Slideshow for Turkey

Field Trip To Vergina

Victoria Goofing Off On Bus Ride

September 18th: Today, we went to visit the archeological site in Vergina, which is approximately an hour and a half from Thessaloníki. Why is this place so important? Did you know that Vergina holds the tomb of King Philip II of Macedonia, who was, funny enough, the father of Alexander the Great? He and his family are buried in the mounds surrounding the village (that might or might not include Alexander, mind you). On the bus ride over, we were given a short lesson on the historical and mythological significances of Greece. Fascinating subjects!
I thoroughly enjoyed the museum and village - the frescoes in the exhibit were cool, for instance. I didn't know that, compared to the Egyptians, who took decades to build tombs for their dead (not to mention the mummification process), the Greeks literally created a fresco in the course of a couple of weeks, if that. It was a hurried process - that is why the blue pigment had to be placed on last. Its color faded first when it was mixed in with the water and plaster. Besides the frescoes, you had Greek artifacts, jewelry and remains of columns of marble.
After the museum, we had a traditional lunch (4 course meal), consisting of pesto pasta with bread and olive oil on the side, followed by a simple cucumber and tomato salad, chicken, rice, fries, and finally a cornbread substance soaked in honey. Not the best meal I've had, but, after a long morning, I'll take it!

St. Demitrius Church, Thessaloniki

We drove back to Thessaloníki and spent the next couple of hours on a driving tour of the city, learning the history behind the city. We got out twice - once, to see the wall surrounding the city (what a great view!) and twice, to explore the church of St. Demetrius, who is the patron saint of Thessaloníki. They say that, once upon a time, the king challenged young men to defeat his prize champion. St. Demetrius poured a blessing over a young man named Nestor, who went straight to the arena and defeated the gladiator. The king, not happy about losing his star, demanded the heads of Nestor and Demetrius. Both ended up dying as a result. Demetrius, long since dead, has appeared before as a ghost for battles to defend the city. After the church, we headed home for some well deserved rest.
September 19th: Most of the group went to the beach today - Halkidiki, to be exact, because, in Greece, all the shops close from Saturday night through Sunday. Since none of the shops were open, everyone wanted something fun to do and the option of eating. I stayed behind and fixed up my room, waiting for Mom and Tucker to arrive back from Delphi in one piece. Mom came over well into the evening - apparently, she and Tucker had been in an accident because of a hidden stop sign (propped up behind an overgrown bush). I was not happy to hear this news AT ALL. However, I think I hid my worry well, because I remember the last time Mom had been in an accident and she was shaken for months after it...after we said our goodbyes, I got ready for bed, hoping that my first day of college classes wouldn't be too excruciating.

Orientation Commences

My Room In September

September 13th-15th: The three days we were in Thessaloníki before orientation, we were exploring, going to IKEA to set up my "apartment", etc. Just unpacking everything we brought from home took an entire day! It was intense, but the result was fabulous, if I do say so myself.
During those three days, I managed to meet most of the kids that live in Kalis Elpidos with me. I also discovered that I was the only freshman in the two buildings...good or bad thing, I still don't know (and it's mid-November when I'm typing this!).

September 16th: The day that Orientation started, Mom and Tucker headed off to see Delphi (spelled Δελφοί, pronounced Delfee). It was new sleeping away from Mom and Tucker, but, hey, I'm here to grow up, right? Gotta branch off at some point!

My Balcony When It's Warm Outside

Orientation is exactly the same, no matter where you go in the world - meet and greet, get to know the campus, what we'll allow you to/to not do, etc. At least I learned a little bit about the culture - for example: pouring wine only halfway to 3/4 of the cup is acceptable. A full cup makes you unclassy (because it looks like you're trying to get drunk and not to drink as part of a social event). People prefer you to, at the very least, try their language - it's not that difficult, from what I found going through "Survival Greek". Please and thank you will get you anywhere. Oh and never, NEVER accept a free drink if a Greek male offers it to you! He's essentially asking for sex.
The first night of orientation is really where I made my first friends - Tim, Jesse, Justin and Victoria. Justin, for helping me to adjust to the party environment (and giving me my first beer (Miller Light), even if it was nasty). Victoria, for making me relax a little, even though we were at a bar and I was SUPPOSED to be relaxed. Time and Jesse, for getting me out of the bar when it started to get crazy and proceeding to get lost with me. Hey, it was an adventure finding our way back - we even met a native Greek and had a conversation with her (with the limited Greek that we shared). Fun night!

