Home Time

Day 70 - Istanbul, Turkey to Toronto to Edmonton:

I got up at 6 this morning and showered and finished packing. Andy came to my door around 7 to say goodbye. He was catching a shuttle to the other airport and leaving before me. I was officially the last one from the group in Istanul. 

My transfer came to get me at 7:55. I sat down in the lobby a little earlier waiting and the kind man at the hotel brought me tea while I waited. I had a banana left so I ate that for my breakfast. It took about half an hour to get to the airport. We drove along the water front in the opposite direction that I hadn't explored yet. There was a really nice path along the water with multiple little work out stations along the way. We also passed a really modern suburb area with really nice apartment complexes and perfectly manicured lawns.

I made my way to the Air Canada check in at the airport and discovered that my flight was delayed an hour and 40 minutes. My flight was supposed to leave at 10:55 and now wasn't leaving until 12:35. After I had gone through security I found a little bakery and got a sesame seed pretzel toll, yogurt and some fruit. Then I made my way to Starbucks and found a seat there and used the free wifi to get some blogging done while I ate my breakfast. After I was done there I explored the airport shops and checked out all the duty free crap. 

Around 11 I made my way down to my now assigned gate. Every now and then I would double check the flight info board. After a while my gate had changed so I moved over to the new one. The airport was starting to look a little chaotic with people everywhere due to delayed flights. Everyone starting lining up around 12:15 to get on the buses that took us to our plane on the Tarmac. It became apparent then that the flight was going to be even more delayed. 

It wasn't until around 1:30 when everyone was boarded and we were ready to go, but then the man directly behind me decided to freak out and start yelling at the stewardesses and make a scene. It was a little nerve racking and the person in charge threatened to kick him off the plane several times if he didn't calm down. He eventually did calm down, and off we went - even more delayed now. 

Shortly after take off, the pilot came on the speakers to notify us that we were going around some storms and the turbulence would be bad for a while - just great.

A really nice girl around my age was sitting next to me. She was from Bosnia but now lives in Chicago. She had been teaching English in Turkey the last 3 weeks after visiting Bosnia prior to that. I told her how I had been in Bosnia and loved it. We both ended up watching movies the whole flight and discussing them. I watched About Time (cute chick flick), Labor Day (boring and weird), Bad Words (thought it would be better), and 12 Years a Slave (good but depressing). I wasn't able to sleep at all because the crazy behind me kept kicking and moving my chair and I wasn't about to turn around and get him riled up again.

We landed in Toronto around 5:40. I had missed my connecting flight by about 2 hours. They put me on the next flight which left at 7:30. By the time I dropped off my luggage, went through customs, and everything else, I just got to the gate in time for boarding. I was stuck sitting between a smelly man who wanted to talk (I absolutely did not want to talk as I was half asleep) and a lady that smacked her lips constantly. But I didn't even care, I fell asleep almost instantly. 

It was about 9:30 when we landed in Edmonton. I raced off the plane and got my luggage. My ride wasn't there yet because my parents had no way of telling which flight I was on. After a sent message, they were on their way. To kill time I sat at Tim Hortons and had a coffee and a peanut butter cookie (yay for peanut butter being a thing again!). 

I had made it home and the journey was now complete. I had the time of my life on this trip and learned so much about history, the world, other cultures and people, and myself. I also made what I'm sure will be life long friendships. I often find after being away from home for a while that I'm excited to get back, but this time I didn't feel ready. I have the desire to keep travelling. I'm not sure what my future brings me, but I'm both nervous and scared, as well as excited and anxious to find out! All I know is that it won't be long before I'm back on a plane heading to somewhere new, and until then, this adventure and this blog that contains the story of this adventure, has come to an end. 

Last Day

Day 69 - Istanbul, Turkey:

This morning was a bit of a later start. I was down at breakfast around 8:30 and hung out there until around 10 somehow. The others trickled in and we all got to talking. April had dates and cookies left over that she added to the breakfast table.

Andy and I eventually made our way out of the hotel and to the Topkapi Palace about 15 minutes walk away. It was a holiday Monday (day after Ramadan) and so it turned out the palace wasn't open until 1pm. I had my appointment at the baths at 3 so that didn't work for me. Instead of going in we walked around the park outside of the palace. It was a beautiful park with nice big trees and a little fountain area. The landscaping was well done. It was another hot day out (felt like 40 degrees) so we were sweating! 

