The Write Place. The Write Time.
The adventures of Marie Veillette.
Italy: Day 1
Lots and Lots of Flying
The first day of my adventure to Italy was spent getting there. It was the longest travel day of my life. We started out at 8:30 a.m. checking in with United Airlines at the Fargo, N.D. airport. Our flight left at 10:30 a.m. and landed in Chicago. We were supposed to have about an hour layover, but unfortunately our plane was a little late getting in, leaving us to hurry to the gate and get directly on the next plane. This next plane would take us from Chicago to Washington D.C. I would include the times, but it gets screwed up as we pass through each time zone, so I will just say it was early afternoon.
When we landed in D.C. we were scheduled to have another hour layover, but time was already behind, and we were again rushing to catch the final flight that would land us in Rome. The last flight was 8 hours and 50 minutes long. We took off from D.C. In the early evening and ended up in Rome at 8:30 a.m. (local time. At home it would be 1a.m.) The good news is everyone made it onto all the connecting flights and arrived in Rome as scheduled. The bad news is a couple people lost their luggage, and I got pretty airsick by the end of the flight. ( More on this tomorrow) We were fed twice while in the air: once for dinner and once for breakfast. The food was as good as could be expected from an airline. I'm going to stop now. I don't want to overlap too far into day two, though in my head they are ONE LONG DAY.
The bear in the backpack has become my traveling buddy. You will see him a lot in the pictures I take at all the famous sites throughout the trip. I received him as a gift from my boyfriend and decided last minute to take him with because I knew it would help to have a little piece of something familiar with me. Hope you enjoy some of the fun airport pictures I took :)
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Not The Best Day For Me
I woke up after finally getting to sleep in a real bed rather than in an upright, uncomfortable airplane seat. Unfortunately, I was still not feeling well. In fact I was feeling as sick as when I got off the plane. I got up intending to ignore the stomach ache and tough it out, but the longer I was awake the worse I felt. I ended up back in bed but fully dressed and showered. I told my group to go on without me, though it was the last thing I wanted to do. I fell asleep and woke up about 5 hours later feeling completely better and back to normal. I was so relieved. I think some good rest is what I really needed to get over whatever was making me feel sick. I haven't had any trouble since that day, and I hope it will stay that way.
While I waited for my group to return to the hotel room, I decided to take advantage of getting some pictures of the differences between Italian and American hotels and bathrooms. Turns out, there is much to find.
First, there is a bidet in every bathroom, besides a few questionable public ones, that I have been in. I will not use a bidet (because I don't know how, and I don't really want to) but I did turn it on to see how it worked. Also interesting to note is the flushing mechanism for the toilet. Italian toilets do not have a tank to hold water on the back or a flushing handle. There is usually a white box or circular button in the wall above that you push to flush. It took me a few seconds to figure it out in the airport bathroom when we first landed. There is also very little water in the bowl to begin with, which looks pretty weird to an American like me.
One of our hotels had a very old hair dryer that I was a little afraid to use because it looked like a vacuum cleaner to me. I have supplied a picture to the left so you can see for yourself. It was not very effective, which I have found to be true for most hairdryers here. Even so, unless you really, really hate wet hair, I wouldn't bring your own. You can get by with these, though it will probably take you 10 times longer to get it dry.
The lights in the hotel room are operated with your key card. There is a slot the card must be in in order to keep the supply of power flowing throughout the room. I found this to be very interesting. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. You have to take your key card with you when you leave, so the hotel knows they are not paying for power to light an empty room. It probably saves a ton of energy and operating expenses to the hotel. The only annoying part of this key requirement is that when you leave and take your card with you, the devices you have plugged in to charge are no longer receiving power. It is easily workable if you know that the cut off of power will occur.
Lastly, outlets in Italy (and many other counties) are different from American outlets. Don't forget to bring an adapter. I picked mine up at RadioShack, and it has worked beautifully. Many people in my group forgot one, however. It's one thing (besides underwear) that is pretty important to your trip, especially if you are using a tablet or camera to record your vacation.
The picture of the street was my view from the hotel in Roma. Notice the high number of scooters. It's pretty interesting to see how different two places inhabited by the same creatures can be..
Italy: Day 2
Italy: Day 3
Travel Journal
In a couple weeks, I will be going to Italy on a school study trip. I hope to be able to update this each day (with pictures!). Of course, it depends on how much wifi I can find. It will be my first trip abroad, so I am clueless as to what to expect. I know it will be an adventure!
I woke up still feeling better than I had so far on the trip. I was extremely relived because the Vatican was on the itinerary for today. Besides the colosseum, the Vatican was one of my most anticipated sites. We got up, and ate a delicious breakfast at the hotel. We were not scheduled to meet at the Vatican until 1p.m., so we had the morning free to do what ever we wanted. I went off with some people in my group to explore the city of Rome and do a little shopping. Just before 1 p.m., we hopped on a bus from downtown Rome to the Vatican. The buses are always crowded. If I can walk the distance, I usually take that option over getting on a bus. Also, busses are a hot spot for getting pick pocketed. However the Vatican was too far away, so bus was the best option.
We found our group sitting near the obelisk in. St. Peter's Square. My professor's friend from Italy also tagged along, and took us to a great authentic Italian restaurant in the Vatican City. After lunch, we walked to the Vatican museum to begin our walk through. Each of the students on the tour has to do three site reports of the various places we will be seeing on the trip. One of mine was the Vatican museum, so I knew a little bit about what we were going to see before we went there. After checking our backpacks with security, I gave my site report. From there it was off to the see the museum. There is so much art displayed in the Vatican that tours range from 1.5 to 5 hours. Even with the 5 hour tour, it is impossible to see everything the Vatican contains.
We walked through rooms of marble statues, mosaiced floors, high vaulted and painted ceilings, and walls covered in huge tapestries or paintings. There is just too much to the Vatican to be able to describe it accurately. It was hard to decide where to look when walking through the rooms. Most had something on the walls, ceilings, and floors. I would say the time spent there alone made the trip to Italy worth it. I took as many pictures as I thought were worth it, but they do not do justice to the pieces of art I was able to see in person. The Sistine chapel was nothing like I imagined, but just as impressive (if that makes any sense). There are no pictures allowed in the chapel, but it is understandable because the flashes would damage the paintings on the ceilings and walls.
After the museum, we went to St. Peter's Basilica to tour that as well, since it is the major basilica of Vatican City. Unlucky for us, the basilica was closing to tourists for the day because a special mass was being held. Hopefully, the plan is to go back and see it on our last day in Rome before we head back to the states.
Since the day ended a little earlier than expected, part of the group (including me) decided to walk the city right outside the Vatican walls. Though we had a destination in mind, we never made it because we went the wrong way. Even asking a local that spoke English for help made us more lost. It didn't matter, though. It was fun to walk a new part of the town. We ended up in a residential neighborhood, which was very different from the area surrounding our hotel. We even got to go inside an Italian grocery store. It was interesting to see the differences and similarities between here and home. We were all tired and hungry by this time, so we went on a mission to find the gelato (Italian ice cream) place that had been recommended to us. A few busses later, we were happily eating. When we finally arrived back at the hotel, we were all tired and had sore feet from the high amount of walking we had done. Sleep was easy and felt great.
Feeling Much Better
Italy: Day 4
​Italy : Day 5
Changing Cities
In the morning, after sleeping heavily and resting my tired legs and feet, we got up and left for the train station. Today we would be going to Pompeii. After a couple hours train ride to Naples, the city right outside Pompeii, we switched trains. From there it was about another hour to Pompeii. It was a short walk from the train station to our hotel. This hotel was by far nicer than our hotel in Rome, and I was a little bummed we would only be staying one night.
