Istanbul: Day Two

My friends woke me up at 1am.  By the time I headed back to my hotel they were already boarding their flight.  And just like I warned them, it took them a while to get out of the airport.  They found a  driver and hired him to drive to the city.  It didn’t take them 2 hours like it did for me, but there probably wasn’t much traffic at that time.  I was so happy to see them!

We caught up for a bit and knocked out around 3am.  The hotel’s complimentary breakfast was going to be served from 7-10am.  I woke up around 8ish and headed up to the rooftop to see what they had to offer.  I ran into their parents who have a room across from us.  We all sat together and discussed their trip in Italy.  Eventually we decided to wake up the sisters so they wouldn’t miss out on breakfast.  They finally came up and joined us.

The weather was acting up.  At first it seemed the sun was trying to peek out but the clouds started to roll in.  I also noticed that it wasn’t as warm as it was the day before.  We decided to get things moving and got back to our rooms to shower up and get ready.  First up was the Hagia Sophia Museum.

We walked over down the street from our hotel and I showed them the restaurant I had dined in.  We made our way over to the plaza and noticed how many people were already up and roaming around.  Luckily, most of the sites are near each other.  We found our spot in line and proceeded to wait.  It seemed to be moving quickly, but we waited close to 40 minutes.  As the afternoon got later and later we noticed the line was noticely longer than when we had first waited.  As we got closer the crowd seemed more aggressive.  It got to the point that there were some shoving around, but it settled once we all made our way inside.  I think people didn’t want to lose their groups, but it did get hectic for a bit.

The Hagia Sophia is massive, and once we were inside we had more space to move around.  For the most part, the building itself was detailed more on the dome ceilings and low chandeliers.  We found the infamous Hagia Sophia cats napping over by the fenced area.  They didn’t seem to mind all of the commotion.

We walked around and admired the 2^nd floor when we decided to move along to the Blue Mosque.  We headed outside and found the main entrance.  My friends’ parents wanted to pray so they walked over to the area to rinse their feet.  My girlfriend convinced me to stay in line with her and not go in the visitor’s line, but in the end everyone met in the same area once inside.

Me and my friends stayed at the visitor side while their parents prayed at the other end.  For the most part, the carpet in the Blue Mosque was rich and plush.  Although in person the lighting was not as bright, my iphone did capture the blue tiles inside.  It was a lovely experience and one I will remember in the years to come.

Afterwards, we grew hungry.  We passed by the café I had dined the night before and decided to have lunch there as well.  My friends loved the food and we even made a friend with the local cat.  We figured we still had time to hit one more spot.

We went back to our rooms to freshen up and headed out to find the Spice Bazaar.  This time, we needed to take the tram and that was an obstacle itself.  Luckily, someone explained to us where to purchase our metro cards and how to use the machine.  For the most part, people were very helpful to us.  We jumped on the packed tram and headed to our stop.

It wasn’t too bad of a ride.  But with all of the people walking around, we knew we our chances of getting there quicker were better off on the tram.  We slowly got familiar with the new area, and my friends’ family wanted some Turkish delights.  They stopped at a café to rest up before we all made our way to the Spice Bazaar.

Upon entering we had to go through a security check point, but once inside we decided to part ways.  Her parents wanted spices and I wanted to look around.  My friends were looking for souvenirs to bring back to their family.  The Spice Bazaar was a great place to find interesting goodies.  They even plastic sealed their spices!

We stayed there until it closed and then made our way back to the tram station.  We had a funny moment not knowing that some trams operated at both sides.  We witnessed a tram come to a complete stop, and then the driver got off and walked to the other end to jump on and drive the opposite direction.  

We decided to stick around our neighborhood off of the hotel to check out that local bazaar.  We found a wonderful store selling Turkish lamps and I knew right away I wanted one for my place.  It took us a while to find the combinations we wanted since they were all so beautiful.  

We walked over to our hotel, but my friend grew hungry again and went to a local restaurant nearby and picked up some food.  We stayed up talking most of the night and made some wonderful memories.  I miss them now that I’m thinking about them...

