This last weekend I had the amazing opportunity to experience my first foreign wedding. My roommate of 4 months, Matthew Shaw, married the love of his life, Edit Shaw. Matt tried to explain time after time that Hungarians know how to throw a wedding. That it makes the ones back in the States look more like a tea party than a wedding. And he was more right than I could have imagined.
The wedding was held in a town of 15,000, near Edit's home village in Eastern Hungary. There were about 200 people in attendance, 50 or so being Americans. In Hungary, the weddings are a giant party, starting even before the ceremony. Here are two important facts. First, they have a master of ceremonies that runs the show (funny guy). Second, the wedding lasted 14 hours, start to finish.
Starting at 2:30pm everyone meets at the resort we having the non-ceremony parts at. The bride and groom show up and greet everyone and then after an open bar and buffet there is a ceremony were the bride and groom say good-bye to their families, the hug and kiss because as of today they are starting a new family. It was a really cool tradition. There is where the two families approve of the union of give their children up to start a new family.
Then at 4:30pm we went to the church. It was a Catholic wedding, held in a 400-year old church that has recently been renovated. This place was incredible. So beautiful and to add icing to the top, it wasn't just a Priest doing the ceremony, it was the Bishop of all of Eastern Hungary. This guy just happens to be Edit's Uncle and this was one of the 3 weddings he will perform in a year. Beautiful, ancient church, wedding conducted by a Bishop. Already I don't know how I will top this wedding. It was a full mass, in Hungarian, which made it that much cooler.
After they are married, everyone goes outside and greets the bride and groom and then we take a giant group picture. (Why don't we do that in the States?) Then we head back to the resort for the party.
We start off with our first full dinner. 4 course meal, plus desert. Oh yeah, the open bar is still going too. We eat, listen to speeches, the master of ceremony tell jokes that do not translate well and have a good time. (This is where I start drinking palinka....)
After an hour or two the dancing starts. And everyone dances. The oldest of the old and the youngest of the young. There is a live band playing, mixing Hungarian music with American. All the while we continue to enjoy the open bar.
Around 11pm my favorite hungarian tradition starts. At some point during the wedding the groom's friends must kidnap his bride and create a feat that he must overcome to win her back. Normally, they make the groom drink a bunch of shots, or sing a song. But Matt had given me the responsibility of planning this one and I will not let him down. I decide this is where we mix America with a hungarian tradition.
We kidnap Edit off the dance floor (about 15 of us) and wait in the hallway as the Master asks Matt where his bride has gone. After a few minutes we are called back in, except this time his 15 friends are armed with plastic swords and shields. I present Matt a plastic sword, shield and axe. I tell him that his friends approve of his bride (thus why we stole her), but now he must prove he is worthy of her....by defeating all 15 of us in combat. The band kicks on the euro techno music and the fight begins (see my Facebook page of the video). After a valiant battle Matt manages to slay all of us while unharmed and goes and retrieves his bride, a hero.
The Hungarians loved it. They had never seen something like it. The Master of Ceremonies said he had never seen anything like it, but liked it so much he will be including it in his info packets for ideas for future weddings that hire him. That is right, I helped start a possibly new Hungarian tradition.
After this we continue drinking and dancing. Then at midnight they bring us our second full dinner. The midnight dinner. We eat, dance and drink some more. Matt says, drink till you are drunk, dance till you are sober and eat till you are full and just keep repeating this process.
At around 4am there is only about 5 of us left on the floor and the party shuts down. So it started at 2:30pm and ended at 4am. I don't care if a marry a Hungarian girl or not, I want a Hungarian wedding.
Best. Wedding. Ever.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
My Extremely Long Travel To Paris
I have a 7am flight leaving Dublin to Paris. Should only take 1.5 hours, lands an hour outside Paris, so I should get into town around 10am. Boy was I wrong.
Now, I lucked out in Paris because one of my Mom's co-workers offered to house me while I am there. She and her family live in the city. They say the room isn't much, but hey, it is free, I won't complain. It isn't like my hostel will be any better.
We take off on time and prepare to land. As we land I note that the clouds are really thick. We have been descending for quite a while, I feel I should be able to see the ground or lights or something. Then I finally see the ground, about 50 feet below the plane and it is not a runway, it is buildings. At that exact point the pilot goes full throttle and the plane rapidly starts to climb back up. Once we are above the clouds again the pilot says it is zero visibility and that we just experienced a "missed approach." So pretty much, we about landed, but not on the runway. Easily, the most nerve racking flight experience I have had.
We circle around for about 45 minutes hoping for better weather below but it never comes. We end up having to land at a different airport 2 hours North of this one....so 3 hours North of Paris. We land there with no problem. Everyone gets funneled into buses for the 2 hour drive to the airport we were supposed to land at.
We get rushed on so fast that I don't use the bathroom, which I needed to. I think to myself that isn't a problem, these buses all have their own. Well I found out the hard way that this ones is broken....not good. In the world of bladders, I am Thumbalina. Small. After a bit, I finally convince the driver to make a pit stop, as others have requested a bathroom break as well. That and I am literally go to pee myself otherwise.
We didn't piss away all of the bus ride though. (see what I did there...yeah, creative). Our driver was pretty cool and funny. He gave the microphone to one Italian guy on the bus who gave us a tour of the area. Not knowing anything about where we are he just told us what was on our left and right, followed by making up stories about it. Pretty funny. The front of the bus was a party section, the back was for lazy, sleeping people.