Once we had explored the park we decided to walk towards the water front in hopes of a breeze. Over by where we caught the boat yesterday we decided to spur of the moment catch the ferry boat over it the Asia side of Istanbul. It was only a 20 minute ferry ride to the other side. Over there we walked a bit along the water and then found our way into an area with shops, cafés, and fruit and veggie stalls. We found the apple tea that tastes so yummy and got a set with the cute little glasses they drink tea from. I also got some nuts to keep me going and then off we went to catch the ferry back. 

We got back shortly after 1 and walked through the grand bazaar and spice market area. Unfortunately, they were both closed due to it being a holiday. It was weird seeing the streets like a ghost town after seeing how busy and packed they were before. On the way back to the hotel I stopped and got some traditional ice cream (made with sheeps milk). 

Moya and Greg were leaving just after 2 so I made sure to be down in the lobby to say goodbye. Yet another goodbye! No fun. I had my appointment at the hamam or traditional bath at 3 so I walked down right after. 

The bath was so nice. I got my own little changing room and changed into a wrap dress thing. From there I was led to the steam room. They told me to sit in there and relax. I didn't realize I would be sitting in there for so long. It got very very hot and I had to relax so not to panic and think about how I might pass out haha. I was in there for about 30 minutes probably and then the lady came and took me to another room. The room was still hot, but a little cooler than the other. In there she scrubbed me and washed me and gave me a bit of a massage. To rinse me she threw buckets of water on me - I think she enjoyed that part. Then she washed my hair for me. Next I was led upstairs to the massage area where a different lady gave me a nice long full body massage. It was so relaxing and felt amazing. She also gave me a facial and then led me downstairs where I sat and enjoyed apple tea and a piece of Turkish delight. I felt like a million bucks after. I had definitely sweated out any toxins and was so relaxed. I was the only person there at that time so I had the place to myself - which meant not feeling awkward walking around naked!

I went back to the hotel after that and began packing my bag since I leave tomorrow morning! At 7 I went downstairs to say goodbye to April. The last person to say goodbye too. I had a shower and got ready after that. Andy and I had a beer before going to dinner. We went back to the same area (sort of) that we went for dinner last night. We got offered complimentary apple tea and baklava for dessert. For my meal I had Sultan kebab or something like that - it was minced meat rolls, tomatoes, fries, rice and veggies - really tasty. It was way less busy around the city again with the end of Ramadan and it being a holiday. 

Topkapi Palace park:

Funky tree in park:

Market area on Asia side:

View from ferry:

Boat Cruise

Day 68 - Istanbul, Turkey:

It was a sad morning. I got up at 7 and showered and got ready to be downstairs for 8 in order to see Karen and Steve off. It was so hard to say goodbye to them. It didn't feel right! They're my side kicks! Or I'm their side kick more like it, aka their third wheel. There were definitely some tears shed. 

After the goodbyes the remainder of us went to breakfast - bread, olives, tomatoes, cheese, and some cereal. It felt weird with just Moya, Greg, April, Andy and I!

I was out the door by around 9:30 and went straight for the Blue Mosque. I decided to spend the day to myself - I think I needed it. It was so hot out again. At the mosque the visitors entrance line was already very long. It was moving fast though. I had to cover up in another nurse-like wrap and in I went. It was absolutely beautiful and vast inside. The ceilings were endless. I spotted the information centre inside and went in. I woke the three men napping in there, but I wanted to find out if they had an English version of the Quaran to read. They used to, but they were all out unfortunately. That was my chance to get it for free, but oh well. They were very friendly and provided me with a lot of other reading material. 

From the mosque I walked across to Hagia Sofia. The line up there was growing as well. I paid my 30 Lyra to get in and set off exploring on my own. It's no longer a practicing mosque so you don't have to cover up. It was absolutely stunning inside. I spent a little over an hour in there before heading across the street to the underground cisterns. The line up there was also getting bigger, but wasn't so bad just yet. It cost 20 Lyra to go inside, and was worth every bit of it. It was really cool to be underground and see this water network. The area was quite large and full of rows of pillars surrounded by water with what looked like cat fish in it. The floors were so insanely slippery and I was in my flip-flops so I had to hold on to the rail and walk in skating like motion. I was terrified I would slip under the rail and into the water. 

