¡Vamos a Turquía!

I really don't even know where to start with this post...

I just got back from Turkey, from a life-changing trip with so many ups and downs that the roller coaster analogy really does seem to fit. 
I'm sure my travel-mate, Kayla, and I both left the trip with the feeling that there really are few obstacles that we wouldn't be able to handle. 

Kayrah and me in front of the Blue Mosque.
The lighting is crappy, but alas, I don't own Photoshop

entering the Blue Mosque!

The ropes that the lights hang from

Roses outside the Blue Mosque. You can see the men cleaning their feet near the pillars.

Beautiful lights hanging from the ceiling

Our trip was full of amazing cultural exchanges, peeving cat-calls, refreshing swims, sleepless nights, intense hikes, spelunking in ancient caves, hot loose tea, traditional Turkish breakfasts, stomach-churning illness, breath-taking views, twelve-hour bus rides, naps on airport floors, merhabas and teşekkür ederims, gift-buying trips, and lira-spending. Seriously, the list seems infinite. It's crazy how much living can happen in just seven days!

If you were wondering how to say "I'm from the USA" in Turkish...

 Our first day in Istanbul was pretty calm, so I'll get into more intensity in my following posts. For now, I'll just post some pretty pictures and think about how to articulate my thoughts for the next ones!

I enjoyed watching the stray kibbles

Thar she blows!

 When they say Grand Bazaar, they really mean Gigantic Bazaar. I thought the market in Murcia was big...this place was huge.

 I think it was supposed to be organized by wares, but all of the signs were in Turkish. Most popular items were scarves, lamps, coffee and tea-related goods, chess and other game boards, shoes, clothes, etc.

Turkish pastries in a bakery window. Can you see the McDonalds reflected across the street?

Outside the Grand Bazaar; I love the old building that it was in!

Some miscellaneous thoughts about Turkey:

• I was surprised by how green it was! I kind of expected it to be like a Middle Eastern desert. Istanbul is on the European side, after all.
• Turks in [city centre] Istanbul were generally annoying, so I'm incredibly glad that I ventured outside of Istanbul to meet amazing Turks in their purest form. Everywhere else we visited, the people were genuinely friendly and hospitable. So many people went out of their way to help us out; some of the friendliest strangers I've ever met! 
• On that note, Istanbul was really touristy. To anyone who hasn't traveled too much, this could be okay and maybe even beneficial. To me, highly-touristed areas can be turn-offs if made obvious. I had the same problem in Barcelona (but not Madrid!). It is possible to be highly-touristed without giving off that vibe. However, we really only spent 3 days in Istanbul, so I'm sure there are some amazing non-touristy places that we didn't catch.
• Asking me where I'm from before I even acknowledge you...that's kinda weird and gets old pretty fast. It seemed like the majority of the population consisted of salesmen, or at least people with that mentality. We got used to ignoring the people that shouted at us to get our attention. 
• I saw lots of little children peddling wares alongside the streets. It made me so sad to see this, but there's really nothing I could think of to do. Buying from them would only perpetuate the system... it made me want to find their parents and yell at them! I tried to ask one little boy where his parents were, but he didn't speak English...
• I noticed VERY few beggars in Istanbul. I think everyone just peddles something, so there's really no excuse for begging. 
• In general, Turkey was pretty cheap! I loved being able to cut the price in half to convert it into dollars. 100 Turkish Lira is about $55. Now, back to the euro...

Look at this cheeky guy.

The Trek.

    Southern Spain, the area where Murcia is located, is a very dry region. I may have mentioned this in an earlier blog, but water is so scarce here that you often see artificial turf grass on medians, in parks, almost anywhere. I've actually gotten excited to see grass before! When I came home to Middletown for one night, before leaving for Hawaii, I was completely captivated by the greenness! There's a golf course behind my house, so rolling green hills, trees and reeds swaying in the wind, colorful flowers, etc. I loved it!! The point of this is that I have been dying to get back to nature.

     So, when we finally got to Hawaii, I begged Remy to take us on a hike. I got my wish, but was a little surprised at the outcome. This is a bit embarrassing, but I realized that I am more out of shape than my two twenty-something brothers (okay, that's not surprising), but also my fifty-something parents!! My mom was skipping way up ahead of me, while my Dad and Uncle lagged back to make sure I didn't fall down the mountain in exhaustion.

As you can see, there were tons of roots and other obstacles to potentially stumble over! (Pic by Josh)

     To be fair, the 'hike' up the mountain, became a climb at points...but still. I walk a ton, I just never run (because I hate running). I hope to do some more fun exercising with my best friends Devin and Erica this summer; biking the C&O canal, taking some yoga classes, and definitely more hiking, especially along the Appalachian Trail.

Josh took this picture of me!

     Back to the hike: although it was a bit strenuous, it was amazingly beautiful and well worth the sweat. The whole hike totaled about two hours, but we made it up to an incredible view of the beaches. My Dad has all the pictures on his computer :( but luckily I took some pictures on my cell phone (they're awkward sizes, but don't judge). When I get the good-quality pictures later, I will update this post!

This view is only halfway up! I was too pooped at the top to take a picture.

