Translating some Latin in Ephesus.Thursday, October 15, 2009
Istanbul does not Equal Turkey
I now have traveled outside of Istanbul, and now I want to live elsewhere in Turkey; Istanbul is crazy, and that is sometimes overwhelming...
On Friday, October 9th, Jessica (my friend from college), Chris (from Germany), and I took a 50 minute plane ride to Izmir. We are all members of an internet site, whose URL is: "www.couchsurfing.org." It's a site that allows people on tight budgets to stay for free in houses of people they probably have never met before. People can host (put up people for a night or two), surf (stay on someone's couch, bed, whatever), or meet for coffee/drinks, and there is a verification service that allows for an identity check. Also, people can write negative or positive remarks on your profile after hosting you or surfing your place. You cannot remove any remarks. Overall, this site rocks my, and a lot of other people's, socks.
We found a guy named Onur who was willing to host us that night. We hopped into a taxi, went to Onur's place, and we quickly realized that we had booked couchsurfing gold! Onur turned out to be SUCH an interesting fellow! He is really into couchsurfing, so he had hosted dozens upon dozens before us; his house even has a 'couchsurfing room,' with two mattresses and some extra floor space. He is really into Brazilian culture; he owns a tarantula; he once considered himself metal-head; also, he said, with a shrug, "I am student. I study statistics. Not where my heart is."
That night he took us to a party of couchsurfing enthusiasts (most of whom are avid hosts). Well, people in Izmir know how to throw splendid parties! The table was set with food that traditionally goes hand-in-hand with Raki, which is the big liquor around here. The way one drinks raki is by diluting it with water each sip of the way, and supposedly it is a less tasty version of oozo, but I don't care: I hate it. Bleh, licorice... Anyway, the conversation was great, the food was delicious, and the fermented carrot juice...well, that was an experience, I guess.
The next day, we all leisurely got up and Onur decided he would cook us a traditional Turkish breakfast. That was definitely an indication of just how impressed Onur was with our company. He cooked away, while we both helped and played with his Persian cat - a cat whose hair had been buzzed off completely except for a giant mane encompassing his head, and a tuft of hair at the end of his tail. His scrunched-up face, his saggy skin, and his hair-do made him super entertaining. Breakfast was DELECTABLE: an egg dish of tomatoes (the tomatoes in Turkey are AMAZINGLY FRESH), cheese, and peppers, with a side of olives (of course), cheese for the simit (of course), and tomatoes doused in olive oil and spices. Yummmmm.
Next, Onur led the way into the heart of Izmir. We saw many things, from a presentation about Ataturk's mausoleum in Ankara, to a park near the seaside. Sadly, we did not have a whole heck of a lot of time, as we had arranged to meet with Nora, from Canada, at the hostel we booked in
Selçuk. Thus, we left Onur, after having thanked him profusely, and took the train, which was about an hour and a half ride.
We stayed at the ANZ Guesthouse, which was just wonderful. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a hostel near Ephesus. The atmosphere is colorful and comfortable. The family that owned it had lived in Australia and New Zealand for over twenty years; also, the staff members were all happy, helpful, and honest (alliteration, eh?). I couldn't have asked for a better first hostel experience.
That Sunday we went to Ephesus: a site of ancient ruins that is home to the famous Library of Celsus; the Temple of Artemis is near the site; also, it is home to what is believed to be the largest theatre in ancient history - able to hold about 4,000 people!
WOW. I was finally handed the opportunity to touch, breathe what I have been studying for so long now. It is so much more meaningful to trace Ancient Greek characters with my fingers and to sit on an ancient toilet than it is to study such things...I loved it. So much. So we had a day of it, under a hot, hot sun. Then, we decided to go to Şirince, which is a little wine village in the mountains near Selçuk. We had perfect timing: a wine festival had commenced! We took a small bus up the windy roads; I finally had one of those rides that travel right near the side of a cliff: grand. The village was darling, and we found that the wine there is such a great treat. We went into so many wineries, tasting mostly fruit wines: peach, sour cherry, green apple, black mulberry, strawberry, melon, raspberry...my personal favorites were cherry and peach (I bought two bottles at only 6-12 TYL each!). It was a great night, and a great trip, as we left early that morning. I want to go back, and Onur wants us to come back, too. Everyone returned a little sunburned, carriers of homemade wine, backpacks, and flower wreathes. Love.