Upon exiting the cisterns there's a nice little area full of restaurants in the shade. I walked through and sat at one that happened to be selling cold beer. They sat me at a nice table looking out at the park with a fan blowing on me. I ordered a meze plate which came with yogurt dip, a spicy dip, hummus, pita, tomatoes, cucumber, and stuffed vine leaves. It was so good. The gentleman was really nice to me and gave me his card so I thought I would tell the others about the place. 

After lunch I went back to the hotel for 1 in order to shower before meeting the others to leave at 1:30 to take the tram down to the boat cruise pier. The tram was insanely packed. We were squished in like sardines. A creepy man with bad breath started talking to us so I couldn't wait to get off. 

The boat cruise was only 12 Lyra (about $6) and was for 2 hours. We spent some of the time up on top soaking in the sun and would alternate between that and the air conditioned inside. It was really nice to see other parts of Istanbul. We saw another palace, some nice bridges, a fort, and the Asia side of Turkey. There were a ton of really nice and surely expensive water front homes as well. I'm not sure how far the boat went, but there's a possibility we went out to the Black Sea and back.

We took the tram back to the hotel, and it was just as crowded again. Moya and I got off a bit earlier and did some lantern shopping. I was determined to buy one of the Turkish colourful lamps you see hanging everywhere. We went to a couple different places and got some prices. We even ended up in the basement of one place where they were putting them together - it was a bit weird. April wanted to join us so we met her back at the hotel at 5:30 and then she joined us. We went back to one of the places Moya and I went and I ended up buying two medium sized lamps. I'm really happy with them. Then it was back to shower and get ready for dinner!

Everyone decided to go to the place I had lunch. The man seemed happy to see me back there. They were very attentive and it was very good service. I had a lamb stew type thing - delicious. He gave us complimentary apple tea. A man wearing traditional Turkish attire with a big tin jug type thing on his back walked by and the man from the restaurant pointed him out. He was carrying a type of cherry and apple like juice. The man from the restaurant (Ismael) bought us some to try. It was good! Shortly after, a table across the way of about 5 ladies covered in the black gowns from head to toe (can't remember what it's called) gave our waiter a cup of Arabic coffee to send our way for us to try. It was sort of orangey in colour and tasted like a mix of tea and coffee. It wasn't bad. I went over to say thank you to them and ended up sitting with them for a bit and chatting. Turns out one of them is a writer and used to work for a newspaper so I told her I did as well. She has written a book in Arabic that she wanted to send me so I gave her my email (she said there's translation so I don't have to magically learn Arabic to understand). Another one of the girls managed a school over in Kuwait. They were very nice ladies. 

After dinner we split up a bit. Andy and I walked to get some beers and took them with us back to the Blue Mosque area to sit and people watch. It was a little bit horrible and I felt guilty that we were drinking on the last night of Ramadan with all of these devout Muslims around, but it seemed to be ok. We hid it quite well. There were a ton of wish lanterns being released into the sky and the fountain was all lit up again- it was beautiful. We caught the last bit of another of the traditional Turkish dance performances too. Istanbul is something else. It was a really good day.

Inside Blue Mosque:

Hagia Sofya:

Underground Cisterns:

Medusa Head:

Lunch:

Water front:

Palace:

Lamp shopping:

Juice man at dinner:

Ladies from Kuwait:

20 Million and Counting

Day 67 - Istanbul, Turkey:

This morning I got up early (6 am) to have a shower and go out and get water before having breakfast. Nothing was open when I went out around 7:20 except for one little bakery not too far away, so I bought some water from him. I was the first one to breakfast upstairs, but everyone trickled in shortly after. 

We left the hotel at 8 to walk up to the public bus station. It was a hot and sweaty walk even at that hour. The bus came right away so we hopped on. Some of us were standing in the back and we didn't know how long we would be on the bus for so I kept standing with my bag on. Turns out we were on it for about half an hour so by the time we got there I was sweaty on a whole new level. I would've taken my bag off but I just kept thinking we were almost there. We drove through some interesting areas along the outskirts of Edirne. There were much more modern buildings and business offices with modern landscaping and everything. 

We didn't wait long at the bus station to transfer onto our next bus. We hopped on and it left around 9:10. It was a nice coach style bus that offered biscuits and coffee. Classy compared to what we've been used to. Steve sat with me so that we could watch an episode of Idiot Abroad. I had told him about the show so he downloaded it. I was starting to fall asleep mid-show so once it was done I took a nap. We stopped for a bathroom break halfway and Steve and Andy switched spots. I went back to napping after that and attempted to sleep all the way to Istanbul. 

