Here I am at 12am on a Saturday night- Halloween, which happens to fall on a Saturday this year, sitting here, having just come from the same shisha bar we've been to each night since we've been here in Istanbul. I was just welcomed back to the hostel with a nice strong shot to celebrate my last night in Turkey. I keep thinking, if only I wasn't so relaxed to the point of fatigue from going to the Turkish baths today and we didn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to catch our shuttle to the airport, I would still be out with the others enjoying the night. I keep thinking what my Halloween would be like back at VCU (would it be another "last Halloween," I would hope not- but rather something more enjoyable than writing this blog?). There's a little kitten staring at me, eyes slowly closing, and I can feel my eyes doing the same recalling the wonderful time I've had on this trip.
The boys are still enjoying themselves and the huge "fishbowl" we got tonight, and I'm still trying to figure out how I spent so much money. Btw.. I was just pourred another shot----whewwww!
We got here on Thursday morning around 9am, and immediately my predictions came true. I fell in love with this place. Thankfully the first day was clear, sunny, and all around great weather, because yesterday and today were just pissy. Thursday we took care of most of the sightseeing. Visted the Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, etc. before finding the shisha bar we've grown so accustomed to. I'm not sure how, but we didn't manage to get any henna the whole time we were here- something I was really looking forward to. We woke up yesterday to rain and wished that it would stop by the time we were finished the free breakfast the Noble Hostel we're staying at offers. We're so fortunate we found this place. The nicest people who make it a point to learn your name and welcome you with open arms. Instead of going to the Asian side of Istanbul yesterday, we decided we would hit up the Grand Bazaar! I ended up getting separated from the boys, but it worked out to my advantage. I swear I was called beautiful over 100x's, offered more than 10 famous turkish apple tea's (4 of which I took!) and was asked out just as many times as the tea's I was offered. The unfortunate side of this story is that I spent waaayyyyyy too much money. Maybe it was worth it!? lol. People here though, are very genuine. I've found that this to be the most helpful, considerate, and nicest place I've been, whether I'm by myself or with others.
It was nice walking around alone though, being able to go at my own pace and go and do whatever I want. I realized that I would have LOVED to backpack Europe this summer by myself, but things happen for a reason. Hopefully soon!
I finally found a kebob how I wanted (the ones like they have in France- surprisingly not as good) and tried the corn on the cob that you get from the little stands and mosied around for a bit before heading back to find the boys and go to the shisha bar for a relaxing night. We met some really cool Spanish girls and some Aussi's, Danish, Swedish and Belgium's on this trip! It will be great to keep in contact with all of them who turned out to be completely awesome!
Since we changed our plans, today was the day for Asia. To our mistake, today was worse than yesterday. The wind was chilled, pounding us with rain and no matter which way we held our umbrella, we still got wet. After sucking it up, we finally decided to take the cold, wet boat ride over. It was so gross by the time we got over there, we got something small to eat, had a cup of tea and decided to head back to Europe! The entire 20 mintutes I was in Asia consisted of down pour rain, wet pants and food. Well.. at least I went to Asia!
I have to say that by far the best experience of my day was the Turkish baths. I spent a good 3 hours there, getting bathed, massaged, relaxing in the sauna and getting a pedicure. Let me clarify- when I say bathed, I literally mean bathed. I was exfoliated, scrubbed and massaged in an ancient traditional bathing room by a woman. There were about 20 other women in the saunaed room all getting washed and massaged, and it was the first time since... .. that I've felt completely comfortable with myself walking around natural with someone else around. I have to say that it was a complete soothing and relaxing experience that I wish I could do everyday.
So now, I am here. Dreading going back to the expose I left to do in Grenoble (due Monday)....
At least this vacation as been quite a thrill.
Prage- check
Budapest- check
Bucharest- check
Sofia- check
Istanbul- check! I will return to you!
So much traveling in so little time has left me a tired little girl.
Sleep and thanking God for the opportunity await me.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Eastern European Adventure Part 1
Currently, I'm sitting at the Sofia Guesthouse computer accessing the internet in Bulgaria. We got here at about 6:15am this morning and got off to a good start walking around the city and exploring. Sofia is definitely a bigger city than I expected and the stray dogs here have become quite an attraction. If I could, I would have already taken two in! I feel like Sofia is known for its Orthodox Churches. We went into at least 3 today, all absolutely beautiful and the paintings remarkable. It's amazing to think about how old buildings are in Europe. We went in to one church that was made just by cobble stones and stood in the middle of the "new city" in a metro station. Way to preserve ;)
I guess I should start from the beginning, huh?
This trip is titled: Eastern European Adventure! Kristi-John-Richie- and some of the way Elisabeth.
Because we have a massive fall break (unlike the 3 days in America)- the stretched 10 days was worth taking a long vacation.
