Istanbul, Turkey

 

 

 

 

  

Logan and I finally arrived at the hotel at 4pm Turkish time - we had been up since 4am in the morning so it had been a long day! We decided to head into the Old City area which is fully of yum restaurants and cool shops. We had a traditional Turkish dinner and a wee wonder (I had to find a sweet shop mmmm the Turkish delight in Turkey is SO different to western Turkish delight - its delicious!) before heading back to the hotel for a good sleep. We had all of Sunday free so wanted to explore the city so we hopped on the free hotel transfer van at 10am where we met and Aussie brother and sister, Christian and Sarah and a fellow Kiwi, Rob, so we all decided to stick together and explore the city for the day - Rob said he knew we were Kiwi from me looking at our travel book and saying, 'This is mean bro!' haha!

We spent the next 6 hours together walking around, over the bridge into 'New City' which was full of all the modern shops you get in London which I found bizarre, I really didn't expect anywhere like this in Turkey! We had a traditional Turkish coffee which is the same size as Italian coffee shots but really thick and black - wow! What a hit! We saw so much walking around and went into the 6th Century Hagia Sophia as we saw on the itinery that it wouldn't be open the following day when we would be doing the city tour with our tour group. I had to wear a skirt and scarf provided to go in and you have to take your shoes off. It was so beautiful inside - simply stunning!

That night we got back late so we missed our induction meeting but had a few drinks with everyone in the bar then headed to bed.

On the Monday we had our first outing with our group and tour guide :

'Today we enjoy a guided tour of the old city, taking in the stunning Iznik tiled Blue Mosque, Hippodrome area, the Topkapi Palace and more. This afternoon, we take a relaxing cruise on a Bosphorus Strait. You'll see waterside palaces framed by a modern city skyline dotted with expansive domed mosques and towering minarets of traditional Ottoman style. Later you can opt to explore the mammoth Grand Bazaar and exotic Egyptian Spice Market.'

That night we went out and had dinner on a roof top restaurant  - so much food I couldn't eat it all! A few people went out that night but I wanted a really good sleep cause we were heading to Gallipoli the next day and I knew we wouldn't be getting much sleep the next night!

Turkey - An Overview

 

 

 

 

My week in Turkey was one of the best weeks of my life! We had an amazing group of Kiwis and Aussies on the bus as well as a fantastic tour guide - it was amazing to be around my fellow Kiwis again! Logan and I were up at 4am on Saturday 21st April and headed to Heathrow airport. Our flight was delayed and hour and delayed landing an hour then had to wait another hour to get through customs - no one seemed to queue up at this airport! If your a New Zealander you can enter Turkey for free - every other country has to pay a £10 visa fee. Even though we arrived a day early we got our free hotel transfer through On The Go Tours so we were stoked!! The whole week we stayed at 4 star hotels (some nicer than others!), all of the locals were really nice and friendly and I felt very safe. Before I left I had this image of Turkey in my head of dusty roads, run down houses and men that wouldn't be that pleasant towards women but I found my trip to be the exact opposite. In saying that we were in very touristy areas and on a bus tour plus I was with Logan and a few other guys for the first few days so I wasn't exactly a single women walking around myself. There is so much incredible history in Turkey - I really had no idea especially with the ancient Roman ruins. The markets are really something else - they are SO huge and you need a few days to see everything, its very busy and crowded but not as bad as a market in London! If I had come straight from New Zealand I would have felt a bit overwhelmed but Im just so used to busy bustling cities now I almost get a buzz off of it! It does get a bit annoying with everyone you walk past saying 'Hey lady, hey pretty women where you from? Aussie Aussie Aussie... like constantly. The funniest one was when someone asked if I was from Australia and I said no but your close and he replied, 'Ah! Canada!'

Coming from London everything was pretty cheap for us - you could get a really yum huge dinner on the roof of a restaurant looking out over the ocean for 15-20 lira which is around £7 (you pay that for an entree in London!) coming from NZ I would say everything is the same price as home so a $15 dinner would be a 15 lira dinner in Turkey so its better to go over with pounds as its pretty much 3-1. When your at the famous sites and someone takes a photo of you (the ones you can pick up at the end) you will pay 5 lira (£2) - if you want a touristy photo like that in London you would pay £20 easy. There is so much to see and do especially in Istanbul and the culture and tradition in Turkey is so unique I just can't say how much I loved the place - I am definitely looking into checking out the rest of Turkey now!

