Safed

I've spent the last few days in Safed and exploring a little bit of the Golan Heights. I wasn't completely aware, but Safed is a pretty religious town. Since it's known for all the artists, you don't really put the two together. I thought I was in Brooklyn at first. You know the non-hipster part of the borough. The apartment I stayed in actually had a group of religious guys staying in the other room for one night. But I didn't interact with them much. And I have no idea what they thought of me. I'm not Jewish, let alone religious. 

I explored the town of Safed on Sunday. After my 20-miler on Saturday, my legs were a bit tired, so I was moving slowly up and down all the stairs. I don't know if I just keep picking hilly towns, or if everywhere is hilly except for NYC. Since it's off-season, the town is a bit quiet, but I've been chatting up with a bunch of people regardless. I met a woman from Baltimore who moved to Safed when she was a teenager and who's husband does Kabbalah artwork. I even got a mini lesson on Kabbalah. Of course all I could think of was Madonna. I had the good graces to not mention her. I met another couple from Long Island (who now live in Florida) who were very enthusiastic about my travels and were on their own tour of Israel. And lastly I met a couple of younger girls from Brooklyn who are studying the Torah for a year. All very interesting and different people. But all very nice

The art galleries were all very nice. I would love to have bought something. I'll just have to come back. I loved all the side streets and alleyways. I didn't mind getting lost at all. At one point, I was even able to point a couple in the right direction. Usually when someone starts speaking to me, I have a feeling a blank stare comes onto my face. But then they figure out I speak English (once I actually start speaking), and we go from there. This time I was helping, instead of the other way around. 

Simtat Hamashiach Alleyway.

I also tried some pretty good kosher wine at the Ancient Safed Winery and the Abouhav Winery. I don't care if it's kosher or not, but I was assured it was Kosher certified. I just have to look for the stamp of approval. I also found cheese and got way more than I needed at the Kodash cheese shop. The cheese maker (7th generation) wanted me to stay and sit for a while. I figured, I wasn't in a rush, so had some Ancient Safed Winery and asked questions when he wasn't busy doing something or taking care of customers. 

Kodash cheese.

I did take a day trip to Banias Nature Preserve. I thought about renting a car, but since I'm a bit budget-conscious, I figured the buses will work just fine. So after 2 bus rides, I made it to Banias relatively easy. The hike from the springs, along the stream, to the falls was estimated at 90 minutes. I should have known that was a generous amount of time. I think I did it in about 60 minutes. I didn't run it if that's what you are all thinking. Although, I think it would be a good trail to run. I stopped for photos, to take in the shade near the water, and I had a couple of snack breaks. This girl gets hungry. Again, since its off-season, it was almost like I had it all to myself. Which was nice. But it was still so hot out. I keep forgetting that it's October. And I had to keep reading the "No swimming allowed" signs. I thought about going in, but decided I should respect the park in the way it deserved. The falls were really nice once I made it there. I welcomed the breeze and took it all in. All in all it was a pretty good day. Well with the exception of getting back to Safed. From the preserve, a nice Israeli couple gave me a ride to the bus stop, which was very helpful. Their daughter is currently traveling in South Korea, so they are hoping people are doing the same for her. Which I believe they are. So then I waited for the bus. Which never came. Over an hour later and that same couple drove by again. They picked me up and took me to the town where I needed to catch my connection to Safed. I was very grateful that they came along. You know and they weren't crazy. One thing I realized was how close I was to the Lebanon and Syria border. It's kind of crazy that I could have seen the countries (I'm pretty sure I didn't). The couple actually asked if I was going to Syria. I laughed and said "no way". I'm interested in seeing the world, but from somewhat of a safer distance. 

Banias Falls.

My time in Safed was pretty relaxing. A lot of very friendly people who all loved that I was from New York. Although one guy thought I was from China. That's a first. Oh and so many kids. They were everywhere, going to school or playing into the evening. I did get a few looks from them, especially when running, but it's nice to see them around. 

Next stop: Jerusalem.

