Camels, Mosques and Kebabs

Bratislava to Goreme

The day after Christmas, we woke up and packed our bags, ready to head off to Turkey. Our friend Steph, who traveled to Spain with us last year and teaches in Czech came with us, along with her brother Jason and his college buddy Jon. We had a noon flight and everything went smoothly. We landed at 3 and easily found our city bus which would take us to the main bus station. We were a little concerned about how we would know where to get off as the stops didn't seem to be marked, it was raining and getting dark. Not to worry, though. When we arrived, the bus driver loudly proclaimed our stop, put on the brake and stepped out of his cubicle to make sure we had all gotten off. Our first taste of Turkish hospitality. We then marched off to the bus station, which was actually just a collection of offices for all the different bus companies. Each company had one or two reps out front loudly hollering where they would take you. Coming from Central Europe where you have to ask to get help, it was quite overwhelming. We finally found the bus company we were looking for and booked tickets on the 9:30pm bus to Goreme. We had a few hours to kill so decided to look for dinner. We asked the man who sold us the bus tickets and he escorted not just to a restaurant, but to our table, where he shook the waiters hand and we figured there was some kind of deal going on. We feasted on Turkish food, wandered back to the bus station, where we had Turkish tea and finally got on our bus. Females can not sit by themselves on a bus, as then there is the possibility that a stranger could sit next to them, so Karin and Steph sat together, Jason and I sat together and Jon had his own two seats. It was not very comfortable. Jason and I talked for quite a while and tried to sleep, but it was not easy. The bus stopped every couple of hours for a bathroom/food break and everytime it started up again, we would get this lemon oil/hand sanitizer. At one point, the man sitting behind Steph and Karin took Steph's purse out from under her seat and started to go through her wallet, but thankfully she noticed and got it back intact. It was a good reminder that we needed to be careful. At 8am our bus arrived in Aksarary, where the bus driver told us we must get off. At this point we were all so tired and weren't sure what to do. Thankfully, he walked us into the bus station and got us tickets to Goreme. We had to wait for an hour, which was painful because we were so tired. Finally our bus came and we made it to Nevsehir. At this point, we were left at a travel agency that promised us a free shuttle bus to our hostel. They also wanted to sell us tour packages and book a direct bus for us back to Istanbul. We decided to go with a one day tour, a half day private tour and the bus tickets. Soon we were on our way to Goreme. We made it to our hostel, Elif Star Caves. Hooray!

Travel From Bratislava to Goreme

Goreme

After checking in, we were again escorted to a table in a local restaurant. This time it paid off though, as we got a discount. We spent the afternoon wandering and then the boys, Steph and Karin went 4 wheeling while I had apple tea with the owner of the 4 wheeler shop. We went to bed early to try to catch up on our sleep.
The next day we had our half day private tour of the underground city. It was 8 stories deep and miles and miles long. In fact, at one point in time, it connected to the neighboring town several miles away. We stayed in for over and hour and our guide was wonderfully patient, letting us explore, take pictures and act crazy for as long as we wanted. Afterwards, we went to a goverment sponsered carpet store where we saw the process of Turkish carpets being made, starting with the silkworm cocoons all the way through to the sales pitch. Karin and I ended up with a nice salesman who lives in the DC area who could tell we weren't going to buy and so showed us the most expensive carpets - pure silk - for $77,000USD. It took 2 and 1/2 years to make. We came back to town, did some shopping and explored the town of Goreme, climbing up in the cave dwellings. The owner of the 4 wheeler shop, Atilla, had invited us for dinner at his shop, so we hiked down the road for a real Turkish barbeque. The man working at our hostel, Rami, also came, with baked potatoes. Atilla had marinated his own chicken and vegetables for us and along with the potatoes and the good Turkish bread, we had a feast.
The next day we took the tour of the open air museum, which was crazy because there was so much snow on the ground and we were climbing up these steep stone steps, slick with snow and ice. We started taking bets on who would be the first to fall. On our walk back to the bus, we were all tripping, slipping and sliding. We also went to a pottery shop, a Turkish cafeteria for lunch and an onix factory. It was cold and snowy the whole day. We returned to our hostel to pick up our luggage and then went back to Nevsiher to wait for our night bus to Istanbul. We found a brand new Italian restaraunt next door and had pizza and pasta for dinner. The place was so new that they were still hanging pictures on the wall and the waiter had to read the menu to tell us about the food. But it was good!

Goreme

Istanbul

The next night bus was better than the first. The seats were more comfy and this bus had televison. It seemed to be playing the Turkish version of Grey's Anatomy. All of us were able to sleep a little better on this bus. It was also nice because it dropped us off in Istanbul. We were then coached to get on a free bus to the center of town. We weren't sure about this, but we decided to try it and it dropped us off a half a block away from our hostel. So, by 9am, we were in Istanbul. We had breakfast at our hostel and then wandered around trying to get our bearings. We had lunch at a cute little Turkish place and then Steph and the boys took a nap while Karin and I explored more. Everyone we talked to seemed so helpful. Shopkeepers constantly called to you to come and visit their stores, which was a little unsettling at first, but finally I realized that I could just say, "No thank you," as everyone in Turkey spoke very good (American) English.
Our second day in Istanbul, we went to the Hagia Sofia, constructed as a basilica, looted by the Crusaders, turned into a mosque and is now a museum. It was so different from all the cathedrals and basilicas and churches that I have been in. You could see how it was built as a basilica - the right shape and the domes - and also there were mosaics and crosses on the walls, but it also had the Muslim influence. The stained glass windows had Turkish writing. There were more geometric patterns and very vibrant colors. It just had a different feel.