Istanbul: Day One

I ended up taking an uber at 4:30am.  I arrived at Charles De Gaulle airport around 5am.  My flight was at 8am, but boarding time was at 7am.  It was very confusing, but needless to say, I felt better getting there earlier than later.  Once I boarded, I took a nap right away.  I knew I had to get some sleep since I was going to land in Istanbul at 12pm.  I still hadn’t figured out how to get to my hotel yet.

I was out of it once we landed.  Since they had transferred flights to the new airport, I noticed right away how long it was taking us to get to our gate.  Our pilot even reminded us that he had not taken off the remove-your-seat-belt sign.  Passengers got back to their seat and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  At first I felt the pilot was riding down the runway, but it took another 40 minutes until he pulled into our gate!  How big was this airport???

Well, it was HUGE.  Once we got off, it looked like a marathon race.  Passengers were walking quickly to get to passport control, but after they realized how much walking was going on, they slowed down their pace.  We must have passed at least 10 walking terminals until we reached check point.  Luckily, that line wasn’t too bad.

Since I had my carry-on luggage with me, my only concern was trying to find a place to exchange my euros so I wouldn’t have to do it outside of the airport.  The cashier took my bills, and once she asked for my passport, she looked at me and smiled and said, “America.”  I smiled back at her and realized my nerves went away.

My friends whom I was meeting later in the evening were messaging me.  They were still roaming around Naples.  I told them I landed safely, but needed to have some coffee so I could wake up and figure out how to get out of there.  According to google maps, there was a bus that would take me to Istanbul.  It was going to take 2 hours!  I was hoping that wasn’t true, but unfortunately they were right.  By the time I figured out where the ticket booth was to catch this bus, it was nearing 3pm!

I was worried when I boarded the bus since I almost got on the wrong one.  I was too busy following where everyone else was going, but the bus driver assured me I was on the right bus.  Once the bus filled up, he was all set to go.  Unfortunately, they were not going exactly according to schedule.

As we rode into the city, I took the opportunity to look out the window to check my surroundings.  Once we got into the city, I felt a little bit better.  But then I realized the traffic started to back up.  That’s when I looked into the horizon full of buildings after buildings.  Istanbul is HUGE!!  I realized how populated it was.  Sure enough, we got stuck in traffic, and the rest of the ride was bumper-to-bumper traffic.

I noticed palm trees and figured we were getting closer to the tourist part of Istanbul.  I ended up missing my stop.  I should have asked the bus driver but I knew something was up once the majority of people got off a stop.  He reassured me he will drop me off the next stop, but it was towards the port area.  A German lady tried to help me once we got off together and told me to head back to where I was supposed to get off.  I walked along the water front and noticed all the families enjoying the weather.  At this time, the temperature was nearing 80 degrees.

I felt I was way off course, but I knew I was going the right way.  My friends were now making their way to Naples airport, but were surprised I hadn’t gotten to the hotel yet.  After 30 minutes of walking I noticed a building up a hill that had a spike peeking out from the trees.  I felt it was the Blue Mosque.  I knew I was almost there.

I saw some tourists walking around and asked if I was near the Blue Mosque.  I had to go up the hill (a nightmare with my luggage) but the cabs wouldn’t take me up the narrow road.  Apparently, they were not allowed to go into the Old Town.  Only the large charter buses got inside.  I kept walking.

Of course, once I got inside the neighborhood, it took me another 20 minutes to find my hotel.  This area was heavily populated with back to back hotels.  A sweet old man came up to me after he found me standing in front of his hotel and asked if I was lost.  He took the number of my hotel and called on his cell phone to find the exact location.  So far everyone was super sweet to me.

I FINALLY found my hotel.  I was exhausted.  It was now 5:30pm.  I had landed in Istanbul at

12pm and it almost took me 6 hours to get to my hotel.  Unbelievable.  I messaged my friends and told them I was safe.  They’re flight was going to be delayed, but only for 20 minutes.  I ended up knocking out for a bit.  I slept for about 40 minutes, but wanted to have some dinner since by now I was starving.  I jumped in the shower and got ready.  When I checked in, the concierge told me people in Istanbul have dinner around 7 or 8pm.  I knew I didn’t want to walk around by myself too late.