Haifa

I'm a little late on publishing this post. I meant to do this 2 days ago, but I couldn't quite finish it on the bus ride to Safed that was curving around the mountain roads. After standing around in the dark looking for my accommodations, I finally found where I was staying. And of course arrived right before the Sabbath ceremony, which I believe is Havdalah. To my credit, it was long after sundown. I participated as much as I could. As in, I imitated the 2 kids in what they did. I then had to find food. 

Then yesterday, the power went out. This is becoming a pattern. I lost power in Bodrum, Turkey also. Although I'm not entirely sure why, as the weather was perfect yesterday. Oh well, very limited communication was the result. Although I was tracking Chicago marathoners as best as I could. Congrats to all!

I'm currently waiting on the bus that will take me to Banias Nature Reserve. I'll let you know how that goes later on. I hear very good things. Funny story really quick. As I was loading the bus in Safed to take me to Kiryat (where I am now), I was handed a baby. Well not immediately. This woman either asked me to hold the baby or help put the stroller away. At least that's what I gathered. I must look like a trustworthy person, so she handed me the baby. The baby was very easy going as I paid my fare and waited for her mom to board. You don't always have to speak the same language to understand what someone else may need. And it helped the baby didn't start screaming. 

Back to the purpose of this post. How was the second leg of my Israel trip? After Tel Aviv, I headed to Haifa, the 3rd largest city in Israel. Most come to check out the Baha'i Shrine and Gardens, the main focus in the city as you can see from the photo below. And it's quite beautiful. So beautiful that I technically visited it on multiple days. The first day, I hiked all the way to the top and went in at the top terrace to take in the view. And it was amazing. I then went again 2 days later to visit the shrine, which was only open until noon. And then again on my last day, to take the actual tour of the upper terraces and learn a bit about the Baha'i religion. They believe in equality of women and men, which is very positive. But then we almost got into a debate as someone from San Francisco asked about equality in marriage. I'm not sure if the tour guide quite understood. Although I didn't see anything in my reading that talked about marriage. So who knows. 

Baha'i Gardens from the top.

During my stay in Haifa, I also visited a few wineries south of the city. I didn't have quite the success rate I was hoping and I was frustrated at a few points. The first place I visited, didn't offer any tastings. Which was very strange as the place was huge and was clearly open. However, no tastings. What winery doesn't offer tastings? Ones that are closed, that's what. Anyway, my next stop at Tishbi Estate Winery totally made up for it. I spent a good hour getting a wine and chocolate pairing. The host was very nice and knowledgeable. And I made friends with an English couple (who were in the 80s and traveling!) and their daughter who lives in Israel. I'm loving all the random people I've been meeting. I want to remember them as much as possible, so will be doing my best to write about them. I think the gentleman may have been getting a bit tipsy. Although I also may have been. They were very nice and dropped me off at my next destination, Carmel Winery. This was a quick visit, but I got a chance to taste different 4 wines and chat with the Scottish woman working there.  I had 2 more stops to go, but unfortunately had no luck. One was closed and the other one was deserted. I didn't think it was right to help myself, so I left. However, the town of Zichron Ya'akov was super cute. I took advantage and walked around a bit, took some photos, and got lunch before I headed back to Haifa.

Tishbi Estate Winery.

On Friday, I made a quick visit to Acre, the city on the other side of Haifa bay. It was quick due to the Sabbath. I wasn't paying attention to the train schedule and apparently the last train left an hour after I arrived, which was 2:30 in the afternoon. I thought I had hours until sundown. I knew things started to shut down, but figured I'd have at least until like 4:30pm. So I quickly walked to the old city to at least see it and figure out if there are any buses later in the day back to Haifa. I spoke to someone who said there were and I decided to trust them. So I spent a couple of hours wandering around the old city, which had a little Turkish thrown in there to take me back to a couple of weeks ago. I even saw a few kids jump off the city walls into the sea below. I almost expected to see my brothers doing the same. It was cool to see the place that Napoleon couldn't conquer.

The town of Acre.

It was nice spending time in Haifa, but was looking forward to my next destination. My airbnb hosts were one of the best, so far. They were very welcoming and provided so much information about the city and the surrounding area. I even watched a little American television with them and caught the latest episode of Big Bang Theory. I'm glad they thought all the funny parts were funny too.

