~Heather's Journal~

*sorry if I seem to go on and on but Turkey is so different from America it's hard not to write so much

~Day Thirteen Wednesday: April 30, 2008

Today we drove to a little Mediterranean village to swim and soak up the sun. First we walked out a little island 75 meters off shore through a foot of water. At the island we hike up to the top where there were remnants of an old fort or something. It really is true that in Turkey you can find ancient ruins wherever you look.

Once at the top of the island David, Dad, and I hiked our way down and around back to where we started by forging our own path. I was doing this all in my old Speedo flip flops that are ripping at the sides. We climbed down rocks and made our way down little gravel paths. At one point a just said heck with it and climbed down a rock barefoot. After walking around almost every foot of the little island we walked back to the mainland.

Tif, David, and I walked back to shore via the old Greek wall stones that were submerged in 6 inches of water. Dad took the easy path back to get some pictures of us walking on water. Halfway across we came upon sea urchin territory so we made David walk first with his closed shoe tennis shoes and his walking stick. Tif and I carefully followed trying not to step on the prickly tops of the sea urchins, Tif was also in flip flops. At one point Tif took too big of a step over a gap between rocks, slipped, got wet, lost her shoes, and landed on her hand.

When we were just 10 meters from shore Tif noticed an octopus swimming along that had just passed David. A Turkish man on shore noticed it, took off his shoes and socks and hoped in the water. He stuck his hand under the rock the octopus had swum under and grabbed it. The octopus wrapped its tentacles around the man's arm and once on shore the man started ripping the tentacles off his arm. The man walked into the restaurant with the octopus and later we watched him prepare it. We helped catch dinner!

After repacking the day pack and changing our swimsuits we headed for a peninsula just around the other side of the cove. While we were walking to the peninsula we passed restaurants, a barber shop with a water view, and cows lounging on the beach! We crossed the neck of the peninsula over to the water to have lunch on the rocks. Right next to where we were having lunch there was an old foundation of a house half under water.

When we were done with lunch we began to walk all the way around the peninsula. Half way around the peninsula we followed a little path but then it gradually fell to the plants and we had to search for another way to walk the perimeter. Dad quickly found a good path but Tif, David, and I were higher up the hill and couldn't get down to him so we forged our way around. David found a place where he could do some climbing and walking but Tif, who was now in tennis shoes, chose to take a path that involved less climbing and I followed because I was still in my Speedo flip-flops.

My feet were sliding around and half the time weren't even in my shoes so I took it real slow. We came to a little dirt/gravel section and I slipped and started to slide on my butt when I noticed an Ipod in a bush. A grabbed the Ipod, which was a brand new 4 GB Ipod with no scratches, and tested to see if it worked, and it did. I handed it to Tif for safe keeping and we picked up our pace to meet up with David.

We found David at the beach and the three of us walked back to cow beach to try and find our Dad. He wasn't there so we walked to the car, he wasn't there so we walked past several restaurants and the entry point to the little island, and then to the beach I said we should swim at. He wasn't at any of these locations and we figured he would be fine so David and I started swimming.

~Day Twelve Tuesday: April 29, 2008

The alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. After one or two snoozes we lethargically got ready for our day trip to Greece. At 7:30 we were out of the hotel and walking down to the port. By 8;15 we were sitting on the ferry boat ready to head to the island of Samos!

For the hour and half ferry ride to Samos I did my homework and people watched. People from all around Europe and the world were on the ferry. It was interesting to listen to all the languages and try to guess what country they were from.

We arrived in Samos and had to go through a mini customs with just two people checking passports and another woman manually searching through bags. We left customs with more stamps on our passports and anticipation to explore the island. We then rented a tinny tiny car to help us explore the island all before 4:30 p.m. We had five hours.

We drove 10 km down the road to Pythagoras, the birth place of Pythagoras the man that invented the Pythagorean Theorem: a squared + b squared = c squared, the equation to find the lengths of the sides of a right triangle. Pythagoras was exactly as one would have pictured a Greek town. All the houses were white and had red roofed tiles. They were all stacked up the hill with little cobblestone streets. We parked our car and walked around the waterfront, taking in Greece. We had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the harbor and choose the four dishes that we had no idea what they were. We ended up with an eggplant lasagna, meat and onion stew, chicken shish, and beef meatballs. Some hearty Greek food that was priced for summer tourists but o' well, we were in Greece!

