Hello, lovelies!
Well, we've been in Istanbul since I last updated, and this portion of the trip has matched my style of traveling much better than the other three weeks. For the first couple days, we did things as a group. We visited Topkapi Palace, home to the Ottoman sultans until around 1900. There, we saw, supposedly, the sword of the Prophet, the swords of all four Sunni caliphs, and strands of the Prophet's beard (think the bones of saints in the Catholic tradition and it'll make sense). The next day, we visited the Dolmabahce Palace, the second major palace for the sultans in the rococo style. Our tour guide (you have to have one, probably because Ataturk died in that palace and they revere Ataturk intensely) was hilarious, saying things like, "And you will now experience the crystal staircase" or "these windows were very practical for having the ladies of the harem to see what was going on." My friend Maryam and I had a riot making fun of him and the place in general, because it's the most obnoxious, tacky place you've ever seen.
We also visited the neighborhood of Taksim, home to Istiklal Caddesi, or Independence Street. It's packed with American-like stores and embassies and nightclubs; not really my scene, but we managed to find a few really cool antique stores. One had little grammophone pick containers from Nazi Germany; they had Hitler and Hitler Youth and swastikas all over them. I couldn't believe such things were still around and being sold. We also found a September 11th chess set, with Rumsfield as the queen, Condi as the bishop, the Twin Towers as rooks, and Blair as the king. They will sell ANYTHING in this country.
Our Lehigh friends left last Thursday, and from that point on, we've pretty much had free time. We have classes on the Qur'an and Rumi in the morning and evening, but the day is ours to explore. One day, I revisited several mosques that I had wanted to take better pictures of and because they're just plain gorgeous. Another day, I went exploring in the Fatih neighborhood, which the guidebooks call the "fundamentalist" neighborhood, but really it's just where the devoutly religious people live. I like it because I don't get catcalls and everyone is really polite. Trying to buy stamps there, however, was a challenge since no one knows English because there are no tourists to bother knowing English for. Oh well.
On Sunday, the whole group went to visit this guy's house on the Asian side of the Bosporus (meaning super expensive real estate, as it was RIGHT on the water). Our professor had only told us that he was a spiritual leader in Turkey, nothing else. As we were asking him questions, he revealed that he thinks evolution and Darwinism are complete lies, that Jesus Christ and the Mahdi (Muslim figure) will return in 15-20 years for the end of times. He was dressed all in Versace and was as big as a house, with his henchmen loitering in the background, doing things at his bidding. Turns out that this guy we visited is the leader of the largest cult in Turkey. Yup, I visited a cult. How many people can say that?
After a day of wandering around, a group of us met up for dinner under one of the bridges that span the Golden Horn. We watched the sun set over the Aya Sophia and the water; it was absolutely beautiful. Today, I went to the Archaeological Museum, which has some absolutely amazing stuff. I enjoyed seeing the artifacts recovered from Troy and the marble statues built by Greeks and Romans.
Tomorrow, we head to the Prince's Islands just of Istabul's coast. I'm excited. :)
We leave on Friday, and that's hard to believe. I've absorbed the rhythm of this place; I know its sounds and smells and atmosphere. Right now, I can wake up and decide to go see the Aya Sophia or shop in the Grand Bazaar, but once I go home those things aren't physically possible. Plus, this place is just so PRETTY that I can't get over it. Yet, I want to see people and sleep in my own bed and not spend any money for a very long time.
I'll write once more before I leave, so no worries.
Check out my pictures of Istanbul and Bursa (so far, those are the only two cities loaded. I'm working on it).
Istanbul part 1: http://picasaweb.google.com/kclocke2011/Turkey1?feat=directlink
Bursa: http://picasaweb.google.com/kclocke2011/Bursa?feat=directlink
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Loveliness
Oh my, I've been busy. When I last updated, we had just arrived in Pamukkale, which was beautiful. We visited an ancient Roman city on top of a large hill. The site was chosen because of the naturally warm spring water that flows through the area. That same water has a lot of calcium in it, and over the centuries it cas created this massive, well, mound of hard calcium over this hill. It looks like vanilla frosting cascading downwards with warm water pooling in certain places. I walked through the huge Roman ruins for awhile before spending a good amount of time walking barefoot through the warm water and admiring the rolling farmland below and high mountains in the distance. It was absolutely beautiful.
From there we traveled to Kusadasi (Kush-a-day-see), which is a town on the Mediterranean coast. The view of the ocean from our hotel was absolutely amazing, and we got two free days to do whatever we wanted (we don't get weekends here). Three other girls and I (everyone else was super lame) took a one hour ferry to the Greek island of Samos one day, and it was absolutely the most amazing day ever. Samos is a mountainous island with several towns scattered about it, and it has been inhabited for as long as history has been around. We took a 20 minute taxi ride to the town of Pythagorion, and spent the day there. The other girls spent the day at one of Samos' pebble beaches, while I went exploring on my own.