The toilets are pretty interesting - all places we went had a western toilet option but there are more of the traditional Turkey ones (see photo!) 

If you want to go into any of the Mosques then you have to be covered up - you can't have your knees or shoulders showing either but they have scarves and skirts on site for you to put on before you enter. So many Turkish speak fluent English or at least enough to communicate so that was helpful as well - again its good try and learn a few Turkish words.

Food and drink was plentiful and delicious! I had absolutely no problems eating there even though I can't eat wheat - lots of meat and fish, rice, potatoes, salads etc even their cakes are made with rice flours so the whole week I had no issues whatsoever. We mainly had buffets especially at the hotels and you do get a bit over them but its food so you just eat what your given! No one got sick and everything was really clean - we did eat a few dodgy places at the end of the trip so if your going to more authentic areas of Turkey I'd say the food wouldn't be as good as the touristy places.

Weather - HOT! When the girls went last year it averaged 16 degrees and was freezing on their Anzac night but we had weather up to 28 degrees!!!! I was melting especially since I had packed for cooler weather! But I'm not going to complain - it was soooo nice to feel proper heat again and get a bit of colour! Back to being just white and not transparent white haha! The night in the stands (outdoors) waiting for the dawn service was fine as well I didn't even end up sitting in my sleeping bag just had it over my legs but I was wearing a few layers of thermals and my amazing Kathmandu jacket - I got it for sale for £75 and they usually retail at £150 ($300) but its the best jacket I have ever bought, its so light yet so toasty warm - I wear it all the time!

Overall, what's the best advice I can offer on Turkey?? BOOK YOUR TICKETS AND GO!!

One Year in the UK!!!

I started writing this entry a while ago and kept working on it bit by bit as this year has by far been the biggest of my life and I found myself wondering on the way to work one day how I would actually summarise it all in one post. I made a photo montage for this post with some of my favourite memories from the last 12 months - so many happy memories!

I want to start by saying a huge thank you to everyone that has supported me over the past year - especially my Mum and Dad, my UK foster parents - my Uncle Rob and Auntie Sara and my cousin Graham and his wife Sarah - who have all given me more love and support than I could have ever asked for. I have so many amazing memories from the past year and staying with Rob & Sara and Graham, Sarah and Jacob in my first few months are among my favourite.

I've been able to reunite with my entire family - some 50+ members - and meet all my darling wee second cousins - and for the first time in my adult life I was surrounded by more than a handful of family members and its something that the majority of people grow up with and I didn't because we moved to New Zealand when I was 7. Growing up in NZ, people asked me if I wished we had stayed in England and my answer was a quick, un-thought of - no. I love NZ, growing up in the sun, on the beach, going on road trips etc ask me the same question a year later and I hesitate while I think about it as I do find myself wondering - would it have been better to stay in England and grow up with my family? I still feel in my heart that New Zealand was the right decision for my parents to make, if I had grown up here I may not have appreciated my family as much as I do now. I see the lifestyle here and I see the lifestyle in New Zealand and its a tricky one - your on the doorstep to Europe here and career wise there is a lot more opportunity in the UK but you don't get the all-year-round outdoor lifestyle that NZ provides. Knowing that I would always have a family of my own in NZ or Australia finally answers this life long question I have often asked myself.

Its been a year full of excitement, incredible experiences, travel, friendship, fear, worry (especially over money - this is NOT a cheap venture!!!!) tears, sacrifice, ambition, achievement - the list goes on. I have been to a total of 18 countries in one year (I know, crazy!) I will be heading back to France for work this year as well as a trip somewhere in October and possibly a warm escape to some exotic country over Xmas/NY! Next year I have Egypt, Italy, Greece and Croatia on the agenda as well as the two work trips to Paris and family visits to Scotland.

