Weekend Trip to Istanbul

This past Thursday evening a group of about thirty of us study abroad students took buses to Istanbul, Turkey. We left at around 10pm and arrived in Istanbul at 9am, which was a very long and tiring trip that included stops at the border and customs. Getting a Turkish visa isn't nearly as difficult as getting a Greek visa luckily. We took cabs to our hostels, checked in, and immediately started walking around. Our hostel, the Big Apple, is right by the Blue Mosque, so we started our sightseeing there. 

The Blue Mosque was built in the 17th century and is mostly a tourist attraction now, but we did see some people praying while we were there. Because Friday is the Muslim holy day, we went right before the services started and were out just in time. Here are some pictures- 

I'm pretty sure this is the first time that I've been in a mosque, or at least that I can recall. I found it totally fascinating. Apparently the Blue Mosque held one of two papal visits to a mosque ever a few years ago, which is pretty cool. After that we walked over to the Hagia Sofia, which was right across the street. Here are some more pictures-

After some sightseeing we ate lunch at a really good middle eastern style restaurant. I was a little surprised by the food in Istanbul because I found it more similar to Greek food than the middle eastern food that I was expecting. It was really good though, we ate a good amount of hummus, dolmas and syrian bread during the weekend. After lunch, we all hopped on the ferry that took us across the Bosphorus to the part of Istanbul that is in Asia. So now I can say that I've been to Asia! It was pretty anticlimactic because it dropped us off in a not so great part of town so we hopped right back on and went back to Europe. But the ferry ride was nice, and we got some good pictures. People were feeding the seagulls so they would fly right next to the boat.

This was all on the first day, so we were pretty tired by the end of it. We went to dinner at a restaurant that overlooks the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and then we went back to the htotel. Some of us attempted to go to Taksim, the area with all the bars, but between dead phones, miscommunications and cold weather, we ended up going home pretty early.

Day 2


The second day, we all met up for breakfast and then went straight to the Grand Bazaar. With over 4,500 shops it was overwhelmingly huge and a little intimidating. The Turks are some pretty pushy people. Every shop that we passed, the owners would call to us. Some would say the items they were selling, and some were pretty blunt. One actually told us to come in and spend all our money. They were feeding us lines right and left- I don't think I've heard so many cheesy pick up lines. I have to admit they're pretty good salesmen. I bought a few scarves and some gifts to bring home. Next we went to the Spice Bazaar, which was all food and livestock. I liked it better than the Grand Bazaar because they give you samples. We got to try different kinds of Turkish delight, cheeses, nuts and fruit. We snacked all afternoon, saving us money on a meal.

When we finished shopping, it was late afternoon and lack of sleep was catching up with some of us. We went back to the hostel and took a quick nap, and then woke up for dinner. After dinner we went back to the hostels, and the owners took us on a pub crawl in Taksim. The first bar we went to was mostly locals and the band played Turkish songs that we didn't know, as well as "I Will Survive" in Turkish, which was pretty entertaining. The second bar was more fun because the band played all American songs that we recognized. We caught a taxi at the end of the night and headed back to the hostel.

Day 3


Our last day in Istanbul was chilly and rainy. We were all a little tired, but we powered through to see Topkapi palace, where the sultans used to live. We went through the exhibits, which featured jewels, clothing and household items dating back to the 12th century. The last exhibit featured Moses' rod, Muhammad's footprint, Abraham's saucepan and the prophet Joseph's turban. I'm a little skeptical of all these, considering how old all of these items would be. We joked that the only thing missing was the apple that Eve bit out of. After this, we sat in a cafe and enjoyed some apple tea. Then we split up, and I went to the Turkish baths with a few other people. I can honestly say that I have never experienced quite like it- you are scrubbed down from head to toe and given a full body massage. It was a little shocking and uncomfortable at first, because you aren't wearing much clothing and neither are the elderly Turkish women massaging you. I'm really glad that I did it though, it was a really cool thing to do.

I don't have any pictures from Sunday because it was too cold to take my hands out of my pockets, but we didn't do much after the baths. The bus left at 10 pm so we all took a shuttle to the bus station. I'd say that my Turkish experience was pretty amazing and I had a really great time. I really found myself out of my comfort zone though, this being my first time in a Muslim country. There were a few times when I felt really intimidated by how different the culture was. I don't know if I could have spent a semester in Turkey, but I had a really great time in three days.

My next trip is this upcoming weekend- the school is taking us to Meteora and Ioannina to see monasteries and caves. I'm really looking forward to it, everyone says both places are beautiful. I'll keep you posed on my adventures!

Hot Springs and First Week of Class

We started school last week and I'm really enjoying my classes so far! I made my schedule so that I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is really convenient for traveling but makes for a long two  days of class. I'm taking 4 courses: Environmental Policy in the EU, International Business, Organizational Behavior, and Investments and Portfolios. It's really interesting how all classes are so internationally focused, and we mostly talk about current events during class. It amazed me how aware the professors and students are about what is going on in the world, and I've learned so much so far. The school is really tiny; there is a building with classrooms and then a library. ACT, the college, is connected to Anatolia high school and elementary school. They are separate campuses but we walk through the other campus to go to the gym and the bus stop. The campus is gorgeous and in the mountains, and I really like how it is set apart from the city.