After dropping our bags, we headed out to go to the ruins of the original city of Pompeii. I was so surprised that they were just a few blocks down from where we were staying. It was lunch time, and I was hungry. Along the way, I stopped and bought a sandwich. This sandwich was very different from anything I had ever had in America, though I am surprised I have never seen it before. It was a bun cut almost all the way in half, stuffed with french fries and two hot dogs. It was very good, but probably really not that healthy. Turns out, I probably walked the whole thing off by the end of the day. After paying 11 euros to enter the site, we stopped and listened to another site report. Then it was on to view and explore the city that was destroyed by a volcano so long ago.
We walked in to a view of the main amphitheater with mount Vesuvius in the background. The view was so beautiful, it was easy to see why people would want to build a city here. We went inside the theater, and I was again surprised. It was much more intact than I imagined a structure covered in ash and hot lava could be. It was here that I learned what I think is the most interesting fact about the current city of Pompeii. Inside the theater, there were stray dogs everywhere. Throughout the whole day our group saw a total of 15. They were extremely tame, and did not care about the masses of people milling about around them. Apparently, the city of Pompeii feeds them, gives them the necessary shots, and microchips them. They are communal pets. Even with dogs everywhere, the streets and parks are clean from poop. It is a very interesting concept to me.
The ruins were far more expansive than I expected. We spent over 5 hours walking around, and still did not see everything. Most structures were just half crumbling walls with no roof. However, some buildings were nicely preserved. A few even had the original artwork on the walls. I never realized before that the walls would have been decorated with brightly colored paintings. Since all I had really seen before were the stone walls, I thought that was what it would have looked like originally.
We wandered around looking at houses and other buildings. Excavation is still being done, so there was a fair amount that we were not allowed to enter. Many of the previously unearthed buildings were not accessible to enter because the structures are becoming very unstable. The ones we were able to enter were interesting to see. Though obviously much less high tech than our current homes, not much was different in the general structure of the rooms.
We saw the forum and many other temples, including the temple of Isis, as well. The temple of Isis is the best preserved structure of the whole city of Pompeii. Since the class I am taking for the trip is focusing on the transformation of religion, we spent quite a bit of time there. My most favorite building was the villa of mysteries. It has this name because it contains a room painted in a scene of which no one can explain. The whole room is still so vibrant and clear. It's incredible really.
When we finally found our way out of Pompeii (we had a map, but it was much harder with some streets closed off for the digging) we went back to the hotel and collapsed. It had been a very long day of hard walking. Pompeii's roads paved with boulders are not the smoothest anymore. A few hours later, our hunger got the Better of us and we wandered down the streets to find some pizza and gelato. Then it was back to the room for a shower (the ruins are dusty, and it was a windy day) and bed time. Tomorrow would be another travel day.
Continuing the Day That Went On Forever
I got off the airplane feeling sick and looking green. The first thing I learned about overseas travel: don't eat the plane food unless you really need it. It's not that good and though it may not have been the thing to make me sick, it sure did not help my stomach combined with the turbulence before landing. Also unhelpful was the lack of a break between flights. If you are not going nonstop, leave yourself at least a couple hours for a layover. The up and down was not working in my favor, and a little bit of a break would have been nice for a rest. Not only that, but if your flights are delayed you don't need to worry about running to the next connecting flight, which we did.
I managed to keep all the airplane food in me, but even after I was on the ground and sitting still, I did not feel completely right. However, to avoid jet lag we were not allowed to sleep since we landed at 8:30 Roma time. Before we left the airport, we all bought a Roma pass. It comes with a map and a card that will get you a free ride on public transit and a bypass of ticket lines into most major sites. I would definitely recommend it to anyone spending time in Rome.
We arrived at the hotel in one piece. First fact about Italy: they are crazy drivers. I would never rent a car or any vehicle here. There are plenty of other ways to get around. Seriously, stay out of the drivers seat. Fact #2: Cars/busses/scooters do not care if you are a pedestrian. You do not have the right of way. Some may attempt to swerve around you, but they will never slow down. Be a cautious walker.
We dropped our things off in our rooms. Well, those of us who had not lost our luggage; thankfully not me. Then it was back outside for a full day of walking and site seeing. Our group stopped at a little cafe for lunch across from Santa Maria Maggiore. Then we took off for the colosseum. Seeing the colosseum was sort of surreal to me. I had studied it in school and seen many pictures. Seeing and touching it in person was much better than all of that. I think the most amazing part for me was knowing just how old it was and how historically important it is. Nothing in America is even close to the age of this landmark, and that is what amazed me. It was also surreal because of the death that occurred there. Standing inside the stadium, I could just imagine the place filled with people. Though I will never understand the pleasure of watching the massacre of another human being, it was definitely one of my most anticipated site visits.
After the colosseum, we saw the arch of Constantine. Then walked a ways to the Trevi Fountain. It was massive. Interestingly enough, it was right in the middle of a regular city block. The size really surprised me, yet the beauty and detail were remarkable. The sound of the moving water was very loud and communication required yelling. Also, the number of people surrounding it made moving around hard to do. That number never goes down, so don't bother waiting until a less busy time. If you are there, you might as well enjoy it.
Our last stop of the day lead us to the Pantheon. It is a temple initially built to honor the gods. Now it is a church. It is very interesting, and free to enter. The thing I found most interesting about this building was the hole in the ceiling. It was raining when we visited and it seemed perfectly normal to everyone there to just let the rain fall in the middle of a church.
After the last stop we trudged back to our hotel and went to sleep. I was exhausted and had a slight head ache, so it didn't take me long to be out. The 7 hour time difference from home was not a problem with my sleep schedule after being awake so long, though my eating schedule was still set to home time.​
Italy: Day 6
We woke up and emptied our rooms in Pompeii. After a light breakfast at the hotel, we set off to the train station a few blocks away. When we got there, we caught a train to Napoli. Today we would be seeing the Napoli Archeological Museum. Since we would not be staying long in Naples, we had no hotel. We checked our luggage at the train station for the day. The museum was too far away to walk from the train station, so our group split into two taxis. The traffic and driving was crazier than in Rome. It was one of the most terrifying car rides of my life, but everyone made it there alive.
The Napoli Archeological Museum is famous for two things. First, it houses the Alexander the Great mosaic. Second, it contains the secret room. The Alexander mosaic was originally in Pompeii, but was excavated and preserved to be displayed in the museum. Though there is a great deal missing from the mosaic today, it does not take away from the masterpiece.
The secret room is a part of the museum that has been under great controversy since its unveiling. It's room contains artifacts from Pompeii that are sexually erotic. It was definitely not my favorite part of the trip. The group also sees me as the most innocent of all, so I got teased a little about getting a little red in the face. Let's just say I didn't take any pictures or spend much time there. The rest of the museum was interesting, too. There were many more artifacts and mosaics rescued from Pompeii. Marble statues of roman rulers and gods also filled the museum.
There was not much time set aside for this particular museum because we had to catch a train to Florence that afternoon. We left the museum and rode a taxi back to the train station. It was again very scary. After grabbing a light lunch at the train station, we picked up our luggage from the bag check and set off to find our train platform. When we got there, we looked at the sign in front of all the platforms that shows where each train will be. Our train was canceled.
Since there was no replacement train listed, our group had to wait while our professor went to find out what our fate would be. Thankfully, she came back with good news. We were put on a different train to a destination that was close to our original. Another plus, was that our new train was much faster than our original. At one point we were traveling at 300 kilometers per hour. We ended up switching trains after about an hour. I can't say how long we were on the second because I was asleep for most of the trip. All the walking, sightseeing, and the time change was catching up with me, and I couldn't fight it anymore.
We got off the train, and had to catch another to the train station in Florence. It was raining pretty hard, so we all got soaked walking from one platform to another. After the long day, I didn't really care anymore. Everyone was tired and a little crabby. We got off the train in Florence, found the hotel, and got settled in our rooms. Actually, we technically did not stay in a hotel, but rather, a hostel. Lucky for us, it was not as bad as some hostels have been described to be. After walking across the street from where we were staying to get a much overdue dinner, everyone called it a night and went to bed.