We then drove along the coast searching for a place to swim in the Aegean Sea. We eventually found a beach and drove down the cliff off the main road. The beach was all smooth, circular rocks and no sand. David and I carefully made our way to the water which was really cold. We tiptoed our way in until the water was up to our torsos and then just went for it. We dived into the sea. As usual the water was cold at first but then you grow accustomed to it and never want to get out.

The water was crystal clear and no matter how deep you went you could always see the rocks and ground beneath you. We picked a rock to swim to and enjoyed the refreshing water. Then we walked down to the other side of the beach which our dad said was very cool after walking down there with Tif. The cliffs jutted over the water just so that they were ideal for hanging on to and trying to climb up. We reluctantly got out of the water when we told to as it was approaching 4 o'clock.

After toweling off we drove back to the main town of Samos, Samos, to get ready to board the ferry. We filled up with gas from Greece and Tif, David, and I walked back to ferry via the road to take in more sights and try to find some souvenirs while Dad returned the car. We didn't buy anything but some ice cream. Then we filed in line for customs to get back into Turkey. We had to be pushy to get our passports stamped with all the Europeans trying to push their way to the front of the line. Then we found seats on the ferry and said goodbye to Samos and Greece.

We arrived back in Turkey around 6:15 p.m. and wound our way through the Kusadasi bazaar until we found a little kebab sandwich to-go shop. We ate and walked back to the hotel where we watched Ice Age on the laptop and ate baklava before falling asleep.

~Day Eleven Monday: April 28, 2008

That morning we took another walk through the Izmir Bazaar because today the bazaar was open. We got lost a couple of times wandering through the streets of Izmir but we eventually made out way back to the main street. I left with a Galatasaray scarf and something else...

We then drove to Ephesus an ancient Greek city. I personally like Ephesus much more than Troy because more of it was standing. We walked along the ancient marble main street to the massive amphitheatre. At the theatre some people were at the bottom stage singing Amazing Grace and the acoustics of the theatre were amazing. It sounded like the women were right next us, the singing was incredibly clear.

We continued walking down a street lined with columns to the old library which was very extravagant. The front wall was three stories tall with columns and arches stacked on top of each other. Old statues sat between the central arches. The detail work of the library was so particular and the craftsmanship that went into it with simple tools is hard to imagine.

The main street lead us past government buildings, fountains, houses (that were dug into the sides of the hill), and the public latrines. In the latrines people would do there business whilst sitting next to 48 others and listening to a live band. We overheard a tour guide say that people would spend two or three hours at the latrines socializing with friends and neighbors. This was very amusing for us and my favorite part of Ephesus.

Then we drove up a nearby hill to see Ephesus from above and try to see the supposed house of the Virgin Mary. We didn't get to the see the house of Mary because it cost money and it as getting late so we drove fifteen minutes to Kusadasi.

Kusadasi is a major tourists town and a stop for cruise ships. We drove around and found a hotel that was only 110 lira a night and had a balcony overlooking the ocean! After we unpacked we took a walk through Kusadasi and watched the cruise ships drive away to their next destination.

We had dinner overlooking the water and ate Turkish appetizers. Then we walked along the water and bought ice cream that was dipped in chocolate topping. Yummy. After buying baklava we headed back to our hotel for an early start tomorrow morning.

~Day Ten Sunday: April 27, 2008

Today we slept in again and had some glasses of cay, tea, before making our way into Izmir. We walked down the block and turned into the local market. Since it was a Sunday half of the shops were closed but there was still plenty to look at. We passed venders who pestered us to buy jeans, headscarf's, wedding dresses, tuxedos, and plenty of soccer gear. The maze of shops lead us to the Izmir clock tower. Basically its a town square with lots of pigeons and an old clock tower in the middle. From there we wander to the pier and the waterfront where we had some pretzels for a snack.

Next we made our way to the Ethnic and Archeological Museums. At the Ethnic Museum there was old stuff from the Ottoman Empire and other places but there was also a display on camel wrestling. Apparently its a pretty big sport in middle and eastern Turkey. Camels are actually trained and there are referees and everything. Then at the Archeological Museum there were old headless, nose less, armless statues and lots of pottery. The statues were pretty cool but how cool can the history of terracotta possibly get?

