Photos from Turkey and Bulgaria

Unveiling Istanbul's last day...

Today we unveiled another layer of the beautiful city of Istanbul...the modern side of the city. I used to think that Turkey's main highlights were historical monuments like the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque but I was wrong. In fact, this incredibly diverse and beautiful city has over 20 million people! It is rich with culture, art and music. Today, we woke up and headed to Galata Bridge and started the morning off exploring the New Mosque, which was intimate and exquisite. We then ventured over the bridge and stopped by the Fish Market for fresh fish sandwiches. This is a must! They were delicious!!!

After our bellies were full, we followed our instincts and headed uphill through what looked like Haight Ashbury meets Chinatown meets Buenos Aires. From unique boutiques to tourist hubs, the area was rich with diversity and young energy...And, appropriately timed, we witnessed a protest where a journalist had been arrested for writing something negative about the prime minister. We then stopped by the art exhibition hall called SALT which is a free exhibition hall for students and artists alike. I wish we had something like this in LA. We climbed up the stones streets till we reached the Galata Tower and then to the Modern Istanbul museum and to dinner just in time for sun down. Dinner was interesting because it is Ramadan and the restaurant was prepping the breaking of the fast "iftar" so we had to eat and dash so there was enough space in the restaurant for those breaking fast. We then escorted Cameron to the train station for his journey back to Bulgaria.

We are wrapping up the night packing our souvenirs in our bags and we head back to California tomorrow morning.

Thanks for following our adventures (www.amazoneyes.blogspot.com). Pictures will be posted later this week.

Much love,

Lauren

Ballooning and Backgammon Blog

We just returned to the Nomad hostel after a full day of exploring Cappadocia, a small desert like mountain town with iconic fairy chimneys. It was created by the aftermath of Erciyes Dagi which erupted many millennia ago, leaving lava and pumis to carve out colorful twists and valleys. We started the morning attempting to take a hot air balloon ride but due to high winds, it was canceled. However, that didn't stop us from taking our first full day tour of the trip where we explored Neshmir, the underground city of Derinkuyu and the Ihara Valley. We learned how nearly a half million Thracians lived throughout the 36 open underground cities (but there are at least 100 more cities) during the 6th and 7th centuries when Persian and Arabic armies set off to vanquish the Christians. When the message got to Cappadocia, Byzantine Christians would escape into the secret tunnels which later became the underground cities.

We then hiked through the beautiful Ihara Valley, learning how 8-10,000 people lived there for centuries, building churches in the caves and living in the majestic valley.

We are now witnessing Elica and Cameron partake in an ancient Turkish tradition...Backgammon!

Back to Istanbul tonight!

Blue Mosque Clouds

Blue Mosque

XFactor in Bulgaria!!

XFactor USA premieres in the US in September on FOX but it's already a sensation here in Bulgaria!!

Bye Bye Bulgaria, blog update...

After 3 beautiful days by the Black Sea, we say our goodbyes to Bulgaria. We soaked in our Vitamin D, bathed in salt water and devoured dyuners (essentially Bulgaria burritos with chicken, french fries, tomatoes, cucumbers, pita bread and garlic sauce, yummy!). In Bulgaria, don't be surprised if food is weighed. In fact, that is how most things are priced! Our daily menu routine tends to be ice coffee and fruit in the mornings (and if we are lucky, fresh yogurt), a 'shopska' salad for lunch (think Greek salad) and either a dyuner for dinner...or... on a special occasion...a traditional hamburger (yes, a hamburger with bacon and a fried egg).

Huelo, Cameron and I have tried to make a habit of running around 5 miles in the mornings, but in some cases it becomes an afternoon activity, like yesterday when we ran through downtown Varna through their version of Central Park. To our surprise, there was a honey market with local farmers selling a range of bee made products. Honey comb, pollen, honey...the works. Further up the road, there was a line up of old soviet motorcycles and incredible public art.

We are doing our best to relax and some days it involves laying on the beach with a book and swimming in the sea and other days it may involve a visit to a mosque or two and perhaps a ruin or an old fortress. It is difficult to relax as I feel that something always needs to get done. The girls are encouraging me to slow down and our code word has become "molasses" to remind us to slow down our pace. Wherever we may be, we are so blessed to be on this trip together and I cherish every moment.

