Turkish Delight!

Basilica Cistern

Our touring in Istanbul began with the Basilica Cistern. A cistern is basically a large underground water well that's kind of like a cave. This one in particular was the coolest one we've seen on our trip, and it was definitely a good start to an early morning! This provided water for the entire city of Constantinople.

Outside the Ayosofya

Ayasofya

Our next stop was the Ayasofya. It served as the largest church and building in the world until St. Peter's was built. It was built by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century, and is a supreme achievement of Byzantine architecture. It was originally a Christian church, but after the fall of Constantinople it was turned into a mosque. It is no longer used for worship, but is a museum and major tourist attraction in Istanbul. Our group was super excited to see it!

Blue Mosque

After the Ayosofya, we were given an hour for lunch. Austin, Mary Louise, Allison, and I went back the restaurant where we had our welcome dinner. This time we ordered Italian food and it was delicious! It was kind of pricey, but the street food is just a little scary so it's worth it. Our next stop was the Blue Mosque. It was more beautiful, but the Ayasofya was a little more impressive. I'm not sure if that makes sense. The intricate tiles and floral carpets really made the blue mosque a beautiful place. It's the last great example of Ottoman architecture. In order to enter the girls must make sure their hair, shoulders, and legs are covered. The boys must also cover their legs. We had to put our shoes in a plastic bag because the ground inside the mosque is considered holy. The ground must be clean because they kneel and basically kiss the floor during their worship. The Blue Mosque is still a place of worship today.

Our second day began with the Topkapi Palace Museum. This was by far my favorite site of the entire trip. It was the home of 25 out of 36 sultans. We got to see the sultans' room, and learn about the way of life in the harem. This period of history is so interesting because it almost seems mystical and imaginary.

Harem Girls With Minay, Our Tour Guide

Tortoise Shell and Mother of Pearl Closets

The Sultan's Bed

After the palace, we were given an hour for lunch just like the day before. We decided we wanted to try the restaurant next to the one we had eaten at before, since it looked pretty good too. Once we sat down, the owner came up and talked to us about eating at the restaurant next door twice before. He told us he owns all the restaurants on that tiny street. We realized that's why they all looked so yummy! Our menu was the same as before, but we didn't complain because it's all fine cuisine. I got pizza today and a margarita for an afternoon cocktail. I wish I would have drank more because our next stop was another lame archaeological museum. Sorry but it really was lame. Minay is really cool, and she understands that as students we get very bored in museums. She did her best to get us out of there fast even though our teachers wanted to stay. Earlier in the day I had asked her if she could direct us to the mall. She said it was right by her house so she would be happy to take us. From the museum, it took about 45 minutes to get there and three types of transportation. We got on the tram first, then a trolley, and finally a subway. The subway dropped us off inside the mall, so we traveled across the city without ever going outside. It was quick and efficient, just like I like it. Austin chaperoned eight girls on this shopping adventure. What a little sweetie! I basically told him he had to come, but he doesn't really like us to go alone. The Turkish men are pretty gross and have a staring problem with women, especially legs. Minay gave Austin the Turkish name Tarkin, which is the name of a famous Turkish pop star. As if Austin needed another ego booster (haha). We've been calling him Tarkin Loukas which is pretty perfect. The mall is the largest in all of Europe and the second largest in the world next to the Mall of America in Minnesota. I feel bad because Austin thought it had an aquarium, but we realized that is actually located in the newer mall. That just means he can take us to the new mall tomorrow! We had KFC for dinner, went to a couple stores, and made it back to our hotel without getting lost. The KFC was kind of gross, but we should have known better. Our favorite stores were Zara and TopShop. The TopShop wasn't as fabulous as the one in London, but it was still better than shopping online. Before going to our hotel, we stopped for Turkish ice cream. It's very dense and kind of like laffy taffy. That's all for now!

Cevahir Mall

Nightie,

Elizabeth

Istanbul, Turkey!