Then we walked for a ways until we came to a mega sports store. There were five floors of Nike, Puma, Reebok, Adidas, and Speedo. It seriously was paradise. If I had 1,000 bucks to blow I would have bought up the whole store inventory. I did buy a Turkey National futbol scarf. My goal is to buy a bunch of scarves from sports teams around the world and hang them in my room. Then Dad bought something for his/David's soccer team and we left the store. Just around the corner there was a street vendor selling soccer jerseys for five lira. David bought a jersey but I as content with my scarf.

By this time we were back in the markets. We continued walking around looking at the items for sale and trying to get rid of street vendors. Then it started to pour rain. We ran from awning to awning trying our best to stay dry. The rain let up for just a second but we made our way to a restaurant for a late lunch. The little restaurant had really good pizza and was the perfect place to get away from the rain.

We then walked back to our hotel to take a break and a rest. At 6:30 p.m. Dad, David, and I got ready to go watch the big futbol match Galatasaray vs. Fenerbache, the two best teams in Turkey battling it out in league play. David was all excited to cheer on Galatasaray in his head to toe Galatasaray gear (sweatshirts, jersey, and pants).

We met up with two of the hotel workers and their friends. We walked with them to another hotel which had a sports bar. The game was on satellite so lots of people were there to watch the big match.

Watching the game in the sports bar/restaurant/hotel was really fun. Half of the people were rooting for Galatasaray and the other half were wearing Fenerbache colors, so no matter what occurred in the game someone was happy and someone else was booing. We had Fanta and split French fries amongst our party, the men we went to the game with started eating the fries with their forks. I tried the fork thing but it was really weird so I went back to fingers as it was just David and I sharing our fries. In Turkey it seems like everyone smokes and at the futbol game the room was hazy with smoke. All the smokiness was pretty disgusting but the fabulous game going on the big screen TV made it all worth it.

Galatasaray beat Fenerbache, one nil, and now they are the best team in Turkey. If nothing goes askew Galatasary will probably win the Turkey cup and go down in the history books. The whole city was alive with honking and shouting after the game. Groups of teenage boys would walk by singing a Galatasary song at the top of their lungs and waving their flags. We passed a group of boys and said, "Go Galatasaray!" They started chanting their replies and one of them took our picture with his camera phone. How often do you see tourists rooting for your team? They all started speaking their bits of English and one of them claimed he loved us. It was really cool and lively walking down the street with fans hanging out of their car singing and waving their flags. People kept honking their horns when they saw David in his Galatasaray gear. It really was a spectacle to see.

That night we went to bed after watching a Turkish deal or no deal and Robin Hood with Turkish subtitles.

~Day Nine Saturday: April 26, 2008

That morning we slept in and trust me we needed it. Then David and I walked around Canakkale looking for a post office to buy stamps for our postcards. After three sets of directions we finally found our way to the post office and bought our stamps.

Then we packed the car and drove for an hour of so to the ancient city of Troy. At Troy David and I climbed into the giant horse at the site and recited lines from the Iliad. (We didn't actually do that but it sounded good.) We then made our way into the ruins of the city.

Most of Troy was just foundations and remnants of thousands of years old buildings. You really need to use your imagination to see where houses, roads, and walls would have been. One of the most confusing parts about Troy was that it was so old different generations of Trojans had built on top of the old city. So you would see a Troy 9 house and Troy 2 wall, it was all very confusing. While at Troy we also made two little friends, Tif was eating some food and two dogs started to follow us around the park. Other than that, that was Troy. It was cool in the sense that Troy has such a rich history (5,000 years!) and a lot of it was there for you to see but it was also hard to imagine the city and its old grandeur.

After Troy we hopped in the car and drove for four hours to Izmir, the third biggest city in Turkey. In Izmir it was kind of funny to watch my Dad drive and Tif navigate. They were confused on where they were and it didn't help that everyone was out on a Saturday night. David and I sat quietly in the backseat looking for hotels and debating whether or not to say we had just passed the McDonalds for a third time. Eventually we found a hotel and were able to settle in for the night after a hearty Turkish dinner.

(I forgot to mention that we went to a Kipa, grocery store just outside of Canakkale to stock up on sandwich supplies. In the entrance of the Kipa, which is like a Wal-Mart, there was a display of artifacts from the battles at Galibolu. The most interesting display case there held hundreds of bullets and the sign said there were 6,000 bullets per square meter on the  battlefield! It was all very interesting.)