My roommate and I came back to find our room freezing and filled with mosquitoes. We hadn't really had time to inspect the room carefully before. Upon closer inspection, we found that the walls were covered in smears where past residents had killed the bugs. Also, the windows and doors did not stay closed, which explained the chilly temperature and mass amount of bugs. We took out all the extra blankets, and slept under them. I also put on socks and a sweatshirt over my regular pajamas because I was so cold. Had I not been so tired, I probably would have slept horribly.
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Italy: Day 7
Uffitzi Museum
I woke up after a long night of semi-conscious swats at the multiple mosquitoes in my room. It was still freezing when I woke up, so I changed into some warmer clothes and kept the sweatshirt on that I had slept in the night before. I went down to grab a quick breakfast before the events of the day.
On the itnerary for the day was the Academia museum in Florence. When my professor came down to breakfast, she told us she had accidentally bought tickets to the Uffitzi museum instead. I personally didn't care which one we went to, so the change of plans was not really a big deal to me. The Uffitzi is one of the major Italian museums. It is home to Venus on the Half Shell, which is a very famous painting. It was created by the famous artist Sandro Botticelli. The scene depicted in the painting is meant to show the birth of the godess Venus.
We walked to the museum, which was a little bit of a walk from our hotel. We got there and skipped the line of people waiting to buy tickets since ours were already reserved. If possible, it is best to buy tickets to any of the major attractions in advance, It really saves a lot of time spent waiting in line and guarantees you will get in to the place to want to see on the day you plan to see it.
We once again were forced to check our bags. No photographs were allowed in the museum, either. Because the flash will harm the art and the museum wants the tourists to buy prints of the works, we were forced to leave our cameras with our bags. There won't be many pictures for this day, but I will attach a picture of Venus on the Half Shell that I took from Wikipedia.
The other main attraction was the medusa head. It was painted on a rounded sheild. It was very cool to see. Medusa is an interesting character in Roman history, and it was interesting to see the multiple depictions of her. If I can find a picture of that, I will attach it, too.
After a long day of looking at everything the Uffitzi had to offer, I and a few others in the group decided to explore Florence further. We would be leaving tomorrow morning, so it was our only chance. In our wondering we got extrememly lost, but it was just fine. Sometimes you find the coolest things a city has to offer when you aren't looking.
We came across an ornately deorated and redicoulously large building we later found out is known as the Duomo. The only pictures I took on this day were of the outside of this building, so I will be sure to attach those. The Duomo is the main church in Florence.
After some more wandering we came across the outdoor market of Florence. I bought my sister a very cool, handmade mask there. There was so much to look at: scarves, wallets, leather bags, shirts. It was almost overwhelming.
We were getting hungry, so we decieded to stop for a little snack. It was three o'clock already, and none of us had eaten since breakfast. We found our way back to the hotel, then chose a resturant close by. After that, all of us went back to the hotel to rest our feet before we were supposed to meet the rest of the group for dinner.
I wasn't that hungry since we had just eaten, so I ordered dessert instead of a full meal. It was delicious. After dinner, I went back to the room to get some rest. I was tired after all the walking, and we had an early morning train to catch.
That night, the wifi was not working in the hostel. Actually, it was a common trend not all that surprising. I noticed the cafe across the street had wifi, so my roommate and I went to go use that. We had to buy something in order to be able to use it, so we settled on a delectable looking cake. (Yes, I took pictures of course!) Turns out, the wifi didn't work there either, but hey, at least we had a really good cake to eat.
Apparently, the wifi in the hotel was fixed while we were gone, so I uploaded some pictures to facebook and talked to my boyfriend while I had the chance. When I finally went to bed, I was full of delicous cake and very, very tired. I didn't get into bed before a little mosquito killing session, though.
Italy: day 8
I woke up with a few mosquito bites, but much warmer than I had been the night before. One of our group members, Jen, had come in and helped us figure out how to rig the windows to stay shut. We had a train to catch to Ravenna today, and I can't say I was sad to be leaving this hostel.
The group met in the lobby after grabbing some breakfast. We walked back to the train station and boarded our train to Ravenna. It was not too long before we arrived. From there we took a bus to the city. I was happy I hadn't chosen to each lunch between the train and bus ride. The bus was very bumpy and windy and jerky. Some people in our group were not feeling the best when we got off. We managed to find our new hotel with little trouble. I went up to our new (bug free!) room to drop off my suitcase.
I was especially excited for the city of Ravenna because the people there mostly get around by bicycle. There are still plenty of cars, but the city is very bike friendly. I was excited because the hotel offered a free bike rental when we made reservations to stay there. Biking would be a nice change from walking all the time. Plus, who doesn't want to be able to say they went biking in Italy?
Today we would be visiting a bunch of different churches around the city. All of them eventually began to look the same, so I can't say for sure where each photo was taken but I will supply the list of the ones we saw.
We started off walking to Basilica di Sant' Apollinare Nuovo, then on to Basilica San Vitale. San Vitale is an octigonal shaped church with very high, and very detailed painted ceilings. Right next to that basilica is the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia where the sarcophagus of Galla Placidia is said to be. She was the daughter of the Roman Emporer, Theodosius. There are also two other tombs in this same building. This was a very small space, but it was just as ornately decorated as the other larger basilicas.
We still were not done after these three. We walked on to the Battistero Neoniano, This was a smaller building as well, A bastismal font took up most of the space inside. Once again, the ceiling was mosaiced with great detail. There is a great deal of gold color in the mosaics. It is real gold. The mosaic pieces are two pieces of glass with whatever color was needed pressed inside. The gold color is gold leaf encased in glass. This fact will be even more impressive when I put up the day we saw St. Mark's Basilica. (That is coming soon)
We went to one last church after that, but unfortunately it was not on the map that I have. After seeing so many churches in one day, I was understandibly a little overwhelmed. The name of the last church escapes me, but it was very similar to Battistero Neoniano. The baptismal font that used to take up most of the room had been removed, but I could still see where it had sat. The ceiling of this one was also extremely similar to the previous one. Both featured a young Jesus being baptised by John with the river god looking on. I thought the inclusion of a god was ironic considering the churches were Christian.
After we finished looking at all the churches on the list for the day, it was time for the moment I had been waiting for: BIKES! The group split up into those who wanted to go biking and those who wanted to go find dinner. It is pretty obvious who I went with.
The bikers walked back to the hotel to rent our gear. It was my first bike ride since the previous summer, so I was very excited. We biked around town and just enjoyed the sights. Even on a bike in Ravenna, the cars still take the right of way. It is best to still be cautious, even though the drivers there are used to lots of bikers. Trying not to get hit by a car, not hit a pedestrian (the sidewalkes can get a little small), and obeying road signs that I wasn't completely sure I understood were the only parts of the ride that were stressful. Even with all of this, I was having a blast. After a while we all got hungry. Surprisingly, it took some searching to find a resturant. We came across one eventually, and had some delicious fig jam and cheese on fresh baked pita bread. It was one meal I can honestly say I actaully enjoyed. Jam and cheese: Who knew?
We biked back and returned the bikes to the hotel. I went up to the room to shower and get settled in for the night. I even managed to get enough wifi to Skype with my boyfriend, which was the first time we had actually heard each other's voices since I left. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day. We were yet again changing cities in the morning, so I packed up my suitcase and headed to bed, but not before finishing off that cake from Florence. :)
Italy: Day 9
The whole group met up in the lobby bags packed and full of breakfast. We once again returned to the train station and hopped on a train to Venice. I was most excited for this city, besides Rome of course. Growing up on the Mississippi River, I was anticipating seeing a city built entirely on water. I had seen plenty of pictures of Venice before I went there, but it was so much better in person (obviously, almost everything is).
