Istanbul, Turkey - A Turkish delight!

For the avid travellers and full-time explorers, the next big trip or the upcoming voyage is always something that occupies the mind and determines how any spare moment is spent – planning and organising! For us, it often revolves around school holidays; however, for one of our trips we planned it entirely around the expedition to Turkey for Anzac Day, the 25^thApril. One of our previous blogs attempted to paint the picture of our Gallipoli experience, an experience that has changed our perspective on Anzac Day and will be remembered for the rest of our lives. However, our trip to Turkey also involved a scene change in the bustling, colourful, diverse city of Istanbul.

 

With our trusty partners in crime, Mark and Tez, we set out to explore Istanbul and all it had to offer. Our first impressions were an accurate account of what Istanbul is all about. We arrived at the airport and took a shuttle bus to the main strip of the north continent of Istanbul. A little fun fact for you all… Istanbul is a city that is situated on two different continents, Asia and Europe,with a big bridge joining the city! Arriving in the centre of the town, at around 11pm, we were amazed at the richly livened streets. There were tourists and locals mingled into a pack of swarming explorers, roving the restaurants, bars and cafes, as well as the trinket stores and clothes shops, all still in full operation at this time of night. Music was blaring, lights were blurring and people were smiling – a warm welcome to Turkey!

 

We eventually discovered our hostel, after walking the entire length of the main strip. It was small, but was homely and cosy for the four of us to get a good night sleep, until… in the darkness of the deep hours of the night, with no signal of dawn approaching, I was awakened to a blasting, unfamiliar sound. In a vague state of coming out of unconsciousness, I tried to figure out the situation, unsure whether I was actually hearing something or creating this noise in my head. Mark brought clarity to the situation and confirmed the sounds I was hearing as I hear “what the heck is that!?” (the polite version). A deep man’s voice was being blared from speakers and a monotone, drawn out prayer song violently shook us out of our dreams. As per usual, Tim slept through it all. After it was finished, we managed to go back to sleep, only to hear it again a few hours later. We felt very unholy with our grumpiness of being interrupted by this melody. Going through this ungentle experience, the determination and dedication of the people were quickly evident!

 

Roaming the streets the next morning enhanced the previous night’s experience. The streets were lined with busy shops displaying souvenirs and colourful textiles delightfully decorating the town. We ventured into the southern end of the city, to be welcomed by markets of spices, jewellery and of course, Turkish Delight! Mark and I took our time selecting out delicious flavours, and then took no time to devour it all.

 

Once in the main part of the city, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia

 are clearly visible and quite majestic. As we were part of a tour with the Gallipoli crew, we decided to wait to explore these with the group the next day. When we did so, the size and structure of the mosques were overwhelming and stunningly eye-catching, as were Tez and I in our scarves!!

 

Continuing our tourist check list, we dared to approach the Grand Bazar, an excessively enormous market absolutely full of shops selling leather, gold, bags, spices, nuts, sweets, jewellery, textiles, lanterns, clothes, hats, shoes… It was on the roof of these markets that the scene of Bond driving on a bike was filmed, and the Turkish people were quick to tell us about this, their claim to fame, and rightfully so!

 

Another main attraction in Istanbul is their famous underground passageways that used to be used for the Basilica Cistern.  The structure was quite impressive and the eeriness of the place added to the effect. We did a circuit in the depths of this underground system, with waterways surrounding the pavements and orange lights showing the way.

Walking through the city, we spotted locals accumulating around the mosques, washing their hands and feet before stepping in for their time of prayer. We asked our knowledgeable tour guide, Alex, about the prominence of religion in this city and surprisingly he said that whilst it is a Muslim country, it is mostly secular.

 

As well as getting a feel for the culture and religion of Istanbul, our tour divulged so much about Turkish history and the Ottoman army – what amazing information and a realisation of how huge Turkey was in playing a role in historical events!! It gave me a desire to go and learn more about it all, as I've never really known about Turkish history, as ashamed as I am to admit this.

A stunning trip through the palace garden gave Tez a little taste of heaven as we walked through unending beds of tulips, her favourite flower. Once we reached the palace, and got inside, the flowers continued in a colourful display underneath the dome-shaped structures. The stunning shades of blue tiles that decorated the interiors of the buildings left quite an impression on me, as I had a sudden urge to decorate everything in these beautiful tiles. I was standing, in wonder, in a small room that was covered every inch in these beautiful tiles until Tim declares loudly that I was in the “circumcision room,” along with a hesitation to enter the building too far.

