TURKEY LURKEY TIME

See those pictures down below? There are five of them. There should be fifteen. As you can see, my brilliant plan didn't work quite as well as I hoped so. At this point, it might be safe to say, if you're patient, you'll get a wide array of pictures on August 23rd. Well, it was a fluke that any got on, so I'll just bite my tongue and be happy any are on at all. Grr....

So, Istanbul (not Constantinople) is quite the city. Turkey isn't quite alight with the recent flotilla incident, but I didn't go out of my way to tell anyone I was Jewish, either. I did see some Graffiti in the Jewish quarter, considering of such sayings as ‘Cruel Israel’, or “Damn Israel’, though.

 So, what is there in Istanbul? Mosque. Lots and lots of Mosques. And they're all beautiful. You can see the minarets from any vantage point in the city. The blue mosque is the big cheese here with six minarets, and only a tiny big smaller than the mosques in Mecca and Medina. The city itself, on the inside, is beautiful. Get to the outskirts and you may be less enthusiastic. 

The bazaars are exclusively tourist traps, but you can still get a good deal. Next time you see me, make sure to let me tell you the rousing story of how I got an 11-year old to give me a 40 lira coffee pot for 20 lira. It went like that, but it was more exciting, I promise! Practice for Morocco and Egypt, where just about anything can be haggled for.

 When in the market, you may be roped in by some bored carpet salesmen. My friend and I got two cups of tea, lemonade, and a 2-hour chat with some friendly chaps in their shop in the old Bazaar without buying anything. Everyone is incredibly friendly, even if you don’t buy anything form their shops.

Women can expect some hassling to buy products, but mostly in the baffling Engrish cries of ‘Angelina Jolie, come here,” and groups may be subject to “Hey, Charlie’s Angels! Spice Girls! Yes please!” Expect to be filled up on free Turkish delight whenever you walk into the spice market – when you’re buying anything, anything at all, shop keepers just about throw the little sugary treats into your mouth.

The public transportation is very easy, though sometimes crowded. You buy tokens in machines for about a dollar a piece than can easily get to anywhere in the old city in a few minutes. There are also ferries along the Bosporus to the Asian side. And that’s Istanbul, folks.

So, some of you may be wondering what the weirdest thing I’ve encountered I my travels has been. If not, well too bad. Warning – adult content ahead. And by adult content, I mean Europe is weird.

Barcelona:
Brace yourself – bull testicles are considered a delicacy this side of Europe. Though I never encountered them, I know a few of my friends on board who wanted to, um, grab the bull by the horns. Or eat it. In hindsight, I don’t think this pun is as good as I thought it was. Anyway, apparently they are shriveled little brown strings, and you can have them served cooked or raw. Let’s move on, shall we?

Italy:
As noted before, you can find calendars with pictures of Cats at famous areas in Rome in the many souvenir shops. There were a few other calendars; next to the Pope John Paul and Benedict calendars, you would often find a quaint little calendar called ‘The Peni of Rome’, depicting the many phalluses that grace Roman art. Classy, Italy, classy.

Greece:
All of Greece was weird. Okay, maybe it wasn’t so bad – I’m a little biased right now. Actually, consumer-wise, it was pretty low-key. Olive oil was in full supply, as was the shamelessly stolen ‘Greek Delight’ (and so much better in Turkey, as expected). There was Ouzo, a very strong alcoholic beverage that tastes a bit like black licorice. Being a very good young woman (read that as: very boring young woman) I didn’t have any, but heard it was exactly as I just described. So ignore this entry. If you’ve read this far, I’m sorry. There’s more interesting stuff below, I swear!

Croatia:
The rare laundry days on board have made many students resort to washing their clothes in the sink. Blissfully unaware of how rare those precious laundry days would be, I forgot to bring a steady supply of detergent. So off I went into Konsum, the Croatia supermarket, to find laundry detergent. And boy, did I find it. Hopefully, I’ll be able to bring this home. Chocolate and Vanilla laundry detergent. Yes, you read that right. It smells like regular laundry detergent with a hint of vanilla, and has a dirty brown color. And it works. Among the other detergents were ‘health detergents’, who had such eye-catches as ‘healthy’,’ nutritious’ and ‘pure’ on their labels. Perhaps in the Balkans, detergent is an energy drink.
Also, the Pizza was better here than in Italy, save some areas in Naples. Weird, eh? Though it could be that I have no taste.

Turkey:
This is actually more of a pleasant surprise, though it may not seem so when you first read it. Among the many delicious foods and odd bazaar items, one particular item stood out in Turkey (blame my sweet tooth). As you may have read in travel wiki, the ice cream in Turkey is... strange. It’s sticky, but not. It’s stringy, too. Let me explain A common trick of the vendors was to pull out a scoop, then attach the cone. They would then give you the cone, but you would be unable to grasp it – it was still attached to the scoop!

In generals:
There is no Diet Coke, only ‘Coke Zero’ – which is coca-cola or ‘Coke Light’ which is closer to diet coke. You are expected to eat your fries with mayonnaise, and using ketchup immediately makes people realize that you are a tourist. Fanta seems to be the national drink, ad you will find it everywhere – from the dingy little street shops to high-end restaurants. Pringles are also quite big here, and come in flavors like ‘Paprika’ and ‘Soy Sauce’. 