We left our hotel in Athens before 6:00 a.m., and our plane took off around 8:25. We were in Istanbul by 10:00, and everyone was so excited! Our tour guide met us at the airport, and then a bus drove us to our hotel. I'm assuming the teachers wanted to hire a tour guide because it is their first time to take students to Turkey, even though Mr. Paulson lived here for a couple years. I can't remember our tour guide's name, but the fact that she is a female makes me so happy. Women have excellent time management skills, and she must be good at this since she does it for a living. Just by her talking on the bus I've already learned a lot. Istanbul is the only city in the world that is on two continents, however, we will only be visiting the European side because the Asian side is too dangerous. The population of Istanbul is thirteen million, and the city has 23 districts with their own mayors. The main street we drove in on next to the beach is called Kennedy. It was named after JFK when he was assassinated in 1963. The tour guide explained that it is not safe to drink the tap water here, and it is necessary to dress modestly when visiting a mosque. The money here is called the Turkish Lira, and for once the exchange rate is very good. Istanbul is also home of the largest mall in Europe, so if you can imagine I'm very excited. We've learned some very basic words in Turkish, but you should know that their word for stop is "DUR." The stop signs literally say that! Mary Louise and I find this hilarious because dur is sadly one of our favorite words in our vocabulary. We haven't taken a picture of the dur signs yet, but don't worry there will be one very soon.

We are staying in a four-star hotel near Istanbul's most popular historical attractions. They call this area the old city, and the new city is the more modern, urban area. Makes sense huh? Earlier in the trip, Mary Louise had said that it would be very cool if she and I were roommates in Istanbul because we will be here for five nights. Somehow we got our wish, and we have a very cozy hotel room. It has gold crown molding, and kind of has a palace look with fancy chandeliers and tiles. Our tour guide led us to an area to eat lunch that she didn't think would be too expensive. All 19 of us ate a cennet place, which is like a Turkish quesadilla. The food actually tasted really good, but the restaurant itself was weird. The tables and chairs were really short, and it was very dirty. I was pretty disgusted, but luckily the waiters were very friendly and had almost perfect English. Sorry Mom and Dad, but I think I'll stick to the expensive places. The expensive places are comparable to a meal for ten Euros in Greece. That was only my first eating experience over here, so I'm assuming they're only going to get better. During our meal, we heard the very loud Muslim chants. It's part of their worship that they do five times a day. On the way back from lunch we saw them kneeling and bowing in front of the mosques. I plan to get a picture of that too. The mosques here are so beautiful!

After lunch we had time to rest, and then went on a Bosphorus cruise. The Bosphorus is the strait that separates Europe and Asia. Essentially it is the body of water that flows into the Black Sea, and it is four times more crowded than the Panama Canal. We walked a pretty good distance through the city to get on our very own boat. Istanbul is such a crowded place with so much going on that it's pretty overwhelming. I remember now that our tour guide's name is Minay. Earlier in the hotel she told me she liked my hair, and as we were walking through the city she told me she had a new name for me. She said it was Begum, which means queen in Turkish. That provided a little taste of joy for my day! The Bosphorus cruise was so cool! She described all of the buildings we were seeing, and by buildings I mean palaces. Most of them were old palaces that have been remodeled into luxurious hotels. One of them is around $20,000 a night and has guests such as Angelina Jolie, Madonna, and Cameron Diaz. We also saw many upscale night clubs; some are members only. There was one with a pool that had mattresses as lawn chairs. Now that's my kind of sunbathing! We were very thankful  no one got sea sick, and our bus drove us back to the hotel. Instead of docking at the same place we started, we finished the cruise at the other end of the city. With rush hour traffic it took about an hour and fifteen minutes to get back. I enjoyed looking around at the scenery, and I noticed the cars over here are a lot nicer than Greece.