Itinerary: Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Sofia and Istanbul.
From the beginning:
The 20 hour bus ride from Grenoble to Prague seemed as though it only took 5 hours. We slept most of the night. Thankfully I got to see a little bit of Germany on the way, although we only stopped at the Frankfort bus station (which was an industrialized city- not what I would have expected), another small town, and a gas station, where some very nice men offered me some of their delicious looking food through the bus window. Of course I would never turn down food, but it was cold and I wasn't sure if they were just being nice because they saw me eying it or not!?
Around mid-day we arrived in Prague. I really like this city. We walked around the city center, saw quite a few sights before grabbing dinner and heading to Elisabeth's hostel. Did I mention this was on the other side of town!?
Thankfully they had some room open, otherwise I would have been sleeping in the streets. lol. Sir Toby's was the name and the staff was awesome.. even the next morning when Elisabeth thought she lost her passport, they were all extremely helpful!
So the next day we hit up the castle, the bridge, did some shopping and ate more before we left for Budapest on the night train.
Budapest has been so far my favorite city. Thankfully, I upgraded to the sleeper car (the 13+ hour ride would have not been comfortable sitting straight up the whole time- the seats aren't as comfy as the bus). We searched for about an hour to try to find an open hostel. 3 of which were already full (supposedly there was a national holiday the day before we arrived!) That would have been pretty awesome to experience, and we later discovered that they had a huge firework show at the Parliament building. The hostel that we finally found turned out to be amazing. Central Backpackers. The most welcoming staff I could have asked for, and so much that when we arrived, we were welcomed with a "welcoming shot," alcohol stilled by the owners grandmother! Who's going to pass that up, even at 11am? Really got to explore Budapest. There were some great sights, beautiful architecture, and tons of photos. I wish I could express everything that was going through my head in all of these cities. Thought after thought.. but in reality, I can't explain half of what I felt. The pictures will have to show what I saw, and you can make up how it would feel.
Bucharest was nothing of what I expected it to be. It was more run-down and grungy, and unfortunately we only had about 4 hours there, which didn't leave us a lot of time to seek out the beautiful parts of the city. So instead, we ate. lol.
I tell you something, if there's one thing I haven't missed out on, it's all the food I've eaten on this trip. I swear I've been on an entire dress size!
Eastern Europe is pretty reasonably priced. I like using the Euro- which is so much more than the dollar right now that I get more for my money.
So now, after the 9 hour train ride last night, I'm in Sofia.
Venturing off to Istanbul tomorrow (which I think will be my favorite city!)
As much as I love ruins, and century old buildings, I look forward to experiencing something outside of the western culture.
Can't wait to post the hundreds of photos I've taken thus far, and more to come!
<3 Kristi
I guess I should start from the beginning, huh?
This trip is titled: Eastern European Adventure! Kristi-John-Richie- and some of the way Elisabeth.
Because we have a massive fall break (unlike the 3 days in America)- the stretched 10 days was worth taking a long vacation.
Itinerary: Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Sofia and Istanbul.
From the beginning:
The 20 hour bus ride from Grenoble to Prague seemed as though it only took 5 hours. We slept most of the night. Thankfully I got to see a little bit of Germany on the way, although we only stopped at the Frankfort bus station (which was an industrialized city- not what I would have expected), another small town, and a gas station, where some very nice men offered me some of their delicious looking food through the bus window. Of course I would never turn down food, but it was cold and I wasn't sure if they were just being nice because they saw me eying it or not!?
Around mid-day we arrived in Prague. I really like this city. We walked around the city center, saw quite a few sights before grabbing dinner and heading to Elisabeth's hostel. Did I mention this was on the other side of town!?
Thankfully they had some room open, otherwise I would have been sleeping in the streets. lol. Sir Toby's was the name and the staff was awesome.. even the next morning when Elisabeth thought she lost her passport, they were all extremely helpful!
So the next day we hit up the castle, the bridge, did some shopping and ate more before we left for Budapest on the night train.
Budapest has been so far my favorite city. Thankfully, I upgraded to the sleeper car (the 13+ hour ride would have not been comfortable sitting straight up the whole time- the seats aren't as comfy as the bus). We searched for about an hour to try to find an open hostel. 3 of which were already full (supposedly there was a national holiday the day before we arrived!) That would have been pretty awesome to experience, and we later discovered that they had a huge firework show at the Parliament building. The hostel that we finally found turned out to be amazing. Central Backpackers. The most welcoming staff I could have asked for, and so much that when we arrived, we were welcomed with a "welcoming shot," alcohol stilled by the owners grandmother! Who's going to pass that up, even at 11am? Really got to explore Budapest. There were some great sights, beautiful architecture, and tons of photos. I wish I could express everything that was going through my head in all of these cities. Thought after thought.. but in reality, I can't explain half of what I felt. The pictures will have to show what I saw, and you can make up how it would feel.