Mosques in Istanbul

It was raining when we were finished but we didn't let that deter us from our plans of going to the Spice Bazaar. So, with Jon leading the way and a sketchy map, we set out. We tramped up and down, in and out, back and forth, with Jon saying, "According to the map it is right here," and pointing to the closest building. He was successful however and got us there. I was so excited. Since I love cooking this was a treat for me. And what a treat. Store upon store of spices, barrels upon barrels, and oh the smells. Rich, vibrant, yummy. Each vender would call to you to come and see his wares. They would hold huge scoops of spices or teas up for you to smell. I was taken. I ended up buying more tea than spices, but was so happy with all of my purchases. Karin was able to find pine nuts, which was a real treat.
Afterwards we went out to find a place for lunch and ended up in a Turkish cafe, where we were served a huge platter of meat and a huge plate of bread. Yum... When we left, we passed a house of tombs, so Karin and I took off our shoes, covered our heads and looked at the above ground caskets of some Sultans and their children.
We then went to the Grand Bazaar where we spent a few hours shopping for Pasminas, jewlery and so many other cool things. We went back to our hotel to drop off all are purchases and rest a little for the long New Year's Eve before us. We had tried to find out about New Year's Eve in Istanbul before coming, but hadn't been very successful. The guy at our hostel said that the city did a fireworks show by the water, so we decided that we should be near the water.
As is becoming our tradition, we headed out to find some Chinese food. Last year in Barcelona, we couldn't find any reasonably priced food (under 100 Euros a person), so we ended up at Chinese. This year, we just decided to start with the Chinese. We had been scouting them since we had arrived and had seen 3 Chinese/Korean restaraunts within walking distance. And all of them were closed. We couldn't believe that last year it was our last resort and this year, we were searching for one. After almost giving up and heading to McDonald's, a nice Turkish man pointed back towards our hostel and a very good Chinese restaraunt. We were the only customers. It was definately a memory.
After dinner, we thought it would be best to go to our hostel to watch fireworks since it has a nice rooftop balcony and it would be warmer than going down by the water. So, we sat on the balcony and played cards until midnight, toasted with Raki (the Turkish drink) and stood on the balcony watching fireworks. The ones the city set off were very few and far between, but thankfully the citizens knew this and bought enough to light up the sky. The people on the street below us were shooting off the fireworks, so it was very loud and they were right above our heads. Very cool. After a few more rounds of cards it was off to bed for us.

The Sights and Streets of Istanbul

The next day was our last in full day in Istanbul so we decided to cram as much in as possible. No, actually, we were all really ready to go home, so we had a very relaxed, low key day. We wandered down by the water, took in the view, walked in the park, visited the Blue Mosque, ate at a Southwest Grill restaurant, went to the Spice Bazaar again and even went to Starbucks (oh, how I miss my Tazo Chai Tea Lattes). We ordered in pizza and again played cards.


Turkish School and Home Again

On our last day, we decided to walk down to the water again, since our bus didn't leave for the airport until 1. On our way there, Karin pointed out an elementary school. I really wanted to go in an look around and so we both gathered up our courage and marched inside. Once inside, we were greeted by 3 students, wearing name badges and looking very official, who I think were the hall monitors. We tried to speak with them but they didn't speak much English. Finally, we got them to understand that we wanted to talk to the director (principal) of the school. We were shown into his office and told him that we were teachers from Slovakia who would like to look around his school. His English wasn't very good, but he understood us and asked one of the hall monitors to show us around. The girl appeared to be in about 7th or 8th grade and her only word in English was "Welcome," so everything was welcome. Welcome to this room, welcome to leave this room. She happily took us into one of the 1st grade classrooms, where the teacher proudly had the students show us how to write their names on the board. Then we went to a pre-K classroom. The music teacher gathered all the students around and had them sing a cute song about a fish. Then we went to see the computer lab and the library. At that point the bell rang and we were mobbed by middle school students who all wanted to shake hands, try out their English and have their picture taken. At this point, we realized that we were bringing chaos to the school, so we decided to leave. Thankfully recess ended and so went to say goodbye to the director. He invited us in, gave us chocolates, pens and pencils. We asked for the school's address so we could send them pictures. Being able to see a school was really a highlight for me.
We walked down to the water one last time, had one last kebab and then it was off to the airport for us. Since our airport was on the Asian part of Turkey, we were able to drive over the bridge that connects Europe and Asia. Very cool. We arrived back in Bratislava safe and sound. Jon and I went to the store to pick up food for dinner and then Karin and I taught Jason and Jon how to make Bryndzové Halušky. While Turkish food was great, it was good to have a home cooked meal.

Turkish School and Home Again