Our welcome dinner this evening was amazing! We had wine, bread, salads, meat, vegetables, and fruit! It's kind of like the food in Greece but with different seasonings. I was impressed, but I think anything would have impressed me after that nasty lunch experience. I cannot wait to tell you more about Istanbul. There's so much culture to be absorbed. I honestly feel so lucky to be here! Wheeze and I want to come back and stay in a palace! Maybe one day?.

Love,
Ellie

Palace for celebrities.

Mattress Sunbathing

Glyfada!

Ashley we miss you!

Purchases

Today was our last day in Greece, so we wanted to make sure to use our free day wisely! We slept until around nine, and then took a taxi to Glyfada. Mary Ashleigh advised us to take a taxi because it's fairly cheap and much nicer than the tram. Our taxi driver drove extremely fast, and there were police on every street corner because of the strike. It took about twenty minutes to get to Mary Ashleigh's hotel, and only cost sixteen euros for the three of us. We were so excited to see Mary Ashleigh, and I also ran into Steven Shelton, Hannah Higgins, Ricky Jones, and Kate Sorrel. It was fun to see familiar faces in Greece. From her hotel we got on the tram, and the fun shopping area was only two stops away. I'm so happy we didn't take the tram all the way to Glyfada because it was really nasty! The tram literally runs through the main road there, so it's very convenient. We ate at a nice restaurant/club called Rich. It's one of the places that Amanda Rosen really liked when she was there. I ordered an Asian dish, and Mary Louise and Mary Ashleigh got spinach ravioli. It was all very yummy. I forgot to mention that Austin came with us, but instead of shopping he went to the beach and "exploring." The shopping was really nice, and Glyfada is much quieter than Athens. It's probably best described as an upscale beach town. Zara was our favorite store of the day, but there were other boutiques that were kind of fun too. It was so hot today and none of the stores have air conditioning, so shopping was a pretty exhausting activity. Before we met Austin back at Mary Ashleigh's hotel, we stopped for gelato. I eat that stuff everyday! The taxi took us back to our hotel by 6:30, and we had time to lay down before our farewell dinner in Athens. The dinner wasn't too special, but I'm probably just ready for some new cuisine. We are leaving for the airport tomorrow at 5:45. I cannot wait to tell y'all about Turkey!

Nightie,
Elizabeth

Protests in Greece...

Packed like sardines in the front of the trolley.

Hard Rock Cafe...America at its finest!

Dad this made me think of you and laugh. I think routard really means a backpacker or person who travels a lot.

Today was specifically dedicated to visiting the National Museum of Greece. It is located in an unsafe part of town, so our teachers were freaking out making sure everyone was together. We waited for the trolley to pick us up, and I'm still surprised we all fit on that thing. It was crowded, smelly, and really jerky. We arrived safely to the museum, and unfortunately it looked ginormous. We were told we would only be able to see 10% of the museum, but don't worry my teacher ensured that we got to see every single marble statue and clay jar. This time it wasn't just Mary Louise and I complaining, it was everyone! Thankfully I wasn't that tired, but that one excursion to the museum lasted from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The museum would have been cool, except the fact that by now we've already seen all of that stuff a million times. It's starting to all look the same to me. Enough about the museum, and onto shopping!

