We arrived in Bulgaria the morning before we were expected to arrive. I was having lunch in the main dinning room and I was talking to one of my friends and almost in mid-conversation he looked over and said so we are really in Bulgaria, huh? I looked over to the window and there was Bulgaria. It was crazy because the day before we had been in Turkey. So all day anytime we looked out the window there was Bulgaria. The next morning we were cleared to get off the ship which was very exciting. We had to take tenders between the ship and the port because we were not suppose to be docked at the port until that night. We got on the life boat and went to shore. It was a rocky ride but we were glad that we only had to take the tender once and then we would be able to walk on and off the ship for the rest of our time there. That afternoon I went on the Wonders of Bulgaria trip. We went to a monastery, Golden Sands, and the Petrified Forest. The Golden Sands was a huge beach resort complex and the Petrified Forest was rock like pillars that had been under water for thousands of years but are no longer. After the Wonders of Bulgaria we went back to the port and I had 30 minutes before I had to meet for an fdp for one of my classes. I had planned to run on the ship change clothes, grab dinner and then meet my trip. When we got to the port and the ship was still in the middle of the ocean and hadn’t come along side. I was so hungry and tired and by the time the ship finally came along side there was a huge line to get back on and it was time to meet my trip. I was debating if I wanted to go but I saw Dia and she challenged me to push myself and to go on the trip. I saw some friends from my class and decided to go. We went to a medical university in Varna to meet and talk to the students that attend the university. We got there and they had made a welcome banner for us and decorated the courtyard area and wrote a letter to all the neighbors that lived around the university and asked them to excuse the loud music for that night because they had very special American guests. We had a tour of the university and then had snacks and drinks. We hung out in the courtyard and got to talk to students and listen to music. Later they taught us traditional Bulgarian line dances that were so much fun. I was so glad that I went and they were so hospitable towards us.
The next day I met up with everyone and we went out in to Varna to see what we could do. We went to the aquarium that was close to the ship. It was the saddest aquarium that I have ever seen, it was tiny and had a strange set up that reminded me of old science cabinets from high school. We took a kiddy train to the dolphinarium and got to watch the dolphin show. The show was fun and we heard the lady speak in four different languages and picked up parts in English. After we went to Happy’s which was a restaurant that was popular in Varna. We had a great lunch and then walked back to the ship. I went out later and found a post office and got to experience some more miscommunication but was able to get stamps.
The third day in Bulgaria I went to a Bulgarian village. It was overcast and raining outside but it cleared up by the time we got to the village and it was much cooler outside and we were very happy about that. Several of my friends went on the trip which was a great surprise because before that morning I didn’t know anyone going on the trip. One of my sisters from my family on the ship was on the trip and it was great to hang out with her. It was sad because one of the women who was suppose to host us that day and had been preparing for us to come past away the night before. We got to the village and the mayor was there to greet us. She and our tour guide showed us round town and we got to see the church, where town meetings are held mayor’s office, clinic, and then go to the mayor’s house for lunch. We all walked down to the mayor’s house and were greeted by women from the village in traditional Bulgarian attire. We participated in the traditional welcome ceremony and took a piece of bread and dipped it in the spices and had a sip of homemade wine. They served us the traditional 14 dishes and there was so much food and it was so good. After lunch we walked around and got to look at the gardens and see where they do fire dancing. We had homegrown watermelon that was great and then got to see the traditional Bulgarian wedding attire. We had two SASers but on the traditional clothes and then there was music and more dancing. This trip was one of my, if not the highlight from Bulgaria. They treated us with such hospitality and it was wonderful to see what true Bulgarian life is like.