I am writing during our a 9 hour bus ride, fully equipped with wifi (only from the Turkey border) and Bulgarian versions of The Incredibles, Ice Age, Pink Panther, and Ironman. The best thing about animation is that you can understand it in any language and in some cases even create your own soundtrack.

There is a crotchety old Bulgarian man behind Marina and I who gets upset every time we try to put back our seats and pulls my pigtails and speaks sternly in Bulgarian. We just smile and say "English?" Good thing we have our translator, Cameron, the Peace Corps volunteer, to keep us safe :) Speaking of Cameron.. he was made a television sensation on the local news station NOVA who did a special on him. We were so proud to see how much the village loved what he is doing with them. From helping produce the annual strawberry festival to creating a strategic plan to help develop tourism, his work is making a difference in Osikovo. Many of our group conversations have been around how to develop the tourism industry in Osikovo and what were the effects of communism on the village? What do people want to see? What would be necessary for tourists to visit? What history would they like to know? Thoughts, answers and opinions on such questions are welcome.

Our next stop is Istanbul and then onto Cappadoccia where I hope to ride in a hot air balloon for my first time ever while overlooking the rock chimney towers. It will be contingent on being able to wake up before sunrise and the cost but I will keep you posted...

Sending you love, prayers and energy from Eastern Europe. May you have light in everything in your lives and I am looking for to catching up when we return to California. Be back soon. :)

Lauren

Zrdavey!

Zrdavey (Hello) from Bulgaria!

We arrived in Osiko (Cameron, my friend in the Peace Corps' rural village) on Friday and it has been pretty interesting to see his world over here. Osikovo has a population of 350 people and everyone is friendly and very proud of their village. They are particularly proud of the new paved road that went in a few months back, allowing people to travel easily between the city and the village. The pace of the village is very slow compared to the hustle and bustle in LA. For example, we went to the official lunch with the mayor yesterday and it took nearly 3 hours. It also seems that although people sit down for meals that food is really more like an accessory to conversation rather than the focus of lunchtime --conversing over chewing. People here are also very generous. For example, you will be walking down the street and someone will graciously offer you yogurt or milk even if you didn't ask for it.

Cameron is working alongside the mayor to develop the village and has become a bit of a celebrity here. We trail behind him like a lost pose, not understanding the language or the culture but it's okay because everyone is so kind and eager to share their village with us. The mayor even said, "We love Cameron so we love America."

We head out of Osikovo tomorrow evening toward the Black Sea to the city of Varna. I have never been to the Black Sea but I hear it is beautiful and that the water is warm. Afterwards, we head back to Turkey to Cappadoccia which is known for its chimneylike rock formations. It is said they even have an underground city you can explore.

I have made a couple realizations while traveling here. First is that although this may be what people consider "2nd world" and most of our locations are rural, it's amazing how modern everything is. People have cell phones, computers and internet and even yesterday at the village's annual festival, they had a complete sound system. It is definitely not what I imagined the typical "Peace Corps" experience to be like but it has been fascinating seeing the modern and rural world mix. The second is that traveling in the "ancient world" makes makes me very aware of the distinction between mythology and history. Stories that I had once thought were merely myths are based on places I am now visiting. Myths were heightened stories of reality and it reminds me how we are recording our history today. Will people look back and watch our movies and assume that is how we lived? Or are our movies like their myths?

Happy musing,

Lauren

Tonight in Turkey

My phone flashes "10% battery" as I frantically type with my thumbs from the top bunk of a dormitory at our hostel. (Don't worry mom, my phone is in airplane mode). Marina and Elica are nestled in their sleeping bags as we rest up for the adventure ahead. Our beds are on the fifth floor and surrounded by floor to ceiling windows, allowing us to see the dinner parties that scatter Istanbul's skyline. I glance to the left and see the rooftop of Hagia Sophia, that before was a mystical building that lived on the pages of my Jansen's Art History book in Art History AP but tomorrow will open it's doors and the dream will become real. Seeing the interior of this Byzantine masterpiece has been a goal of mine for nearly 10 years and tomorrow, I'll get to see it. Off to sleep for much needed rest...

Lauren