September 17th: The second day of Orientation was practically a repeat of the first day. However, Friday, we went to IKEA and had an interesting time (although, having gone there earlier in the week, I more acted as an advisor - "Go to the end of the store. That's where you'll find the merchandise"). I learned about the VAT tax from Victoria (it's evil, trust me). The second night to party, we went to a nice restaurant and everyone had some type of alcohol - ouzo was a popular choice. It tastes horrible unless you like licorice.
Anyway, we had dinner, then some of us, including me, went to a Greek street-party. They gave us, in a sense, rubbing alcohol (ewwww). You're supposed to take small sips of it and eat cheese cubes (I found this out later from Amanda G). I found that I love rum refreshers, though (one of many "girly drinks"). By the end of the night, Tim, Amanda B. and I left early. We had a fun time finding our way back, just like the previous night (except without the bus ride). Amanda was drunk, so it made the situation funnier than it already was. I guess Lauren (my sister) was right about drunk people. Amusing, truly.

Homeless And A Train Ride

Ancient Clock - No, It's Not Just Decoration

September 12th: It was the last day in Istanbul and all of us were exhausted from the night before (making the trek to the airport for luggage et al). Since it was a rainy day, not to mention that we were homeless, we wandered into a science museum...in a tent. Apparently, during the Dark Ages, the Byzantine Empire was having their Great Awakening/Enlightenment Era. Almost every type of useful tool we use today probably started out as a design during this time period in Turkey. Cool, huh? I remember buying a book about the inventions mentioned throughout the exhibit for Grandpa, a hat and two sets of flashcards for Tucker's teachers. So, essentially, we accomplished two feats with one activity - gifts...and successfully getting out of the rain for a period of time.
Next, we wandered into the Blue Mosque. Although we couldn't enter, it being Sunday, (not to forget that Mom and I weren't wearing the right clothes) we still had a good time simply sitting and watching the different people pass by us. Also, we used this time to write post cards to everyone back home.
Since the Grand Bazaar was closed for three days after Ramadan to give the people time to reset their circadian rhythm (mornings and nights), we settled for the next best thing: The Spice Market. I thought it was a cool, exciting place to experience, but I became paranoid because of the small space where pickpockets lurked. Needless to say, I started to panic and wanted out of there! Mom complied and Tucker followed. After cooling off for a second (letting my heart rate return to normal),

Grand Spice Market In Istanbul

we jumped back into the thick of things - Turkish Delight was a main priority . Twas a gift for a teacher, after all. We also managed to pick up some spices (which I'm still using as we speak!).
Mom, Tucker and I arrived at the train station after an hour or so of stalling in the Mosque and the Market and ventured out to find food. I'd like to say we didn't get frustrated, but we did have to call a cab to lug our luggage to the station, so we weren't in the best moods by dinner...Plus, some crazy Turk thought it was a smart idea to tell my mother that I was pretty - she ended up replying, "Yes and so is her dowry". Mom was fuming after this...we bought some snacks for the journey and headed back to the train. We had two compartments - Tucker was reading in one and Mom and I were talking/ watching the rain fall in the other.

September 13th: It ended up being a long night, with the border patrol coming on and off the train to check passports and bags for smuggled goods. By the time we arrived in Thessaloníki, I was frazzled and it didn't help matters that Mom accidentally booked a stick-shift car. It took a couple of hours to find our hotel (which I now use as a landmark). After a restless night, we found food, then collapsed. Later that night, Dimitris and Nikos helped Mom and I get the luggage to Kalis Elpidos. Thank goodness!