The last day I went on the McDonald’s trip in hopes to have it count for one of my classes when I get home. We learned about marketing strategies in the country and got to learn more about Bulgarian life. They don’t serve a breakfast menu there but they made breakfast sandwiches just for us. It was a bun turned upside down and had ham and cheese. After the trip Emma and I decided to walk around and look around and do some shopping. We walked around and talked to a few shop owners and they asked us to have good thoughts about Bulgaria. Not a lot of Americans visit Bulgaria and it seemed like a big deal for us to be there. I don’t think that Bulgaria is a country travelled by many Americans so when we walked pasted places or talked to people they asked us if we were from places in Europe. We finally found postcards which was more challenging than we thought it was going to be. We walked back to the ship and walked back through neighborhoods and got to see where people live and work and shop. After taking a break I went to get in the Ocean so that I can say that I have been in the Black Sea. It was nice and before long it was time to be back on the ship.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Turkey- Istanbul and Cappadocia
At first when we were getting close to Turkey I was not very excited to go. We had pre-departure meeting the night before arriving and when we get the information we need about that port and traveling within the country. They told us that this was a turning point in our voyage. I realized this because we were turning from Catholic Europe to a Muslim country that was going to be different from the other countries that we had traveled. After pre-departure I went to a meeting where they gave us more information about all the things to do while in Turkey. After hearing all the things that there was to do I was ready for Turkey and so excited for this country. I looked over the information and figured out some top things to do while in Istanbul.
I woke up to watch the sunrise as we pulled into port in Istanbul. The sunrise was beautiful and it was great to see the city as we approached it. The horizon was different from other cities and we were greeted by mosques instead of cathedrals. Istanbul looked like a city waiting to be explored. We had breakfast and waited for the ship to be cleared. For the first time the ship was chaotic, we had to all get our landing cards that we had to carry around with us at all times. People were everywhere trying to get those and information about Istanbul and figuring out their trips. That morning I had been watching the people passing by our ship and lots of people were in pants and most of the women were dressed in long pants or skirts. We got off the ship and we walked to the bazaar. We walked through the spice bazaar and the smells were incredible. There were so many smells and they were intriguing and intoxicating. We stopped to ask for directions and made it to the bazaar. The bazaar was over 4,000 shops all split up into categories such as clothing, rugs, jewelry, beads, gold and more. We spent several hours walking around and shopping. We experienced our first taste of Turkish hospitality and were given apple tea by one of the shop keepers. It was very good and I ended up buying some later in the day. We got to bargain with the shop keepers and try to get the best deal. This took up most the day and later I went out with some friends to see Harry Potter. We ended up watching a dance festival going on in one of the squares. There were so many people out walking around and watching the dance festival. The festival was traditional dances from the countries the dancers were from. We watched for a while and then went to get our tickets for Harry Potter. We got our tickets and then went to a café to enjoy some tea before the movie started. We got to the movie and were half way through the movie when the movie shut off, the lights came on and all the Turkish people got up to leave. I was looking around wondering what was going on but found out that there is intermission during the middle of the movie. Harry Potter was good and we went back to the ship and I packed to leave for my trip the next day.
Our second day in Turkey I left for Cappadocia very early in the morning. I was very glad to see that a few of my friends were on the trip. We drove to the Istanbul airport and then got on our flight to fly to Cappadocia. The airport was interesting because at the gate we gave our tickets and then got on a bus right outside of our gate. Then the bus took us to a large area where all the planes were lined up in rows. We flew to Cappadocia and toured some of the caves where the Christians lived and hid. The Christians carved our tunnels and rooms and made houses in the caves and would hid for four months from their enemies to escape from persecution. We got to tour one of the caves and see the stable, living areas, the kitchen that had black on the ceiling and on the walls because they had no ventilation. It was awesome getting to go inside and look around and hear more about their lives that they lived. While in the cave I was thinking about how awesome it was and it would have been to live there, I stopped to think about it and how I knew that I would be leaving the cave within 20 minutes but the people lived underground without going outside for months. This put things in perspective and really made me thing about the Christians who lived there and how there faith was so important to them and so strong that they lived underground without going outside so they would not be persecuted for their belief in Christ. This was powerful and gave me a new perspective on the trip. The rest of the day we stopped at three scenic stops and got to take pictures and walk around. The view and the landscape was amazing and like something that I had never seen before. There were tall giant rocks shooting up for the ground. It was amazing and every time we got off the bus it was a new amazing landscape. We went to a pottery shop before going back to the hotel. The hotel we stayed at was so nice and after dinner we went to a Whirling Dervish Ceremony. This is a traditional religious ceremony and we were able to go and watch. After the ceremony we went back to the hotel and some of us sat by the pool and got to talk until we went to bed.
