Italy

Italy was a dream come true. Each city had it's own flavor and excitement. We took 10 days and saw Cinque Terre, Pisa, Florence, Siena, Rome, Tivoli, Venice, and Milan. We had a couple goals:
1- Try a regional food of each area.
2- See as many of Michelangelo's works that we can.
3- Try a different flavor of gellato each day.
It was an unforgettable 10 days!

Cinque Terre

We arrived late at night from Istanbul to Milan and got up early the next day to catch the first train to Cinque Terre. We found long train rides are survived with suckers and card games. 5 and a half hours later we arrived to the most beautiful Cinque Terre (5 villages connected by hiking trails on the Italian Riviera). We stayed in a nearby city, La Spetzia, and set out for a day of hiking, swimming, and exploring the Cinque Terre. A simple hike turned into a vigorous workout as we climbed higher and higher in the mountains. Our favorite of the 5 villages was Cornelia- a small sleepy village with acres of vineyards. We relaxed from our hiking in the layed back atmosphere of Vernazza where we enjoyed people watching in the Piattza. Mary's thoughts were- Italian men are very comfortable with their bodies (no matter the figure:0), and Elderly Italian women love to gossip. This region is famous for their pesto and a walnut sauce pasta dish- we tried both and gave the food 5 stars.

Pisa

We stopped off by Pisa in the morning and like true backpackers carried all of our luggage (in backpacks) through the city. We had a breakfast of Italian pastries and checked out a few sights- Santa Maria de la Spina, Views of the Arno river, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, and Pisa's Duomo. We though Pisa was a quieter Tuscan city with locals of all ages riding bikes with bells and baskets.

Florence

Florence was a busier city but like the books say the capital of the rennaisance. We found lots more tourists here (surprise surprise) and we preferred the atmosphere of smaller Pisa but the art was unforgettable. We saw all of Michelangelo's works in Florence except for two of his earliest which were not open. The David's magnitude can not be captured by a picture and shouts of the nobility of man to have courage to conquer adversity. My favorite of Michelangelo's works turned out to be his last unfinished Pieta- it was so tender. We hiked up to Piattza Michelangelo and watched the sunset over Florence. Tuscanny is famous for their Tortellini, and Spaghetti alla Bologna. Both were delicious.

Siena

On our way to Rome we stopped by Siena and found it to be more like a medieval city with lots of gothic architecture but very beautiful. Like Pisa we liked the smaller size and ambiance of the city. We were impressed with the huge Duomo of this city- though unfinished due to the black plaque it was more gothic style than Pisa's or Florence's. We tried the famous Sienese cookies- Panforte. Brad loved them- I prefer my sweeter gellato:)

Rome

Rome was a huge city and had the unfortunate big city atmosphere which takes away from the romanticized Rome you see in the movies. We really liked Vatican city- we climbed 500+ stairs to the cupola in St. Peters. The Sistine ceiling is stunning- and you wouldn't believe it unless you saw it but the Jonah on the ceiling looks just like my dad (grey hair facial expressions and all)! We enjoyed the watching the sunsett on the Spanish Steps and at the Fountain of Trevi where we threw our coins in the fountain so we will one day come back to Rome. We went, as Brad calls it, church hopping and saw all of Michelangelo's works in Rome. My favorite was his first Pieta he did when he was 23 years old now in St. Peters. We found the most amazing Gellateria in Rome and I found my all time favorite flavor to be Black Passion, and Brad found his to be Watermelon. Our last night I found my favorite church in Piazza Navona, the smaller St Agnes of the Agony- the marble sculpture is amazing in this church. In Rome we enjoyed Spaghettia alla Carbonara and Gnocchi alla Roma- delicious!

Tivoli

We were happy to follow my mom's reccomendation and escape the heat and city atmosphere and take a train to Tivoli. A smaller city in the suburbs of Rome. We headed straight for Villa d'Este where we enjoyed a picnic in the beautiful ancient Roman gardens.

Venice

We took a night train from Rome to Venice- an experience we will never forget- and arrived in Venice at 6:30 a.m. exhausted and unable to checkin to our hotel room until noon. In Rome we found church's offered good resting points and so we found a church that was open and sat down and we actually both fell asleep! We woke up to Mass starting, we didn't want to leave and look like we were just using the church as a resting spot so we stayed for Mass and participated kneeling on the uncomfortble wooden slat and all. I came away with indents on my legs. But what a memorable experience for my first Mass. After we checked into the hotel and rested we found Venice to be just what we needed after our fast paced lots of walking touring. Venice was more sleepy and relaxed. I loved that you did not hear any sound of cars! Venice was beautiful and so romanatic- the perfect romantic getaway. We toured around on a boat, took a Gondola ride, got lost in the maze of the city, tried authentic Polenta and Tiramisu, and just enjoyed this slow paced city.