Istanbul, Part Two

September 11th: The second day in Istanbul was more/less uneventful, unless, of course, you include the tour of the Royal Harem. But, let's rewind a bit - breakfast was almost identical to the day before, with the view being lovelier than yesterday. Tucker, Mom and I then traveled over to the Palace (we beat the crowd to it this time!), where we walked through both the weapons room and the Harem. Apparently my lessons about the women in a harem were completely off the wall! From what I can remember, a Harem was, to put it bluntly, filled with skanky, trashy women. Of course, I was corrected by Mom (though I'm still having my doubts). These women were supposed to be the smartest, most-gifted, cleverest and all-around best females in their villages.

Me Not Being A Harem Woman

Just think of Ruth from the Bible - she wasn't dirty, now was she? Anyway, the Harem was awesome and I feel like my perspective has changed slightly with regard to the people living there. Did you know, for instance, that the only men allowed to live with the women were the local eunuchs? I bet they regretted their decision to become eunuchs if they knew they'd be living in the same quarters as the best women in the world. Mom joked that I would have been one of them, but, in my opinion, living with a bunch of women would do me in.
Our next stop was to the Royal Treasury - apparently, Turkey was on friendly terms with a good number of countries (Pakistan, Iran, Russia, to name a few). India had made peace offerings with them (diamonds, I believe) for example. Turquoise littered the museum's glass cases. Also, there was another part to the Treasury (and, boy, was it a treasure!). They had collected rare artifacts over the years of famous prophets - Moses' staff, pieces of Mohammad's beard (and his tooth, funny enough). One guy in the crowd tried to take a picture of the staff and, if the security hadn't taken him out, I would have. How dare he ruin such an important artifact that, once it disappears, won't be appreciated by future generations?! Calming down...there was also an exhibit on the history of the Qua'ran (and the Kaaba). A Muslim (priest?) was reading/singing ballads from the Qua'ran throughout the exhibit. Even though I viewed it as disrespectful, I did end up letting my curiosity get the best of me and I filmed, say, 30-45 seconds of his performance. My bad?...Eh, he'll be famous one day from my footage.
After visiting the palace, we left 1) for food and 2) for a bathroom (which is surprisingly hard to find in a city). Pizza and pasta is fairly inexpensive here, so we decided to take it. It's better than nothing, am I right? For some reason or another, we (we meaning I) always end up attracting cats...Tucker would probably accuse me of either simply being a cat pheromone or carrying catnip around with me. In all honesty, he's probably right 3/4 of the time. Hey, at least I admitted it.
For what I can remember (because it was such a long day), we went back to the room for an hour or two, then we went back out to see the Whirling Dervishes. They were amazing (though, from what I observed, the "top Dervish", head chief if you will, forgot his black overcoat that night by accident). Oops!

Whirling Dervishes

After the performance, Mom and I dropped Tucker off at the hotel and headed to the airport to pick up the OTHER three suitcases that we'd stashed for as long as possible without having to deal with them two weeks prior to this date. Mom and I headed out there on the tram, which allowed me to learn more about the Turkish transportation system. The guy who was giving out the tokens for the tram, however, tried to cheat us out of money - luckily, Mom caught him in the act. He figured that she couldn't do math - bad plan on his part! The trip was long and rather uneventful, though it was a slight problem getting back to the hotel. We ended up getting lost and having a couple of guys ask us if we, being the "weak women", needed help. Ummm...NO. One guy was actually quite persistent - he followed us all the way down the street asking if we needed assistance and I eventually had to tell him rather rudely that, no, we could manage perfectly well without him. Needless to say, he didn't take that news well. When we arrived at the hotel, the bellhop simply stared at us, giving us that "Did they seriously bring that with them" sort of look. He tried picking up ONE of the bags that we'd taken from the airport. WHOOOSH. He was bent over, looking at the ground. He looked back up and told us, "You are VERY strong!". That comment still makes me smile to this day. :)