The second day in Cappadocia we went on tours of the churches in the caves. We got to see several and I was shocked to see painting on the walls. We left the caves and went to a carpet store and got to see how carpets were made and how to tell the difference about what they are made of and the quality. We were shown many carpets and told that all carpets could fly- with MasterCard and Visa. Some people bought carpets so I wandered through the different rooms and lived vicariously through others buying carpets. After the carpet store we went to a jewelry store and got to look around and buy of course. I was looking around and with one of my friends looking at rings and told me to try one of them on. I tried it on and it was beautiful and handed it back and walked to the next case. As I was walking away my friend informed me that I had just tried on a 20,000 dollar ring. I had no idea. After the jewelry store and lunch we did one of my favorite things of the whole trip. We were told we were going to a museum and I wasn’t too thrilled but the museum turned out to be chimney fairies that we got to run around and explore. We got a chance to hike up to the caves and go in and explore them and climb up them. It was so much fun and we all agreed that we could have spent all day there. After our great adventures there we left Cappadocia and got on a plane back to Istanbul.
The fourth day in Turkey I met up with the girls and we went back to the bazaar so the girls could do a little shopping. We shopped for a while and then went to see more of Istanbul. We went to the cisterns and got to see the Roman Aqueduct system that was used in ancient times. It was really neat going underground and getting to look around. Outside of the cisterns we walked over the Blue Mosque and got to hear a group of travelers singing Christian praise songs. I couldn’t understand the words but I caught on the melody and knew that they were singing Christian songs. It was pretty awesome in the middle of a Muslim country to hear Christian songs and Christian songs that I recognized. We went to the Blue Mosque and got to go in. It was the first time that I had been in a mosque. We got our postcards and then went to the ship to have dinner and then we went to try and get internet without much luck but I did try Turkish coffee.
The last day in Turkey I did not feel well and slept until I went to go to a student life in Turkey. We got to go to an American university and meet with Turkish students and ask them questions. We were able to ask a lot of questions and I learned a lot about their education system, culture and student life. It was a special and unique opportunity to have and talk to students in Turkey and get to hear about their country and culture. They asked us question about our education and life in America. We left the university and went back to the ship to get on before we departed Turkey.
I woke up to watch the sunrise as we pulled into port in Istanbul. The sunrise was beautiful and it was great to see the city as we approached it. The horizon was different from other cities and we were greeted by mosques instead of cathedrals. Istanbul looked like a city waiting to be explored. We had breakfast and waited for the ship to be cleared. For the first time the ship was chaotic, we had to all get our landing cards that we had to carry around with us at all times. People were everywhere trying to get those and information about Istanbul and figuring out their trips. That morning I had been watching the people passing by our ship and lots of people were in pants and most of the women were dressed in long pants or skirts. We got off the ship and we walked to the bazaar. We walked through the spice bazaar and the smells were incredible. There were so many smells and they were intriguing and intoxicating. We stopped to ask for directions and made it to the bazaar. The bazaar was over 4,000 shops all split up into categories such as clothing, rugs, jewelry, beads, gold and more. We spent several hours walking around and shopping. We experienced our first taste of Turkish hospitality and were given apple tea by one of the shop keepers. It was very good and I ended up buying some later in the day. We got to bargain with the shop keepers and try to get the best deal. This took up most the day and later I went out with some friends to see Harry Potter. We ended up watching a dance festival going on in one of the squares. There were so many people out walking around and watching the dance festival. The festival was traditional dances from the countries the dancers were from. We watched for a while and then went to get our tickets for Harry Potter. We got our tickets and then went to a café to enjoy some tea before the movie started. We got to the movie and were half way through the movie when the movie shut off, the lights came on and all the Turkish people got up to leave. I was looking around wondering what was going on but found out that there is intermission during the middle of the movie. Harry Potter was good and we went back to the ship and I packed to leave for my trip the next day.