~Day Eight Friday: April 25, 2008 Anzac Day

At 3:00 a.m. David woke us all up to go to the bathroom. Then at 3:30 a.m. a police officer came and tapped on our window. He told us it was forbidden to park and sleep on the side of the road. Dad talked to him and eventually the officer went away. We slept until 4:15 a.m. and got ready for the long day ahead of us. Whenever a police car passed, and they passed very often, we had to duck down and pretend we were sleeping. Once we were all dressed and ready to go we started to walk the two kilometers to North Beach for Dawn Service.

We walked around a bend and there lying in front of us was thousands of people (Dad: 12,000, in fact), all silent and wrapped in their sleeping bags. Thousands of people had spent the time sleeping under the stars and thousands of others had spent the night in plastic stadium seating. We found our way to a little grassy space and got situated just before Dawn Service began.

During Dawn Service the selected speakers spoke of death, remembrance, war, and respect. The armed forces marched in and out of the ceremony and put on a small display as well as playing the bugle. The Turkish, New Zealand, and Australian anthems were all played and the thousands gathered sand along to their anthems. Dozens of countries were present and gave wreathes in honor of the fallen soldiers. While this was going on the crowd was completely silent. Everyone was in a somber mood and at one point all you could hear was the sound of the waves. By the end of Dawn Service the sun had risen and the sky was lighted in an eerie glow.

We then walked to the Lone Pine Cemetery for the Australian service. To get their we had to walk about 2k and half of it was rough track up hill. Once we had conquered the hill, passed through security, and found the perfect seats we got comfortable. We were one of the first people at Lone Pine and now had three hours, until 10:15 a.m., for the Lone Pine service to begin.

The wind came whipping over the hill and we wrapped ourselves in blankets to try to keep warm. I caught about twenty minutes of shut eye during that three hour period by putting my head on my knees, very comfortable, and the rest of the time we basically just sat there. We also had some breakfast but that basically was all we did.

10:15 a.m. came around the service began. The army began the service with their salutes and whatnot. Then more speakers came up. They read experts from soldiers' journals and poems based on Gallipoli. Even more wreathes were brought out commemorating the fallen soldiers. All of the speeches were very good, capturing the essence of Anzac Day.

After the service was over we took pictures of David, Dad, and I in front of the wreathes with our great-grandfather's medals from Gallipoli. My grandfather says that the battles at Gallipoli were so terrible that his father, my great-grandfather, never ever spoke of Gallipoli. Behind the wreathes, etched in marble, read, "Their name liveth for evermore," which I find to be completely and utterly true. Next we went to a guest book where thousands of people had signed, "We will remember them. Lest we forget."

Then we walked back down to North Beach so we could look at the memorials there. On our way we stopped at a cemetery where a man by the name of J. Simpson is buried. Simpson and his donkey are the two most famous duo from Gallipoli. Simpson worked from dawn till dusk finding wounded soldiers, putting his own life in danger, and taking them to the hospital on his donkey. Simpson died after a month at Gallipoli but today he is the most famous Anzac.

Back at North Beach we read plaques of information that gave way to astounding information on death, disease, and the horrors of war. Once we were finished at North Beach we hitched a ride to the car with some Turkish workers and then headed the southern tip of Gallipoli to look at the Turkish monuments. At this point I was so tired I didn't even get out of the car but tried to catch a quick power nap.

After the Turkish monuments we took the ferry back to our hotel to have some down time. Once we had dinner we watched the movie "Gallipoli," which helped us to imagine Gallipoli. The movie showed how you had be very cautious of getting caught, the humor of the Anzacs in such a difficult time and place, and the cold blooded murder of war. The movie was a perfect conclusion to the 93rd Anzac Day.

~Day Seven Thursday: April 24, 2008

Today we boarded the ferry back to the Gallipoli Peninsula to tour the Anzac memorials and learn about Anzac Day:

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANZAC DAY

In World War I, WWI, Turkey was allies with Germany and the Anzacs (Australian New Zealand Army Corps) were allies with England. England wanted to capture the Dardanelles, which Turkey controlled. Having control of the Dardanelles meant you could control Constantinople, now Istanbul then Turkey's capital, get Turkey out of the war, weaken Germany and have control of the Black Sea. England was going to arrive at the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula and the Anzacs were going to arrive in the middle of the peninsula on the Aegean Sea side and march over to the Dardanelles and take over the Turkish forts. However the Anzacs drifted up the peninsula due to the currents and landed in the worst possible place. After a small beach cliffs and hills loomed overhead. The Turks had the high ground and shot down on the 16,000 Anzac troops that were trying to climb up the hills and capture the Turks trenches. On that night, April 15, 1915, 2,000 of the eight or so thousand Australian troops died.

