Vacation Areas!!!!!

We went to Izmir and stayed the night there last night. I saw a famous Turkish singer who was giving a free concert. Today we got up a 6 and left for the coast. It was the scariest car ride of my life! We were going up and down the mountains on a 1 lane road. We went to a little area that I cant remember the name of right now, but it was beautiful. Right now we are in Kas and we will be leaving in the morning to keep moving up the coast.

We went to one of the islands yesterday and we walked up a huge hill so my legs were killing me. At the top of the hill was a church and the view from the top was beautiful. We also went to go see her cousin leave for the navy. Today we went to the hospital where Cansu is going to have her internship an it took us about 1 and a half hours to get there. Tomorrow we leave for the vacation areas! We are taking a computer with us so hopefully we will have Internet.

Rest

Yesterday we didn't do too much walking. We went to the area where she went to elementary and middle school. I finally ate their ice cream but I didn't get a picture but I will probably have it again so I will make a video because the servers play with the foreigners when they do it. The name of the ice cream is Dondurma which in English translates to "fox testicles". We met up with her best friend and her boyfriend and ate a lıttle lunch and them they took me to a pıckle place where they have all kinds of things pıckled. They put it all in a cup and then add either regular or hot pıckle juice. I had beans, pickles, and cabbage( tasted like grannys sauerkraut). Today we are going to Ortakoy and Bagdat street. We are going to a baked potato place!!! The first picture is from her friend's birthday party. The second is of the Blue Mosque and Haga Sofia. The fourth is an old train station that they are making into a hotel. I won't be able to have internet later today because we are going to a friends house and won't be home till late.

So it has been a couple days since I have wrote anything because we have been going a lot of places. Friday night some of her family came over and we had dinner then her cousins danced. Then we went to the Asia side with her friends and celebrated a birthday.
On Saturday we went to Dolmabahce Palace where Ataturk(father of Turks) lived. It was huge and next to the water. Then we went in the country lıke part of Istanbul and had a picnic with her friends. It was nice to see lots of grass instead of buıldings. After spending all day their we went to her aunts house for about an hour. Her little cousin was watching the Disney Channel so I watched Hannah Montana in English! We then went over and met her great aunt and she gave me a traditıonal Turkish hat. We then went out again with her friends to a resturant where all the college students hang out.
Sunday. I was sick from being around all the smoking. Some of her moms friends picked us up from her Aunts house and we went on thier boat. It was really pretty but cold. We layed out for a while then took a nap.
Today. I think today we are just going to rest. I will try to upload some pictures later because it isn't working right now.

Today we went to Panaroma 1453 which is the museum of the concur of Constantinople. The walls are hand painted and it took 3 years to paint. It was neat and there were lots of school children there. Right now we are just sitting around Cansu's house resting. Tonight some of her family will be coming over for dinner.

Istanbul is bıg...

Today we walked a lot! My legs are so tired. The traffic is still really scary. We got up about 10 and had breakfast we ate the same things as yesterday but today we also had some bell pepper that is really long and skinny. Then Cansu took me to a lot of shopping places. First we went to Taksim where there are a lot of stores that are really small and filled with lots of stuff. There are also some stores that are 3 stories. While we were there a middle school marching band went down the street. The streets here are like a labyrinth it ıs crazy. Then we went to Nisantasi which is the rıch people area with all the designer stores we went to the mall their and it is like 6 floors wıth about 5 stores on each floor. Here in Istanbul T.G.I Fridays and Chilis are high class expensive resturants which is kind of different. After we left there we meet Cansu's mom and went to her store for a while and ate Adana Kabob Durum(wrap) . Then we went to a smaller mall like place where there is a grocery store in it. When you buy a 2 liter coke it comes with a glass with it you also get a glass when you but Tang and attached to a 6-pack of Fanta was a bowl. After we left there a friend of Cansu's mom picked us up and took us to Garipce where I saw the remains of a couple of 5000 year old castles. The pictures I uploaded are blurry but we are going to go back sometime so I can get some better ones. We then went to eat at a resturant on the Bosphorus where we sat outside by the water and ate toast withcheese and sucuk which is beef with spices and drank tea. They then took me to a waffle place where they have all kinds of toppings it was so good. Tomorrow we are going a Palace and go to Ortakoy and eat some Kumpıar(baked potato) and having a going away dinner for Cansu's cousin who is in the Navy.

Istanbul

Today we got up about 8 and had breakfast which was green and black olives, four different types of cheese, and bread with cherry and strawberry jam. Then we rode a bus to Cemberlitas where I met her cousin Alp at the restaurant he manages. We then went to Topkapi Palace which is where the Ottoman Sultans lived, I saw a 82 carat diamond and tons of emeralds and rubies but you were not allowed to take pictures ın there. We spent like 3 hours there so then we went to lunch where I had a doner kabob which I am not sure what kind of meat it was but it tasted like roastbeef on pıta bread. Then we went to the Basilica Cistern it was pretty neat and had some Medusa heads in it. We then went to Hagia Sophia where we saw the wishing stone. You put your thumb in it and turn your hand till you get back to the same spot. We then went to the Blue Mosque where I had to wear a scarf and everyone still stared at me because I am now the foreign girl. It was pretty but it smelled like feet. We then got on the train and went to Kabatas where there was a nice view of Bosphorus. We got back at about 9:30 and had supper where I ate Dolma which is grape leaves stuffed with rice and green beans in olive oil, yogurt, vegetable soup, bread. That all for now enjoy the pictures! I think tomorrow we might go look at a more modern mosque and then go to a mall to do some shopping!!!!!!

Tıred...

Its about 1 ın the mornıng so I am about to go to bed later today we are goıng to go to Topkapı Palace, Hagıa Sofıa, Blue Mosque, and Yerebatan Sarnicı. <br>

I made it.....

Okay so I am in Turkey now. The flıghts were good and ıt all went pretty smooth just about a 30 mın delay goıng to Istanbul becasue we had to fıll out papers to make sure we dont brıng ın the swıne flu. Here are some pics from the last 24 hours. It was really hot at the airport and the drıvıng here ıs really scary. Thats all for now I wıll post more later!!