We made it to Istanbul around 12:20. The bus stopped in a weird place under a bridge (other buses and people were there though) and it wasn't clear where we were to go from there. We walked up and across a bridge that lead to the metro station. We got on and went 4 stops. We had two different people ask us where we were going because they thought we were going the wrong way - we weren't. After 4 stops we got off and then walked to the connecting tram station, which was a ways away. Another sweaty walk. 

When we got on the tram, Steve, Karren and I went one way and the rest of the group went another. It didn't seem like it mattered at first because the tram was completely empty. Andy told us we'd be on it for about a half hour so we got comfy. Then the people started getting on...

It was completely stuffed full after a few stops and we could no longer see Andy or the others. We weren't sure what stop we were supposed to get off at so that was a bit concerning. I could see Andy a little bit though so I kept my eye on him to see if he was getting off. He eventually signed to us the amount of stops until we got off so all was well. We all got off together! Success!

Our hotel was only a little ways away from where we got off. We're staying quite in the centre of things. It's a good spot. We checked in - the room is tiny and very pink, but whatever - had a quick shower, and then stepped out to get some lunch and go for a walk. Burger King was right at the bottom of the hill our hotel was up so some went there, but I refused to. I walked down to an ice cream place and had traditional Turkish ice cream (made with sheeps milk). They stir it in a pot and can pull it out in blobs with these stirring sticks. It's very gooey in texture, but delicious. I had banana and pistachio flavour. I also had leftover nuts and OJ so I finished that off. I wasn't exactly fulfilled with that though, and Karen had the same thing as I did, so we both walked further to the corner in the other direction and got a chicken donair. It looked and tasted really good at first, but then I though maybe the chicken was questionable. I pulled the chicken out just in case, even though it would've been too late. Turns out in the end, the chicken was fine.

When everyone was done eating, we walked to the Grand Bazaar. It wasn't very far away. We walked through it and I found myself surprised that nobody was hassling you to come into their store or buy anything. It was crazy, but not as crazy as I had thought it would be. They were selling everything from watches, traditional lanterns, Turkish delight, spices, and of course, carpets. We came out the other side into another busy street. We walked down in towards the spice market. The spice marker was much the same vibe as the Grand Bazaar, just more...spices. 

From there we walked past the old post office turned museum, and past the Topkapi Palace up toward Hagia Sofya and the Blue Mosque. We couldn't go into the Blue Mosque at the time because it was prayer time, so we took a quick look around the outside. I would come back tomorrow. There's a beautiful fountain in between Hagia Sofya and the Blue Mosque so we stopped there for some photos. I also checked out the hamams right next to the fountain because I would like to experience a Turkish bath before I leave! The pricing was too steap there, however. April showed us a spot where you can watch traditional Turkish dancing at night right by the baths, so we planned to come back. She also showed us the entrance to the underground cisterns so I decided to do that the next day as well. 

The area was really starting to bustle by this time. It's the last weekend of Ramadan and it's a privilege to visit the Blue Mosque during Ramadan so many people were in Istanbul for this. The city already has 20 million people, but this weekend there is much more! 

We all walked back to the hotel after that to freshen up. I got all ready to go for dinner and sat in the lobby and blogged a bit while waiting until 7:15 when we all met. The restaurant we walked to was in behind the Blue Mosque and down the hill a bit. We sat on the terrace and had a lovely view of the Blue Mosque while we ate. There was no alcohol available (Ramadan), but my meal was delicious. I had the mixed kebab grill. 

Across the street from dinner was a hamam so I poked my head in to check it out. It was a nice looking place and much cheaper than the one in the main square area. I decided to make an appointment for Monday at 3pm! I'm excited! From there we all walked back towards the blue mosque to see it at night. There was a TON of more people there at this time. Everyone had blankets out and was sitting on the grass all over the area. It was hard to move through the crowds. It was a really cool experience. A lot of people were setting off wish lanterns - beautiful. We went back to the traditional Turkish dance restaurant and caught the last little bit. The man twirls in a circle to the music in a trance-like state. Very interesting. The fountain nearby was all lit up at night and it was really nice to see.

We all went to a hookah bar over by the hotel after that and sat and enjoyed some apple tea (so good, my new fav) and had 2 water pipes, or hookahs. We went with an apple flavour and a peach flavour. It was a lot of fun. There was quite a few people there hanging out and playing backgammon.