The Anzacs were able to make it up the hills that night and push back the Turks. From their they dug a system of trenches. They stayed in Gallipoli until December and never gained any more land then they captured on April 15th.

The battles at Gallipoli were the first battles the Australians ever fought as an independent nation from Britain. It was the defining point for Australia which is why Anzac Day is such a big deal to the Aussies. Every year about 10,000 Aussies and New Zealanders come to Turkey for Anzac Day. That is about as many Anzacs died at Gallipoli.

So now those of you that wondered why I was going to Turkey now know.

At the Anzac Day memorial park we started out at Lone Pine. Today Lone Pine is a cemetery for hundreds of found and lost Australians and New Zealanders. We walked among some of the headstones, many of them with quotes from family members and many without. Most of the soldiers died between 19 and 23, with their whole lives in front of them. In August 1915 Lone Pine was the site of a battlefield. The Anzacs took another chance at the Turks trenches to further advance to the Dardanelles. The Anzacs did win at Lone Pine but countless died and the Allies did not win the battle that day somewhere else along the peninsula. My Dad's remark on Lone Pine was that the most important area of land to Aussies is in Turkey.

Throughout the day we went to more and more Anzac memorials where battles took place. At each memorial there were even more cemeteries. Along the roadside we would run into trenches that the Turks and Anzacs fought and lived in. At some places the trenches were only eight meters apart. That means that on one side of the road there would be Anzac trenches and directly on the other side there would have been Turkish trenches.

One of the eye opening parts of the day was the Turkish memorials. 87,000 Turkish soldiers died and somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 soldiers fought at Gallipoli. Their losses were even greater and many Turkish people were at the memorials to commemorate their fallen soldiers.

Another interesting part of the day was learning about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Ataturk was the first President of the Republic of Turkey and completely reformed the nation after the Ottoman Empire. He instilled national pride in the Turkish people. He is the reason why Turkish flags and banners of his face hang everywhere. If you ask a Turk about Ataturk they will be pleased to explain to you his greatness. He chose the national language of Turkey in one day.

Ataturk began his legacy at Gallipoli. He was one of the main men in charge and there had many great quotes:

To his men, "I do not order you to attack, but to die."

To the mothers of the Anzacs, "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnie's and the Mehmet's to us, where they lie side by side here in this country of ours... You the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well."

As you can see Ataturk was an amazing man and Gallipoli was a defining point for Turkey as well.

That evening we parked our car at the ferry parking lot and boarded the ferry without our car. The back on the main land we had dinner and putzed around at the hotel before getting back on the ferry. While the ferry was pulling into the dock I realized I had left my Australia sweat shirt at the hotel, so, David and I sprinted back to the hotel, grabbed the key from the lobby, and stormed through our room looking for my sweatshirt. Then we ran back to the ferry entrance before the ferry had unloaded it's passengers.

Once the ferry had docked on the peninsula we found our way to the car and drove to the Anzac memorial site. We drove along the road and eventually pulled off to the side to spend the night. By the time we pushed the back seats down in the car so David and I could lie down it was midnight. We would only we able to sleep until 4:00 a.m. because at 5:30 a.m. there would be a dawn service at the landing of the Anzac soldiers. We twisted and turned for about fifteen minutes before we finally got comfortable...

~Day Six Wednesday: April 23, 2008

Today we headed to the Gallipoli peninsula for Anzac Day which would take place on Friday. (I will explain Anzac Day later but if you have no patience Google it.) But first we wanted to head to the water and touch the Mediterranean Sea.

We took a dirt path down into a small farming town. In the town most of the people got around my tractor, homemade wagons with motors on them, or donkey pulled wagons. We have been seeing donkey pulled wagons for the past couple of day but I haven't gotten a chance to explain them. Out in the fields the women break up clods of dirt with old-fashioned tools and the men shepherd their flock of sheep, goats, or herd of cows from field to field. This I have also been witnessing the past few days but haven't been able to fit in. We did end up touching the water here but it was very cold.