We finally get to the airport and then I hop onto ANOTHER bus for the hour ride to Paris. It turned out alright though, as I got to sit next to two very beautiful Swedish girls visiting friends in Paris. I had a good conversation with them the whole way, while they fed me candy they brought from Sweden for their friends. Sadly, they just handed me the candy, versus actually feeding it, but you take what you can get, right?
I finally get into Paris and immediately find the subway system. I have basic directions to apartment I will be staying at. I get there with little problem, minus walking past it about 3 times looking for the address. Apparently, I am not always the smartest person or at least most observant. When did I arrive? 5pm - 7 hours later than I was expected. There goes a day in Paris.
I get in and Isabell (the Mom) is waiting for me. She is working from home this week. This isn't uncommon on my Mom's company, but I realize she is doing it just for me, which is super nice. She claims it is because she has late afternoon meetings and they get kicked out of the office at 5pm no matter what.
I also meet her daughter, Clemence (18) and her son Paul (14). After all of this I sit down on the couch and before I realize it, I am out cold. So, think about it. Here I am, I just showed up at these peoples apartment, whom I have never met. I meet them and then fall asleep. not 6 feet away, Isabell is working on her computer. I wake up at one point to find a blanket on me. Here is the best part, this in no way bothered or weirded me out. I feel like that is a sign I am progressing from novice traveller.
After a two hour nap I wake up and am ready to go! Isabell is cooking a traditional French meal, which won't be ready for awhile. So Clemence decides to take me to a local cafe for a glass of wine. She steers us away from the tourist ones and instead takes us to a local place she frequents. I very much appreciate this, as I like to see the real culture more. I enjoy my first glass of French wine. I get a Bordeaux of course, what else? I talk to Clemence and find out more about her and France. She finished high school last year and is doing a special two-year program before University. So, you can go to University, but almost everyone can do that. But there is also a tier above that, pretty much a few Ivy League schools. In order to get into those, you have to do two-years of prep work, then take an exam and hope to get accepted. She choose that path. Hardcore..... She studies 7 days a week. Is in class usually from 8-5pm, then comes home and sits studying for at least another 4 hours. She takes exams on weekends all the time. It made me feel like the laziest person in the world, but that is okay. Either way, impressive.
It is a fun conversation. She keeps apologizing for her English (which is quite good) and I keep explaining her English is good. I noticed something about Europeans. Most of them are very self-conscious about their English. They think they are not very good, when often they are very good. I am just impressed they speak two languages when I struggle with one.
After a bit we head back up to the apartment. They live in the art district, in the Northern part of Paris. It is beautiful and very classic Paris in terms of shops, architecture, etc. They live less than 1/2 a kilometer from Moulin Rouge.
When we get back dinner is ready. The Dad isn't home yet, but they don't expect him. He has is own architecture firm and teaches architecture at a University as well. He works 12+ hours a day.
We enjoy a delicious dinner, some wine and good conversation. They ask me all sorts of questions about America, my trips, etc. I ask them about France, Paris, and what I should see. Paul won't speak much English yet. I can tell her is too nervous, but I think he can speak it well, I just need to get him out of his bubble. He loves the Simpsons and video games. We have enough in common that it won't be hard. He started learning English from both of those two things. Not uncommon. I have met multiple Europeans that learned English from Video games. One from rap music.
After dinner the Dad gets home. I talk to him for awhile and then everyone, including my self finally hits the hay after a long, long day.
Now, I lucked out in Paris because one of my Mom's co-workers offered to house me while I am there. She and her family live in the city. They say the room isn't much, but hey, it is free, I won't complain. It isn't like my hostel will be any better.
We take off on time and prepare to land. As we land I note that the clouds are really thick. We have been descending for quite a while, I feel I should be able to see the ground or lights or something. Then I finally see the ground, about 50 feet below the plane and it is not a runway, it is buildings. At that exact point the pilot goes full throttle and the plane rapidly starts to climb back up. Once we are above the clouds again the pilot says it is zero visibility and that we just experienced a "missed approach." So pretty much, we about landed, but not on the runway. Easily, the most nerve racking flight experience I have had.
We circle around for about 45 minutes hoping for better weather below but it never comes. We end up having to land at a different airport 2 hours North of this one....so 3 hours North of Paris. We land there with no problem. Everyone gets funneled into buses for the 2 hour drive to the airport we were supposed to land at.
We get rushed on so fast that I don't use the bathroom, which I needed to. I think to myself that isn't a problem, these buses all have their own. Well I found out the hard way that this ones is broken....not good. In the world of bladders, I am Thumbalina. Small. After a bit, I finally convince the driver to make a pit stop, as others have requested a bathroom break as well. That and I am literally go to pee myself otherwise.
We didn't piss away all of the bus ride though. (see what I did there...yeah, creative). Our driver was pretty cool and funny. He gave the microphone to one Italian guy on the bus who gave us a tour of the area. Not knowing anything about where we are he just told us what was on our left and right, followed by making up stories about it. Pretty funny. The front of the bus was a party section, the back was for lazy, sleeping people.
We finally get to the airport and then I hop onto ANOTHER bus for the hour ride to Paris. It turned out alright though, as I got to sit next to two very beautiful Swedish girls visiting friends in Paris. I had a good conversation with them the whole way, while they fed me candy they brought from Sweden for their friends. Sadly, they just handed me the candy, versus actually feeding it, but you take what you can get, right?
I finally get into Paris and immediately find the subway system. I have basic directions to apartment I will be staying at. I get there with little problem, minus walking past it about 3 times looking for the address. Apparently, I am not always the smartest person or at least most observant. When did I arrive? 5pm - 7 hours later than I was expected. There goes a day in Paris.