Bucharest was nothing of what I expected it to be. It was more run-down and grungy, and unfortunately we only had about 4 hours there, which didn't leave us a lot of time to seek out the beautiful parts of the city. So instead, we ate. lol.
I tell you something, if there's one thing I haven't missed out on, it's all the food I've eaten on this trip. I swear I've been on an entire dress size!
Eastern Europe is pretty reasonably priced. I like using the Euro- which is so much more than the dollar right now that I get more for my money.
So now, after the 9 hour train ride last night, I'm in Sofia.
Venturing off to Istanbul tomorrow (which I think will be my favorite city!)
As much as I love ruins, and century old buildings, I look forward to experiencing something outside of the western culture.
Can't wait to post the hundreds of photos I've taken thus far, and more to come!
<3 Kristi
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Above the Clouds
(brief update before I start on the full adventure of this weekend- really enjoyed salsa dancing Thursday night- didn't get near enough sleep for the 8am I had Friday morning. Stayed in Friday night because I know I had a good weekend ahead of me!)Btw.. I bought a guitar!
8am- Departure for randonnée!
I was still so tired from the lack of sleep the last two days that I took a short nap on the bus going to our destination. The mountains glistened with dew, but my eyes were so tired I wasn't able to watch the sun hit the high mountains.
I didn't realize that we were staying in a building much like dorms. I had packed for an excursion much like we had done the last time- although this time it was much colder- with a sleeping bag, extra warm clothes, lots of packaged food, etc. At least we got to drop off our big packs before we headed up the mountain.
There were 3 groups.
Facile, Difficile, and Hard Core- well, of course you know me, I decided to go for the Hard Core and wheww let me tell you. It kicked my butt!
The mountains were gorgeous, the landscape amazing, and the fresh air- breath taking!
The 65 degree slope nearly the entire time, already tired legs, and over 2000 meters (6,500 feet) of hiking, and not to mention the unbelievably powerful wind that's so cold it causes everything to frost- let's just say it was definitely a challenge- and probably one of the coolest experiences of my life! Surprisingly, I didn't get cold at all. Maybe it was the fact that every ounce of blood in my body was circulating, my heart was racing and I had on 4 layers?
While descending the mountain- I literally felt like I was there at the beginning of the world. The sun rays beaming through the clouds, the windy river between the mountains, the air that tasted so fresh- It was the land before time.
And I wanted to take in every part of it.
Thank God that Alicia had an extra pair of gloves or else I would have died this weekend. Did I mention I left my brand new pair sitting right on the bench next to where my hiking bag was? Today Diana asked if I found them- I just laughed and said, "yes, I found them went I went back two days later to the tram stop, when it's cold outside and the gloves were brand new! I hope they at least ended up on the hands of someone who need them more than I." Although I doubt that was relevant for this weekend.
Anywho, I was so tired by the time we got back to our building that I literally didn't want to move. I actually fell asleep at the table during dinner and when I told everyone I was going to take a quick nap before the soiree, they had no idea my "quick" naps were 4 hours long! I didn't wake up until 2am to find a lot of people still awake dancing downstairs. My butt hurt so bad that there was no possibility of me groovin' so I went back to sleep about 25 min. later. If only I could get that good of sleep every night!
The next morning was great. I woke up around 9am and headed down for breakfast to find that absolutely no one was there! So instead of trying to go back to sleep, I started a fire and made a hot cup of tea. Man did tea do wonders this weekend!
So I curled up in a chair by the fire for sometime until finally, one by one, people started to venture in to enjoy le petit déjeuner.
Around 11:30am, those of us who signed up, set out for the Accro-Branche (rope course). So for an hour, I swung around in the trees like a monkey and climbed through rocks, wondering how in the world I was managing it with how much my muscles already hurt!? I lost a glove halfway through, but managed just fine, doing the more intense course as well!
It was such a cool experience, I think I would do it every day if I could!
The rest of the day consisted of sitting around the fire, drinking more tea, taking a little walk and then heading back to Grenoble.
Although we were only (technically) gone for 1.5 days, it felt like we had taken a week long trip, and I was very much ready to lay in bed and relax.
Unfortunately something I wasn't able to do with all the crap that needed to get done- still haven't finished by the way.