As always thanks for reading. Internet is sparse, so expect another week before an update unless I get lucky. I’m off to Egypt! Which I can finally spell correctly!

PS - Continue sending me emails at acwyman@semesteratsea.net or just leave comments on my posts if you want to say hi. I check my posts often to help inflate my bloated ego even more.

- Weary (In arabic: Ta'aben. No arabic isn't spoken in Turkey, but I'm preparing for Egypt. Masallah Alaykum.)

*breath* BARCELONA PICTURES!

Greece.

Athens, my friends. Athens is… um. Yeah, that’s about it. Unfortunately, due to some personal issues, I didn’t get the most out of Athens. But I still can point out a few highlights.

Of course I had to go to the acropolis – anything Stephen Fry messes up on is a must-see. If you have facebook, and are a friend of Gregory Everitt, check his posts, they’re very informative. Maybe he’ll even post a link to it himself – check ‘em out, they’re a good read by a good author.

Anyway, well, as you all no – no straight lines. Just heat and stone. Then you go into the museum. And that’s where the good stuff it. There aren’t any straight lines, though. They ran out of them – the great line strike of 200 BC. Oh, and we’ll get on strikes later… well, now.

Yes, Greece is undergoing financial ruin. Or a crisis, to be a little more fair and little less truthful. Many of the citizens in Athens want Greece to declare bankruptcy – though this would effectively destroy their way of life – no loans, no mortgages, no money in the banks, etc. Athens is rife with people begging for money on subways, in the streets, etc. Basically, it’s New York. But with financial ruin. Wait… anyway.

The food, of course, needs to be mentioned. Those of you unfortunate enough to have had dinner with me know how picky I am. I’ve branched out a bit, though. So I can at least describe some of the food. First and foremost – the olive oil. Since I don’t drink (often), I believe it is Olive Oil, not beer, which is proof God loves us, or perhaps, the Gods loved Greece. Real olive oil is tinted green, and has a fresh taste. It’s… magnificent. If you’re nice to me, maybe I’ll let you have some of the stuff I’m bringing back. Then there’s Tzatiti, which though difficult to spell, is not difficult to enjoy (hurr hurr). It’s Greek yogurt with cucumber and garlic – lots of garlic. It’s much better than it sounds.

As in Pompeii and Croatia, there are stays all over... times 10. The islands are infested with cats which follow boats and travelers. Then there are the dogs, which travel in packs and roam around at night. It’s… interesting.

The pictures? This seems to be a running theme, so much so I’m sure many of you no longer care. The internet we get in each port is good, but not good enough. Apparently, blogger uses some very intense program to put pictures on, and this internet can’t handle it in less than thirty minutes per picture. So, here’s what’s going on. I’ve arranged a folder with the best pictures from each port, ranging from 5 to 30 depending on the quality and whether or not I had a camera at that time. I will try to upload every port. However, if I cannot, they will ALL be uploaded the day after I return, either in their respective posts, on in a few monstrous photo posts.

Even though my internet sucks, you can still send me a souvenir request at acwyman@semesteratsea.net. Yes, I’ve gotten everyone’s emails, but I’ve been slowed down by stuff. I’ll reply tomorrow, since we’ll be on the ship all day. Oh, and guess where after – TURKEY. Yes. More on the political and religious issues later. I’ll focus on the fun.

Planning a trip?

Well my friends, I have only this to say: go to Dubrovnik. As soon as possible.

Some of my older readers are well aware of the terrible war that occurred there in the early 90’s, however, since then, Croatia has been rebuilt and though occasional bullet holes may be seen in the walls, Dubrovnik is the number one vacation spot for all Europeans in the know. And here’s why (sorry to sound like an infomercial)

For one, the city is incredibly safe. No pickpockets here unlike Rome or Barcelona. Second, English is widely understood, though this may turn off some people – keep in mind, this s a VERY touristy area. You probably can get along with other European languages, Italian, French, Spanish, and German being your best bets. Third, it’s, well beautiful. I don’t have the pictures right now, but look online. Go to google now. I’ll wait here.

Yes, it’s that beautiful. It looks like a postcard. The old city itself is breathtaking, no matter where you are. And once you climb on to the wall, which to be fair, is quite a walk, you’ll see it’s well worth the hassle. The sea is clear blue, with not a pollutant in sight. You’ll see many a native and tourist cliff diver from the rocks. Quick warning though – be sure to know the dangers – which we were lectured on quite a bit. I won’t go into it here, for my more sensitive readers.

The old city is great in itself, but there are plenty of cheap boats out to other extremely beautiful Croatian island. Also, did I mention that you can see the forested mountains from anywhere in the city? Yes, it’s beautiful, more beautiful than even Shakespeare could describe (that’s why I stick to Poe – no expectations).

So yes. I love it. It’s great. Tomorrow it will be flocking with tourists, though, so we’ll see if my generous approval is warranted.