Then Dad decided to get all adventurous and turned on to a dirt road. The idea was to find a beach to maybe swim at and have lunch at. We drove and drove but the road kept going. Winding through hills and traditional Turkish homes with traditional Turkish people farming like traditional Turks would farm. Seeing all this was incredibly fascinating because it is so different from our iPod, digital television life style.

We eventually made or way to the sea and a little tiny fishing village. There were only a dozen or so wooden fishing boats there which were brought in and out using a hand pushed winch. We went for a brief walk along the rocks before having lunch. We also had some baklava which we had bought from the store that morning.

The little dirt road we were on continued on and on. I got extremely bored driving through hill after hill and being jostled around by the road. Eventually however we found our way back to paved road which took us to Gallipoli or as the Turks saw Galibolu. We thought our hotel was there but as it turned out is was across the Dardanelles (a strait) in Canakkale. We boarded the ferry and drove to the actual location of our hotel.

Once there we dumped our bags in the Sultan Suite and headed our for dinner. All around us were Aussies for Anzac Day and it was kind of a relief to hear other people speaking English. Then for dinner we sampled Albanian style liver because the restaurant was all out of sheep intestines and spleen. Our real entrée was hamburgers and some more fries. We concluded our evening with BBC world news, where we learned Hillary Clinton won Pennsylvania, and an ice cream cone.

~Day Five Tuesday: April 22, 2008

In Europe you cannot drive from country to country in a rental car. We learned this the hard way.

We woke up that morning in anticipation of a day trip to Bulgaria, another stamp on our passports. We were in the process of going through several Turkish checkpoints to cross into Bulgaria when the official worker guy said he had to check the papers on our rental car. After a phone call he came back and said we could not cross the border in a rental car. At first we were very discouraged but then we remembered the taxis that were parked outside the Turkish border.

Then we when tried to get out of the demilitarized Turkish zone that man at the gate said we couldn't go BACK into Turkey. So then we thought we could be stuck in the run down border crossing for a long time but then a Turkish man came over and talked to the guards and worked everything out. It turned out that the man was a taxi driver and was helping us to so afterwards he could take us to Bulgaria.

We were thinking exactly the same thing. Dad and David went out and negotiated with the driver. At first the taxi driver highballed us with 150 YTL (Turkish lira) to the nearest Bulgarian town which was only about 10 kilometers from the border. We lowballed with 50 YTl and the driver looked pissed off. He lowered to 100 YTL we said 80 YTL and he said no deal. Then we walked away and started to pull away when he told us to come back and that he would accept 80 YTL.

We hoped in his taxi, which smelled like cigarettes, and we went back through the border. We got our passport stamps and the taxi driver took care of everything. We figured it was worth 80 YTL for the taxi driver to take care of the border crossing. When we were finally in Bulgaria we were all excited to be visiting a new country. (Now I have been to five: Australia, Mexico, Turkey, Bulgaria, and of course the U.S.)

We drove along the little hillside road and entered a little Bulgarian town. First the driver filled up on gas which was several dollars cheaper than the Turkish price of eleven bucks a gallon. Then we headed back into town and had some Bulgarian tea and some ice cream. Next we walked down main street of this little itty bitty town and took pictures. Even though we had just crossed over some hills and a border the town was completely different. None of the women were wearing headscarves and a church replaced the mosque. Even the architectural style of the houses was different. Then we headed back to the taxi and turned back to Turkey. At the Bulgarian border crossing the taxi driver bought a big pack of cigarettes from the duty free and stuffed them under his chair. Back in Turkey he handed them to one of the men working at the Turkish crossing who snuck the cigarettes under his coat. Not only was the taxi driver a taxi driver he was a smuggler.

That concluded our two hour excursion to Bulgaria. We then turned south and had kebab sandwiches at some little town. While we were eating a school girl came up to us and asked where we were from etc. Her friends were behind her giggling and she was trying to remember her English. The girls were all thirteen and were all amazed when I stood up. We asked if we could take a picture with the talkative girl but she as too shy and walked away.

That night while we were unpacking in our hotel in Kesan a parade started on the main street. We leaned out our balcony and saw kids walking down the street waving flags and beating Turkish drums. The parade was a pre-Children's Day parade on the 23rd. Yes that's right Turkey has a national holiday called Children's Day. Lucky Turkish kids.

That night we had French fries for dinner which have never tasted so good in my life. Kebabs and bread for dinner get old pretty quickly.