Tel Aviv

I made it to Israel, my 2nd country! It took some time though unfortunately. I had a very long layover in Istanbul and then my flight was delayed. So I wasn't a happy camper when I finally made it through customs and grabbed my bag. Due to the late hour, I splurged on a cab ride to the apartment I stayed in. I eventually went to bed so I could get myself up to do my long run. Which actually ended up being very nice. I had 18-19 miles planned, and the miles went by relatively quickly. I ran on the promenade along the Mediterranean and made my way to HaYarkon Park. The city is very accommodating to athletes. And I saw so many people out taking advantage; runners, walkers, bikers, swimmers, surfers, paddle boarders, tennis players, soccer players, skateboarders, fisherman (if you count this as a sport) were all out. The list was endless. And I loved it. In Turkey I felt like I was the only one that exercised. And it was nice to share that with the people of Tel Aviv. Of course, it's pretty warm here. So the end of my run wasn't going too well. I was fantasizing about jumping into the sea. So I did. Once I hit 18.6 miles (at least one mile more than last week) I took off my running sneakers and tank top, and jumped in. And it was amazing.

After that, I just wanted to sit somewhere, eat something, and drink something. So I did. I found a recommended cafe and got a sandwich and some sangria. Since it was Sukkot, there were happy hour specials. And even though I'm not Jewish, I will celebrate if there are reductions on alcohol. Although, I actually have celebrated Sukkot once before and helped build a Sukkah. Let's just say I'm a good non-Jewish friend and I earned that happy hour special. 

Chag Sameach.

Afterward I explored the neighborhood of Neve Tzedek and made my way to Old Jaffa. Neve Tzedek is very pretty, but even more so with all the graffiti sprinkled in around the area. Nice juxtapositions. Yeah, I'm throwing out a fancy word. One of things I forget that this is a town on the Meditation. I see a lot of similarities with Spain (really the only other place I've spent quite a bit on the Mediterranean). Especially with all the beaches. After I took in these beautiful places, I grabbed an Israeli beer (Goldstar) and watched the sunset on the beach. All very nice and relaxing. Definitely a lot of beach vibes going on. 

Neve Tzedek.

Obviously, I spent the next day at the beach. How could I not. I have to work on getting rid of my runner's tan (which will never go away). And since it was in the 80s, and I feel like I didn't have much of a summer, off to the beach I went! I am very partial to Northeast beaches and I love the waves. But I still managed to enjoy myself. 

Tel Aviv beaches. 

After the beach, I went to explore Carmel Market, which was closed. I then learned that there was another holiday, Simchat Torah, Day of Celebrating the Torah. Ok, so I'll wait another day to explore the market and go find some schwarma. Oh wait, that place is also closed. Ok, hummus will do. And hummus it was. And quite delish. I checked out Humous Abu Dabi and had my fill of hummus. Which is hard to admit since I love hummus. Good thing I just got here. 

Carmel Market.

My time in Tel Aviv went by very quickly. Before I left, I was able to go to the Carmel Market and Old Jaffa flea market. I've been wanting to buy stuff. But I've resisted so far. I bought a hat (fedora in Turkey), but I'm waiting a little bit to see what I absolutely need. Which isn't much. But I'm thinking a long skirt at some point. I'm keeping my eye out. 

I'm now going to finish enjoying my Alexander Blonde and find some dinner. L'chaim. 

Pamukkale and Cappadocia

My Turkey portion of this adventure is coming to a close. And I think it ended it on a pretty good note. Earlier in the week I made my way to Pamukkale to check out the hot springs and travertines on the "cotton mountain". And it was pretty cool. I wish the weather was a bit nicer on the day I went, but I still spent the entire day going in the different travertines, exploring Hierapolis (another ancient city) and just sitting reading my book. Just kind of a lazy day. If you count all the walking around of course. Some of the travertines were dried up which was too bad. I'm not sure why, so this is something I would have to look into. 

Pamukkale travertines.