After a little confusion, we were able to find the hotel we would call home for the next three days. As would become apparent after our time here, it is quite easy to get lost in Venice. The two boys in our group were lost everytime they set foot outside the hotel, without taking a girl navigator.
We had no itinerary for the whole three days we were going to spend in Venice. I was relieved, along with the rest of the group, because despite all of our remarkably good attitudes, we were exausted. Having a little bit of a break in the middle of the two week trip was just what everyone needed.
The whole group was ready to start the relaxing, preferably with a nap. The hotel desk manager had bad news for us, however. Our rooms were not ready. The group found a little back room, stacked our luggage against the wall, and collapsed onto the couches and chairs. Jen, the previously mentioned savior who helped to keep our windows closed in Florence, gave a site report since we had not had time to visit one of her sites while in Ravenna. After she finished, I gave my site report on St. Mark's Basilica since we were not required to travel there as a group during our stay in Venice. After the class work was finished for this city, we had still not heard anything about the availability of our rooms. The boys decieded they were tired enough to just take a nap on the couch they had sunk onto. The rest of us were tired, but decieded to go for a little walk and see some of Venice. Just as we were about to walk out the door, the news we had been awaiting arrived: Our rooms were ready! All plans were off, and everyone happily went to go freshen up and relax for the first time on the trip.
After a sufficient time taking it easy, the girls were hungry, The four of us plus the professor wandered around until we found a nice little pizzaria. This resturant had sugar packets with the zodiac signs on them, so of course my roommate and I had to put them in order to get a picture. (and yes, I took mine home with me)
After stuffing myself with one of the best pizzas I had eaten on the whole trip, my roommate, Rachel and I went off to puruse the many streets of Venician shops. We found our way back to the hotel without a problem, but not before purchasing some Gelato. I ate mine, sat on my bed, and was asleep before I even knew what was happening. Rachel woke me up to ask if I wanted to go to dinner, but I groggily declined and instantly fell back asleep. I did not wake up until the other three girls came back to go to bed. I was awake long enough to brush my teeth and change into some pajamas. I was out as soon as I got back into bed. I couldn't believe how much I was able to sleep. I guess the previous 8 sleep deprived days had caught up with me. I liked being able to go to bed without setting an alarm for early the next morning, So far, I really liked Venice.
Italy: Day 10
I woke up the next morning on my own. It was still pretty early, but it makes such a differnence when waking up naturally. I felt refreshed and relaxed. I took a shower and made it to the lobby in time for breakfast. When I got there, I found most of the group, and we made plans to go walk around Venice and find a landromat. All of us were pretty much out of clean clothes. I packed light knowing I had a fifty pound limit I had to maintain on the way home. By halfway through the trip, I had pretty much worn every shirt, all my pants, and most of my underwear. I decieded to go light on pants and shirts to allow for more of the essential underwear. It was a good choice.
We found the landromat without much trouble at all. There were a few problems, however. First, the cost just to wash one load was 8 euros. It was the same to dry. That is an expensive load of laundry! None were willing to pay nearly 25 US dollars to wash our clothes, so we decieded to leave. Also, there were some snotty tourists who told us they were going to be using all the machines, so we would have to come back later.
New plans were made to go back to the hotel and just wash what we really needed by hand in the bathroom. Jen, again the lifesaver, had brought laundry soap. The boys took the shirts, while Jen and I took the pants. We split up with plans to meet up after finishing. The pants turned out to be much harder to wash than I anticipated. Cargo shorts are really heavy when they are soaking wet and all the pockets are full of water. Our backs needed a break after holding those up for a while.
With that finished, we went back to the streets of Venice, minus one guy. He decided to take a nap.( I guess washing all those shirts wore him out.) We wandered a little ways to find an H&M store, so the guy who was with us (the one who lost his luggage on the flight there and still hadn't gotten it back) could buy some more clothes. With that finished, we then lost him to plans of napping as well. It was just girls now, and that was fine.
I wanted to see St. Mark's Basilica, which is in Venice. Since I had done my site report on it, I knew quite a bit of the details, and I wanted to see it in person. During my research I had found that this basilica is nicknamed the church of gold. It was an adequate name. The entire ceiling is completely covered in gold mosaic, and it is real gold. Each tile has a gold leaf pressed between the two pieces of glass. We were not supposed to take pictures (because they wanted people to buy the rediculously overpriced books with pictures in them at the gift shop). I am usually not a rule breaker, but I snuck one because it was simply that amazing. I could go on and on about what I know about St. Mark's, but it is far too long to put in here. If I remember, I will try to attach the paper I wrote about it somewhere on here.
By this time, we were all hungry. We had lunch at a resturant on the water. It was a beautiful view, but the food was the worst I had in all of Italy. We later found out the waterfront resturants are not a good choice because they are more expensive and have lower quality food. It was still rather enjoyable. Our waiter was a large man with the voice of Andre the Giant from the Princess Bride movie. He was not as entertaining as Andre, however. After lunch we were all pretty tired. Not having anything to do for the whole day, we went back to the hotel to rotate our drying laundry and rest.
We all ended up falling asleep, but woke up in time to catch dinner with the professor. We ate at the same resturant everyone had gone to the previous night when I was sleeping. It was deep in the city of Venice, and had delicious food. It was a great way to end another laid back day in Venice. Even despite our lack of pressing schedule on this day, I was still extremely happy when it came time for bed. I could get used to this sleeping thing.
Italy: Day 11
I woke up feeling well rested and ready for a day with no requirements. It was our third day in Venice, but everyone in our group was ready for a new city. However, we were in Italy, so no one complained too much about being stuck in the iconic city for one more day.
I went down and grabbed a quick breakfast from the lobby. I had the usual Nutella and croissant with a glass of water. I'm pretty sure that by the time the trip was over I had eaten my own weight in Nutella, and I am perfectly okay with that. My roommate, Rachel really wanted to go see the glass blowing on the island of Murano, not far off the shore of Venice. Jen, the two guys, and I agreed to go along. We were all ready to go, when we discovered the water taxi fare to the island was 18 Euros. I don't know exactly how much that is in American dollars, but I think it is somewhere around $25. No one was willing to pay that much, so we went back to having no plans.
I'm sure many people are probably wondering if I took a gondola ride. No, I didn't. It's not that I didn't want to, because I did. The price was so high, it was just too much. In fact, that was true of a lot of things in Venice. It is a big tourist place, so prices are high for everything. It was the probably the city where I spent the most money.
With no plans for the day, Rachel and I went off to peruse the shops again. We left Jen and one of the guys in a piazza to work on writing their journals. I Rachel and I both bought a few last minute gifts we had been considering from the days before. When we had our fill of Venetian shops and squeezing past other tourists in the small streets, we headed back to the piazza where we left the others. It was right around lunch time, and all four of us were hungry. There was one restaurant we had walked by at least three times every day we had been in Venice. We decided to stop there. The name of the place was Aeoche. I wasn't hungry for a whole pizza (which is what you get when you order pizza at a resturant in Italy.) I decided to get some deep fried mozzerela cheese balls and a plate of assorted salami. The cheese balls were delicious, but the salami was not as exciting. In fact, it wasn't salami at all; it was raw ham. It was not the first time I had seen this food on an Italian plate. I tried a piece of the uncooked, unsmoked ham. It was not for me. It was served at room temperature, and the thinly sliced piece was slimey and hard to chew or swallow. It pretty much looked and felt like a slice of uncooked bacon. The other brave souls at my table finished most of it off, but even they had enough after one or two pieces.