On our last day in Turkey, after the Gallipoli tour, the four of us explored the city one last time, trying more Turkish delight (for good measure), as well as the famous fish sandwiches under the Istanbul Bridge. However, it was a small, humble and unplanned moment that was one of the highlights of our trip. Walking down a more off-the-road track, Mark and Tim were distracted by the familiar and serenating sounds of a soccer ball and the laughter of young boys playing. Tez and I turned around to find them fully immersed into a game of soccer with the local boys, neither understanding what each other were saying but understanding the love of the game. They made good friends that day.

As usual, we laughed so hard with Mark and Tez. Our friendship was proven to be one of adventure, fun and a mutual love for the world around us. We are so thankful to have created life long memories with these two, and a platform to continue making special moments.

Berlin, Germany - A wild NYE celebration

How do we top a white Christmas on the snowy Alps of Austria? Visit Berlin for New Years!! I know I have previously stated how much I loved Zell-am-see and Prague, and I know that it must sound like I just brag on everywhere I go; but, I also really, really loved Berlin… and for completely different reasons. It’s a bit of a concrete jungle in areas, with quirky backstreets and graffiti walls that surprise you with bursts of colour every now and then. At times, the streets were baron as the public holidays meant a lot of places were closed. But, it didn’t stop us from thoroughly enjoying what was on offer.

The one thing that I was insistent about doing was a walking tour through the streets of Berlin, despite the cold factor and the unwelcoming showers of rain that came in intervals. You can imagine the enormously wonderful history that was divulged on the tour, and I devoured every bit of it up, enthralled with how real it all was, how tangible the Berlin wall became. I was in awe and instantly became addicted to the history and rich culture that this city encompassed.

During our tour we were taken to the Memorial of the Murdered Jews. It was constructed of concrete block towers, all of differing heights, like a grid popping up out of a wavy floor. When walking amongst the blocks it is so easy for one to feel disorientated, lost, unsure and in search for someone or something familiar, guidance or a sign of the end. Whilst the memorial doesn’t have an explanation for its appearance, it’s open to interpretation. I felt moved and undone by these somewhat emotionless towers. Why? Maybe it was the knowledge of what it stood for. Maybe it was because it represented individuals, their unique lives, yet all destined for one fatal end. I still don’t know exactly what it was that managed to have such an impact, but I know I will never forget the site.

As well as this, we visited a section of the Berlin wall and were told incredibly unfathomable stories of people who managed to escape, as well as horrible instances of people who were not so successful. This concept of a wall dividing the entire city, the entire country, was just so vague and unbelievable, until I faced it myself and was able to envision the guards marching up and down the wall, readily available to shoot any escapists. What a different world I have known. We were so entranced by this that we actually went back to the flat and started watching documentaries on the Berlin wall.

If I wasn’t already completely full to the brim with historical facts and the tragedies of the past, we ended our tour on Museum Island… an island of museums! The stunning buildings were enough to take my breath away. However, it was a small cave-like memorial that managed to well up my eyes. It was dedicated to an unknown Jewish mother and an unknown German soldier whose bodies lay beneath the ground. On the surface a statue of a mother holding her child is displayed, with her robes loosely hugging her kneeling figure and falling in a crumble on the floor. It was very simple, yet again so moving and impacting.

The apartment we were staying in whilst in Berlin was just a gem. It was owned by an interior designer, who is also a mum of two young kids. Their place was on the top floor of a corner block, perfectly positioned to view the unending fireworks that were exploding for the entire three days we were there. Actually unending. A neighbouring apartment was setting them off out the window next to us. It was INSANE! This was just the lead up to New Years Eve…

We decided we couldn’t be in Berlin for New Years and not venture out to where everyone was gathering. We went to the Brandenburg Gate to join with the mass of crazy people awaiting the countdown to midnight. I know that it’s going to be impossible for me to adequately paint the scene for you, but to just give you a taster… there were people everywhere, drinking, dancing, laughing, and yes, setting off fireworks. I had one roll down to rest next to my foot, sizzling away as it threatened to explode and take me down with it. As you can imagine, the hysterical game of hopscotch I then started to play was a humorous sight; but unfortunately it did not grab any attention from the nearby party goers, as I was drowned out by the thousands of exploding noises and jolly celebrators. I kept both my legs in the incident, and the four of us kept moving on briskly, to find a good but safe spot to see the midnight sky show.

We just sat behind the memorial of concrete blocks and in awe (and in a little bit of fear for our lives) we watched the fireworks dance emotively across the sky. A kiss for my husband and a hug for my beloved friends, Johnny and Lauren, it was a New Years to remember. Not long after midnight (hmm, I exaggerate… immediately after midnight), we decided to head home for a cup of tea and some sleep. We were the cause of hysterical laughter from our taxi driver who questioned us about which party we were going to. He couldn’t believe that we were in Berlin for New Years and going home as soon as the party was starting.

It was a hard place to leave and definitely one to revisit. A Happy New Years, indeed!