera on the Med. Sea way south of Istanbul). Then we back tracked to Istanbul, but NOT European Istanbul - Asian Istanbul! İ arrived three hours late but I was fortunate because one of the professors on the trip noticed that i was arriving at a different airport and kindly sent her cousin and a van to pick me up two hours away. İ dont know what i would do with out her. I was frantıcally finding a bus to take me to the other side of Istanbul when I saw a Turkish man with a wirery fro and a sign that said KATIE PASTORIUS, thank God!
Well, Turkey is interesting! There are 16 million people who are mostly Muslim, poor, and unemployed. There are schoolchildren selling tissues, flowers, and cinnastix in the middle of the freeway (where the cars are at a standstill because two million cars cannot drıve on the same road at rushhour - it is nuts!) . However, the food is GREAT! Tons of bread with spicy sauces, doners, and Kebabs - not like at home but roasted lamb, chicken, and beef served with cous-cous and tomatoes (for only 5 dollars!). I am stuffed from dinner and I think I need to walk ıt off. Around the hotel is the historic district - ıncluding the Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazzar, and the Blue Mosque.
No more planes for me (until i fly home)! Have a good day
Katie
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Eindoven
Traveling across the world is exhausting! It is 4:45pm local time in Eindoven, Netherlands. I just woke up from a 4 hour "nap"/full night rest. My plane from Minneapolis was delayed due to high winds in Boston. I thought I'd totally miss my flight from Boston to Amsterdam - luckily I wasn't the only one transferring and as soon as we landed they rushed the 11 of us to the front of the plane and we RAN through the Logan Airport to catch the flight - our luggage wasn't as lucky! I couldn't sleep on the plane so I watched Corpse Bride a few times. When I landed in Amsterdam I had to wait two hours for my luggage (along with the other unlucky Minnesotans). Oh well, at least it came!
My advice to you: don't be cheap! For example, I was cheap and bought the cheapest flight to Istanbul. However, I had to leave from Eindoven. Do you know where Eindoven is? I didn't! I hopped a train from Amsterdam at 8:45am and two hours later I arrived in the center of Eindoven - the centrum. The train ride was interesting because it went through mostly poor and industrial areas outside Amsterdam and the countryside where there are LOTS of sheep, green grass, and old, brick rowhouses! It seems that everyone knits and everyone wears hand knit-looking things but I'm yet to find a yarn store. I randomly sat by a nice lady on the train that was from Mpls - her son goes to Mpls Southwest - small world. So far she is the only person I've talked to because I can't understand anyone else. I found a cheap bed and breakfast and I crashed! Tomorrow I'm taking th 6:30am bus to the airport and I'm off to Istanbul. My stomach is growling - probably because I haven't had anything to eat in the last day except a pizza, clementine, and an apple. That's my next mission.
Anyway, Eindoven is crazy! There are bikes EVERYWHERE! Thousands of them parked in bike racks lining the centrum. There are fully functional bike paths/lanes on many roads -more people bike than drive. In addition, there are pedestrian only streets and thousands of shops - Cara you'd be in heaven (and they have and H&M)! In the center are a skating rink and a carousel and tons of little Dutch kids. Take care, thanks for reading
Katie
My advice to you: don't be cheap! For example, I was cheap and bought the cheapest flight to Istanbul. However, I had to leave from Eindoven. Do you know where Eindoven is? I didn't! I hopped a train from Amsterdam at 8:45am and two hours later I arrived in the center of Eindoven - the centrum. The train ride was interesting because it went through mostly poor and industrial areas outside Amsterdam and the countryside where there are LOTS of sheep, green grass, and old, brick rowhouses! It seems that everyone knits and everyone wears hand knit-looking things but I'm yet to find a yarn store. I randomly sat by a nice lady on the train that was from Mpls - her son goes to Mpls Southwest - small world. So far she is the only person I've talked to because I can't understand anyone else. I found a cheap bed and breakfast and I crashed! Tomorrow I'm taking th 6:30am bus to the airport and I'm off to Istanbul. My stomach is growling - probably because I haven't had anything to eat in the last day except a pizza, clementine, and an apple. That's my next mission.
Anyway, Eindoven is crazy! There are bikes EVERYWHERE! Thousands of them parked in bike racks lining the centrum. There are fully functional bike paths/lanes on many roads -more people bike than drive. In addition, there are pedestrian only streets and thousands of shops - Cara you'd be in heaven (and they have and H&M)! In the center are a skating rink and a carousel and tons of little Dutch kids. Take care, thanks for reading
Katie
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again
Hey I'm leaving in a few hours for Boston then Amsterdam then Istanbul. I am excited to get away again because I've been stressed lately. It seems that there is always too much going on and not enough time to do it. Oh well, I'm on vacation now!
It was great to see my old roomies (Lizzard, Mel, Sarah Simrall, and Emmy) at Martins last night - I'll upload the pics for you ladies next week. Happy New Year everyone (no hangover for me, I went to be at 10pm - sweet, NOT (we had to drive home from Colorado at 5am on the first). Have fun and stay in touch!
Katie
It was great to see my old roomies (Lizzard, Mel, Sarah Simrall, and Emmy) at Martins last night - I'll upload the pics for you ladies next week. Happy New Year everyone (no hangover for me, I went to be at 10pm - sweet, NOT (we had to drive home from Colorado at 5am on the first). Have fun and stay in touch!
Katie
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