Blye, one of the guys along on the trip, ordered a seafood pizza. It was not what anyone was expecting when it was finally brought out. There were mussles still in the shells, calamari, and even a whole lobster, head and all, baked right into the pizza. I am not a fan of seafood of any sort, so I was already a little grossed out. The part that gets me is when the head and body are still in the original form. Watching him eat the pizza combined with the uncooked ham was enough to get rid of my appitite, so the cheese balls turned out to be enough food for me.
After the lunch expereince, Rachel and I split from Jen and Blye. We ended up at a nice little cafe and ordered some hot chocolate and lattes. They had wifi, so that was a bonus. After spending an hour or so there, we went back to the hotel to get packed and relax in our last few hours in Venice and Italy. We had to be up and out at 3 a.m. to catch a bus to the airport. From there, our flight would take us to Istanbul, Turkey.
Unfortunately for me, Ian (the other guy in our group) found out about the seafood pizza Blye had earlier and my strong adverstion to it. Ian went and bought one, then brought it to our room to eat it and tourture me. I was even chased by a lobster head for a little bit. Ew. Good thing Jen was there to protect me. After Ian left, all four of the girls in our room went to sleep. Even though it was only 9 p.m., we all slept well, and the time to get up came up fast.
***Since this was such a lazy day with no plans, I didn't really take any pictures. I know one was taken of the seafood pizza, and if I can locate it I will be sure to put it up. It is really something to sea. ;)
Istanbul:
Day 12
My alarm went off a little before 3 a.m. All the girls were doing last minute checks of the room, zipping up suitcases, and lugging them down to the lobby. Our hotel did not have an elevator, which was fine for the most part, except when hauling a heavy, nearly 50 pound suit case. Then it sucked.) We all met in the lobby, got checked out, and began the trek to the bus station.
I am not lying when I say it was a trek. First, it is not so easy to pull a wheeled bag across cobblestone streets. Second, there are a ton of bridges, obviously. All of the bridges have stairs, so I would have to pick up my bag and carry it across each one. I was building up some strong arm , shoulder, and back muscles on this trip.
When we finally all made it to the bus stop, we sat down and waited. Surprisingly, I was not tired at all. I think my body was just really confused with what I was doing to it. The time change combined with the different foods, and erratic sleep schedule were enough to throw me off. It was a good thing we had the time in Venice, because I doubt anyone could have made it to Turkey without a little rest.
The bus came after about a 30 minute wait. After a short ride, we managed to get off at the right stop. It was a feat considering no one knew where we were going. We walked in the door and got checked in with our airline, Airitalia. It was beginning to get light out by the time we found our gate and sat down to wait for our flight. It was a short wait, and before I knew it we were in line to board the plane.
After a little over an hour ride, we landed in Rome. We had a bit of a layover, and then we would board another plane to Istanbul. Since we were not able to eat breakfast at the hotel, everyone was pretty hungry. We decided to use this time to find some food. I got a Nutella (big surprise, I know) to go cup. It comes with bread/pretzel sticks, Nutella (obviously), and iced tea. It was one of the things I really wanted to eat while in Italy, so it was a goal accomplished. Ian bought cannoles and was nice enough to share with everyone. They were delicious.
I have to admit that was not too excited to go to Turkey. I was scared actually. I had no idea what to expect from this totally different culture from one I had ever experienced. As it turns out, Istanbul was my favorite place we went on the whole trip. I am so glad it was on the itinerary.
We boarded our second plane of the day and after about two hours touched down in Istanbul. At the airport we had to buy a visa that cost $20 or 15 Euros. I paid in Euros because I had some left. I felt pretty cool considering the rest of the group paid in American dollars.
After buying the visa, we walked to the baggage claim; Everyone's luggage was there! Yay! With luggage in hand, we walked to where a van was scheduled to pick us up. We found the driver and followed him to the car. After loading up the van, we were off. The drive to the hotel was gorgeous. It was right along the sea, and I was dying to hop out and go run along the sandy beaches. The traffic was just as bad and scary as it had been in Italy. Driving through the crowded streets had its heartstopping moments. Not soon enough, we arrived at the Hotel Romance, Istanbul.
This was one of the nicest hotels we had stayed in (besides Pompeii) on the whole trip. I knew it as soon as we walked into the lobby. There was a large sitting area across from a bar. Steps separated the breakfast dining area. There was even a bowl of complementary apples. We were all still so hungry, our group ended up eating them all.
Everyone went up to their rooms to unpack, with a meeting time set in half an hour. The group reconviened, but the two boys were missing. We waited and waited, and then it dawned on me. It was one hour difference from Italy to Istanbul. They had forgotten to change their watches. Jen went up to get them, and sure enough, that darn time change was the culprit.
Seeing the site where the city of Troy was discovered was tentatively on the itinerary while in Istanbul. It was a 12 hour bus ride round trip, leaving two hours to tour the site. The professor let us decide if we wanted to go. I was not interested after 12 hours on a bus was mentioned, but I said I would go if everyone else wanted to. Rachel and Blye had the same opinion. Ian had a site report at the city of Troy, but he was okay with not doing it at the site. Jen really wanted to go, but in the end she decided not to. It turned out only one of us was going to go, and she went alone. With that settled, I went with part of our group to explore the city around our hotel.
Before we left, the professor told us her Turkish friend would be picking us up and taking us out to dinner. We had heard about him throughout the whole trip, and all of us were excited to meet him.
We met back at the hotel at the time decided, and finally got to meet her friend. He was an extremely nice man. Everyone immediately liked him. We got on the metro train to go to the resturant he had picked out for the evening. When we got there, we found out it had closed. That did not phase our tour guide, though.
He hailed a taxi and somehow got his car to be delivered to him (since there were too many of us to fit in one vehicle) and off we went to his second choice. I am not an advernturous eater by any means. I barely eat anything more exciting than a peanut butter and jelly sandwitch. I was worried I would starve in Turkey. I was wrong. The Turk ended up ordering for the whole table because none of us really knew what to order. The food was so good! I surprised myself (and the rest of the group) with how much I ate. By this time in the trip, they were aware of my adverstion to most food. In fact, I'm pretty sure they all figured it out at the first meal we ate in Italy. Anyway, the meal consisted mostly of kabobs. There was beef, chicken, eggplant, and a bunch of other things I didn't recognize.
The meal just seemed to go on and on. Before the kabobs came, there were appitizers. Following the main course, there was dessert and then tea and then coffee. Turkish coffee is much stronger than American coffee. I drank mine anyway. By the time we got up to leave the table, I was feeling the effects of the caffeine. I just could not stop laughing. At least I was amusing the rest of the group.
We got back into the taxi to go to the waterfront. The Turk wanted to show us the water at night. Turkey is half in Europe and half in Asia. It is pretty much divided by the Bosphorus sea. We were going to go to the edge of the Europe side and look across the water to the Asia side.
I got in a taxi with Ian and Blye. Our driver was an angry man who did not speak any English. The frustration of trying to tell him where to go combined with me giggling in the back seat did not help the situation. My laughing only caused the other two guys to laugh as well. To sum up the ride, we all had a good time laughing as the driver probably was swearing at us in Turkish.
We got out at a separate place from the rest of the group because the professor's friend had driven his car after the train thing did not work out. He had to find a parking spot, so we were left to walk. As soon as we stepped from the car, our eyes and noses began to burn. It felt horrible. The boys said it was just the food that was cooking in the stands that were set up alongside the road. I thought it seemed like tear gas. I was right, and I will never let them forget it. Haha :)
We walked a little further up the road and ended up right in the middle of a protest. At the time, we had no idea what it was about. I just stood there and giggled, which the boys will never let me forget, so I guess we are even. The others finally found us, and we went away from the protest towards the water. Not too much later, a canister of tear gas landed not too far from where we were standing. The wind was convieniently blowing in our direction, so rather than hitting the protestors, it hit all the people peacefully sitting next to the water. It burned. At the same time, I was having a great time. I mean, how many Americans can say they were part of a Turkish protest? Not that many. We waited for the tear gas to clear and were just about to leave when another canister was dropped. It was time to get out of there. There was no way any taxi would be able to get past all the protestors, so we were forced to leave the boys behind. There was not enough room in the Turk's car for everyone. On the way to the car, we had to run directly through a cloud of the gas, so I could not see for most of the ride back. It was one of the more exciting nights of my life. After dropping us off at the hotel, both the professor and her friend went back for the boys. I could not sleep until I knew they were back safe.