Our second day in Turkey I left for Cappadocia very early in the morning. I was very glad to see that a few of my friends were on the trip. We drove to the Istanbul airport and then got on our flight to fly to Cappadocia. The airport was interesting because at the gate we gave our tickets and then got on a bus right outside of our gate. Then the bus took us to a large area where all the planes were lined up in rows. We flew to Cappadocia and toured some of the caves where the Christians lived and hid. The Christians carved our tunnels and rooms and made houses in the caves and would hid for four months from their enemies to escape from persecution. We got to tour one of the caves and see the stable, living areas, the kitchen that had black on the ceiling and on the walls because they had no ventilation. It was awesome getting to go inside and look around and hear more about their lives that they lived. While in the cave I was thinking about how awesome it was and it would have been to live there, I stopped to think about it and how I knew that I would be leaving the cave within 20 minutes but the people lived underground without going outside for months. This put things in perspective and really made me thing about the Christians who lived there and how there faith was so important to them and so strong that they lived underground without going outside so they would not be persecuted for their belief in Christ. This was powerful and gave me a new perspective on the trip. The rest of the day we stopped at three scenic stops and got to take pictures and walk around. The view and the landscape was amazing and like something that I had never seen before. There were tall giant rocks shooting up for the ground. It was amazing and every time we got off the bus it was a new amazing landscape. We went to a pottery shop before going back to the hotel. The hotel we stayed at was so nice and after dinner we went to a Whirling Dervish Ceremony. This is a traditional religious ceremony and we were able to go and watch. After the ceremony we went back to the hotel and some of us sat by the pool and got to talk until we went to bed.
The second day in Cappadocia we went on tours of the churches in the caves. We got to see several and I was shocked to see painting on the walls. We left the caves and went to a carpet store and got to see how carpets were made and how to tell the difference about what they are made of and the quality. We were shown many carpets and told that all carpets could fly- with MasterCard and Visa. Some people bought carpets so I wandered through the different rooms and lived vicariously through others buying carpets. After the carpet store we went to a jewelry store and got to look around and buy of course. I was looking around and with one of my friends looking at rings and told me to try one of them on. I tried it on and it was beautiful and handed it back and walked to the next case. As I was walking away my friend informed me that I had just tried on a 20,000 dollar ring. I had no idea. After the jewelry store and lunch we did one of my favorite things of the whole trip. We were told we were going to a museum and I wasn’t too thrilled but the museum turned out to be chimney fairies that we got to run around and explore. We got a chance to hike up to the caves and go in and explore them and climb up them. It was so much fun and we all agreed that we could have spent all day there. After our great adventures there we left Cappadocia and got on a plane back to Istanbul.
The fourth day in Turkey I met up with the girls and we went back to the bazaar so the girls could do a little shopping. We shopped for a while and then went to see more of Istanbul. We went to the cisterns and got to see the Roman Aqueduct system that was used in ancient times. It was really neat going underground and getting to look around. Outside of the cisterns we walked over the Blue Mosque and got to hear a group of travelers singing Christian praise songs. I couldn’t understand the words but I caught on the melody and knew that they were singing Christian songs. It was pretty awesome in the middle of a Muslim country to hear Christian songs and Christian songs that I recognized. We went to the Blue Mosque and got to go in. It was the first time that I had been in a mosque. We got our postcards and then went to the ship to have dinner and then we went to try and get internet without much luck but I did try Turkish coffee.
The last day in Turkey I did not feel well and slept until I went to go to a student life in Turkey. We got to go to an American university and meet with Turkish students and ask them questions. We were able to ask a lot of questions and I learned a lot about their education system, culture and student life. It was a special and unique opportunity to have and talk to students in Turkey and get to hear about their country and culture. They asked us question about our education and life in America. We left the university and went back to the ship to get on before we departed Turkey.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Greece- Athens and Beautiful Islands
Arrived in Greece and went to see the Acropolis. It was great to get to see the Acropolis as well as the Parthenon. I can now saw that I have seen the read Parthenon and not just the one in Nashville. We went to the tomb of the unknown solider and got to see the guards. We went to the Olympic Stadium that was built in the 1830’s. After Lexi and I broke off from the tour and went to spend some more time in Athens before going back to the ship. We had a great lunch and we shared hummus, spinach pies (spinach and feta cheese), and a gyro. We walked around and did a little shopping and then took the metro back. The next day I went on the day trip to Delphi. We had a nice drive and I got to see the Greece countryside. We got to drive through a cute village on our way to Delphi and learned that most of the people at the cafes in the village are men except there are sometimes younger women who go. When we got to Delphi I was surprised to see that it was in the mountains. I don’t think of Greece having mountains, but they do! We got to walk around Delphi and climbed to the top. It was a great view and we were also able to go into the museum and get to look around. We left Delphi and had a great lunch and got to sample many Greek dishes. Our last stop was to a monastery and then we said goodbye to Delphi. That night we went out for a friend’s birthday and had a great time.