On Friday, October 9th, Jessica (my friend from college), Chris (from Germany), and I took a 50 minute plane ride to Izmir. We are all members of an internet site, whose URL is: "www.couchsurfing.org." It's a site that allows people on tight budgets to stay for free in houses of people they probably have never met before. People can host (put up people for a night or two), surf (stay on someone's couch, bed, whatever), or meet for coffee/drinks, and there is a verification service that allows for an identity check. Also, people can write negative or positive remarks on your profile after hosting you or surfing your place. You cannot remove any remarks. Overall, this site rocks my, and a lot of other people's, socks.
We found a guy named Onur who was willing to host us that night. We hopped into a taxi, went to Onur's place, and we quickly realized that we had booked couchsurfing gold! Onur turned out to be SUCH an interesting fellow! He is really into couchsurfing, so he had hosted dozens upon dozens before us; his house even has a 'couchsurfing room,' with two mattresses and some extra floor space. He is really into Brazilian culture; he owns a tarantula; he once considered himself metal-head; also, he said, with a shrug, "I am student. I study statistics. Not where my heart is."
That night he took us to a party of couchsurfing enthusiasts (most of whom are avid hosts). Well, people in Izmir know how to throw splendid parties! The table was set with food that traditionally goes hand-in-hand with Raki, which is the big liquor around here. The way one drinks raki is by diluting it with water each sip of the way, and supposedly it is a less tasty version of oozo, but I don't care: I hate it. Bleh, licorice... Anyway, the conversation was great, the food was delicious, and the fermented carrot juice...well, that was an experience, I guess.
The next day, we all leisurely got up and Onur decided he would cook us a traditional Turkish breakfast. That was definitely an indication of just how impressed Onur was with our company. He cooked away, while we both helped and played with his Persian cat - a cat whose hair had been buzzed off completely except for a giant mane encompassing his head, and a tuft of hair at the end of his tail. His scrunched-up face, his saggy skin, and his hair-do made him super entertaining. Breakfast was DELECTABLE: an egg dish of tomatoes (the tomatoes in Turkey are AMAZINGLY FRESH), cheese, and peppers, with a side of olives (of course), cheese for the simit (of course), and tomatoes doused in olive oil and spices. Yummmmm.
Next, Onur led the way into the heart of Izmir. We saw many things, from a presentation about Ataturk's mausoleum in Ankara, to a park near the seaside. Sadly, we did not have a whole heck of a lot of time, as we had arranged to meet with Nora, from Canada, at the hostel we booked in
Selçuk. Thus, we left Onur, after having thanked him profusely, and took the train, which was about an hour and a half ride.
We stayed at the ANZ Guesthouse, which was just wonderful. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a hostel near Ephesus. The atmosphere is colorful and comfortable. The family that owned it had lived in Australia and New Zealand for over twenty years; also, the staff members were all happy, helpful, and honest (alliteration, eh?). I couldn't have asked for a better first hostel experience.
That Sunday we went to Ephesus: a site of ancient ruins that is home to the famous Library of Celsus; the Temple of Artemis is near the site; also, it is home to what is believed to be the largest theatre in ancient history - able to hold about 4,000 people!
WOW. I was finally handed the opportunity to touch, breathe what I have been studying for so long now. It is so much more meaningful to trace Ancient Greek characters with my fingers and to sit on an ancient toilet than it is to study such things...I loved it. So much. So we had a day of it, under a hot, hot sun. Then, we decided to go to Şirince, which is a little wine village in the mountains near Selçuk. We had perfect timing: a wine festival had commenced! We took a small bus up the windy roads; I finally had one of those rides that travel right near the side of a cliff: grand. The village was darling, and we found that the wine there is such a great treat. We went into so many wineries, tasting mostly fruit wines: peach, sour cherry, green apple, black mulberry, strawberry, melon, raspberry...my personal favorites were cherry and peach (I bought two bottles at only 6-12 TYL each!). It was a great night, and a great trip, as we left early that morning. I want to go back, and Onur wants us to come back, too. Everyone returned a little sunburned, carriers of homemade wine, backpacks, and flower wreathes. Love.
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