Jen and I waited in the lobby for them to come back. While we waited, I began to think how interesting it was that I had formed such a strong bond with people I had only really known for a little over a week. One of the best things about going on this trip was the friendships I made. They came back safe and sound. With hugs all around, we went to bed for a well earned night of sleep.
So, yeah. That was my first day in Turkey, and that was just the first day.
Istanbul:
Day 13
Today was back to being jam packed and full of plans. The leasure was over; it was back to work. I knew it was set to be a long day, but I had no idea how much we would see until I finally fell into bed.
The day started out great, with a fabulous hotel breakfast. It was by far one of the better ones we had eaten on the whole trip. Although there was no Nutella, the Turkish version, Chockella, was available. Yes, I ate a bunch. They also had this stuff that was basically chocolate cake for breakfast. I think I could get used to this.
With one member of our group gone to Troy, the rest of us went to go see the undergroud cisterns. It was my favorite place we went that day. First of all, it was hot in Turkey. Going into the cool undergroud felt really good. Second, the pillars (old recyled Roman products) were each lit up, giving the place an eerie feeling. I am an avid scary movie fan, and this place seemed like the perfect set for a horror scene. I was loving it. The biggest mystery associated with the cistern is the two Medusa head pillars. In the very back of the place, there are two pillars, each displaying the head of Medusa. It is a mystery because one is positoned upsidedown, while the other is sideways. No one knows why or if this is even significant.
After walking the cistern, we all sat down at the cafe. Yes, the cistern has a cafe. While there, we each drank a glass of fresh squeezed pomegranite juice. It was delicious. From there we set off to our second destination of the day, The Blue Mosque.
I was a little nervous about going into the mosques. Religion is highly important in Turkey, and there are stiff rules, especially for women. Even though it was so hot most of the time we were in Turkey, I had to wear long pants otherwise I could not enter the mosques. I also had to put on a sweatshirt and a head scarf before I could be let in. After I put on all of these extra clothes, I then had to take off my shoes. The only requrements for men were that they have long pants on and no shoes.
The Blue Mosque is still in use, so the times we could go see it were limited. There is a call to prayer that is broadcast throughout the whole city five times a day. People are expected to be there every time. Even when tourists were allowed in, there were still people praying. It was interesting to watch.
After looking around the mosque we headed off to a mosaic museum. The mosaics had been restored and put back together as best as possible with what was able to be recovered. They were some of the best mosaics we had seen on the whole trip, and many of them had interesting subjects.
After the mosaic museum, the students split from the professor. We went to the archeological museum, and the professor went back to rest her feet at the hotel. It had already been a long day of walking.
At the archeological museum, there is a tomb labeled as Alexander the Great's. It is the main attraction there, and we were all excited to see it. When we got there, we were depressed to find out that is was not Alexander's, but was mistaken to be his orignally because of the depictions on the outside. The museum was filled with artifacts, and there was so much to look at it became almost overwhelming. One of the most interesting parts to walk through was the artifacts from Troy. There were letters written in stone, wepons, plates, pots, and much more.
When we first got to the museum, we all really needed to go to the bathroom. After asking a security gaurd where one could be found, we went off to use it. Walking in, this bathroom seemed normal. There were stalls and sinks; it had all the staples of a normal public bathroom. I was shocked to find that there was no toilet. It looked like someone had stamped the toilet into the ground. There was a seat shape level with the ground, complete with shoe grips so there would be no slipping, There was a bowl that was beneath that, buried into the ground a little. I was tempted to hold it and wait, but I REALLY had to go. So, I walked in and braved what was the most interesting public bathroom expereince I have ever had. It would have been much easier if I were wearing a skirt like most Turkish women, but I was wearing jeans. I can't quite say what position I put myself in to get it done, but everything went better than expected. Probably the worst part of the whole thing was that the floor was wet. I didn't know if it was water or something else. It was most definitely a memorable expereince.
After finishing the Archeological museum, the group made the decision to check out the Grand Bazaar. I was very excited for this site. I imagined all the shop keepers and their unique goods, bartering with buyers. My vision was not all that far off if the size were multiplied by ten and the word unique was removed. I was hoping to find some handmade goods here, but there was very littte, if any, of that. Many of the shops had identical items. I felt as if I had walked the whole thing after going around one block of shops. It was a big disappointment. Many people were planning on buying things here, but we ended up staying only an hour and did not go back during the rest of our stay in Istanbul. It turned out the shops right around our hotel were much better anyway.
After the long day of walking, everyone was ready for a little time to relax before dinner. We arrived back at the hotel, hot and sweaty. I decided a shower would be just what I needed after being forced to wear jeans (and sometimes a sweatshirt) on an 80 degree day. I was right.
After my shower, it was pretty much time for dinner. There was a block of just resturants right next to our hotel. We walked along, trying to decide where to eat. It is very unusual to me, but the hosts of each resturants would try so hard to pull us off the street and into their establishment. They would beg us to stop and look at the menu, point out a waiting table ready for us to sit and be served, or entice us with a rooftop seat. It was crazy, but it made me feel like they cared about giving us the best food and service possible. It was different from home, but not in a bad way.
The waiter kept calling Jen and me Princess. I guess this would be a good place to insert that Turkish men were noticing me. I thought I would stand out in Italy, being I am light haired and skinned and Italians certainly are not. I didn't really notice anything while in Italy, however. In Turkey, things were much different. It was as if they had never seen blonde hair or blue eyes before. I just ignored it for the most part, but I still realized I was being stared at almost everywhere we went. I was happy to have some male companions to wallk around with while we were there.
I did not like this food as much as the food we had the night before, but it was still pretty good. It was kabobs again, and I ate a little of the stuff I had tried and liked the night before. For dessert I shared a chocolate, banana, orange, grape crepe with Ian. That was really good, too.
By the time we got back to the hotel, I was more than ready for bed. We had walked a long way and seen a lot of things. Tomorrow was shaping up to be a similar day. It did not take long for me to fall alseep, and it seemed like no time at all before the alarm was going off to get up again.
Istanbul:
Day 14
It was shaping up to be another day filled with plans. After another wonderful hotel breakfast, we were off to the first stop of the day: the Haggia Sophia Mosque.
This mosque is no longer in use, so the usual dress requrements were not enforced. This mosque is particularly interesting because it was originally a catholic basilica. It was converted to a mosque when the country swiched to Islam. The mosaics were covered with plaster and painted over. They were some of the most well preserved mosaics we saw on the whole trip because they were covered for so long. It was almost ironic to see the symbols for both religions in one place.
After touring that mosque, we stopped at a cafe for some hot drinks. It was raining, and we did not want to walk too far in the downpour. After our little rest, we set off for our next destination, The Museum for the History of Science and Technology in Islam.
The walk to this place brought us through a beautiful park with flowers in full bloom. The museum itself had much to offer. On display was everything from Astrology equipment to old medical tools to minerals to scale models of many of the places we had or were going to visit.
After meeting up with everyone at the end of the exhibits, we sat and deliberated on where to go next. I was ready for a little rest. After seeing so many things in one day, my brain was fried. Not to mention, I had not been getting much sleep since arriving in Turkey. I would not have made it without my time in Venice.
In the end, we decided to go back to the hotel to get one of our group members who had been feeling sick when we were leaving earlier that morning. She was feeling better when we got there. The whole group went to lunch, and then we would walk to one last mosque before calling it a day.