~Day Four Monday: April 21, 2008

Today we left Istanbul. But before we could leave the city we needed to find the car rental place. We took the tram to the end of its track and then walked the rest. However, and this is the big however, we had to walk up a gargantuan hill. We walked up and up and the hill never seemed to end. The cobblestone street kept twisting and turning but in the end we conquered it. Then, we got almost lost. We were trying to find the Avis building but the address didn't match the street. We were almost about to re-loop and ask for help a third time when I spotted it! We drove back to the hotel, packed the car, and made for the hills. 

It took almost two hours for the hills to finally come. Istanbul never seemed to end. The suburbs kept going and kept going. It was the most bizarre thing. When we finally made it into the country side in just fifteen minutes another mid size town would spring up.

For lunch we ate in Corlu. We found a little restaurant whose owner was fascinated that white tourists were eating in his shop. He gave us tea for free, the first Turkish tea I have ever had, and had his son, who was only four or five, shake hands with all of us. It was very interesting how excited so many people were to see us in their town.

That night we set up camp, or found a hotel in Kirkarelli. We went to the grocery store and bought tons of Turkish candy and were amazed that Gwen Stefani was playing in the grocery store. Then we went next door to the gas station and "Party Like a Rock Star" was blasting from the speakers. I found this to be amazing because this is the music my friends and I listen to and kids in Turkey like it too.

~Day Three Sunday: April 20, 2008

Today was most definitely a day any historian would have enjoyed. We began our day at the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia was built over 1,700 years ago and erected in just five years! It started out as a church and was later converted into a mosque. The Hagia Sophia is so large that the Statue of Liberty could fit inside its main room. One of the most interesting things about the church/mosque is that it is a church/mosque. When the Christians built the Hagia Sophia they decorated it with mosaics of Jesus and other Christian figures. Then when the Muslims came they plastered and painted over the mosaics with their own designs and styles. The blend of the cultures and history makes the Hagia Sophia a very unique and peaceful place.

That afternoon we ventured into the Topkapi gardens once again but this time to explore a Sultan's Palace. After we saw some massive jewels and diamonds we concluded the Sultan was rich. Their jewelry was astounding and the clothes were very interesting. The most fascinating part of the palace was the holy relics room. In that room there was the staff of Moses and the swords of Muhammad. Their was a man in the holy relics area that was part of a continuous reading of the Koran. For more than 500 years the Koran has been read and probably will be read until the end of time.   

Later that night we hired a taxi to take us to a professional soccer, sorry futbol. We drove and drove and the city seemed to go on forever. Then it ended. Fields of grass replaced apartment. We drove up over a hill and there is was, the futbol stadium. We were all excited to get in and watch the game but we needed to buy tickets to the game and didn't have enough Turkish Lira to pay for the tickets. We were desperate for tickets and the local with the fake tickets was desperate for some cash but we didn't fall for his trap. Instead we went and asked the police who worked with my dad and the ticket office to get us into the game.

To get into the game we had to go through a mini security and get patted down by the police. Then we found our seats and took in the scenery. We started watching the game twenty minutes in and Galatasaray was up one nil to Istanbul B.B.S. The score made us very happy because the day before we bought Galatasaray apparel. Not only was the futbol phenomenal but I really enjoying watching the fans. There were chicken wire fences separating the fans behind the goals, the crazy intense fans, from the regular family friendly fans. Any times something happened on the pitch the crowd, which was only half full, went into uproar. If the ref screwed up everyone would stand up and throw their fist in the air. If a player did something fantastic the fans would all jump up and start yelling. My favorite part was when the fans would start chants back and forth or jump up and down waving their scarves in the air.

At half time we walked around the stadium to find the bathroom and explore. After we had all met natures calling we stood in the middle of the atrium and took in everything going on around us. Then a Turkish man approached David and began to motion a trade. David's Australia Hat for his Galatasary scarf. Then he just put the scarf around David and walked away. Just like that David had an authentic futbol scarf.

Then just moments later another Turkish man came up to my dad and...

Turkish man: "Where are you from?"

Dad: "Australia."

Turkish man: "Why are you here?"

Dad: "We are here for Gallipoli/Galibolu."

Turkish man: "Ahh. Your grandfather and my grandfather are buried together."

Although my great-grandfather did not die at Gallipoli this is a very touching comment. It shows how important a battle is on both sides. It shows that both sides are hurt in war and neither side really truly wins. The Turks were just defending their homeland so they cannot be thought of as the enemy.