Milan

We didn't have too much time in Milan but we did walk a bit of the city and we were able to see the Duomo of Milan and took at tour on it's roof. For our last night in Italy we had a picnic in the Piazza Duomo of an assortment of delicious pastries and our last gellato in Italy. We found Milan to be more chic aand modern. I especially was impressed with the shoes the women wore- so chic. We were pretty happy to have made it through our trip with out any catasraphes however we weren't out of Italy yet and as it turned out our plane had a mechanical problem so we were delayed in the Malepensa airport for 6 and a half hours! We did make some friends though with some American guys from Boston who we have now nicknamed the wino's. After hours of playing uno and stress and laughter and standing in the longest passport check line ever and then a 45 minute Taxi ride we made it back safe and sound. We loved Italy!

Life as a Sultan & Istanbul's Portobello Road

So this week I discovered the luxurious life of a sultan...

Topkapi Palace

The oldest in the Ottoman Empire, Topkapi palace strikes you as an old fairy tale. Elaborate sculptured architecture with gold accents, and the famous blue Ottoman tile is a work of art. The best part of this palace could not be photographed- the treasury. Wow! I've only heard of so much gold, diamonds, and other precious jewels- especially from the 15th century. The Ottoman empire was very wealthy. The place is divided into 4 courts and then the Harem, getting more private and richly elaborate from court to court. From the 4th court (only the Sultan could be in this court) the views of the Bosphorus and Istanbul are amazing.

Dolmabahce Palace

After standing in line for an hour and then walking in with an Arabic group, having someone discover I don't speak Arabic, and then having to wait another 20 minutes for an English group I was able to see the famous Dolmabahce palace. This palace was more recent and modern in its style but just as if not more luxurious for its time. Picture taking inside the palace was Forbidden so I was not able to take pictures of the exquisitely decorated gold ceilings and crystal piano, and detailed architectual sculpuring. The grand ball room will blow anyone away- so incredibly beautiful. A guy in my group, who had been touring Europe, said it was the most amazing palace he has seen in all of Europe. The palace had lovely gardens and was built right on the coast of the Bosphorus. The most memorable part of this day was the huge rain storm that hit while I was leaving. I searched for cover and saw some people running towards the phone booths. I ran after them and found a booth for me which I stood in for the next 20 minutes remembering a conversation with Brad about how an umbrella would not be necessary in Istanbul because it never rains- ha!

Portobello Road

While Brad was schmoozing with some academics they led us to this road full of used bookstores and imediately reminded me of Portobello road as seen in Bedknobs and Broomsticks. The best part was that there were cats everywhere laying on books and in boxes of pictures. I looked for a magic book but no luck:) But I did haggle for a used book that looks interesting despite what Angie has written about it Tess of the D'ubervilles. I seem to like books with strong villanous women. By the way the academics Brad was schmoozing with introduced him (via phone) to all of there high ranking government friends in the middle east and then proposed a TV interview and talked publishing. They told me we might have to come back to Turkey because Brad will be famous (hmmmm I don't know about that.)

A few more dinners with friends.

All of our friends here seem to be vegetarian so we've enjoyed some good vegetarian meals with our Irish neighbor -Jon who has the best Dubblin accent, and our friends from Harvard. The power went out while we were dining once and the owners brought us out a candle to have some light. What a memory.

Harvard Friends, Princes Island, The Blue Mosque, and Aya Sophia

Harvard Friends

Our LDS branch helped us meet two young couples in our same boat (husbands dragging their wives across the world for purposes of academic research). We quickly made friends and plans for the week. We met for dinner and after Brad and I raved about Ciya the group decided to make the "trek" for the best food in Istanbul. The "trek" (catching 2 subways and 1 ferry to make our way from Europe to Asia) provided us ample time to talk with our new friends and for me especially to be grateful we don't have to make the "academic" sacrifices that they have. They also raved about the food at Ciya.

Princes Island

In order to escape the hot summers in the city, many of the Istanbul families have summer homes/villas on the Princes Island. We also wished to escape the heat and had an island outing with our Harvard friends. We rented bikes to explore the island and went to a beach resort. On the way to the resort I had my first Magnum ( oh heavenly treat where have you been all my life). We played in the Marmara sea and played a dice game called Greed which Brad won- surprise surprise the greediest of us all.

