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!