Another interesting occurrence at half time was when we saw three or four men praying underneath a staircase. They were devoted Muslims and it was prayer time. They had their special mats out were facing Mecca. Seeing this was so different than anything I have ever seen. You don't see Christians praying when they have their half time hotdogs at the Packer game.

Probably the most amusing part of the game was the security. Dozens of police members lined the perimeter of the field all with safety helmets nearby. There were stacks of riot shields around the stadium just in case. At half time the police escorted some people out of the crazy fan section. At the end of the game members of the police guarded the entrance to the locker room in full riot outbreak gear. This all just enhanced the whole experience. It really is true danger makes everything more fun.

Galatasaray ended up winning, a blowout, three zip. We found a taxi and hopped in. Then we spent the next thirty minutes in a after futbol match traffic jam. Not only were their hundreds of cars but there were lines of people walking home along the highway. After spotting an IKEA on the roadside I eventually fell asleep...

~ Day Two Saturday: April 19, 2008

Today was all about taking in Istanbul. We started off by visiting the Blue Mosque built between 1609 to 1617 A.D. It was built and designed to be bigger and more spectacular than the Hagia Sophia. As we were waiting in line to tour it we had to take off our shoes. People with shorts of open shoulders had to wear a large scarf around their body to keep their skin from showing. The mosque was very beautiful and grand on the inside.

Then we walked to the Top kopi park where we had lunch overlooking Asia and the Bosporus. We dined on traditional kebabs and drank the ever so popular Fanta. After lunch we decided to head to the Grand Bazaar which has thousands of shops and is one of the biggest tourism destinations in Istanbul. We started off down a small side street...

The side street ended up being the place where the locals go to buy their goods. There were razors, clothes, ipods, batteries, and even TV's for sale, just off the street. Since it was a Saturday everyone was out doing their shopping and the streets were packed. I mean PACKED! There were people going both directions, looking in stores, and catching up with friends. The whole street was crowded and most of the time to move anywhere you had to be pretty pushy. If you stood off to the side to take a break it was almost impossible to get back into the line of traffic.

We walked and walked, street after street and agreed we must be in the Grand Bazaar. Then we walked a little further and found the entrance to the Grand Bazaar! We had walked so far and were so sure we were done with the Grand Bazaar that we barely had any energy to admire the actual Grand Bazaar. We marched straight for the exit and found something to eat. That was the end of the Bazaar.

Later that evening after we had taken a break David and I went outside with our soccer ball. Then some Turkish boys saw us and we started up a game. Three on two they said in their Turkish accents. Since they lived in Istanbul they were familiar with the English language and we were able to talk to each other. The goal was a brick and a sewer cover and a another boy came and played keeper. The keeper punted the ball and the game was on! The ball would bounce off the buildings and roll down the cobblestone road. Whenever someone did a cool move the boys would shout, "Ronaldinho!" Playing with the boys was really fun and communication was really easy. Goals were determined with simple hand gestures and we used our fingers to help show the score. The game was so much fun and just proves that futbol and laughing are the universal languages.

~ Day One Thursday and Friday: April 17-18, 2008

Today was pretty boring. We spent about 19 hours traveling from Milwaukee to Istanbul. We started off driving to the international terminal in O'Hare. From there we boarded a KLM plane to Amsterdam. I slept for half of the eight hours in the air and the rest of the time I watched movies or tried to massage out my cramped legs.

Once in the Amsterdam airport we bought some Kinder chocolate eggs with little prizes on the inside. My prize was Gary the snail from Spongebob Squarepants. From there we boarded our final plane to Istanbul, Turkey. We slept for most of the journey and awoke just in time to see Istanbul from the air. After customs and all the passport stuff we grabbed our bags and found a taxi.

The whole drive to our hotel we stared out the window, soaking everything in. The two things that stuck in my mind were the awesome playgrounds with outdoor exercise equipment, like elliptical, and how green everything was. Vines grew all around the ancient Ottoman Empire city walls. All along the waterfront there were parks with the awesome playgrounds and dozens of trees.

Next we took a brief walk around the neighborhood. I felt very self conscience of myself because we were so different. We were the only people wearing shorts and basically the only white/English speaking people. All the men were wearing long pants and most of the women were fully covered with a headscarf. This is because Turkey is a Muslim nation. Everything was so different it took a while to get used to. When the majority becomes the minority...