After lunch we set off for the Suleiman Mosque, which unfortuneately was set at the top of a hill. The walk was a work out! When we reached the top, we were dismayed to find that the mosque was closed to the public. We were too late. Back down the hill we went.
With those plans foiled, we split off on our separate ways. I went with part of the group to further explore the shops. We went into a carpet shop. What an experience! The dealer sat us down in a back room, served us tea, and proceeded to lay out his beautiful hand made carpets. This is what most of us were looking for and missed while in the grand bazaar. Everyone had a good time and Ian even bought one. With a little more looking, we were pushing 8 o'clock. We were hungry.
Not too much later we were seated on pillows on a rooftop eating kabobs and having a genuinely good time. It was a beautiful night, and I couldn't imagine not being there at that moment. Too soon, we were on our way back to the hotel. Despite the calm and enjoyable time we were having, we were all pretty tired. There was a lot to cram in to tomorrow again, being it would be our last full day in Istanbul. It did not take me long to fall asleep that night.
Istanbul:
Day 15
It was our last full day in Istanbul; there were still many sites to visit; and the rioting continued. We had gotten caught up in the riots the night they started. For the rest of the time we spent in Istanbul, it was all we heard about. Our hotel was full because people who were staying in other parts of the city could not safely get back to thier hotels. The crowds of rioters were blocking the entrances, and the police were using dangerous measures such as pepper gas and water cannons to keep the crowds at bay. We did not encounter any more riots during our stay in Istanbul, which is crazy to me considering the massive crowds and constant activity.
Again, we had breakfast in the hotel. More Nutella and chocolate cake for me. YUM! Our first stop today would be the Topkapi Palace. It was the old home of the Sultan before he got tired of it and built a new one. Turkey no longer is ruled by a Sultan, and I am not sure what the newer place looked like. I know I would be happy with a place that was big enough to have 4 giant courtyards and a gorgeous view of the Bosphorus Sea, but that's just me. There were many parts to see. Some buildings allowed pictures, while others did not.
The first place we went after getting through security (yes, they had security checks at almost every place we went), was to a nice spot in the courtyard to listen to a site report. Even walking through the huge gates before the security checkpoint there were heavily armed gaurds. I mean HEAVILY armed.
After the site report the boys went off on their own, while the girls and the professor went to the harem. This part allowed pictures, so the first ones up will be of this part of the palace. I found out that close to 300 women lived here. The mother of the Sultan's job was to pick who he would sleep with each night. The picking was based on beauty and healthyness, because he wanted as many little sultan babies as possible. The less popular ones (the kind I would want to be) were basically servants to the popular ones. I mean, I'd rather not live there at all, but if I had to, I would prefer having a little free will, anyway.
The rooms were all extravagently decorated, as I would come to realize was the norm here. Not surprisingly, the sultan's quarters were basically connected to the harem. In his bedroom there were two beds: one for romping, and one for sleeping. He also had an adjoining private room with a perfect view of the sea.
In this same area was the children's room, and there were many children. Someone asked what happened to them when they grew up, which I thought was a good question. I guess their father would ensure they had high paying government jobs. None of them would ever be living a poor lifestyle.
From there we looked at the royal treasury, (no pictures unfortunately. I would have liked to share the diamond encrusted bassinet.), the royal armory (it was a little scary to see their war and fighting tactics. The swords and daggers and archery equipment were pretty cool though. No pictures here either.), and a room full of clocks of all sizes. We really wanted to see the kitchens, but they were closed for restoration. The display of clothing was no where to be found either, though we did get to see a couple cloaks in a building full of random artifacts. We met up with the boys taking a rest in the shade of a tree in one of the courtyards. I was hungry again. Good thing I had brought a jar of peanut butter from home at the advice of the professor. It was definitely sustaining me on the days where the food I would eat was scarce. I sat down and ate some straight from the jar, along with a complimentary apple I had snagged from the hotel that morning.
Even though I felt as if I had seen so much, I still felt like a whole day could be spent at this palace. That was all the time we had left though, and there was still more to see. Up next: the Suleiman Mosque, round 2.
This time we took a more round about way to avoid walking straight up the hill. I don't know how that worked because we still ended up at the top of the hill. I just didn't notice the incline as much this time. It was back to full body coverage again. This mosque was fairly similar to the Blue Mosque. I especially liked the floor. It was a beautiful orange color. I also found out that each doorway shape in the carpet represents one spot, like a chair. When prayer is going on, each person gets their own space as dictated by the floor. I thought that was so cool.
After touring that mosque, we sat in the spacous marble courtyard and relaxed a little. We were allowed to wear regular clothes again, which was a good thing because it was HOT. We deliberated on what to do next. I had thought there was more to do today, but to my surprise and delight, we had seen everything required.
We decided on lunch before anything else. Food seemed to be our go to activity. After that, we went back to the hotel to freshen up. While at lunch the professor had proposed taking a tour of the Bosphorus Sea. She had never done it before, and it seemed like an easy, no-walking-required activity. I was all for it. We met in the hotel lobby half an hour later and walked down to the docks to find a tour boat. 15 minutes later, we were on a bus that would take us to the ship.
We boarded the boat and went to the upper deck for the best view. It was gorgeous. I had been dying to go to a beach or at least touch the ocean. This was the closest I had been to either, and I was loving it. My first boat ride of the summer was on the Bosphorus Sea in Turkey. No big deal or anything. After a while, I was glad to be wearing long pants, because it was chilly sitting on top of the boat with the ocean breeze. It was not too long before we were the only ones sitting on top. It really improved the 360 degree view for me. :)
Before I knew it we were turning around and heading back to land. The professor's friend wanted to take us out to dinner one last time before we left, and for once, I was actually excited to eat. The best food I had on the whole trip had been with him, so I knew he would pick a good resturant.
He picked us up at the hotel. I ended up sitting on Rachel's lap because his car was one seat too short. Two of our group members stayed behind, so we all fit in one car this time...well, almost. He took us to a seaside resturant. It was such a beautiful view. We got a table right next to the glass walls showing off the night lights of Asia across the way. I was eating dinner across from Asia! How cool is that?
The only downside for me was that this was a seafood resturant. As previously mentioned, I really do not like to eat things from the sea. At all. I was able to find something without fish, or lobster, or octopus (shudder). I ordered cheese covered meatballs. I am not a meatball fan, but I was hungry and it was my only choice. The Turk also ordered some delicious appitizers. It was like a mozzerela stick on steroids. It was a breadstick filled with cheese and ham. THAT was the best thing I had eaten the whole trip. We enjoyed our meal, company, and conversation. It was another beautiful night in Istanbul.
We were dropped off at our hotel and said our goodbye's and thank you's. It was late, at least to me who had gotten up very early this morning. We parted ways and went off to bed. I was sad our time here was at an end already. I remembered feeling like I just wanted to go home when we arrived in Rome as a group of strangers, and now I was wishing for more time to spend with my group of friends. Crazy how fast things change.
Even though I was sad about the end drawing near, I was too tired to think much more, Tomorrow would put me back on an airplaine, so some sleep was much needed.
Istanbul/Rome:
Day 16
I was very sad our time in Istanbul was coming to an end. I absolutely loved Turkey. Many people have asked me what my favorite part was. I simply reply, "Turkey". I loved the weather, the views, the sea, some of the food (haha), and the great company of the people who were there. I could easily see myself making the trip back. THAT is how much I loved it.
We had a little time that morning before the van came to pick us up to take us back to the airport. Jen, Blye, Rachel, and I decided to use it for some last minute shopping. I hadn't really bought anything since we had arrived in Turkey, but I had definitely been scoping some things out.