I walked down the street off my hotel and found a Bazaar.  One particular restaurant looked lively, so I settled in there.  They had live music playing.  People seemed to be enjoying themselves.  Others were ordering hookahs for their tables.  I think I found the right spot!

The waiter was very friendly and I ordered the most delicious kabobs I’ve ever had in my life!  At one point a whirling deverish dancer came out and twirled for the audience.  I had to pinch myself!  My first night in Istanbul was magical and I was loving it!

A Slava Thanksgiving...

As we're approaching the holidays, I'm finally recapping Thanksgiving week in November!  Hey at least I'm making an effort!  This is what started it all.  The constant birthday/holiday bonanza goes from here onto New Year's Eve.  January is pretty slow everywhere you look so I'm hoping I will catch up with my blog then. 
I actually like Thanksgiving more than Christmas.  Who doesn't love good food?  Well in my case, that week was pretty busy.  My friend hosted his Slava that Monday so me and my friends headed up to Skokie after work.  It was nice seeing my friends and their little ones.  If it weren't for events like this one, we wouldn't be able to catch up with one another.  I loved their stuffed cabbage!!  Perfect for fall!

Blessed for the guests!  Everyone takes a spoonful...

Absolutely LOVE stuffed cabbage!!

That Thanksgiving Thursday me and my brothers headed over to my mom's.  I can tell she's been more sensitive than usual, so it was nice having a dinner at her place.  Sometimes she misses having all three of us at once, but it's hard now that we're older.  We're not kids anymore.  It was also nice that she finally put the dog in the next room.  This has been a struggle for me and my brother.  I have asthma and he has allergies.  My little brother is fine, but for us, it's horrible.  My mom's husband got the dog on a whim and they never properly trained him to be alone.  He has been known to bark up a storm when he's by himself.  Luckily, now that my mom is home most of the time, she would put up the dog fence in the kitchen and let him stay there when she is in another room of the house.  That helped him get use to it and it worked out perfectly for us.  The dog stayed in the kitchen while we had our feast.  He would whimper from time to time, but because my mom would come and go to grab more food, he stayed silent the rest of the evening.

Checkout that bird!

We ate like kings...

Me and my mom

Me and my brother are the only ones who have problems with the dog...

My younger brother does not.  He does not suffer from allergies or asthma...

Pies galore...

In the dog house.  I'm pretty sure now he hates us.

On Black Friday I opted not to shop.  I did not want to be a part of that madness, so I cleaned up my apartment and made my way to the gym.  It was a pretty chill day for me until the evening.  My friend had signed up a bunch of us to go to Whirly Ball for an event.  I haven't been there in years and was pleasantly surprised they had done some renovations.  We had a blast considering we did terrible at the carts.  Afterwards, we watched our team play bowling ball.  This was a fun idea and I'm glad we did it.

It's always a good time to play!

Goofing around with the crew...



We had the lanes to ourselves...

The next day on Saturday I went to my friend's party.  Her family was celebrating her brother's and father's birthday, so it was a double treat for them.  Again, there was a ton of food, but we laughed alot.  I always thought my friend's family is a blast.  Everyone always loves going to their parties.  I felt so fortunate to have spent my Thanksgiving week with friends and family and am looking forward to seeing everyone again this weekend.  I hope everyone has a great holiday!!!  Remember the gift of giving joy to one another!  The world needs this now.  Sometimes it's better than receiving presents...

Double birthday parties

Father and son

More food galore!

The happy couple!



Our friend's son had a blast!