After the museum, everyone in the group wanted to take a nap. Of course I couldn't imagine napping, so I allowed Austin to rest for about forty-five minutes before I drug him across Athens. I had to bang on his door to wake him up, but I knew he was my only chance at getting anyone to go with me. He woke up with a smile, and I told him to meet me downstairs in five minutes. I got directions from the man at the front desk and off we went. We took the Metro (subway/train) to Syntagma Square. It's the location of the Greek Parliament building, and also the place for the government protesting. The Metro is really cheap, and luckily the store I wanted to go to was only one stop away. When we got to Syntagma square we were so excited to see the rioters. We stood out in the crowd, but I was also surprised that it kind of looked like a party. There were hot dogs for sale, people passing out flyers, and even selling those silly fake purses. We only stayed long enough to take a couple pictures because we obviously stood out as Americans. Austin is a giant compared to the men over here, and let's just say I don't dress like a Greek girl. We walked a short distance before we found H&M. I warned Austin before we went in that if he gets sick of this he is more than welcome to venture down the street and come back. I don't know exactly how long it took, but he never even complained. He left at one point for about ten minutes but other than that he seemed pretty content. I don't think Dad or Jamie would have lasted ten minutes, and I know my brothers probably wouldn't even dare. I bought two shirts, and I'm hoping to find another H&M because that one barely had anything in my size. I explained to Austin that in order to be a good shopper, you have to go and scope things ahead of time and then go back to make purchases. I'm sure he was so intrigued! We took the Metro back to the street near our hotel, and by that time everyone was awake and ready to go to Hard Rock Cafe. I couldn't wait for the fully loaded nachos, ranch dressing, mashed potatoes, salmon, and a margarita. Me and Wheeze had been thinking about it since the last time we went there a couple weeks ago. Dinner was fun and then we walked back to our hotel and continued visiting in the lobby. Tomorrow is a free day! Mary Louise and I plan to visit our friend, Mary Ashleigh, who is studying abroad in one of the suburbs of Athens with the Walton College of Business. Public transportation is supposed to be open, and the strike should only last from noon to four.

Love y'all,
Elizabeth

Back in Athens...

Trees that look like large asparagus.

Palamedes Castle

Corinth Canal

This morning we left our hotel and ventured off to the archaeological museum of Nauplion. On the way there we stopped at the church where the first Greek president was assassinated. Nauplion was actually the first capitol city of Greece. The museum wasn't that exciting, but I say that about most museums. From there we walked back to our hotel and had a Turkish language lesson. Turkish seems much easier than Greek because our alphabet is the same. We packed up our suitcases and our bus driver drove us to the top of the Palamede Castle. Thank goodness for that because the way down was hard enough. Today was the only day I didn't wear my Chacos, and my rhinestone yellow boxes were not appropriate for walking down a thousand slippery, marble stairs. Our legs were shaking by the time we made it down. The bug situation in Greece is serious by the way! I was walking down and said, "Goodness Wheeze I feel like these damn bugs are just flying into me." She said, "Yeah I feel like a car driving down the road in Lake View!" She was exactly right, and it wasn't until this trip that I realized she was so squeamish about bugs. She and I don't typically do activities together than involve nature. After the castle we had lunch in Nauplion, and then the bus drove us to Athens. We stopped to view the Corinth Canal on the way. It's the canal that connects the Peloponnesus to the mainland. It was much more fascinating than I thought it would be, and the gas station there sold Haribo sour straws! I spent thirteen euros on three bags of sours. Mary Louise is worried about my teeth when I'm older.

It's good to be back in Athens again because it's familiar, but mainly because I have scalding hot water and excellent pressure. Those two things really make all of the difference. We are staying at a hotel across the street from the last one we stayed at. It's not quite as nice, but definitely suitable. The wifi here isn't free and the laundry is outrageously expensive. But who wants to carry around dirty clothes? I don't believe in washing in the sink without Granny, and our other option is self-service at a bar owned by a British man. We had dinner at some place that our friends had tried before. I wasn't really a fan. My chicken came out baked instead of grilled, and to me there is nothing more bland than baked chicken. I shouldn't complain, but I'm kind of over the dining experience in Greece. Uncle Louis I think it would get on your nerves too. All of the food is the same, and you wouldn't have the patience to wait on the check. Don't worry I don't either. But I swear the waiters over here think we want to sit there for hours. Ida told us y'all are going to Chania, and the food there is fabulous! Austin is running out of things to try over here because all of the menus are the same. I suppose we will be in Turkey soon enough, and introduced to a whole new world of food.