I get in and Isabell (the Mom) is waiting for me. She is working from home this week. This isn't uncommon on my Mom's company, but I realize she is doing it just for me, which is super nice. She claims it is because she has late afternoon meetings and they get kicked out of the office at 5pm no matter what.
I also meet her daughter, Clemence (18) and her son Paul (14). After all of this I sit down on the couch and before I realize it, I am out cold. So, think about it. Here I am, I just showed up at these peoples apartment, whom I have never met. I meet them and then fall asleep. not 6 feet away, Isabell is working on her computer. I wake up at one point to find a blanket on me. Here is the best part, this in no way bothered or weirded me out. I feel like that is a sign I am progressing from novice traveller.
After a two hour nap I wake up and am ready to go! Isabell is cooking a traditional French meal, which won't be ready for awhile. So Clemence decides to take me to a local cafe for a glass of wine. She steers us away from the tourist ones and instead takes us to a local place she frequents. I very much appreciate this, as I like to see the real culture more. I enjoy my first glass of French wine. I get a Bordeaux of course, what else? I talk to Clemence and find out more about her and France. She finished high school last year and is doing a special two-year program before University. So, you can go to University, but almost everyone can do that. But there is also a tier above that, pretty much a few Ivy League schools. In order to get into those, you have to do two-years of prep work, then take an exam and hope to get accepted. She choose that path. Hardcore..... She studies 7 days a week. Is in class usually from 8-5pm, then comes home and sits studying for at least another 4 hours. She takes exams on weekends all the time. It made me feel like the laziest person in the world, but that is okay. Either way, impressive.
It is a fun conversation. She keeps apologizing for her English (which is quite good) and I keep explaining her English is good. I noticed something about Europeans. Most of them are very self-conscious about their English. They think they are not very good, when often they are very good. I am just impressed they speak two languages when I struggle with one.
After a bit we head back up to the apartment. They live in the art district, in the Northern part of Paris. It is beautiful and very classic Paris in terms of shops, architecture, etc. They live less than 1/2 a kilometer from Moulin Rouge.
When we get back dinner is ready. The Dad isn't home yet, but they don't expect him. He has is own architecture firm and teaches architecture at a University as well. He works 12+ hours a day.
We enjoy a delicious dinner, some wine and good conversation. They ask me all sorts of questions about America, my trips, etc. I ask them about France, Paris, and what I should see. Paul won't speak much English yet. I can tell her is too nervous, but I think he can speak it well, I just need to get him out of his bubble. He loves the Simpsons and video games. We have enough in common that it won't be hard. He started learning English from both of those two things. Not uncommon. I have met multiple Europeans that learned English from Video games. One from rap music.
After dinner the Dad gets home. I talk to him for awhile and then everyone, including my self finally hits the hay after a long, long day.
Ireland Day 2, 3 and 4
My second day in Dublin was pretty uneventful, though still nice. This is a city you can really explore in one day if you want to. The night life is more of what makes Dublin unique.
I took advantage of not having to get up for a flight to sleep in. After I got up, got fed and ready I decided to just wander the city. I am starting to feel better, but still sick. I wander all over the city, at one point stumbling past Google's EU HQ. Sadly, no tours or random visits.
I walk past a few museums, nothing special. The highlight was probably the few city parks I walked through. Absolutely beautiful. In one of them I found a good spot and just sat for an hour thinking about the trip, life and anything else that popped into my head at the moment.
That night the Canadian guy, French guy, myself and two of the American girls from the night before went to a pub near by. After getting there I found it is famous for being the oldest pub in all of Dublin. Small, cozy and lined with dollar bills where people have written where they are from. The five of us have a good time talk about just about anything. Still tired I call it a night around 11pm. I have to be up early the next day....sadly.
Day 3
Today I decide to do a full-day tour of Western Ireland. I get up at 6:30am so I can be at the bus stop by 7am. We take a general bus to the city of Galaway, in which we get picked up by a smaller tour bus. The first ride takes about 2.5 hours, half of which I sleep.
Our first stop is the family's farm. They have tour businesses, these tours, which run everyday of the year except Christmas.....everyday....holy crap. The other is their farm, which is cows. Mostly they breed them and sell off the babies. But to have all these cows you have to have lots of land, which they do. This land also happens to be in a part of Ireland called the (something mountains). Really cool mountains and hills. Very beautiful. We hike around in them, learn about the history, etc. Then we go back to the house and have home made apple pie and carrot cake the Mother of the family made fresh.
Our next stop is the legendary cliffs of Moar. Takes an hour or so to get there. We luck out too, because the weather is pretty nice. Normally, this time of year is terrible in Ireland, but it has been warm enough that I have taken my jacket off. The cliffs are a little colder though and the jacket comes back on. It is a little foggy so our view over the see if pretty limited, but they explain we are lucky because our view of the cliffs is great. Getting this good of a view at this time of the year is less than 50/50.
I walk up and down the cliffs. I find the sign that does don't enter, but notice there is an even better path farther along the cliffs on the other side and there is no wall to stop you from leaning over the edge! So naturally I jump the wall and walk along that path, being careful to stop to the side on the parts where the land has clearly given away and dropped into the sea. (I am chuckling as I know my Mom will be chewing me out later for this). But! I was not the only one with this idea, plenty of other people were walking it, so it can't be that dangerous....right?
After the cliffs we head along the coast and see the scenery change. I am not sure what it is called, but we stop at another section of coast with a pretty cool landscape. The coast is solid rock and all torn up. Looks really cool and is fun to walk on. Only about 20-30 feet above the sea too.
After this we finally head back to Galaway and have 1.5 hours to walk around the city before our bus takes us back to Dublin. It is dark and a cold front have come in, must to my disappointment. I wander the city center, visit some shops before they close (do not get locked-in any of them).
I finally catch the bus and head back to Dublin. I don't really do anything that night. Hang out at the hostel, watch a movie and again go to sleep early.
Day 4
Honestly, Dublin is pretty boring at this point. I can hardly tell you what I did on day 4. I went to the more modern part of Dublin. Mostly just shopping centers. I went to a barber shop and got my beard shaved (it was getting unruly). Finally, I go to bed early yet again. I have another 7am flight to catch.
I took advantage of not having to get up for a flight to sleep in. After I got up, got fed and ready I decided to just wander the city. I am starting to feel better, but still sick. I wander all over the city, at one point stumbling past Google's EU HQ. Sadly, no tours or random visits.
I walk past a few museums, nothing special. The highlight was probably the few city parks I walked through. Absolutely beautiful. In one of them I found a good spot and just sat for an hour thinking about the trip, life and anything else that popped into my head at the moment.
That night the Canadian guy, French guy, myself and two of the American girls from the night before went to a pub near by. After getting there I found it is famous for being the oldest pub in all of Dublin. Small, cozy and lined with dollar bills where people have written where they are from. The five of us have a good time talk about just about anything. Still tired I call it a night around 11pm. I have to be up early the next day....sadly.
Day 3
Today I decide to do a full-day tour of Western Ireland. I get up at 6:30am so I can be at the bus stop by 7am. We take a general bus to the city of Galaway, in which we get picked up by a smaller tour bus. The first ride takes about 2.5 hours, half of which I sleep.
Our first stop is the family's farm. They have tour businesses, these tours, which run everyday of the year except Christmas.....everyday....holy crap. The other is their farm, which is cows. Mostly they breed them and sell off the babies. But to have all these cows you have to have lots of land, which they do. This land also happens to be in a part of Ireland called the (something mountains). Really cool mountains and hills. Very beautiful. We hike around in them, learn about the history, etc. Then we go back to the house and have home made apple pie and carrot cake the Mother of the family made fresh.
Our next stop is the legendary cliffs of Moar. Takes an hour or so to get there. We luck out too, because the weather is pretty nice. Normally, this time of year is terrible in Ireland, but it has been warm enough that I have taken my jacket off. The cliffs are a little colder though and the jacket comes back on. It is a little foggy so our view over the see if pretty limited, but they explain we are lucky because our view of the cliffs is great. Getting this good of a view at this time of the year is less than 50/50.
I walk up and down the cliffs. I find the sign that does don't enter, but notice there is an even better path farther along the cliffs on the other side and there is no wall to stop you from leaning over the edge! So naturally I jump the wall and walk along that path, being careful to stop to the side on the parts where the land has clearly given away and dropped into the sea. (I am chuckling as I know my Mom will be chewing me out later for this). But! I was not the only one with this idea, plenty of other people were walking it, so it can't be that dangerous....right?
After the cliffs we head along the coast and see the scenery change. I am not sure what it is called, but we stop at another section of coast with a pretty cool landscape. The coast is solid rock and all torn up. Looks really cool and is fun to walk on. Only about 20-30 feet above the sea too.
After this we finally head back to Galaway and have 1.5 hours to walk around the city before our bus takes us back to Dublin. It is dark and a cold front have come in, must to my disappointment. I wander the city center, visit some shops before they close (do not get locked-in any of them).
I finally catch the bus and head back to Dublin. I don't really do anything that night. Hang out at the hostel, watch a movie and again go to sleep early.
Day 4
Honestly, Dublin is pretty boring at this point. I can hardly tell you what I did on day 4. I went to the more modern part of Dublin. Mostly just shopping centers. I went to a barber shop and got my beard shaved (it was getting unruly). Finally, I go to bed early yet again. I have another 7am flight to catch.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Tips for Turkey (Istanbul)
Well, as I sit here in the airport waiting to leave Turkey I have had plenty of time to ponder my Turkish experience. For American's, navigating Western Europe is pretty simple. The culture doesn't really change enough to throw you off balance. I mean, after all it is still western culture. Turkey is a completely different experience, so here are some tips, tricks and warnings I learned while traveling to my first non-western culture.
Turkish People
1) When you get into town, the Turkish people are the friendliest you will ever meet. They don't wait a second to offer help. Here is the catch. In Turkey, if anyone is EVER offering to help you, they are also trying to sell you something. Not kidding, 100% of the Turkish people who approached me, offering help, tried to sell me.
2) Learn to ignore people talking to you. For a polite mid-western, this was torture. It went against my entire upbringing, but you have to. They will say, "hello" ignore it, they won't stop though. They say, "no no, just one question, where are you from?" They don't stop and every single time they try to sell you something. I started turning to these people and saying "okay, 5 Lira." They were confused. I said my time cost 5 Lira and I will stop and talk. While they are confused I walk away. Everyone is selling carpets. I told them I don't even have a home. One guy offered to help me get a home if I bought his carpet, another said it is big enough to make it into my own home. They don't give up.
3) For men - be careful with Turkish men. They are extremely jealous and have no problem resorting to violence. Honestly, if you see a Turkish guy in a group with girls, just ignore the girls. They believe they own the women they are around and you are trying to steal from them. At a cafe, two French girls started talking to me, they initiated. A Turkish guy was sitting with them, being a dick (probably why they started talking to me). He just stared at me, with silent contempt. Then the waiter moved them to a different part of the table and some Turkish guys came up and threatened me for having responded to the girls. Poor girls were trying to get away from the guy, as one explained to me later when he wasn't around and I saw her again.
4) For girls - avoid Turkish men. You want to meet people, have fun, make new friends, etc. Turkish guys love to offer to be a tour guide for cute foreign girls. Consider talking to any other guys not an option anymore. That and the guy won't leave you alone. He now feels ownership over you. Again, these girls complained he was just showing them the city, but not won't let them talk to any other guys without what happened to me, happening. Stick to other foreigners. Trust me.
Where to Stay
1) There are three parts to main Istanbul. Two parts in Europe, one in Asia. The Sultanahmet (old town), Taksim (new part) are both on the European side. The other side, they just call the Asian part.
2) Stay in Sultanahmet for at least a few days. There is where the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basillica Cistern and Topkapi palace are. It is the main sight-seeing part of the city. Plenty of hotels, hostels, shops and restaurants. The Grand Bazaar is close as well.
3) If you want to experience more of the night life, also spend a few days in Taksim. This is where most of the bars and new shops are. Very modern, lively part of the city. It is still easy to go there during the evening if you want to stay in one place for your trip.
Spending Money
1) Negotiate everything. Not kidding. The only thing I didn't argue on was food and even then I did sometimes. People are constantly trying to get you into their store and shop. If you see something you like, pretend uninterested and first ask for a discount or free drinks, etc. They rarely list prices on things so they can mark them up. Offer lower and don't be afraid to walk away. Start walking and often they will stop you and keep lowering the price. Always bid under what you are willing to pay.
2) Don't really buy a carpet, unless it's magic, which it won't be. Trust me, I looked.. If you do, get it dirt cheap. They often sell them for around $2000, but talking to some Turkish people I met, often those rugs only cost them $250.
3) Public transportation is very cheap, but if you are hopping metro lines, you have to pay again to get to the second one. That is very different than the rest of Europe, when once you are in the tubes, you can switch between them as you wish. Cost is 2 Lira a ride. Same for the ferries.
4) Taxi's are not too expensive, but they scam you as much as possible. Ask for a flat fee to get from A to B. Otherwise they will drive you all over, say a lower price and charge you a higher one when they get there. Met a girl who was drove around in circles for about 15 minutes, paid 30 Lira, for a ride that should have been 3 minutes. Cab driver literally just drove around in circles first.
5) Alcohol is fairly expensive here, but food is pretty cheap.
Scams
There are two major scams, not counting the taxi one.
1) Everyone needs to watch out for this one. Women, often Gypsies, will be shoe shiners. They will accidentally drop their brush in front of you and wait for you to pick it up. When you do and give it back, they are so thankful and insist they shine your shoes. It is a custom, they must repay the favor. At the end, they charge you 10 Lira. I saw this one happen. If you see someone drop their brush, just stare at it and then the Gypsie. They will keep waiting, getting more frustrated because you are not falling for it. They expect people to react quick and become super obvious if they have to wait more than 5 seconds.
2) This one is mostly for guys traveling solo. It is a common one is Greece, too. A guy will come up to you speaking Turkish, you don't know it and he switches to English. Says he lost, he is also traveling solo (names different city) and starts a conversation with you. He ends up appreciating the conversation and says he knows a good bar right over here if you, also a solo traveler, want to join him. Once there, after a few drinks, him or sometimes large groups will hit you with the entire tab. The bar is in on it. They won't let you leave till you pay and I even heard rumors of people being beaten or had the cops called on them for trying to leave. Never go to bars with people you meet on the street. If you want to drink, find a local bar, makes friends by your self with the bartender there and then go to that one. They will get your back.
Must Visit Places
1) Blue Mosque (free)
2) Hagia Sophia (10 Lira)
3) Basilica Cistern (5 Lira)
4) Topkapi Palace (10 Lira)
5) Taksim Square (free)
6) The Asian side (2 Lira boat ride)
7) The Prince Islands (8 Lira for round trip on the ferry)
8) Galata Bridge and Tower
9) The Grand Bazaar
Turkish People
1) When you get into town, the Turkish people are the friendliest you will ever meet. They don't wait a second to offer help. Here is the catch. In Turkey, if anyone is EVER offering to help you, they are also trying to sell you something. Not kidding, 100% of the Turkish people who approached me, offering help, tried to sell me.
2) Learn to ignore people talking to you. For a polite mid-western, this was torture. It went against my entire upbringing, but you have to. They will say, "hello" ignore it, they won't stop though. They say, "no no, just one question, where are you from?" They don't stop and every single time they try to sell you something. I started turning to these people and saying "okay, 5 Lira." They were confused. I said my time cost 5 Lira and I will stop and talk. While they are confused I walk away. Everyone is selling carpets. I told them I don't even have a home. One guy offered to help me get a home if I bought his carpet, another said it is big enough to make it into my own home. They don't give up.
3) For men - be careful with Turkish men. They are extremely jealous and have no problem resorting to violence. Honestly, if you see a Turkish guy in a group with girls, just ignore the girls. They believe they own the women they are around and you are trying to steal from them. At a cafe, two French girls started talking to me, they initiated. A Turkish guy was sitting with them, being a dick (probably why they started talking to me). He just stared at me, with silent contempt. Then the waiter moved them to a different part of the table and some Turkish guys came up and threatened me for having responded to the girls. Poor girls were trying to get away from the guy, as one explained to me later when he wasn't around and I saw her again.
4) For girls - avoid Turkish men. You want to meet people, have fun, make new friends, etc. Turkish guys love to offer to be a tour guide for cute foreign girls. Consider talking to any other guys not an option anymore. That and the guy won't leave you alone. He now feels ownership over you. Again, these girls complained he was just showing them the city, but not won't let them talk to any other guys without what happened to me, happening. Stick to other foreigners. Trust me.
Where to Stay
1) There are three parts to main Istanbul. Two parts in Europe, one in Asia. The Sultanahmet (old town), Taksim (new part) are both on the European side. The other side, they just call the Asian part.
2) Stay in Sultanahmet for at least a few days. There is where the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basillica Cistern and Topkapi palace are. It is the main sight-seeing part of the city. Plenty of hotels, hostels, shops and restaurants. The Grand Bazaar is close as well.
3) If you want to experience more of the night life, also spend a few days in Taksim. This is where most of the bars and new shops are. Very modern, lively part of the city. It is still easy to go there during the evening if you want to stay in one place for your trip.
Spending Money
1) Negotiate everything. Not kidding. The only thing I didn't argue on was food and even then I did sometimes. People are constantly trying to get you into their store and shop. If you see something you like, pretend uninterested and first ask for a discount or free drinks, etc. They rarely list prices on things so they can mark them up. Offer lower and don't be afraid to walk away. Start walking and often they will stop you and keep lowering the price. Always bid under what you are willing to pay.
2) Don't really buy a carpet, unless it's magic, which it won't be. Trust me, I looked.. If you do, get it dirt cheap. They often sell them for around $2000, but talking to some Turkish people I met, often those rugs only cost them $250.
3) Public transportation is very cheap, but if you are hopping metro lines, you have to pay again to get to the second one. That is very different than the rest of Europe, when once you are in the tubes, you can switch between them as you wish. Cost is 2 Lira a ride. Same for the ferries.
4) Taxi's are not too expensive, but they scam you as much as possible. Ask for a flat fee to get from A to B. Otherwise they will drive you all over, say a lower price and charge you a higher one when they get there. Met a girl who was drove around in circles for about 15 minutes, paid 30 Lira, for a ride that should have been 3 minutes. Cab driver literally just drove around in circles first.
5) Alcohol is fairly expensive here, but food is pretty cheap.
Scams
There are two major scams, not counting the taxi one.
1) Everyone needs to watch out for this one. Women, often Gypsies, will be shoe shiners. They will accidentally drop their brush in front of you and wait for you to pick it up. When you do and give it back, they are so thankful and insist they shine your shoes. It is a custom, they must repay the favor. At the end, they charge you 10 Lira. I saw this one happen. If you see someone drop their brush, just stare at it and then the Gypsie. They will keep waiting, getting more frustrated because you are not falling for it. They expect people to react quick and become super obvious if they have to wait more than 5 seconds.
2) This one is mostly for guys traveling solo. It is a common one is Greece, too. A guy will come up to you speaking Turkish, you don't know it and he switches to English. Says he lost, he is also traveling solo (names different city) and starts a conversation with you. He ends up appreciating the conversation and says he knows a good bar right over here if you, also a solo traveler, want to join him. Once there, after a few drinks, him or sometimes large groups will hit you with the entire tab. The bar is in on it. They won't let you leave till you pay and I even heard rumors of people being beaten or had the cops called on them for trying to leave. Never go to bars with people you meet on the street. If you want to drink, find a local bar, makes friends by your self with the bartender there and then go to that one. They will get your back.
Must Visit Places
1) Blue Mosque (free)
2) Hagia Sophia (10 Lira)
3) Basilica Cistern (5 Lira)
4) Topkapi Palace (10 Lira)
5) Taksim Square (free)
6) The Asian side (2 Lira boat ride)
7) The Prince Islands (8 Lira for round trip on the ferry)
8) Galata Bridge and Tower
9) The Grand Bazaar
Dublin!
I get up at 4:30am, catch my cab to the airport and hop on my plane. The flight from Prestwick to Dublin is only about 45 minutes. It is pretty awesome seeing the coast of England and Ireland from the air.
I get in and hop on a bus to the city center. For once I print off directions from the bus drop off to the hostel, which is good because it would have sucked finding it otherwise. I get to the hostel around 9:00am. I can't check in until 2pm. All I want to do is sleep, but I guess that won't work.
I see there is a free walking tour at 11am. I sit around the hostel, eat some breakfast and kill time until the tour. The tour was pretty good. A large group and hard to hear, but defiantly worth going on. I meet two other Americans on it. One studying abroad in France and the other was living in Germany, working on the wine harvest and is traveling before going home. They had met at their hostel before the tour and have been hanging out. We all three get along pretty quickly.
After the tour we decide to do the Guinness Brewery tour. The guy has already seen it and heads back to the hostel. The tour is great. Self guided and paced, which I like. After the tour, you can go up to the sky bar, which has an amazing view of the city and get a free Guinness. The rumors are true. Guinness tastes much better in Ireland than the States. My favorite fact I learned at the Brewery was that the founder believed so much in his beer, when he signed his lease for the land the brewery is one, he signed it for 9,000 years. So yes, Guinness will still be there in Dublin for about 8,800 more years. Now that my friends is foresight.
I head back to the hostel and finally check into my room. I take a small nap and eventually head back down to the hostel common area. I met a pretty cool guy who from Canada who just finished high school and is back packing for a year. Hanging out with him and one other guy, who is French, we meet a group of 6 girls the States, who are studying in London together.
After a bit they invite us out with them to the bars. We head to the main and famous bar district in Dublin. We hop from bar to bar. One of the girls asks me to pretend to be her boyfriend because creepy guys keep hitting on her. Yay for being non-threatening!
After a late night at the bars, followed by pizza we all head back to the hostel and I finally sleep.
I get in and hop on a bus to the city center. For once I print off directions from the bus drop off to the hostel, which is good because it would have sucked finding it otherwise. I get to the hostel around 9:00am. I can't check in until 2pm. All I want to do is sleep, but I guess that won't work.
I see there is a free walking tour at 11am. I sit around the hostel, eat some breakfast and kill time until the tour. The tour was pretty good. A large group and hard to hear, but defiantly worth going on. I meet two other Americans on it. One studying abroad in France and the other was living in Germany, working on the wine harvest and is traveling before going home. They had met at their hostel before the tour and have been hanging out. We all three get along pretty quickly.
After the tour we decide to do the Guinness Brewery tour. The guy has already seen it and heads back to the hostel. The tour is great. Self guided and paced, which I like. After the tour, you can go up to the sky bar, which has an amazing view of the city and get a free Guinness. The rumors are true. Guinness tastes much better in Ireland than the States. My favorite fact I learned at the Brewery was that the founder believed so much in his beer, when he signed his lease for the land the brewery is one, he signed it for 9,000 years. So yes, Guinness will still be there in Dublin for about 8,800 more years. Now that my friends is foresight.
I head back to the hostel and finally check into my room. I take a small nap and eventually head back down to the hostel common area. I met a pretty cool guy who from Canada who just finished high school and is back packing for a year. Hanging out with him and one other guy, who is French, we meet a group of 6 girls the States, who are studying in London together.
After a bit they invite us out with them to the bars. We head to the main and famous bar district in Dublin. We hop from bar to bar. One of the girls asks me to pretend to be her boyfriend because creepy guys keep hitting on her. Yay for being non-threatening!
After a late night at the bars, followed by pizza we all head back to the hostel and I finally sleep.
Last Day in Scotland or So I thought I Could Walk to My Hostel
I wake up, pack and catch a bus to Glasgow. I am not going to waste your time telling you about my incredibly boring wandering of Glasgow. Just know that you can leave it off of your list of cities you must visit. It is like Des Moines, great place to live and work, terrible to visit unless you know someone there.
The highlight of the day was when I asked a local what I should see in the city. She laughed and said, "Haha....um...have you tried Edinburgh?"
Now, I fly out the next morning to Dublin. The airport I fly out of is about an hour south of Glasgow in the city of Prestwick. I take a train down there, which arrives at the airport. Luckily for me the hotel I am staying at is close to the hotel, within walking distance. Or so I thought.
I find out the place on the map is on the exact opposite side of the airport from where I am. But still, not a terrible walk. It is dark, I am tired and I start walking. As I start walking it starts to rain. So there I am, with my backpack, walking along an airport by the highway, it's raining and dark. After about 45 minutes, maybe an hour of walking I get to the village that the hostel is in. I keep walking up and down unable to find it.
I finally go into a local tavern and ask for directions. They look at me and say, "Oh, you can't walk to here or at least you don't want to. You are only half there and it is out in the woods." You are kidding right? Gosh dang. They call a cab for me and I take it the rest of the way there. So I spent a solid 1.5 hours walking in the dark, cold and rain to just have to take a cab anyway.
I finally get to the hotel and luckily I have my own room for once. This place is out of season, so they just book the rooms at cost they say. I only paid about $20 for my own room. Sadly, I still have to be up 4:30am to catch my 6:30am flight.
I spend the evening sitting in the bar, which has Wifi. After awhile I am the only person left and start talking to the guy who works the front desk. He is a pretty nice guy. Just got an iPad himself and wants to talk about it. After awhile, he asks if I want a beer. He said one might magically appear if that is the case. Who am I to turn down free beer? I take it and have a drink with him before his shift is over.
Shortly after he leaves, I head to bed my self hoping to get at least 4 hours of sleep tonight. I can never fall asleep very early, but I can try.
The highlight of the day was when I asked a local what I should see in the city. She laughed and said, "Haha....um...have you tried Edinburgh?"
Now, I fly out the next morning to Dublin. The airport I fly out of is about an hour south of Glasgow in the city of Prestwick. I take a train down there, which arrives at the airport. Luckily for me the hotel I am staying at is close to the hotel, within walking distance. Or so I thought.
I find out the place on the map is on the exact opposite side of the airport from where I am. But still, not a terrible walk. It is dark, I am tired and I start walking. As I start walking it starts to rain. So there I am, with my backpack, walking along an airport by the highway, it's raining and dark. After about 45 minutes, maybe an hour of walking I get to the village that the hostel is in. I keep walking up and down unable to find it.
I finally go into a local tavern and ask for directions. They look at me and say, "Oh, you can't walk to here or at least you don't want to. You are only half there and it is out in the woods." You are kidding right? Gosh dang. They call a cab for me and I take it the rest of the way there. So I spent a solid 1.5 hours walking in the dark, cold and rain to just have to take a cab anyway.
I finally get to the hotel and luckily I have my own room for once. This place is out of season, so they just book the rooms at cost they say. I only paid about $20 for my own room. Sadly, I still have to be up 4:30am to catch my 6:30am flight.
I spend the evening sitting in the bar, which has Wifi. After awhile I am the only person left and start talking to the guy who works the front desk. He is a pretty nice guy. Just got an iPad himself and wants to talk about it. After awhile, he asks if I want a beer. He said one might magically appear if that is the case. Who am I to turn down free beer? I take it and have a drink with him before his shift is over.