When I look back to day one of my blog all the way to this entry now I am really proud of myself and everything I have achieved - I feel like I'm reading about someone else life sometimes! I left NZ quite shy and naive about the big world I was about to enter, but at 25 I was more than ready and the shy girl is long left behind. I would have never, ever done a tour by myself this time last year - I was so nervous to meet and talk to new people and got quite overwhelmed by the concept of it all. But now I've gone from, 'Oh no, I have meet new people' to 'WOOP WOOP I GET TO MEET NEW PEOPLE!!!!' I love nothing more than meeting fellow travellers, especially Kiwi's and Aussies as you have so much in common and are on the exact same page in life. I do feel I have changed - I am definitely the same person I have always been in many respects but after everything I have seen and experienced in the past 12 months you can't expect to be the exact same person. In NZ I had so much 'stuff' - I had 3 wardrobes at my parents house full of clothes, handbags and shoes. I know, its a bit embarrassing now I think about it. Now I have one nice bag, a few pairs of going out shoes and a wobbly free standing wardrobe with a few going out clothes - and still I'm the happiest I've ever been. In general I'm just more fulfilled over here and feel that I am living the life I was always meant to live. Working in my dream job, traveling the world, hanging out with my extended family and living the busy exciting London life - living the dream. Not one day goes by where I don't think of my Mum, Dad and brother and how much I would love to see them in person, even just for an hour. Out of the entire year this has by far been the most challenging - before this adventure I had been away from them for 2 weeks max in 25 years - its now been 1 year and feels like a break up that you never heal from. As Dori from Finding Nemo sings: Just keeping swimming, just keeping swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming.... 

On the whole, I can happily and wholeheartedly say that it was the best decision I have ever made in my life. I look forward to keeping you all updated over the coming year and please remember that you can leave your own comments now as well! How fun!

Thanks again for all of the love and support xx

Go on - leave a comment!

Hi Everyone!

I have added a new feature to my blog so that you can now leave comments after my posts! At first I didn't want this feature but then I see the stats on how many people are viewing and I thought it would be nice to have feedback or just give you the chance to say hullo if you wish!

Look forward to hearing from you!

Whats next on the travel agenda??

IM SO EXCITED to be heading to Turkey NEXT WEEKEND!!! I can’t believe it has come around this fast!!! My good friend Logan who I went to uni with is coming with me, his birthday is also on ANZAC day so its going to be great fun! I have attached the link of the tour I am doing as everyone asks where Im going and I just can’t remember all the details… The tour starts Sunday night but we are flying out Saturday morning (21^st April) first thing to get an extra day in. People are saying I’m so lucky to be going on holiday again but its not a holiday – its traveling! But yes, Im lucky to travel again! Up at the crack of dawn, exploring all day, drinking all night then up early to go again the next day – WOOOHOOOOOO!!! Can’t wait to fill you all in after the trip!!

http://www.onthegotours.com/Anzac-Day/Tours-8-days-or-less/Anzac-Coo-ee-Tour

Cascais

On our final day we took the train out to Cascais – again about 40 minutes away and a 5 euro train fare. Out of the whole trip this would be my number one highlight – I think the fact it was 25 degrees and there was a beautiful beach there made this my favorite and must see recommendation. It’s a small village but has stunning views and really yum restaurants – we ate the one with the best view above the beach and just soaked up the sun and good food. It was the second time I had felt sand on my feet in a whole year. Portugal reminded us of NZ, the sky is the same blue and theres a lot of similar fauna. Its ironic to think how much I loved my day in Cascais and how back home I could walk round the corner to the marina and have lunch outside and watch the water and the boats – or do the same at Bucklands Beach – and I never did. Its amazing what you don’t see when you actually see it everyday.

Sintra

 

 

 

 

Sintra was highly spoken of by a few people who have been to Portugal so we really wanted to check it out – we had wanted to book a day trip that took us to four main places but everywhere was fully booked so we decided to check out the main one, Sintra, for the day. It was about 45 min out of Lisbon and a 5 euro train ride. We had a really yum lunch and then caught this crazy bus that went up hill for over 20 min before getting on a tram that took us the rest of the way to where we were headed – Pena National Palace. It was breathtaking. Those who know me well know I have grown up with a love of all things Disney and to this day still love all the old movies like Aladdin and The Little Mermaid and through my travels I come across these incredible buildings where I can see the illustrators of these wonderful movies would have been inspired from. One pillar in particular reminded me of the one that Aladdin was stuck in and sent to the end of the world…

That night we randomly came across a restaurant that also had traditional music, singing and dancing which is what we had on our must do list! We had a delicious 3 course meal with rose wine while performences went on on stage – we were sitting right at the back of the room and still had a great view –  and were clearly not hidden from sight as Nicole and I got taken up to dance on stage at the end along with a few other embarrassed audience members!!! It was so much fun though and such a great laugh!!