Athens is a city of protest at the moment. There are people camped out in the center of town on strike. It looks like Stadium Drive in Fayetteville before an exciting football game. Speaking of football, whose ready for September? Anyway, the Greek people are protesting the government because they think it is corrupt. You are probably aware of their horrible economic situation. Thursday is our second free day on the trip. This day happens to fall on the day that all of the government building will be closed. It is also quite possible that public transportation will be closed. None of us are really sure what we are going to be able to do, but I am confident that our teachers will properly direct us. I just want to be able to go shopping. Things will be closed because a major protest or demonstration has been planned. All of this is interesting to see.

For some reason I have forgotten to tell you about something hilarious on our trip. On the bus, we learned how to sing Old McDonald Had a Farm.....in freaking Greek! I always have it stuck in my head it's awful. My teacher sings it over a microphone. My ipod head phones aren't loud enough to drown everyone out. Right now I'm listening to Austin and my roommate Brittani talk about anime. I really don't know what they're talking about. It's a completely different world to me. I think it's like Dragon Ball Z and Pokemon. On that note I am kicking Austin out and going to bed!

Goodnight,
Elizabeth

Nauplion, Greece

George, our teacher

Theatre at Epidauros

Mom I found your initials.

Greek dance lessons

Opa!!

View from our hotel.

Greetings from Nauplion! It's quite the place to be in Greece. It's not as big as most of the cities, but it's also not as rural as Delphi and Olympia. Our hotel is pretty charming, but very different from all of the others. It was built into the hillside, and there are lots of stairs to take to get to each room. If it wasn't for Austin and some of the other boys, there would be no way I could get my bag all the way up here. Also, the doors are only accessible from the outside. The breakfast here isn't very impressive, but their chocolate cake is to die for. We started the day off by taking the bus to Tiryns, an ancient Mycenaen palace. Once again it's only the ruins of the palace, so we just imagine it as it used to be. It wasn't very large and not as elevated as the others. The bus then took us to another ancient city, Epidauros. We heard a couple of site reports, and the theatre here is the most preserved throughout all of Greece. It's also famous for its acoustics. After Epidauros, we took the bus back to Nauplion where we had a four hour break before Greek dance lessons. Mary Louise and I had lunch in the main square at a cute Italian restaurant called Noufara. We ate at around 3:00, which is Greek nap time and so no one was out. I got penne arabiata and she and a friend shared cheese pizza. Noufara was much better than the place we chose last night, where my hamburger tasted like a concession stand. I was so disappointed because the hamburgers here are normally delicious. We watched a couple episodes of Desperate Housewives before we had to meet with the group at 7:00. The dance lessons were hysterical! A Greek couple came to show us their moves, and they brought their two adorable little daughters. The man could dance better than the woman but his body oder was practically unbearable. The dance lessons lasted about an hour, and we were let loose again for dinner. Don't make fun of us, but me and Mary Louise went to the same restaurant again for dinner! This time I got calamari, and she got rigatoni alfredo. The square in Nauplion is very peaceful. Tomorrow we go back to Athens, and we are hiking up to some castle. At this point, that's pretty much the norm for us.
XOXO,
Elizabeth

The Olympics!

The breakfast at the Hotel Europa was basically like all of the other hotels, but the buffet was much larger. I ate Nutella with my yogurt and thought of Mary Michael. The crowd at this hotel is bigger than the others, probably because the site at Olympia is very popular. The site itself is where they held the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C. We visited two museums, wandered around the ruins, and the boys even did a little race! They ran 400 meters at the stadium and it was funny to see them get into it! Nathaniel was the winner, but that came with no surprise because he runs track for Arkansas. Dr. Levine jogged a little too. We had lunch in town, and then the bus so kindly picked us up to take us back to the hotel. We were so exhausted, but couldn't resist the beautiful pool right outside. Whenever we go swimming Mary Louise always says that I look like I did when I was a kid. She says its because my eyes look so big. I was just waiting on the comment since she always says that. Wheeze did her last site report today, and we are so relieved to both finally be finished. I think we will celebrate with room service and Desperate Housewives!

Miss y'all,
Elizabeth