This past weekend we went on a trip to Edessa, where we saw waterfalls and then Pozar to see the natural hot springs. It was a really fun trip and it was nice to see the countryside. The waterfalls were really impressive- here are some pictures

Most of my spare time so far has been walking around the city. It's really entertaining to see all the little shops and hanging out by the waterfront. Thessaloniki is a really interesting city because we have both the water and the mountains, which makes for some pretty amazing sunsets.

We leave for Istanbul Thursday night, and I'll definitely post when we get back! I miss and love all of you at home!

Finally, some pictures...

Well I've been here about 5 days now and it really keeps on getting better. I'm starting to feel oriented in the city and I feel like I kind of know my way around now. We finished off orientation and the school took us out to dinner on Thursday night at a really good Greek restaurant. There were musicians playing while we were eating and some of the people from the school showed us Greek dancing. After, we went to a bar with a big group of students and it was really fun. The schedule here is so different from the US. People eat lunch at about 3 and dinner at 11, and people stay out until about 4 or 5 when they go to the bars. They also take a 2 hour siesta after lunch, which is definitely needed. It's so different from Oxford but I'm slowly getting used to it.

On Friday we toured Vergina, the burial mound where Alexander the Great's father, King Phillip of Macedonia, is buried. It was so interesting to see, and the area was gorgeous. We ate a really delicious lunch there and then headed back into the city where we took a bus tour of Thessaloniki. I actually took some pictures for once, and here are a few:

The city walls

 Sunset over the water

The White Tower and the waterfront


Today was very relaxing; a few of us walked around, ate lunch, saw some parts of the city that we hadn't seen, and bought groceries. I've fallen in love with the pastries here, which could potentially be a bad thing. We also saw our first strike! It was very organized and small so it wasn't scary at all, and it was in the middle of the afternoon. Unfortunately, since we don't speak Greek, we weren't sure what it was about. It was so sunny and a little warm, which was really nice for a change. The city is very beautiful, especially by the water. I'm really looking forward to when the weather warms up a little so we can go to the beach thats about an hour away. Classes start on Monday though, so it will start feeling a little less like a vacation. I think we're all looking forward to falling into a routine though. I'll probably post another blog in a few days with more updates!

Greetings from Greece!

I've made it to Thessaloniki safely, and have spent the past two days settling in. I arrived yesterday afternoon after a long flight that stopped through Munich. Today we had orientation, which was nice because the study abroad students are separated into three different apartments so it is hard to meet everyone. It was a really long day though, and I didn't get back to my apartment until about midnight. Tomorrow should be the same, if not longer, because we are going out after. They really have the days packed for us, which makes it hard to do other things on the side. I still need to get my Greek cell phone set up, which makes it a little difficult to contact everyone else here. We did get to go to Ikea and a Greek Best Buy though so we got the necessaries for our room, like blow driers and cooking utensils.

The apartments are tiny, but actually nicer than I was expecting! Its cozy though; we have a balcony and a tiny kitchen, with a bathroom that's probably 2x2 ft, and thats including the shower. I actually don't have any pictures yet because I've realllyy been a slacker in the department. Hopefully I'll get it together tomorrow.

The food has been absolutely amazing though, and I have a feeling it will be the main topic that I'll be writing about here. The first night we ate family style and had tsziki with pita, a fava bean hummus type dip, "mystery" meatballs (we're never quite sure what meat everything is, its usually a toss up between beef, lamb and pork), and greek salad, which is tomato, onion, cucumber, feta and olives (no lettuce.) That's a pretty typical meal here from what I can tell. Tonight we went to a pretty nice restaurant on the water, where I had a vegetable soup. I was really surprised how cheap the food is- the first night it was 4euros and tonight it was 6, with wine.

Before dinner tonight we went to a cafe and had Greek coffee. After we drank our coffee, and the school hired some ladies to read our fortunes out of the coffee grounds. They were pretty general though, the whole money, happiness, someone special approaching kind of thing. She did mention that I have really great friends... which is very true:) I miss all of you already! I also have a cough in my future- good thing I brought a bunch of medicine. It was still a pretty neat experience though.

Something funny that I've caught on to- "ni" means yes, which is really confusing. Also, when the nod their head it means no and shaking means yes. So hearing a ni and a seeing a smile and a head shake is super confusing. Very few of us speak Greek, so luckily most people speak English.

Everyone that I've met so far has been really sweet, and the school is really accommodating. I'm really looking forward to starting class actually, and it looks like they have all kinds of weekend trips that are available for us. Sorry if this is kind of a boring read, it may take me a few times to really get in the habit of writing this. Also, I'm taking suggestions for a name, because I obviously don't have one yet. Just let me know!

yassou,
Stephanie