Having the day all to myself, without 24 other people swarming around me, was exactly what I needed. Plus, the island was absolutely beautiful and incredibly laid-back and peaceful. No shopkeepers yelled "Hello lady!" at me like in Turkey, no one asked where I was from, and I could just do exactly what I wanted. I found this amazing fifteenth century Christian basilica; no one was there, and it was beautiful. I discovered a castle used to attack the Turks (who else?) and climbed half-way up a mountain to get an overview of the town. I spent some time at one of the small, quiet pebble beaches before wandering through the town and eating the most delicious green apple I've ever had. The architecture in Greece is the most beautiful and relaxed I've ever seen (yes, I wouldn't mind becoming an architect some day) and I found the house I want to live in some day. We all met up again and took the ferry back to Turkey. Greece was probably my second favorite portion of the whole trip thus far.
After a day spent writing a paper, on Saturday we ventured to Ephesus. Yes, that means the Ephesus of the Book of Ephesians, where Paul preached. We saw the fountain of Hadrian and the ancient library, as well as the amphitheater where Paul denounced the idol-worshipping Romans. We also visited the supposed house of the Virgin Mary, which is a pilgrimage site for both Muslims and Christians. Finally, we caught a plane (and almost missed our plane) back to Istanbul.
Yesterday, we visited the shrine of Eyup, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and considered the most sacred site in Turkey. After a lovely tea session overlooking the Golden Horn, we went to a Turkish bath in the afternoon. There, the girls and I were scrubbed down til our skin glowed and then massaged. The room was super warm, so all my toxins were sweated out, and I felt ever so clean afterwards. The only stain on the experience was this old American woman asking all of us what we wanted to do with our lives. When I told her I want to be a Palestinian rights activist, she started telling me to get a second major because everyone in the Middle East would want to kill me and I wouldn't like them anyway. I got really pissed off; I don't like being told that a certain sector of the population doesn't matter for whatever reason.
Today, we ventured to Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman Sultans until 1900. The place screamed money everywhere you looked, and one room held an 84-carot diamond ring. Also, the Sultans were fat, because their outfits were in there, and about three of me could have fit in them.
My whirlwind tour of Turkey is almost over, and my heart is definitely ready to go home. We have more free time from here on out, though, so I'll be able to explore more. I'm finally getting used to opposite light switches (up is off) and hole-in-the-ground toilets and crazy shopkeepers just in time for me to come home.
My friend Joe in one of the calcium pools
The amazing Christian basilica in Greece
The Greek ocean
The ancient library at Ephesus
From there we traveled to Kusadasi (Kush-a-day-see), which is a town on the Mediterranean coast. The view of the ocean from our hotel was absolutely amazing, and we got two free days to do whatever we wanted (we don't get weekends here). Three other girls and I (everyone else was super lame) took a one hour ferry to the Greek island of Samos one day, and it was absolutely the most amazing day ever. Samos is a mountainous island with several towns scattered about it, and it has been inhabited for as long as history has been around. We took a 20 minute taxi ride to the town of Pythagorion, and spent the day there. The other girls spent the day at one of Samos' pebble beaches, while I went exploring on my own.
Having the day all to myself, without 24 other people swarming around me, was exactly what I needed. Plus, the island was absolutely beautiful and incredibly laid-back and peaceful. No shopkeepers yelled "Hello lady!" at me like in Turkey, no one asked where I was from, and I could just do exactly what I wanted. I found this amazing fifteenth century Christian basilica; no one was there, and it was beautiful. I discovered a castle used to attack the Turks (who else?) and climbed half-way up a mountain to get an overview of the town. I spent some time at one of the small, quiet pebble beaches before wandering through the town and eating the most delicious green apple I've ever had. The architecture in Greece is the most beautiful and relaxed I've ever seen (yes, I wouldn't mind becoming an architect some day) and I found the house I want to live in some day. We all met up again and took the ferry back to Turkey. Greece was probably my second favorite portion of the whole trip thus far.
After a day spent writing a paper, on Saturday we ventured to Ephesus. Yes, that means the Ephesus of the Book of Ephesians, where Paul preached. We saw the fountain of Hadrian and the ancient library, as well as the amphitheater where Paul denounced the idol-worshipping Romans. We also visited the supposed house of the Virgin Mary, which is a pilgrimage site for both Muslims and Christians. Finally, we caught a plane (and almost missed our plane) back to Istanbul.
Yesterday, we visited the shrine of Eyup, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and considered the most sacred site in Turkey. After a lovely tea session overlooking the Golden Horn, we went to a Turkish bath in the afternoon. There, the girls and I were scrubbed down til our skin glowed and then massaged. The room was super warm, so all my toxins were sweated out, and I felt ever so clean afterwards. The only stain on the experience was this old American woman asking all of us what we wanted to do with our lives. When I told her I want to be a Palestinian rights activist, she started telling me to get a second major because everyone in the Middle East would want to kill me and I wouldn't like them anyway. I got really pissed off; I don't like being told that a certain sector of the population doesn't matter for whatever reason.
Today, we ventured to Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman Sultans until 1900. The place screamed money everywhere you looked, and one room held an 84-carot diamond ring. Also, the Sultans were fat, because their outfits were in there, and about three of me could have fit in them.