The third day in Greece didn’t start out like I thought it was going to but ended up being a great day. I wasn’t feeling the best in the morning but we decided to go to a Greek Island. We picked the island Hydra because we had heard great things about it. We took a later ferry that we wanted to but it turned out to be nice because we met a nice Swedish couple traveling with their children on vacation and got to talk to them on our ferry ride. The ferry was not what I had thought and it was nice and reminded me of taking an airplane ride. We got to Hydra and walked off the ferry and said “This is Greece” it looked just like we thought that Greece would look. The houses were made of stone with red roofs. The first thing we did when we got there was to find a place to spend the night. We were able to find a place to stay by asking a store owner who then translated with the store owner across from her store and he rented out rooms. We got a place for a very reasonable price and it was perfect because there were three beds in the room and there were three of us. After we found a place to stay we went to the ferry office to buy our tickets for the next morning. We decided it was time for dinner and sat at a café outside which was beautiful because it was right by water and all the little boats. We got to sit and relax and enjoy the beautiful view. After dinner we walked around and went to the shops along the water. We got a chance to talk to some of the shop owners and that was awesome because we learned more about Greece and their education system. Then we went back to get our swimsuits and then walk to the water and watch the sunset. The sunset was beautiful and the prettiest sunset that I have ever seen. We went to have dessert at a café overlooking the water. Then we went back to a few shops and wandered around before getting some coffee at the café on the water. The next morning we caught the early ferry and headed back. I spent the last day in Athens and was on a mission to find handmade sandals. The girls knew of a place and we were able to find it and got my sandals. We also went to the new Olympic Stadium that was built and got to walk around and go into the pool area. I was surprised to see that the complex that help all the building for the Olympics wasn’t as well kept as I thought it was going to be. The complex looked like a ghost town except for the kids camp that was there. We had lunch in Athens that was really good and grabbed a peach before getting on the metro to get on the ship.
The third day in Greece didn’t start out like I thought it was going to but ended up being a great day. I wasn’t feeling the best in the morning but we decided to go to a Greek Island. We picked the island Hydra because we had heard great things about it. We took a later ferry that we wanted to but it turned out to be nice because we met a nice Swedish couple traveling with their children on vacation and got to talk to them on our ferry ride. The ferry was not what I had thought and it was nice and reminded me of taking an airplane ride. We got to Hydra and walked off the ferry and said “This is Greece” it looked just like we thought that Greece would look. The houses were made of stone with red roofs. The first thing we did when we got there was to find a place to spend the night. We were able to find a place to stay by asking a store owner who then translated with the store owner across from her store and he rented out rooms. We got a place for a very reasonable price and it was perfect because there were three beds in the room and there were three of us. After we found a place to stay we went to the ferry office to buy our tickets for the next morning. We decided it was time for dinner and sat at a café outside which was beautiful because it was right by water and all the little boats. We got to sit and relax and enjoy the beautiful view. After dinner we walked around and went to the shops along the water. We got a chance to talk to some of the shop owners and that was awesome because we learned more about Greece and their education system. Then we went back to get our swimsuits and then walk to the water and watch the sunset. The sunset was beautiful and the prettiest sunset that I have ever seen. We went to have dessert at a café overlooking the water. Then we went back to a few shops and wandered around before getting some coffee at the café on the water. The next morning we caught the early ferry and headed back. I spent the last day in Athens and was on a mission to find handmade sandals. The girls knew of a place and we were able to find it and got my sandals. We also went to the new Olympic Stadium that was built and got to walk around and go into the pool area. I was surprised to see that the complex that help all the building for the Olympics wasn’t as well kept as I thought it was going to be. The complex looked like a ghost town except for the kids camp that was there. We had lunch in Athens that was really good and grabbed a peach before getting on the metro to get on the ship.
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