Thursday, April 16, 2015
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Poland
Last night in Poland! I am in Krakow currently and head to Warsaw on the train tomorrow morning, then catch a flight to Athens via Istanbul. Fingers crossed for smooth connections.
I wish that I had more time in Poland. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface in my 4-5 days, which is probably reasonable, and there are so many other layers to go. I focused a lot on World War II and learned a lot (visiting Auschwitz, the Polish Resistance Museum in Warsaw, the ghetto in Krakow, the Oskar Schindler factory). However, there is so much with history from the Soviet Union or even earlier Polish history (the Jagellion dynasty) that I barely got to. And while people here are nice (nicer than Croatia for sure), I feel like they also might need some thawing too. I wish that I could explore more. But next time!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Istanbul
It is my last night in Istanbul, and I'm having lots of feelings about saying goodbye to this leg of my trip. For me, Istanbul is a city of contrasts. At times, so crowded (aka the shopping areas of the New District and Taksim Square). At other times, very personal and warm. I find that contrast with people too. The challenging moments have been some of the attention I have gotten as a single, white woman alone (they can't tell that I'm American, so that is less it).
Inevitably, particularly in the tourist areas, I will be approached endlessly usually with a harmless "hello" escalating into someone who is encouraging me to stop by their store or asking about my travel plans. It gets exhausting sometimes. Today, I just had to ignore many people and their greetings, which isn't really my heart but felt like the only thing I could do.
My least favorite moment in Istanbul was when I was in Taksim Square and noticed a man following me. I changed direction a few times, but there wasn't a good store to duck in to. Lots of people were around, but it still felt really scary. Finally, I walked into a little bus area in the middle of the square, but my back in the corner and just faced him. Between me shouting "no" and gesturing for him to go away, he did get the hint. I will say, that every time I have said no my wishes have been respected and the men have stopped. That said: I have met a number of warm, caring, terrific people in Turkey and those are the stories I hope to hold in my heart.
Shop owners encouraged me to sit and chat with them, offering me tea. A metal worker pulled out a chair and showed me what he was working on. Yesterday, I went on a cruise up the Bosphorous to a small fishing village. We had too much free time and there wasn't much to explore, so I wound up going to a cafe to drink a coffee and read. When I was leaving, the owner said it was no charge and it was his pleasure to have me. Today, just now, the store owner at the bodega shop across from our hostel today who waved away my money when I was trying to spend my last few lira before I leave and told me that "my shop is your shop, money or not."
Yesterday, I was sitting in the Hippodrome which is a park founded from an old Roman chariot grounds, and at two different points older Turkish women asked if they could share my park bench. I had a ton of Turkish delight, after going to a store and asking for a sample which then meant like 40 pieces, and I offered it to each of them. Some of those moments were just really great and I have a lot to think about in my own life and the warmth that I bring or fail to bring others. Tomorrow I leave for Poland, but I very much hope to be back soon!
Inevitably, particularly in the tourist areas, I will be approached endlessly usually with a harmless "hello" escalating into someone who is encouraging me to stop by their store or asking about my travel plans. It gets exhausting sometimes. Today, I just had to ignore many people and their greetings, which isn't really my heart but felt like the only thing I could do.
My least favorite moment in Istanbul was when I was in Taksim Square and noticed a man following me. I changed direction a few times, but there wasn't a good store to duck in to. Lots of people were around, but it still felt really scary. Finally, I walked into a little bus area in the middle of the square, but my back in the corner and just faced him. Between me shouting "no" and gesturing for him to go away, he did get the hint. I will say, that every time I have said no my wishes have been respected and the men have stopped. That said: I have met a number of warm, caring, terrific people in Turkey and those are the stories I hope to hold in my heart.
Shop owners encouraged me to sit and chat with them, offering me tea. A metal worker pulled out a chair and showed me what he was working on. Yesterday, I went on a cruise up the Bosphorous to a small fishing village. We had too much free time and there wasn't much to explore, so I wound up going to a cafe to drink a coffee and read. When I was leaving, the owner said it was no charge and it was his pleasure to have me. Today, just now, the store owner at the bodega shop across from our hostel today who waved away my money when I was trying to spend my last few lira before I leave and told me that "my shop is your shop, money or not."
Yesterday, I was sitting in the Hippodrome which is a park founded from an old Roman chariot grounds, and at two different points older Turkish women asked if they could share my park bench. I had a ton of Turkish delight, after going to a store and asking for a sample which then meant like 40 pieces, and I offered it to each of them. Some of those moments were just really great and I have a lot to think about in my own life and the warmth that I bring or fail to bring others. Tomorrow I leave for Poland, but I very much hope to be back soon!
Sunday, July 27, 2014
A week in the Balkans
I wasn't originally planning on coming to the Balkans. I was thinking Eastern Europe, mainly Greece, and trying to connect Poland in there too. Someone I knew told me I should think about Dubrovnik. I looked at a few pictures online and I was sold.
I'm about four days into my Eastern Europe adventure. I flew in to Zagreb on Wednesday, August 23rd. I spent one day at Plitvitse (PLEET-veet-seh) Lakes National Park, this gorgeous forested crater carved by glaciers that now holds lots of lakes. You walk through the gorge on a series of narrow pathways and these log walkways and pass waterfalls. It's gorgeous.
It also is a pain because no one knows how to walk and tourists stop in the middle of everything every five seconds to take pictures.
Also, women of the world, what makes you want to hike through a slippery gorge in wedge sandals? And how do you avoid plummeting to your death, a real fear of mine in normal footwear? I spent a little time in Zagreb, which is a great capital city. Not too big but very lively with lots of great spaces to explore and very cutely arranged. Then I flew to Dubrovnik, aka King's Landing from Game of Thrones, a gorgeous medieval walled city along the Dalmatian coast. I've been up a cable car, on a boat, hiked around the city walls, and dove into the Adriatic Sea. Also, I slept a lot. Jet lag and flying directly after a month long intensive summer camp mean that I was pretty wiped.
Today I took a bus to Sarajevo. It sounds silly, but I really didn't know how incredibly beautiful Bosnia-Herzegovina was. It's all mountains and valleys and rivers. It was raining today as we came in, and the tops of mountains were obscured by clouds. Beautiful. I only had dinner in the city so far, but it was delicious and cheap (which Dubrovnik has NOT been, so my bank account is happy). Excited to explore more! Happy summer 2014!
Also, women of the world, what makes you want to hike through a slippery gorge in wedge sandals? And how do you avoid plummeting to your death, a real fear of mine in normal footwear? I spent a little time in Zagreb, which is a great capital city. Not too big but very lively with lots of great spaces to explore and very cutely arranged. Then I flew to Dubrovnik, aka King's Landing from Game of Thrones, a gorgeous medieval walled city along the Dalmatian coast. I've been up a cable car, on a boat, hiked around the city walls, and dove into the Adriatic Sea. Also, I slept a lot. Jet lag and flying directly after a month long intensive summer camp mean that I was pretty wiped.
Today I took a bus to Sarajevo. It sounds silly, but I really didn't know how incredibly beautiful Bosnia-Herzegovina was. It's all mountains and valleys and rivers. It was raining today as we came in, and the tops of mountains were obscured by clouds. Beautiful. I only had dinner in the city so far, but it was delicious and cheap (which Dubrovnik has NOT been, so my bank account is happy). Excited to explore more! Happy summer 2014!
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