As for what I’ve done… well, today I went to one of the oldest orphanages in the country. It was oddly beautiful despite the slightly depressing connotations. The children weren’t war orphans, as they were much too young. Many of them weren’t even ‘orphans’ - their parents were unable to care for them, so they go in and out of orphanages depending on the situation. It’s a lovely, huge house, with a 15-minute walk to the beach. The kids themselves are pretty well adjusted, but I must keep in mind that the ones that we saw were the most well adjusted. We did hear of a poor 16 year old boy who kept to himself in his room all day, despite his siblings flourishing.

Well, now that I’ve depressed you, I may as well make up for it. Yesterday we went to a small village not too far form Dubrovnik. There, we sat, danced, drank, laughed, and ate with the local villagers for 6 hours. It was quite the experience. Though it says quite a bit that, despite their traditional clothes and dances, the villagers got less attention form the students than the rambunctious white cat the wandered around.

Also, as you may have noticed, the Internet on my cruise is... spotty at best. Email also applies. So, if you send me an email, and don’t get a response in say, a week, assume that I didn’t get it, or that I sent a response, and you didn’t get it. Sorry in advance.

We're going to Greece next. Stephen Fry isn't our guide, thankfully. He gets a bit confused:



Are these silly videos a cheap excuse for me to not put up photos? Very yes. How about this. I've found a good source of internet - I'll sort out a few photos from every place and try to get them up tomorrow.

Alert: A Jew in the Vatican!

Another update in a short amount of time.

There are a few things I've forgotten to mention. The Vatican, for one. Yes, I did mention I went in, but I didn't say a lot. Plus, I can now the catchy title I forgot on yesterday's post.

I did go into the Sistine Chapel, but not the Basilico. I did catch a quick (unallowed) picture inside as well, which I'll try to post later. The issue about the Chapel, if you ever go, is that getting to it.. is a nightmare. You go up and down several flights of stairs, and there are many other (and prettier, honestly) chapels before it. Once you get to it, it is fulled with tourists screaming in multiple different languages, and a few disgruntled guards who can be rough if they care enough to reprimand you for taking pictures. Still, it's something everyone should do at least once.

Pompeii, well, was Pompeii. And hot. And beautiful. We had an excellent tour guide who told us all about the unfortunate city. We saw the temples, houses, and of course, the famous brothel. None of which have their original roofs (see the previous post). Pompeii is full of stray dogs who find tourists and beg them for food. The government is taking care of them, and they have all had their shots and been 'sterilized', and there's a program for adopting them. So if any of my readers want a dog, consider one from Pompeii.

It will be 3 days until we reach Dubrovnik, which I have been told is beautiful. There I will most likely be touring the wall. I'll also be volunteering for a very short period of time and a children's hospital. I'll update you with how I will undoubtedly mess up.

If anyone wants to send lonely old me an email, my shipboard (and free) account is: acwyman@semesteratsea.net. So shoot me an email. As with everything I do, the are no guarantees I'll respond within the next century, but I'll still appreciate it.

Here's hoping you all have found less intensely hot areas for your summer vacations!

- Awkward, I mean, Weary.

Happy 4th of July

Hi all. This will be a rather quirky update - then again, I am a rather quirky person.

Remember those pictures I keep promising you? They exist. But you won't see them for awhile. Sorry. I will post them when I have a good net connection, but as you can probably tell from my multiple grumbles about said subject, it's hard to find. Pictures will also be of a ... different quality. I'm a bit of a clutz you see, and one camera was broken in Barcelona. I got another but... it was broken in Rome. Only the screen though! So... most pictures I will be uploading were taken through me guessing and luckily getting a good shot. On to the good news.

I love Italy. But it's insane. Just like my home state New Jersey, in fact. So I love it more. No one follows traffic rules, and you have to pray when crossing the street. Again, like NJ. People are loud and may curse at you randomly without you having done anything. NJ. On any given time on any given bench in any given city, there will be two men in casual suits talking vibrantly to each other in Italian. Again, guess what this reminds me of.

We're in Naples now, which is the Camden of NJ. They have everything, the highest murder rate in Europe, and a good ol Mafia. So it's quite safe. Apologies to anyone I have offended. I went to Herculaneum today, which was preserved like Pompeii. Unlike Pompeii, which was, effectively, the Las Vegas of Rome, the good old town of Herc was a resort area. Back then, what is now Naples was covered in ocean.  Also, unlike Pompeii (which was covered in ash and lava, I believe - I'll be going there tomorrow, so I can fact check) Herc was covered by mud. Because of this, it was much better preserved. For example, most buildings and their roofs are still intact. In fact, some skeletons were found neatly preserved (some with clothes) from their deaths as they ran to the sea for cover.

Well, there's all the history I'll be giving you this summer. Scary to think it's only 7am back home. Around Turkey, I believe, we'll be going up another hour. I'll refrain from making bad time-travel jokes. Enjoy Independence day, watch 1776, have a Barbecue, and don't use illegal fireworks. Or do, but don't tell me about it.

Edit:

Wondering what Italy is like? Watch this.