     This was our last day with Josh, so we headed to Ala Moana mall in Honolulu. I didn't take any pictures since I have been there before but it's, like everywhere else in Hawaii, ridiculously pretty. It's open air, meaning it's not enclosed, there's a koi pond with mini-waterfall,and tons of great shops organized by whether or not you can afford them. We didn't buy anything because Josh wanted to head to the next place to look for a gift for his wife Emily. He picked her out a super-cute dress, then we sped him off to the airport. We were sad that he had to leave so soon, but I only had about two more days anyway.

I probably should've prefaced these posts by explaining that I had no idea I was going to Hawaii until just a few days before I left! I missed the last week and a half of classes (questionable decision), flew thousands of miles and plenty of hours, and am so so so incredibly lucky and grateful for the experience. My parents are amazing for giving me this opportunity and convincing me to do all of this missing school and traveling alone. Remy is also amazing for going to school in Hawaii and giving us the opportunity to go out there and visit him. His next step is attending graduate/doctorate school at Georgia Tech--yay, a new place to visit!

If you're interested, I'll try to quickly explain my travel experiences. 

1. 4.5 hour train ride from Murcia to Madrid (after a 30 minute walk to the bus station) 
2. 15 minute connector train from Madrid Chamartin Train Station to Barajas airport
3. 8.5 hour flight from Madrid to JFK (New York)
4. 3 hour layover in JFK
5. 1.5 hour flight to BWI 
6. 1 hour-ish drive home!! I got to sleep in my own bed!
7. 1 hour drive to back to BWI the next day
8. total of 8 hour flights from BWI to San Diego and
9. San Diego to San Jose
10. we stayed the night in San Jose, so about a 30 minute drive there and back to the airport
11. 5.5 hour flight from San Jose to Honolulu!!

Apparently a panda was sitting in front of me...? I think it's a hat, btw.

In total, about 30.5 hours just driving, flying, and training...and that's only ONE WAY! On the way back, I also went to Burbank, London, and Vegas. I met a cool person, heard some interesting stories, and met some creepers (the joys of flying solo).

     Overall, it was a crazy experience. I can't believe I did so much solo traveling (I even stayed in a hotel by myself for the first time). When I got back to Murcia, I realized I have less than six weeks left!! Where has the time gone??

Le 'Ol Renaissaince Faire

Trolls!

 As we had stayed out pretty late on Saturday night, Ricky and I decided to sleep in and just chill for most of Sunday. After all, nothing would be open so we wouldn't have to feel bad about missing something. In the late afternoon, we decided to go out and walk around anyway. Since it was so nice out, I decided to take him across the river and around some of the prettiest parts of Murcia (in my opinion). After we crossed, we saw some medieval-looking flags hanging down in the park: A Renaissance Faire!

The walkways throughout the park were filled with vendors selling hand-made wares: dolls and toys, art, baked goods, leather jewelry, lanterns and candles, nuts and candies, random trickets--even fancy cheese! Ricky bought a present for his sister Cristina, after spending lots of effort scouring the wares. I bought Dad a present and some Gouda cheese for myself. YUM!

Ricky buying a present for his sister :)

Roasting almonds right in front of us!
They are often paired with cheese for a tapa.
I tried fried almonds with the Gouda I bought here: SO GOOD!

We spent a long time at the faire; we had no idea it was going to be there/open! During our several hours, we watched at least two puppet shows, a few bag-piping and drumming parades/shows, and a blacksmith making a chain. We enjoyed watching the excited little kids run around and play the games and rides. On our way out, I happened upon an owl exhibit--I was so excited to see owls in person!

Very cool hand-made incense

The faire was one of my favorite experiences in Spain.
After all, how many people can say they have been to
a Spanish Renaissance Faire?

So...much...meat!

Before we left, Ricky ordered a Chorizo sandwich--very tasty! After the puppet show, I ordered a chorizo sandwich and Ricky got a jamon y queso; the "Renaissance bread" was so fresh and tasty!

The carousel was powered by this man peddling. He pushes the little girl as she goes by.

This little girl kept walking into the puppet show!

All of the signs read "hecho a mano."

Ricky bought four of these Palitos de Sobrasada

We happened upon the famed Casino

 After we were pooped-enough from the Renaissance Faire, we meandered through the nighttime streets of Murcia. We popped in the Cathedral, before stumbling upon the famed Casino. The inside was beautiful, Moorish-styled, and definitely evoked memories of the Alhambra. It looks like tours are 5 euros, or 4 if you have a student ID (which I STILL don't have yet). I would definitely like to get a tour at some point before I leave here. I don't think it is still a running casino, but there are two "Members Only" lounges on either side of the entrance. They're elegant rooms, full of comfy-looking furniture and older folks reading and chatting.
For photos inside the Casino: http://www.regmurcia.com/servlet/s.Sl?sit=c,522,m,168&r=CeAP-4040-R_101_DETALLE_REPORTAJES 

Our last stop was Smooy, an always-happening frozen yogurt joint. I got chocolate with cookie crumble toppings and Ricky got an orange-kiwi smoothie (the healthier choice). It was so delicious and filling... I have to go back!