Traveling and Istanbul, Part One

Sept 9th:
Today was traveling day, which equated to stress central in my book. Aside from the fact that we had more luggage that we could shake a stick at, getting to the Izmir train station, dropping off the rental car, going approximately 8 hours by train to get onto a ferry, then traveling another 2 hours, finding a taxi and managing to make it to our hotel was just TOO MUCH. It's a wonder I wrote anything at all! However, I knew that the next day would be a trial itself - after all, Istanbul is huge!
The highlight of the day was the bellydancer at dinner and the amazing video footage of a waiter dealing with a flaming meal. It wasn't something you'd see every day - plus, if I recall correctly, he was using a sword.


Sept 10th:

Royal Harem in Palace at Istanbul

I seriously can't believe that one week from today, I'll be with people my own age, going through orientation again. I hope I'm ready to live on my own....anyway, we started out the day by going upstairs for breakfast. There was a fantastic view of both the Hagai Sophia and the Blue Mosque. After coming down off the roof of the hotel, we went to the Hagai Sophia and saw the 27 sarcophagi of the royal family (in order to view the tombs, you had to take off your shoes).

Mysterious Creature in Archeological Museum

Note: In Turkey, women do not wear black scarves, like Greek Orthodox women, but rather, they prefer colorful arrangements to adorn their scalps. I wasn't expecting to see so many covered women. It shocked me, but, I suppose, if I were born in that society, I wouldn't know that women could be treated differently, so I wouldn't be feeling a slight resentment and anger towards the men here....oh well. Anyway, we wanted to go see the weapons room and the Palace's infamous Harem, but the weapons room was closed, so, instead, we chose to visit the Archeological Museum that was right next door. It was spectacular! Who knew there were so many ancient civilizations, from the time of the Byzantine Empire to Muslim and Christian rule. It really blows the mind.
In fact, there were a few carvings that resembled what we know as a sphinx today. One creature, however, I could not identify and, coming from me, that's saying a lot. Also, they had a miniature Trojan Horse specifically for children to play in, sort of like your local McDonald's playroom. I took a picture in front of it, but refused to climb the ladder (I may be the 2nd World's Oldest preschooler, but I have my pride to think about as well, dontcha know?).

Other interesting artifacts: they had a replica of Alexander the Great's supposed "tomb", but, from the recent trip to Vergina, I think I can safely say that Alexander is probably buried near his father, Philip, in the ancient mounds surrounding the city. We found some bones shining through the floor while at the museum, dating from approximately 2,000 BC. It was interesting, but, at the same time, it gave me quite a scare!

Tucker Apparently Got Me. 

After the museum, we headed over to a museum that featured blue tiles, like found in the Blue Mosque. I have a couple of pictures, which should be in this post somewhere...Tucker ended up locking me in the entrance-way, something, apparently, that Mom found funny enough to take a picture of. Grrr.
On our way back from the museums to our hotel, we were blocked by the police, who claimed that the road we wanted to walk on was dangerous because of the "violent winds". Then, of course, the one speaking to us just had to pull out one of those 'pretty, nice guy' poses. I snapped. I had had enough of their cultural ideas. Just because I'm a woman does not mean that I can't handle a little wind. It can be blustery and the wind can pick up to, say, 10-20 mph in Georgia, yet pedestrians are free to walk where they wish, regardless of the danger. The point is, I was tired of being treated like a child or second-best, like I was too weak to care for myself. So, I gave him a look of loathing and stormed off, with Mom and Tucker in tow. The rest of the day, I basically steamed it off. Luckily, we found lunch soon after, so I did not lash out more than was necessary to vent my frustration. Actually, the lunch spot in question was so good and had such an impression on the three of us that we came back again two days later. In fact, the staff had a charming way about them (at this point, I could see right through their act), for instance, they kept bringing Tucker the bill, which I did not appreciate, seeing as I was the one playing the bill. Typical Turk, I suppose. While at the restaurant, we ordered tickets to watch Whirling Dervishes with dinner. Cool beans!