As commented:
[10:26:55 PM] Kristi Hall: gotta finish this stuff
[10:26:55 PM] Kristi Hall: need to finish the blog to get it off my mind
[10:26:59 PM] Kristi Hall: to finish my internship application
[10:27:03 PM] Kristi Hall: to start on my expose
[10:27:08 PM] Kristi Hall: to think about washing clothes
[10:27:11 PM] Kristi Hall: in order to pack
[10:27:20 PM] Kristi Hall: in order to finish my expose by the time I leave
[10:27:28 PM] Kristi Hall: and still have some time to sleep
[10:27:36 PM] Kristi Hall: and get things I need before I go
[10:27:45 PM] Kristi Hall: like the gloves I lost the day after I bought them
[10:28:13 PM] Kristi Hall: gahhhh
I leave for Prague on Wednesday- how I'm going to get everything done by then, I'm not sure. And it doesn't help that I think I'm getting sick. My throat is Killing me!
8am- Departure for randonnée!
I was still so tired from the lack of sleep the last two days that I took a short nap on the bus going to our destination. The mountains glistened with dew, but my eyes were so tired I wasn't able to watch the sun hit the high mountains.
I didn't realize that we were staying in a building much like dorms. I had packed for an excursion much like we had done the last time- although this time it was much colder- with a sleeping bag, extra warm clothes, lots of packaged food, etc. At least we got to drop off our big packs before we headed up the mountain.
There were 3 groups.
Facile, Difficile, and Hard Core- well, of course you know me, I decided to go for the Hard Core and wheww let me tell you. It kicked my butt!
The mountains were gorgeous, the landscape amazing, and the fresh air- breath taking!
The 65 degree slope nearly the entire time, already tired legs, and over 2000 meters (6,500 feet) of hiking, and not to mention the unbelievably powerful wind that's so cold it causes everything to frost- let's just say it was definitely a challenge- and probably one of the coolest experiences of my life! Surprisingly, I didn't get cold at all. Maybe it was the fact that every ounce of blood in my body was circulating, my heart was racing and I had on 4 layers?
While descending the mountain- I literally felt like I was there at the beginning of the world. The sun rays beaming through the clouds, the windy river between the mountains, the air that tasted so fresh- It was the land before time.
And I wanted to take in every part of it.
Thank God that Alicia had an extra pair of gloves or else I would have died this weekend. Did I mention I left my brand new pair sitting right on the bench next to where my hiking bag was? Today Diana asked if I found them- I just laughed and said, "yes, I found them went I went back two days later to the tram stop, when it's cold outside and the gloves were brand new! I hope they at least ended up on the hands of someone who need them more than I." Although I doubt that was relevant for this weekend.
Anywho, I was so tired by the time we got back to our building that I literally didn't want to move. I actually fell asleep at the table during dinner and when I told everyone I was going to take a quick nap before the soiree, they had no idea my "quick" naps were 4 hours long! I didn't wake up until 2am to find a lot of people still awake dancing downstairs. My butt hurt so bad that there was no possibility of me groovin' so I went back to sleep about 25 min. later. If only I could get that good of sleep every night!
The next morning was great. I woke up around 9am and headed down for breakfast to find that absolutely no one was there! So instead of trying to go back to sleep, I started a fire and made a hot cup of tea. Man did tea do wonders this weekend!
So I curled up in a chair by the fire for sometime until finally, one by one, people started to venture in to enjoy le petit déjeuner.
Around 11:30am, those of us who signed up, set out for the Accro-Branche (rope course). So for an hour, I swung around in the trees like a monkey and climbed through rocks, wondering how in the world I was managing it with how much my muscles already hurt!? I lost a glove halfway through, but managed just fine, doing the more intense course as well!
It was such a cool experience, I think I would do it every day if I could!
The rest of the day consisted of sitting around the fire, drinking more tea, taking a little walk and then heading back to Grenoble.
Although we were only (technically) gone for 1.5 days, it felt like we had taken a week long trip, and I was very much ready to lay in bed and relax.
Unfortunately something I wasn't able to do with all the crap that needed to get done- still haven't finished by the way.
As commented:
[10:26:55 PM] Kristi Hall: gotta finish this stuff
[10:26:55 PM] Kristi Hall: need to finish the blog to get it off my mind
[10:26:59 PM] Kristi Hall: to finish my internship application
[10:27:03 PM] Kristi Hall: to start on my expose
[10:27:08 PM] Kristi Hall: to think about washing clothes
[10:27:11 PM] Kristi Hall: in order to pack
[10:27:20 PM] Kristi Hall: in order to finish my expose by the time I leave
[10:27:28 PM] Kristi Hall: and still have some time to sleep
[10:27:36 PM] Kristi Hall: and get things I need before I go
[10:27:45 PM] Kristi Hall: like the gloves I lost the day after I bought them
[10:28:13 PM] Kristi Hall: gahhhh
I leave for Prague on Wednesday- how I'm going to get everything done by then, I'm not sure. And it doesn't help that I think I'm getting sick. My throat is Killing me!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)