Then it was back to the hotel to figure out boat cruise arrangements for the next day! I didn't get to bed until around 1:30. Long, but great day. I like Istanbul. 

Grand Bazaar Entrance:

Inside:

Busy side streets:

Spice market:

Hagia Sofya + Fountain:

Blue Mosque in other direction of fountain:

Blue Mosque:

People hanging out in main square:

Turkish talk show being recorded:

Blue Mosque at night:

Exiting Blue Mosque area with Hagia Sofya in background:

Apple tea and hookah:

Hookah bar from above:

Pretty hanging lights:

Buried Ruins

Day 64 - Plovdiv, Bulgaria:

This morning I got up around 8:45. It was raining and lightning all night. I kept the window open and fell asleep to it. There was no breakfast at our hotel but the group was meeting at 9:30 to go for a walk and grab some breakfast on the go. I had a quick shower in my toilet/shower combo bathroom before we were off!

It looked like it would be a cloudy and possibly rainy day but it ended up clearing very quickly and turning into sunshine. We first stopped at a little pastry shop around the corner from our hotel and I had a giant cheese filled yummy pastry. April had kindly given me a banana earlier as well, so that covered the daily banana need. 

From there we walked down to the Main Street and at the end (Dzhumayata Square) there was actually the old ruins of a Roman stadium that was once 240 meters long and 50 meters wide, seating 30,000 people. Unfortunately the main shopping street was built over it, but parts of it can been seen at Dzhumayata Square and at a random section below a shopping mall further down. Next we walked up a cobblestone street hill to the Roman theatre. The theatre was actually only discovered in the late 1970's after a landslide unearthed it. There were awesome views of the city in the distance from the theatre seats. The group actually ended up spending about an hour there walking around and going on stage and up behind the stage. We then got carried away with photos and spent quite a large chunk of time doing a photo shoot. It was fun. 

We walked down the street to the fortress next. During our walks between places I noticed a lot of buildings had beautiful engraved-like murals on the sides of them. There were a lot of little shops along the way and the buildings were different from what we had seen so far. They were outward tiered like, if that makes any sense. The old fortress wasn't really a fortress any longer, just the ruins of it. There was a nice breeze up there, and again, more beautiful views of the city. We took our time taking it all in and sat in some rocks and relaxed a bit. It was turning out to be a perfectly paced day.

After that we went and sat at an outdoor coffee shop a few feet away and some had cake and coffee - I just stook with coffee. After our little coffee break, Karen and I broke off to go and retrieve Steve from the hotel. He had been having some tummy issues so he stayed behind in the morning. We walked back to the hotel and checked things out a bit along the way. 

Steve was all good to go so we headed down the other side do the Main Street we hadn't explored yet, but there wasn't much down there other than the post office, a fountain (which was quite nice) and a park. We found a little coffee shop down that way and sat and did some blogging/journaling. I had another coffee - a delicious iced frappe - with a piece of delicious hazelnut cake, since the others had made me want cake after I saw them eating it earlier. 

When we were done there we decided to go back the other way down the Main Street to check out the stores even further past the stadium ruins as well as find the supermarket. Unfortunately, along the way I started feeling a little off in the stomach department. It kept coming and going but after a bathroom stop I decided it best I go back to the hotel. I grabbed some snacks from the supermarket and headed back. I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out in my room until it was time to meet for dinner. I snacked on some digestive cookies just to see how things would go and it seemed to be ok.

At 7:30 we met downstairs in the lobby and walked over to the restaurant that was by the bus station. It was a really nice traditional looking place. I had a meat, cheese, and veg kind of plate just to keep it light on the tummy. I ate really slowly for once. The waitress asked us where we were all from because I  guess they had flags from some of the countries. She brought over a Canadian and US flag to the table. It was cute. 

At 9 there was a traditional dance and song performance that lasted an hour. It was really well done. The dancers looked like they were happy to be dancing and really into it. The girl that sang however, seemed to lack in enthusiasm. The last dance they did was similar to the one I joined in on in Athens where you link arms and take a step and then kick out one foot one way followed by the other foot the other way. It would've been fun to join in on the action, but I just wasn't up for it that night. 

We walked back to the hotel a shorter route and then it was off to bed!

Engravings on side of building:

Roman theatre:

The stage is all mine:

Hello up there:

Photo shoot:

Enjoying the old fortress views:

Flags at restaurant:

Traditional dancers: