Greece: Thessaloniki and Mt Olympus (April17-21)

**Warning: due to the the bad timing writing this blog entry while being in Olimpos puking my guts out in the hospital, this blog came out to be extremely negative which reflected my state of mind while I was in the hospital. This fact alone doesn't excuse what I wrote, it is only supposed to explain why I wrote this blog in such a manner. I am sorry for all those offended by this post, and appreciate everyone who confronted me about it.



Typical in a Greek weekend market. Lord of the Flies perhaps...

On just impulse, I jumped on an opportunity to go to Greece with Emily D.C. and Leyla. I figured they would be a fun little group to go with. The problem is that we didn't plan anything. We just improvised the whole way. This lead to some problems later on...

We took a sleeper train Friday night from Istanbul across the border into Greece and on toward Thessaloniki. It was an eventful train ride, but the bed I was given was far too small for my height. Turkiye doesn't accommodate the tall people that much. Every where I go I have to constantly duck under doorways, low ceilings, and having to fit in small beds.

When we woke up, we were in Thessaloniki with angry Train Rent-A-Cops telling us to get off the train. When we got off we were like, what now? First we wanted to find our hotel that we were staying in, and we were fortunate to have a backpacker from London there to tell us which bus to take to get to the center of the city. Along with him was an Aussie traveler by the name of Annika. She was interesting, and she decided to tag along with us to the central city. It was a fun time. None of us had breakfast so we went to a pastry shop to load up on breakfast stuff. Afterwards, we located our hotel after much confusion as to where it actually was. I invited Annika in because she looked like she needed a shower. She eagerly accepted, and after we all got cleaned up, we explored the city. Annika was awesome because it allowed for simultaneous conversation for everyone. The problem and gift of three people going on trips is that with threem, there is usually one who gets the shaft and is constantly left out of the conversation. She was also interesting. A student of art at the University of Glasglow in Scottland. She is a season traveler who has travelled all over Europe. Too bad we only got to stay with her for a day. We got to enjoy Greek frappes, Byzantinium walls, and fresh oranges right off the tree. She was going on to Istanbul to take part in the annual invite to Australians to take part in memorial services of the Battle of Gallipoli near Çannakkale. But of course she was also there to see the glorious Istanbul.

When we got to the train station and said goodbye, we thought it would be a good idea to get our return tickets. That was met with disaster when they said they were sold out. That was the only way back to Istanbul that we knew. We panicked for a little bit. We were starting to try and find ways to get back to Turkiye mainly by bus, but for the most part it was no good. We then had to look for alternative means to getting back to Turkiye. I was all for it because it would add to the adventure, but my two female compatriots weren't as up for it as I was. I was thinking about renting a car to get to the border and then hopping on the first bus to Istanbul. It would have worked but they didn't want to do it. There was no sense of adventure with those two (plus I just wanted to drive!).

We eventually found a bus though, but it required going in an overpriced taxi with someone we didn't know to take us to a place that we didn't know about. I convinced the girls to come though because the guy was trustworthy. I had a six sense feeling about him and it paid off. It lead us to a metro bus station which gave us a direct bus ticket back to Istanbul.

Once that crisis was adverted we continued to explore the city. Thessoloniki is a beautiful city in its own way. It was loaded with beautiful apartment complexes and excellent white washed structures. The coast and the ocean was beautiful to look at. However our first night was interesting. It was Saturday night before Eastern Orthodox Easter Sunday. It was the first night that I got to see fireworks at midnight on Easter. There were a lot of peculiar sites that night.

The next day we went to Lahore, a town near the base of Mt. Olympus. It was a beautiful little town that gave me a nice day to enjoy the outdoors. The view was spectacular and I was once again in my element. Climbing rocks I could climb and deem safe, running up and down mountains. We eventually got to see the river that fed the town below with fresh water. I took off my shirt and dipped my entire upper body in the cold river to cool off. Emily and Leyla did alright, but they weren't used to the pace that I set so I let them lead. However, I have come to realize that taking small steps is a lot more taxing and exerts more stress then taking normal steps. Leyla regrettably wasn't as up to the task as I was hoping. She almost wanted to quit early. I had to scout ahead to find a great view for her to enjoy. Once she saw the great Mt. Olympos, her adrenaline picked up and we continued onward. Future Note: I would love to come back to Mt. Olympos with my rock climbing friends just to climb the mountain.

After that, we ate dinner cheaply (comparatively) in the town, and we took the train back to the city. We actually got into an argument with a shop owner who said to us, when we told him we were studying in Turkiye, that "Turkiye will never be apart of Europe. Turkiye is no good." Leyla was the first to attack and I was actually very proud of her. I also noticed that Greeks still call Istanbul its old name, Constantinople. They tried to regain the city after WWI but thankfully Ataturk kicked their ass out of Turkiye. And yes...I am becoming a Nationalist Turk, except I am an American. My three Turkish flags in my room prove it.

What I wrote previously:
Back in Thessoloniki we went out on the town but realized that there was no dance seen in Thessaloniki. However, it didn't matter. I realized from Emily and Leyla's body language that they didn't want me there. I was holding them back, and I admit that. They definitely wanted to flirt with guys, and they kept joking that I should find a nice Greek girl. This is the problem with traveling outnumbered. I would have loved to have hit up every club money allowing that I had a wingman to do it with. However I wasn't feeling up to it either. Greece is expensive because the price levels combined with the exchange rate between dollars and euros, and even worse lira to euros. We eventually went back after one drink. I didn't talk much because the conversation was lousy for my tastes.

The true version:
Back in Thessoloniki we went out on the town, and I realized that there was a very large gay community here. I was actually approached by this one elderly guy who told me that he loved the way I dressed. That made me a little awkward for the rest of the night. The other thing that made it awkward was the problem I often face traveling with woman: woman talk. Sometimes I can add to that conversation but other times I can't, and that night was one of those nights. So basically my mind just wondered off into my own little world at times, and Leyla and Emily would bring me back to reality on occasion by asking me something, or telling me that I needed to hunt down a Greek Girl. It almost sounded as if they wanted to ditch me because I was dragging them down but that wasn't the case. However I wasn't feeling up for much. Greece is expensive because the price levels combined with the exchange rate between dollars and euros, and even worse lira to euros. I was also at the time trying to save up what little I had for my spring break trip the week later.

The next day we took a bus to the forked peninsula coast near the city. It was a beautiful area that I will come back to waterski on. Thessaloniki is also a great place to sail out of to get to the islands. I got some stuff to remember my trip. After we got back, we toured the city some more and went on a boat cruise to tour the city by water. It was beautiful, but what helped was the overpriced Corona that I bought.

We quickly then got some produce for the bus ride, and took the bus back to Istanbul. It was a good trip, but way too short, and way to slow. I need more men to come with me on my little endeavors, and next time I need Lonely Planet!

About my summer...

I think I am going to find a place to work in Turkiye over the summer. I might even take a couple of classes. Who knows. I just want to see more of this country and all it has to offer. I do not want to return to the states when there is so much opportunity to be had here. I could easily get a job in the tourism industry here because I can speak English, and this would allow me to become truly independent for once in my life. I am not going to return to the states just to sit on my ass for an entire summer doing nothing. I was encouraged heavily not to post this, but I have been trying to keep this blog honest and I believe there is no harm in staying here. Mom and Megan will be upset because they miss me so much but I am certain that they will be okay about it. They wouldn't be to happy with me if I returned to the states to just play Halo 3 the entire time (even though that does sound kind of fun).

Right now the prime target would be at Olimpos. I would work one of the hotels or hostels there that rent out tree house bungalows and help run/coordinate tourists to some of the things that is in the area such as rock climbing, sea kayaking, rafting, safaris, trekking, and mountain biking. If I can get this job then I will literally be in heaven.

Another cool possibility is me sending in an application to the state department so that I can work at the local embassy in Istanbul. That would be fun and it would look great on a resume. The internship I looked at would involve regional research, and me being able to be trusted with classified documents (and yes I am more then capable of handeling the responsibility of classified documents).

There is also a for certain job in Cappadocia but the problem is that it gets really hot there in the summers and I won't be close to an ocean. I loved the region though due to all the things one can climb. My job there would be leading horse back ride tours through valleys to see all the dug out structures and guiding people to certain other tourist hot spots. To cool thing about all of this is that it gives me ample time to learn more Turkish. Hurray!

But if anyone can locate someone who is hiring back in the states, do not hesitate to notify me.

A Burning of an American Flag

I was in Taksim yesterday doing some shopping and procrastinating from doing work. It was also a day when Obama was coming to Istanbul. Now most people in Turkiye love Barack Obama, but apparently some people didn't take to kindly to his visiting. In fact, I saw them down the road in Taksim where they were protesting in what seemed to be a government building I think...I thought it was the US Consulate but my Politics professor corrected me by saying that the consulate was moved to a different location. To be quite honest, I was a little lost. I saw minor demonstrations in the square at Taksim but it wasn't anything too big. But down one of the major roads, I got to see a small group of protesters burning an American flag. This was the first time that I ever got to see such an event take place with my own eyes. I would have thought that being put in this situation, I would feel a sense of outrage, but I didn't. I was actually curious as to why. I think it was because they didn't want the US/Obama to pressure the Turkish government into sending resources into Afghanistan (just a Theory). It still shocks me though everytime I think about it. Am I that apathetic to my home country?

The Princess Islands (April 5)

The weather forecast called for a perfectly nice, sunny day, so Lessa, Kristina, Maddie, and I decided to take advantage of it by going to the Princess Islands in the Sea of Maramara. We couldn't have picked a better day. We took a boat trip to tour the Islands which would stop at each individual island. However due to time constraints, we settled on going to Buyukada, the largest of the islands. It was an impressive little Island. They outlawed most vehicles so the only trasportation that is available is through horse carriages and bicycles. I loved not having to smell exhaust fumes. These islands are however mainly occupied by people who use the island as a summer home. However there is still a lot of activity to be had when the weather starts warming. Tourist season is slowly creaping up in Turkiye and closer it gets, the more we notice. However we got to enjoy the sites here, enjoy some more fish cuisines, and the best part was that we got rent bikes to the top of the Island! That was fun and a great experience for Maddie who never rode a bike in the last 10 years or so. She did well surprisingly. Going up and down the hills in our bikes and seeing some of the beautiful structures and houses the island had to offer is a definite must when traveling here. I especially liked the hills that I got to race down. The view from the island however is Majestic. We were delivered not only a supurb view of the other Islands but also a view of Istanbul as well.

To get to the top however was no easy task. We arrived with our bikes at an area where the road starts to drastically become more vertical. That was a problem for some of our more inexperienced bikers. We decided to walk our bikes up. I tried to get up with my bike alone, but it isn't as fun when you are knowingly excluding others in the process. At the top is the Monastary of St. George. It wasn't as impressive as some of the Cathedrals located in Istanbul but its situation on top of the Island was impressive. The inside of it was even more spectacular. The outside view is one to covet and treasure for the rest of ones life. Couples often come up here together due to how romantic the spot is. However what diminishes this is Yassiada Island (Execution Island). It was the site of the Demokrat Parti trials where after the military coup in 1960, many of the party's leaders were on trial here, and then sentenced to death here by firing squad. One of the more famous figures to be executed was Prime Minister Adnan Menderes but I believe that he might have been shot on another island. Interesting history...

The best thing about the island was the bike ride down. It was a fast and dangerous ride down considering all the walkers I had to dodge. I almost hit a couple but I got through them with no casualties. I waited for the others to get down the hill before I went down the second. They weren't as liberal with their speed as I was. Once we all met up, I started plunging myself down the hills going high speed, dodging horse carriages, other bikers and pedestrians. It was a good old time. I then got to enjoy some ice cream before I left. Another quick trip that I strongly recommend to any traveler in the area.

The Bosphorus and the Black Sea (March 29)

For more pictures go to this site:
http://picasaweb.google.com/alex.oswald/UpTheBosphorusToTheBlackSea?authkey=Gv1sRgCOS0nZ2hovjkWA&feat=directlink
Because everyone was doing things this weekend and Lessa and I felt as if we weren't included, we decided to take a cool, relaxing day trip to tour the Bosphorus and to see the Black Sea. It was a nice break away from studying statistics. We started by taking the bus and tram to get to Emununo. From there, we got on a passenger ferry that toured the entire Boshporus Strait. It was a nice cheap little getaway from the huge, sprawling city of Istanbul. This is my midwestern roots talking. Everyonce in a while, I need to get away from the city. I love Istanbul, but there is a part of me that cries out for open space. Thankfully, I got plenty of that on this trip.

From the Golden Horn Peninsula, we went North along the European side of the strait. We got a great view of Dolmabahçe Palace, and the suburbs along the waterfront. Me and Lessa were talking about how this was giving us a bunch of ideas of places in the city to visit. I now need to stop by the area next to Besikatas in order to see the glorious Jewelry market they have there.
We eventually got to see home as well. From the water, you could look up and get a view of the South Campus of Bogaziçi Univerisity. A little further on we got to see the Rumeli Hisari, the set of two Ottoman fortresses on both sides of the strait. They were built on the narrowest part in order to control the flow of naval trafic on the strait. However since the Ottomans later eventually dominated the entire strait and the seas surrounding it, its use was short lived. Now it serves as a glamorous outdoor theatre. Doing this little trip really did open our eyes to sheer size of Istanbul as an entire metropolitan area. The city is literrally massive in terms of area covered. New York City, Chicago, and other US cities are dwarfed in comparison. You also got to see how wealthy a city like Istanbul can be. We saw dozens of Mansions littering the sides of the European side, and hundreds of pieces of real estate that probably is estimated to be worth close a million per unit. We eventually came into view of the magnificent Black Sea. It was a great site to see. Our last stop before heading back down the Bosphorus was Anadolu Kavagi. This town is pleasent little place to wonder around to enjoy the country side and to enjoy a nice fish sandwich along with Turkish icecream (It was delicious by the way). I especially liked the 20 minute hike up the hill to Anadolu Kavagi Kalesi, a midieval Byzantine castle overlooking the choke point into the Black Sea. It was a nice place to visit. I climbed the walls up to the top part. However to get up to the last two towers standing, I needed rope because one slip up would equal pain. So I decided not to test the guardians and played it safe. I also just got to enjoy the fantastic view of the Black Sea. I now must venture forth to go see more of Northern Turkiye's costline. But that would be for after Spring Break. Overall it was a great little day trip.

Fun Times With Huseyin (March 22-25)

(Best Picture I Have)

On Sunday of March 22, I went with Caroline and Lessa to go see the Archaeology Museum and the Cistern in the old city in Sultanhemet. We started the morning early so that we could see both in one day. However, when we got off the Tram in Sultanhemet a man who could speak english started talking to us gesturing us to come into the Carpet shop for some tea. We ignored him but Caroline then asked the man for directions and he told us where the entrance to the Museum was. Before we could start walking in that direction he asked us if we were Americans. We all said yes and then he asked us where we were from, and we all gave the general area in which we came from (I said near Chicago). And then the manager of the shop came by and asked me in a sarcastic manner, "Who did you catch this time." He introduced himself to us. His name was Huseyin, and from first glances I knew that he was a very colorful and interesting character. He asked us where we were from and we repeated. Lessa responded with "Norman, Oklahoma," Caroline responded with "San Jose, California but I study in Boston" and I responded "Illinois, close to Chicago." He responded by saying something along the lines of "Ouch, Chicago is way too cold for me. Which suburb do you live in?" Never in all of my introductions to Turks have I met one who was familiar with Chicago. I had to explain more precisely where I was from and he understood that I lived in town along I-55 between St. Louis and Chicago. Needless to say I was impressed but I was even more impressed to hear that he was familiar with the small hippy commune of Norman, Oklahoma, because, honestly, who has ever heard of Oklahoma. Aparently he was even more familiar with San Jose and was a little familiar with Boston. He struck me as a guy who has been around.

He then invited us inside his store for tea. The girls were a little hesitant in doing so since we just met him and he was a little off for a regular Turk. Caroline has also been dying to see the archaeology museum for quite some time and she wanted to see all of it before it closed. She is into archaeology in a big way. However I egged them on, got in between them, and pushed them all towards the entrance while encouraging them by saying that it will be fun. I really wanted to get to know this guy, and he turned out to be quite an interesting character! He was basically a Turkish Hippy! Dad, you would love him. He grew up in Cappadocia and was born, bred, and raised to design, make and sell carpets. That is what his family does. He has this awesome dog by the name of Zulu which he convinced the previous owner of letting him have her since Zulu loved Huseyin more then any other Turk. It was a cool story, but it is a story that doesn't get passed on well (at least not by me). He also is a backpacker at heart, and he has seen it all! He backpacked all throughout Africa going down the Nile and then going further south until hitting South Africa! He's also been all throughout America and Europe extensively of course, and still plans on going back to America in order to expand his business to the largest group of consumers in the world. He has even been to Central Asia, India, South East Asia, and Australia. This guy has litterally seen, explored, and immersed himself in so many different cultures. He even told me that when he goes some place, he doesn't just go there for a week. He goes there for months at a time. He has good friends from all around the world, and he even has a fictional character in a book that is based off him. I envy this man's life! The girls were also very glad that we got to meat Huseyin. I am very glad. It was as if he was just a crazy American living in Istanbul due to all the places he has been to. But he is not. He is still very much Turkish.

We had to go to the Archeology museum before it closed, so we parted ways but not before he showed us his shop and asked us to come back on Wednesday. He invited us to go to Kumkapi for fish and live music that Wednesday. We told him that we would get back to him on that. The carpets he sold were really cool and very beautiful. The Archeology Museum was really cool though. It had stuff from archeological dig sites all over the Middle East from when the Ottomans Ruled and before. Finds from the ancient Sumerian culture, all the way up to Middle Ages. Here are just some of the pictures of the museum. The rest can be found following this link:
We got to see relics from Troy, the Sarcophagus of Alexander the Great, the statues of Greek Gods and Goddesses, and my personal favorite, the carved out statues from the Babylonian and Sumerian Empires. We couldn't go to the Cistern since it was closing by the time we finished up the Museum. I like museums though. After leaving them I get a high knowing just how far Humanity has come, and it gives me a new sense of purpose.

On Wednesday, I called up Huseyin to tell him that me and Lessa were going to take him up on his offer. Caroline couldn't come due to a midterm regrettably. We took the bus to Kabatas and then onward towards Gulhane by Tram. When we got there we were treated, and greated like family. He served us tea and turkish coffee as he showed us his new carpets that he has completed, and his future designs for business. He is an Economic Hippy who certaintly understands the concept of Demand and Supply. We then took a short cab ride Kumkapi and he showed us this place where it seemed that everyone knew him. It was a great dinner. Basically it was one of those restaurants that would serve you small dishes of everything on their menu and you get to try them out. I loved it. Huseyin also taught me and Lessa how to drink Raki, the strongest Turkish drink you will ever encounter. It does kind of grow on you, but I still would rather have something else. We then got to the fish, which was like always amazing. Fresh fish is a must to have in Turkiye. However this fish was awfully expensive. I think I will stick to the fried fish that they offer in Eminunu. It's cheap and delicious. FYI: If I die of Mercury poisoning, it is because of my large intake of fish while I have been here.

Then the live music came. It was traditional Turkish folk songs that many Turks knew by heart. Huseyin was even singing and playing a drum to some of them. The cool part was when they brought out a violin, and Lessa introduced to them Irish tunes to the Turks. However, it was foreign to everyone except Huseyin and I. It was a great night. Huseyin then offered us to come back anytime we wished, and he told me specifically that he could look around and see if there is any job oppurtunities around Turkiye that would be suited for me. This guy is like a gateway to living a dream for me.