Ephesus And Izmir, With A Little In Between

I finally have some time to write and update....two months. I'll get caught up...eventually. Hahaha...enjoy the story!

September 8th: We started out the day looking around Kusadasi for their Wednesday bazaar that was said to have various items, like Turkish towels and an Egyptian-cotton robe. However, instead of finding that, we ended up on a gravel-filled dirt road (VERY dusty) in the middle of nowhere. Pantomiming, I believe, actually DOES get you some where - at least when you're in need of directions to civilization! Regardless of the help, though, we never found the bazaar...twas a pity, but what can you do?

Ancient Road Leading Up To Ephesus

Our next stop was to Ephesus, which was fascinating (despite the bloody heat). There were two amphitheaters, a library, an arch of Heracles (Hercules), and a private house (which had been mistaken repeatedly as a brothel). The architecture was very advanced and had the three separate styles of columns commonly found in Roman and Greek ruins. We noticed while there that all of the tour groups congregated under what little trees surrounded the site. It was funny to watch them move when the sun did. It made me smile a bit, seeing as I was concentrating on getting a tan (or burn, depending on how well you know me).
It was rather hot (being in the desert), so it was a blessing from God that the Grotto of the Seven Sleepers was literally right next door to Ephesus. It was at the top of a large hill that overlooked the city - breathtaking. The legends say that seven boys made a deal with God (or Allah) to sleep for 309 years and tell the world of what it once was when they awoke. Of course, the Christian version is slightly different. The seven boys and a dog hid in the grotto because they were being pursued; they were murdered in those caves. Others heard of this story and wanted to be buried in the grotto along with the boys who stood up for their faith. Both are great stories, in my opinion. Interesting fact: the Arabic word for seven sleepers is ashabi-kehf.

Cat Leading A Tour Of Ephesus

We passed by St. Mary's House next (funny, how these attractions were practically in a line). It was practically on top of a mountain (Mom was not happy about this). When we first walked into the area, a huge empty hole littered the ground - it apparently was an ancient spring with healing waters. Next was a sacred temple that the Virgin Mary worshiped in. Alas, we didn't want to 1) put on the head scarves found next to the temple and 2) bring dishonor to the temple (kind of a stupid excuse, but I suppose you could call it being humble not entering such a sacred place in my mind). We passed Mary's house and the fountain that (along with ash from St. Mary's fireplace) is said to have extraordinary healing powers that can cure cancer, let the blind see and let the crippled walk. Amazing, eh?
Our final stop was to St. John's - the ruins were surprisingly still fairly intact. An accomplishment? You bet. From what the locals (and Mom) said, St. John's bones are actually buried under the ruins. Mary and John (people believe) traveled to Ephesus together and, once Mary ascended to Heaven, John traveled until he was banished to the island of Patmos.

Ancient Amphitheater Where Paul Made His Message

Another important man from the area was Paul (named Saul until he converted to Christianity after being blinded by Christ on the way to Damascus). While in Ephesus for 6 years, he challenged the pagan goddess of the town - Artemis (goddess of the hunt and young girls). Ultimately, the people of the town chose the deity and Paul (who had been imprisoned) got the boot and was sent packing. In the end, that was probably a blessing in disguise. Otherwise the other books of the Bible (Thessalonians, Ephesians, Corinthians, etc) wouldn't have been written.
Once finished with Ephesus, we drove to Izmir and, after a time, found our hotel, where we proceeded to collapse. Of course, due to the huge demand for gifts, we stopped by a local shop and bought Turkish delight, shoes and hats, a chess set, and some coins. Dinner was okay (it didn't taste like lentil soup, though) but the waiter kept bringing us items that we never ordered. Plus, apparently, they can't do math either. Then again, I'm not one to talk about that subject. *shudder*
Since it was the last night of Ramadan, there were men out on the streets selling shoes, leftover fruit, you name it! The only bad part, in my opinion, was the shameless gawking that we were getting by the men. Mom and I counted the women on the streets - around 6...do I feel safe now? Heck no!