After our last meal in Turkey (yet another delicious hotel breakfast), we set out to get what we had been looking at. Blye's first purchase was a new hiking backpack to put all of his stuff in. If you remember from the beginning of the trip, he lost his luggage between Chicago and Washington D.C.. Nope, he still didn't have it. He went the whole trip on what he had in his little carry on and the clothes he bought while we were on the trip. He was such a trooper. The worst part was, he had gotten a call the day we arrived in Turkey saying his bag had made it to Rome the day after we got there. No one had thought to call him to come get it. He was frustrated, as one could probably predict.
After getting his bag, we set off to a couple of other stores we had scoped out on our previous walks around our hotel. We arrived back at the hotel with many new scarves, spices, and other random items. After packing our new purchases in our bags, we met in the lobby with our luggage ready to board the van. It took us a while to find our driver because he did not speak much English. We did not want to get in the wrong van. When we were sure he was going to take us to the correct place, we got in and were on our way. My only regret was not getting to touch the sea, but the tour of the Bosphorus was close enough, I guess.
We were dropped off at the airport, and again checked in with Airitalia. Not too much longer, we were on a plane back to Rome.
About two hours later, we touched down. I was happy for the break in flights. I don't think I could have gone all the way from Turkey back to Fargo without a break.
The professor and Blye had split off from the group to try to find his luggage which was supposed to be somewhere in the Roma airport. They were sucessful! After taking a bus to Termini Station from the airport, everything became somewhat familiar again. We were staying in the same hotel as before, so for once, we actually knew where we were going.
Everyone checked in. The girls' room was on the fifth floor. It turned out to be THE NICEST ROOM ever. The shower was huge, and had a giant head so it felt like rain rather than a semipressured stream. It was the best shower of my life. The whole thing was very nicely decorated. It was a prefect ending.
The whole group was meeting up for one last dinner together. It was decided we should go back to the same place we went on our first night in Rome. The food was very delicious. I was happy to have something other than kabobs, even though I had enjoyed them when they were on the menu. There were toasts to the trip and discussions on when the assignments would be due and reccomendations for the planning of the trip next time. I was happy to be there but sad it was all ending.
When we had all had our fill, we headed back to the hotel for some rest. We had to be up and out at 5 a.m. to catch our flight back to the US tomorrow.
Rachel and I visited with the boys in their room for a little bit, then went off to bed ourselves. I could only sleep for an hour. It probably wasn't my smartest move, but I just did not want the trip to end. I stayed up most of the night and just looked out the window and listened to the traffic outside. I thought about all the important places I had been and the significance of what I had seen throughout the trip. I thought about all the things I had learned and how much more it had meant to me now that I had seen it for real. It thought about all the people I had come with and the bonds we had made. I fell asleep and woke up an hour later to my alarm. Time to go home.
Rome/USA:
Day 17
Everyone was up and ready to go in the lobby the next morning, some more tired than others (oh, well). From there we walked back to Termini Station. We were supposed to get on the same bus we had taken from the airport the day before. There was a bus sitting at the train station that looked exactly the same as the one we had been on the day before. The driver took our tickets and we got on.
Apparently this particular bus line goes to all three airports in Rome, but one bus only goes to one, not all of them. We had, of course, gotten on one that was not going to the right airport. After a few moments of panic, it was decided the only option was to take a taxi to the airport. To try and find a bus would take too long, and we would risk missing our flight. Not good. Despite the price, we paid up and were on our way with plenty of time to spare. We had all said good-bye to the professor at the wrong airport just before getting in the taxi. She would be staying longer to work on an archeological dig. It was an emotional parting.
We exited the taxi at the correct airport. Ian had bought separate tickets, so he went off to check in alone, while the rest of us stuck together. Checking in was easy enough, but security was another story. The lines were killer. I have no idea how long we waited, but it was a rediculous amount of time. It seemed like everyone was leaving at the same time. When we finally made it through, I was sad to see Ian was at the end of the line. I wanted to say bye, but it was looking like that was not going to happen. Rachel and I waited until he saw us, we waved, and then headed out the doors to a bus. The bus took us to the terminal where our flight would depart. The airport was very big.
We had not been able to get breakfast because we had left too early. I was wary of eating anything before a long flight in lew of what had happened before. I just drank some water, even though I was pretty hungry. It was just about time to begin boarding when a voice over the intercom informed us our flight would be delayed. The plane had gotten in on time, but the airline cleaners had gone on strike, so they had to find other people to clean. This delay was not good. We had two connecting flights to catch after this. Any significant delay could cause us to miss the flights home. Though I was sad about leaving, I wanted to get home as soon as possible if we were going. The thought of being stranded in an airport overnight was not appealing.
In the meantime, we were able to meet up with Ian who was having travel issues of his own. Everyone got to say a proper good-bye, which was the one upside to the whole ordeal. One hour behind schedule, our flight finally took off. That was about as long of a delay as we could afford. I was worried we would not make it through customs in time. I made it the whole nine hours with no sick feeling, though I skipped the in flight meal. I was glad to be feeling fine.
This time we would be landing at Newark Airport in New York. Once there, we had exactly one hour before our plane left. Not boarded: left. After a half an hour of waiting in line to be admitted back into the US, we headed off to customs. That took another 15 minutes. Everyone was let through with no baggage checks except Jen. The other girl stayed with her while Rachel, Blye, and I went off to find out if we could stall the plane. Panic was starting to set in. To our dismay, we found out we would have to go through regular airport security agian. After talking with one of the workers there, she said our plane could wait half an hour for us, but no longer. It wasn't much time, but it was better than 15 minutes. The same worker let us cut in line at security, which was what saved us. All three of us made it through, but there was still no sign of the others. We did not know what to do, so we ran off to find our gate. If our situation was not already bad enough, our gate was located at the very end of the airport. Blye began to sprint; I tried my best to keep up.
At the gate, there was one pilot on his cell phone. The door was closed, but there was a plane there. We told the pilot we needed to get on that plane. He told us there was no one on there. Turns out our gate had changed while we were going through customs. There was no way we would have known because they do not broadcast those messages down there.
Luckily there was a screen nearby listing departures. Our new gate was at the other end of the airport. Back to sprinting. On the way there, we met up with our two lost comrades. At the gate, the door was still open. We were just in time. Everyone got on the plane hot, sweaty, and needing to put their belts back on. I had not had time to put mine back on after going through security. I had run through the airport with one hand holding up my pants and the other trying to stop my backpack from bouncing against my back as I ran. It was a nightmare.
It took me a while to relax and calm down after the hour of high stress I had just endured. I wanted to shower so bad. I had been sweating from pure anxitey before we started running. Needless to say, that had not helped. A few hours later, we landed in Chicago. I have never been so happy for a two hour layover in my entire life. I was able to wander, find some food, eat it calmly, and communicate with my family and friends.
Our gate changed two times while we waited, but I was just happy not to worry about if we would even be making it home. I was excited to be heading back. I loved the trip and I was sad to go, but I was ready for a reunion with home and the familiar.
A tiny plane took us back to Fargo. It seemed like a short flight, and I think everyone was asleep at some point. The stress combined with the heavy travel day we had wore everyone out.
I could not get off the plane fast enough when we touched down in Fargo. I called my family who I was staying with for the night before I would go to my actual home. For now, Fargo was close enough. When I was finally picked up, I felt the full wave of tiredness I had been fighting all day hit me hard. I had been awake for over 24 hours with the time change, and I felt like it.
When I climbed into another bed that was not mine, it didn't even matter. It felt like the most comfortable bed I had ever lain on. It only took me a few seconds to fall unconsious.
There you have it. The entirity of my trip to Italy and Turkey to the best of my memory. Traveling abroad is something I never really saw myself doing, but I am so glad I decided to go. ​With so many other countries to explore, I can see myself doing something like this again. Hope you enjoyed reading about my experiences. I loved sharing!