Day 8 Booking Nightmare

We landed and I knew my flight for Turkey would leave at 6am.  I relaxed for a bit and took advantage of the free wifi while I waited.  I did something I should have not done which was to search "Turkey" on twitter.  I find twitter is more helpful than the news media, but in this case, the information I was pulling up was frightening.  Just 5 days earlier there were shootings at the left wing of the airport at Turkey.  I kept coming across scary acts of violence in Turkey and that triggered my anxiety again.  I messaged two of my friends who have been at the airport in Turkey and asked for their opinion on the airport.  One of my friends told me they had a nice café upstairs and to have some tea to relax.  I was so nervous, but part of me felt I didn't know what to believe anymore.
Hours passed and then my flight was ready for takeoff.  Since I broke night, I was praying I would sleep on the flight.  From Athens to Turkey it was a less than 2 hours.  I was deliriously tired, and knocked out for 20 minutes, but then we landed. 
I was dizzy because of the melatonin I took and the lack of sleep I had experienced.  I just followed the crowd off the plane and made my way to the gate.  A bus took us to our gate and then we went through security again.  I found an available seat to wait for my next flight.  This layover was 3 hours long, but even though I tried to rest, it was hard because of how busy it was in there.  After looking around the area, I was mad at myself for getting so worked up over nothing.  Turkey airport is an international airport with people from all over the world.  Even though it has suffered from the hands of terrorism, the fact that you're surrounded by so many people made me feel safer.  Sometimes I think this stems from living in Chicago.  The saying goes, it's when you're alone when something might happen to you.
I couldn't connect with the wifi there, but I was hoping my friend in Italy got my message on what time I would be landing in Bari.  It was finally time to board, and off we went.  As usual, just like clock work, my anxiety snuck up right before take off.  So far all of my flights were smooth sailing.  I wish I had more faith that things would be ok.
An Italian lady sat next to me and was nice to me.  She couldn't speak English but luckily I understood her since I've been trying to learn Italian myself.  She was sweet.  I was finally looking forward to Italy.
We landed and I was worn out from my anxieties.  I was looking forward to seeing my friend and knowing I wouldn't have to get back on a plane till Sunday.  What a relief!  The security took a while to get through at Bari.  After we retrieved our luggage we still had to go back in line and go through an x-ray machine to check our bags.  The military presence was intense!  The surrounded us while we waited for clearance.  It dawned on me that they were probably singling us out since our flight was from Turkey. 
My friend kept calling me.  I was so happy to see her number, but I couldn't pick up because I was still trying to get out of the airport.  Once I was outside I called her and saw her parked ahead.  I must have ran up to her like crazy.  FINALLY I'm here!  FINALLY I'm with her!  What an ordeal!!
We yapped about my travel experience coming to Bari.  It was now 3pm and we decided to go grab some lunch.  We had so much catching up to do.  I told her they fed us on the plane and it was a short flight.  I was not very hungry and if anything, I would eat something light.  She suggested Alba Chiara for sea urchins since they were in season. 
It was SUPER hot in Italy.  I had my jeans on since that's what I normally wear on planes.  I quickly changed into my shorts and we were seated by the sea.  I missed her so much.  I felt bad that I was out of it again, but I did not want to end our day because of my lack of sleep.  The urchins were perfect, but the white wine was doing a number on me.  We decided to  run some errands to try to keep me up.
We ended up at Ikea.  lol.  It was a couple of months old, but since it's relatively new, the place was packed!  I forget how Italians can be.  I had bought an evil eye bracelet for me and my friend and we were wearing them at the time we were checking out our items.  A mother told her son in Italian to stay away from those gypsies.  She was referencing it to us.  My friend was in shock, but they normally do not see the eye evil this far south.  There are not many tourists in the region we were at.
We decided to drive back home.  My friend was not very confident in the car.  She never got a rental because there weren't any available, and she was worried driving stick shift with a bad clutch.  I was fine heading home.  I really wanted to take a shower and freshen up.  I felt filthy.
I got my 2nd wind after my shower.  I went downstairs to join my friend for a drink and more stories.  Eventually her boyfriend came home from work and we all caught up.  The plan for the next day was to go to the auto place to see if we could get a loaner car.  Then we could go wherever we wanted.  I was fine with whatever she wanted to do.  It took me forever to get to Italy and I just wanted to enjoy my time here with my friend.

We shared a large pasta with sea urchin sauce.  YUMMY!

 

Lunch by the sea...

A nearby beach by the restaurant. 
La spiaggia sta vicino a il ristorante.  (There goes my little Italian translation!  lol)