The Blue Mosque & Aya Sophia

Once again I resumed my role as the solo tourist- Brad has been to all of the tourist sites in Istanbul numerous times. I started with The Blue Mosque and was amazed with the ornate structure. Tourists can go inside as long as they are veiled and modest so they dressed me up modestly so I could enter. Inside the Blue Mosque I read some pamplets about Islam- fascinating religion. Across the garden was the enormous truly amazing Aya Sophia- built by the Romans 1000 years before the Blue Mosque as the "greatest church in Christendom" until Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks who then converted the Aya Sophia into a Mosque. The Sultan had the frescos painted over and now more than 1500 years later thanks to artistic restoration the the frescos are being restored. The romans were truly amazing daring architects. I do believe the Aya Sophia is one of the 7 wonders of the world.

Lazy Summer Days

Though Brad is working hard in the archives we have alot of down time which lately we fill hanging out in our favorite park- Brad dozing, me reading, finding new dessert shops (I think I had the best chocolate rasberry cake ever made!), and like the Turks playing backgammon.

Top Ten Things that Must Stay

(in Istanbul)

1. Fresh orange juice stands on the street

2. Fresh bread every morning at corner markets

3. Corner markets and small local stores - five seconds around the corner and you got a Magnum ice cream bar, pretty nice!

4. Magnum - Imagine an ice cream stick dipped in dark chocolate, then dipped in raspberry sauce, or caramel, or almonds, etc., then dipped again in more chocolate and frozen (heaven!)

5. Plentiful and inexpensive cucumbers and tomatoes

6. People walking (everywhere!)

7. Great public transportation

8. Views of the Bosphorus

9. Affordable restaurant prices

10. Huge gardens with tall, tall trees

Top 10 Things that Must Go

Things that must Go ( in Istanbul)

1. Mosquitos
2. Heat + Humidity
3. Cars & Motorcycles-especially Taxis (yes all cars speed, take no notice of pedestrians. I have probably come close to being hit 3 times! I've never felt more like flipping a driver off more in my life- though I have not done it yet)
4. Litter
5. Smoking cigarettes in restaurants
6. Bartering & Haggling (list your price! and no separate prices for tourists just because you look foreign you automatically look like you have a lot of money to spend)
7. Lack of Variety in Feminine Hygeine Products
8. Cat Fights at night
9. Brad not asking for directions
10. The call to prayer or a hundred squaking birds waking you up at 4 am!

The things you stumble upon...

The thing I have noticed about Istanbul is you never count on the same dull drum day. There is always something going on in this city, and new places you find just walking around. And walking around we do!

#1 A huge beautiful park!

While walking around (lost) trying to find the place where they moved the Ottoman Archives we stumbled upon this beautiful park. Probably 3 miles of a pathway bordered by colorful flowers and TALL TALL trees, soft grass, and three relaxing fountains- a mirage for the city dweller. I was happy to find that this lovely park is right down the street from the Archives, so while Brad does research in the afternoon I spend my time sitting on a bench with my ice cream cone or on my back gazing up at these trees with a good book. A relaxing summer it is.

#2 Brad's Favorite Restaurant

Across the Bosphorus on the Asian side of Istanbul Brad discovered his favorite restaurant. A romantic ferry ride and small walk and you are there. The food was surprising- you load your plate from this salad bar type thing and then they weigh your plate for the price- hmmm? So I thought that was weird but then you taste the food and wow- that chef is brilliant. Everything on my plate was delicious and I don't know if I've ever tasted better bread. We highly reccomend Ciya.

#3 A Parade? On the 4th of July?

So we were kind of down on the 4th due to missing out on barbaques, parades, and fireworks in the states. We looked up the address for the U.S Consulate but found they were closed and no mention of a celebration. So we decided to see a movie in English with Turkish subtitles. The only available was Angels and Demons. We had a bit of time to wait after we got our tickets and heard some commotion going on Istiklal Caddesi- a parade? It turned out to be a huge parade for the International Dance Festival. Dancers were dressed in there countries traditional dancing apparell. Most all countries were represented but no USA. But the parade was much fun. After our movie we wanted a taste from home so we went to Pizza Hut. The crust was good the cheese and pizza sauce were good but the toppings- not authentic. Pepperoni was not pepperoni. Note to self stay clear of American chains outside of the U.S. We ended the night with a scrabble game where Brad reclaimed his champion status but I still hold the highest scoring record.