Shortly after he leaves, I head to bed my self hoping to get at least 4 hours of sleep tonight. I can never fall asleep very early, but I can try.
Last Day in Edinburgh
I was really hoping to do a tour of the Scottish Highlands, but feeling as sick as I have been, I didn't want to sit in a bus for 12 hours. but I still want to see them, so I go down to the train station and ask about nice cities in the Highlands that are less than 2 hours away.
After getting a varied amount of advice I settle on a small tourist town about 2 hours North. I buy my train ticket round trip and wait for the next one. I thought it would be a simple ride, kind of boring, but with nice scenery. I was wrong, but in a good way.
I get into my seat, a nice Scottish girl around my age sits across from me. The other two seats and the four across from us are taken by Scottish ladies in their late 30's to age 60. The group is together and celebrating one of their 60 birthdays. They bring on plenty of food and alcohol. Mostly wine, beer and champagne.
Being the usually talkative person I am, I waste no time striking a conversation up with this lovely group. I get along with them instantly. They remind me so much of my Mom and her group of friends. What I mean by that is a bunch of women that don't care about their age, still think they are in their late twenties and know how to have fun, all while being nice people.
I start telling them about my adventures, travels, etc and they talk about their lives. All the while they shower me with free drinks and food. Eventually we pull in the girl sitting across from me. She seems pretty shy, but we get her to open up and have fun with us all. Needless to say, our little group was the life of the party on the train that day.
The saddest part was leaving. I had about 30 seconds to hop off the train while everyone said their goodbyes. They tried to convince me to just stay on the train with them for the rest of the trip (they had 2 hours more to go). And I was tempted. When I got off the train they were all pressed against the window waving. Some even pulled out handkerchiefs to wave as a joke. They pretended to cry. I pretended to run after the train holding my hand out as they went past. It was hilarious. We were all on the same page with the stereotypical train goodbye scene, one which I never thought I would live.
I got to the town and just walked around. It is really more of a village than anything. I had about an hour of daylight left (gets dark by 4pm). I walked down the main street, on a path in the woods, across a river, etc. I just spent my time reflecting and enjoying nature. There was something incredibly peaceful about this village, tranquil is the word.
As it got dark I started to wander the stores to pass the time for my train. I will only be in the village for about three hours. I start to get bored as places close. At one point I am sitting in the back of a store reading a book when I notice it has gotten really quite. I look around and no one is there. I walk up front and realized that the store closed about 15 minutes ago. Luckily, one person was still at the register closing up. The door was locked when I tried to leave and he had to come open it for me. I gave him a look of "oops?" and he gave me one of "you are kidding right...?" Yes, I managed to almost get myself locked into a small store in a village in Scotland.
Eventually, my train comes and I have no luck finding awesome people to sit with. I do luck out and get a section of seats to myself. I drift in and out of sleep on my way back.
Once I finally get back into Edinburgh, I just return to the hostel and call it a night. Tomorrow I take a bus to Glasgow.
After getting a varied amount of advice I settle on a small tourist town about 2 hours North. I buy my train ticket round trip and wait for the next one. I thought it would be a simple ride, kind of boring, but with nice scenery. I was wrong, but in a good way.
I get into my seat, a nice Scottish girl around my age sits across from me. The other two seats and the four across from us are taken by Scottish ladies in their late 30's to age 60. The group is together and celebrating one of their 60 birthdays. They bring on plenty of food and alcohol. Mostly wine, beer and champagne.
Being the usually talkative person I am, I waste no time striking a conversation up with this lovely group. I get along with them instantly. They remind me so much of my Mom and her group of friends. What I mean by that is a bunch of women that don't care about their age, still think they are in their late twenties and know how to have fun, all while being nice people.
I start telling them about my adventures, travels, etc and they talk about their lives. All the while they shower me with free drinks and food. Eventually we pull in the girl sitting across from me. She seems pretty shy, but we get her to open up and have fun with us all. Needless to say, our little group was the life of the party on the train that day.
The saddest part was leaving. I had about 30 seconds to hop off the train while everyone said their goodbyes. They tried to convince me to just stay on the train with them for the rest of the trip (they had 2 hours more to go). And I was tempted. When I got off the train they were all pressed against the window waving. Some even pulled out handkerchiefs to wave as a joke. They pretended to cry. I pretended to run after the train holding my hand out as they went past. It was hilarious. We were all on the same page with the stereotypical train goodbye scene, one which I never thought I would live.
I got to the town and just walked around. It is really more of a village than anything. I had about an hour of daylight left (gets dark by 4pm). I walked down the main street, on a path in the woods, across a river, etc. I just spent my time reflecting and enjoying nature. There was something incredibly peaceful about this village, tranquil is the word.
As it got dark I started to wander the stores to pass the time for my train. I will only be in the village for about three hours. I start to get bored as places close. At one point I am sitting in the back of a store reading a book when I notice it has gotten really quite. I look around and no one is there. I walk up front and realized that the store closed about 15 minutes ago. Luckily, one person was still at the register closing up. The door was locked when I tried to leave and he had to come open it for me. I gave him a look of "oops?" and he gave me one of "you are kidding right...?" Yes, I managed to almost get myself locked into a small store in a village in Scotland.
Eventually, my train comes and I have no luck finding awesome people to sit with. I do luck out and get a section of seats to myself. I drift in and out of sleep on my way back.
Once I finally get back into Edinburgh, I just return to the hostel and call it a night. Tomorrow I take a bus to Glasgow.
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