My whirlwind tour of Turkey is almost over, and my heart is definitely ready to go home. We have more free time from here on out, though, so I'll be able to explore more. I'm finally getting used to opposite light switches (up is off) and hole-in-the-ground toilets and crazy shopkeepers just in time for me to come home.
My friend Joe in one of the calcium pools
The amazing Christian basilica in Greece
The Greek ocean
The ancient library at Ephesus
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Roaming Around Turkey...
So, when I last updated, I was in Cappadocia, which has been my favorite part of the trip thus far. Our second day there we visited an underground city, the first two stories of which date back to 2000 B.C. The Byzantian Christians later added six more floors, and they used it to hide from invading armies. It was pretty amazing; we crawled through four foot high tunnels to get from room to room and saw the winery, kitchens, bathrooms, and trap doors it included.
We also attended a sama' ceremony in Cappodocia, otherwise known as a whirling dervishes ceremony. The practice began with the Sufi poet Rumi (whom we're here studying) and his Sufi order. Men wearing long, poofy, white skirts literally spin in formation for half an hour or more, their skirts never touching. Their teacher moves between them, and he magically never touches anyone either. Traditionally, the practice was meant to connect a person to God by centering their thoughts on the Divine, but since Ataturk banned Sufi orders in the 1930s, the public ceremony we attended is labeled as "folklore" and done mostly for tourists. Watching, though, produced this incredible feeling of both tranquility and thoughtfulness; I really enjoyed it.
After two days in Cappodocia (where the head waiter of our hotel refused to believe that my eye color was real; he kept asking if I had color lenses in), we journeyed to Konya, where the shrine to Rumi is located. The shrine, which is now labeled a museum because of the ban on Sufi orders, is very pretty and packed full of pilgrims coming to interact with Rumi's baracka (sort of mystical power force and also where our President gets his first name from). Yeah, I could explain more, but you might as well just read my class notes.
Also in Konya, we visited some medresas, former religious schools under the Ottoman Empire, another mosque, and Sufi shrines. This morning, we packed up for Pamukkale (REALLY fun name to say--Pam-oo-ka-lei) which is near the beach and really pretty. Tomorrow, we head to the BEACH at Kusadasi, where we get three days to ourselves, other than writing a paper. In that three days, I'm going to take a ferry to the Greek island of Samos, which I'm really excited about.
I can't believe I'm almost three weeks into this program. It doesn't feel like three weeks; it alternately feels like three days and three months. I am looking forward to understanding what people are saying again, and sleeping in my own bed, and actually knowing what I'm ordering at restaurants. But I'm enjoying it while it lasts, and am excited to return to Istanbul and buys lots of souvenirs. :)
Underground City
Rumi's shrine (no pictures allowed inside, says the Kemalist state)
Subverting the Kemalist state by taking photos where I'm not allowed to take photos. This is from a beautiful Seljuk-era medresa
We ate lunch in a small village overlooking Konya
Kelsey and I in Pamukkale at the calcium deposit mountain (real name to be determined later) that we'll climb tomorrow!
We also attended a sama' ceremony in Cappodocia, otherwise known as a whirling dervishes ceremony. The practice began with the Sufi poet Rumi (whom we're here studying) and his Sufi order. Men wearing long, poofy, white skirts literally spin in formation for half an hour or more, their skirts never touching. Their teacher moves between them, and he magically never touches anyone either. Traditionally, the practice was meant to connect a person to God by centering their thoughts on the Divine, but since Ataturk banned Sufi orders in the 1930s, the public ceremony we attended is labeled as "folklore" and done mostly for tourists. Watching, though, produced this incredible feeling of both tranquility and thoughtfulness; I really enjoyed it.
After two days in Cappodocia (where the head waiter of our hotel refused to believe that my eye color was real; he kept asking if I had color lenses in), we journeyed to Konya, where the shrine to Rumi is located. The shrine, which is now labeled a museum because of the ban on Sufi orders, is very pretty and packed full of pilgrims coming to interact with Rumi's baracka (sort of mystical power force and also where our President gets his first name from). Yeah, I could explain more, but you might as well just read my class notes.
Also in Konya, we visited some medresas, former religious schools under the Ottoman Empire, another mosque, and Sufi shrines. This morning, we packed up for Pamukkale (REALLY fun name to say--Pam-oo-ka-lei) which is near the beach and really pretty. Tomorrow, we head to the BEACH at Kusadasi, where we get three days to ourselves, other than writing a paper. In that three days, I'm going to take a ferry to the Greek island of Samos, which I'm really excited about.
I can't believe I'm almost three weeks into this program. It doesn't feel like three weeks; it alternately feels like three days and three months. I am looking forward to understanding what people are saying again, and sleeping in my own bed, and actually knowing what I'm ordering at restaurants. But I'm enjoying it while it lasts, and am excited to return to Istanbul and buys lots of souvenirs. :)
Underground City
Rumi's shrine (no pictures allowed inside, says the Kemalist state)
Subverting the Kemalist state by taking photos where I'm not allowed to take photos. This is from a beautiful Seljuk-era medresa
We ate lunch in a small village overlooking Konya
Kelsey and I in Pamukkale at the calcium deposit mountain (real name to be determined later) that we'll climb tomorrow!
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