Ankara, Bosphorus University, & The Grand Bazzar

Weekend in Ankara

It has been a busy past week! Last Thursday we headed out of the city on a bus to Ankara (the capital of Turkey) for Brad's research conference. Getting out of the city was alot more of a hassle then you might think because there are only three ways over to the Asian side of Istanbul- two bridges and by ferry. With 17million people plus tourists going back and forth every day it was quite busy but quite organized. We took the ferry which was idyllic because of the breeze and great pictures of the city and sites. Once we got to Asia we got tickets for a luxury bus to Ankara complete with air conditioning, icecream, treats and beverages. 8.5 hours after we left our apartment we arrived at the Deiderman Hotel where the conference put us up. It was my first time in a 5 star hotel and I suppose I expected alot more- but then I had the food and I understood- Yumm! So Brad took off to his conference the next day and left me a lone wife to chill in the hotel and explore Ankara. After taking advantage of the fitness center and watching Rachel Ray in Turkish I ventured out to downtown Ankara. Having no map or ablitity to say anything in Turkish besides hello, I was in search of a beauty salon where I could get a pedicure (I'm really not this pampered girl who gets pedicures all of the time but when you travel you can't be caring around your personal pedicure set). So I wandered about and just when I was about to hate the Turkish for their lack of salons- I found a sign for a manikur and pedikur. Yeah! it was my own personal miracle and a customer even spoke English inside to help me set up an appointment. I had a bit until my appointment so I decided to get lunch. I found a quaint outdoor restaurant and ordered something I had never had before Iskender Kabob- recommended by my quide book. When it came out I thought- what did I order- but then I thought of what people must think when they first get American food. So I tried it with and open mind and....it was very good. So I was very proud of myself ordering food and a pedicure all by myself without speaking a bit of Turkish. The next day I attended the conference with Brad and got to see him present- he was so elequent and did a great job. I now understand more of his research and the importance it has on this region. Other professors liked his presentation too and quoted his research as the conference continued. After the conference we were treated to a 4 course most amazing meal at the 5 star restaurant and spent the rest of the afternoon in utter content. The next day the conference hosted a tour of the historic city starting with a tour of the Mosoleum of Attaturk (their George Washington) who overthrew the Ottoman empire and set up a democracy in 1923. The architecture of his memorial was much like the Lincoln Memorial. From there we went to Old Ankara and dined in a Historic hourse converted Museum and Restaurant. Then we checked out the Ankara Museum of Ancient Civilization and saw really cool old things. Our final stop was a Mosque built in the 1200s and then afternoon tea and drinks in an idyllic cafe. We left the next morning already missing the hotels continentel breakfast as soon as we left. It took 9 hours to get all the way back to our apartment- yuck- but on the way I did find a Mavi Jeans store (best jeans ever) and got some for an incredibly great deal. At home we decided we were both done with Turkish food for the time being and happily found a fun pizza restaraunt that tasted American- yum.

Bosphorus University

So after walking around for hours (literally!) and trying to figure out where we pay our water and electric bill we decided to go to Bosphorus University. And awe what a haven it was. Up in the luciously green hills with all of the city sounds, and sweltering heat far below. Brad said this was the most beautiful University Campus, and yes I do agree. I don't know anywhere that can compare to walking to school with amazing views of the Bosphorus. Wow. I think this may be my favorite spot in Istanbul. While we were enjoying the views we met a very kind Turk who gave me a good luck charm- I'm pointing to it on my shirt, to ward off the evil eye, and told us about his Istanbul. When we reached campus I was so happy to see grass! The kind of grass that says "kick off your shoes and take a nap on this cool carpet." It was a site for sore eyes of being in a huge city and seeing only concrete each day. We even played some card games. A lovely afternoon.

The Grand Bazzar

So today after a walk to the Archives and doing some research, Brad treated me to a visit to the Grand Bazzar. This is the famous location of peddling and bargaining that Istanbul has been the home of since the Silk Road. Famously old, huge, and full of merchandise that is undescribable as well as sales men with determination, it is a huge tourist attraction. Unfortunately I found it too big with too much of a selection and too hot. I much prefer a smaller store with 50 purses to choose from instead of 500. How can you enjoy shopping when you are overwhelmed with choices. Doesn't work for me. But Brad gets the award as the sweetest husband as he followed me from shoe store to purse store to shoe store probably bored out of his mind, tired, and hot. What a sweet guy.