I had another day in the small town, but there wasn't much else to do. So I just wandered around before my overnight bus to Goreme. Since it's so small, I kept seeing the same people over and over. They noticed me more than I noticed them of course. Oh and one thing that stood out were all the Asian tourists. It was unexpected to see so many people from China and elsewhere. Seems like a pretty popular destination. Before I headed out of town, I had an impromptu dinner with a girl from Colombia (who's currently living in Florence). We were both at this restaurant and were the only patrons, so decided to eat together. She was actually traveling with her sister, but they weren't getting along at the moment. And since I have 5 sisters, I could totally relate. I also took it as an opportunity to do some intel for the South America portion of my trip.

It was time to head to Cappadocia. Not surprising, I did not sleep well on that overnight bus. According to my fitbit, I didn't sleep at all. But I know I dozed off a few times. For some reason we made many stops at rest areas. And for long stretches of time. Not sure why. I had just wanted to get to the Goreme so I could brush my teeth.

Since I arrived early morning and my room wasn't ready yet, I went for a run. I made my way up the hill from my cave hotel and got some pretty amazing views. You could see for miles around and the landscape is pretty incredible. The town is built into these rock formations, hence the cave hotel. You have to look twice to realize that some of the rocks are actually dwellings. I'm glad I stayed in one of the cave hotels, but I am looking forward to more lit accommodations.

Goreme.

In the last couple of weeks I've been getting better at doing some research on where and what to eat. I try to stay away from the higher-priced tourist spots, but sometimes that's a challenge. Firin Express was recommended, and I had the most delicious bread. Their pide (flatbread) was also very good. A nice couple from NYC who were on their honeymoon sat down next to me, so of course we chatted throughout dinner. It was nice to talk a little about home.

I was going back and forth whether I was going to do a balloon ride in Cappadocia. I've seen pictures and it looked amazing. However, I'm on some sort of budget, and I've been on a balloon ride before (outside Amsterdam). After getting up early Thursday morning to watch the balloons, the decision I made to book was confirmed. What a sight it was. And I knew going up in a balloon would be even better. So Friday morning at 4:40am, I was ready for my pick-up. We went to their location to have some breakfast and then made our way to where the balloons were going to be inflated. I learned that about 150 balloons go up whenever the weather is permitting, which is most of the year. We stood by as the crew prepared the balloons. While I was waiting, I met a guy from India and got some more intel for my trip. I still have to do a bit more research, but I think I have a general idea of what I'm going to do for the Sri Lanka/India leg.

Anyway, back to the balloons. Since I'm solo, I found myself on a balloon with a tour group from Korea. I definitely expected to not being able to understand Turkish, but Korean? Forget about it. At least the tour leader was a Yankees fan. Or maybe he's just visited NYC once. We finally made our way up and away! And the views were even more amazing than from the ground. We spent an hour going through the different valleys in the region and made our way up to 900 meters! Normally they get up to 650, but it was pretty clear yesterday morning. I couldn't stop taking pictures (as evidence to my facebook album). And neither could the Koreans. I made friends with the 3 girls in my basket and we all got photos taken with each other. They actually started it as one girl wanted a photo with the American. Who says that you need to speak the same language to be friends? After landed in a horse pasture, we celebrated with the typical champagne toast. However it was the Turkish version of a mimosa and was mixed with cherry juice. No worries,I also got a taste of the champagne alone. 

Balloon ride over Cappadocia.

Besides the balloon ride and eating, I also hiked around a bunch and went to the 3 local wineries. According to my fitbit (yes that again), I hit over 40,000 steps on Thursday. That is a record for me. All that hiking makes one very thirsty. The first winery I visited was the Kocabag Winery in Uchisar. I did 3 tastes (a white, a rose, and a red), but it was a quick visit as the guy working didn't know much English. The wine was pretty good. Yesterday, I made my way to the 2 wineries in Urgup, Turasan Winery and Mahzen Sarap Evi. I got a tour at the first location and tried 4 different wines. I did have to pay for the tour, but at least the tastes were generous. I then made my way down the hill to the next location. Again, this was a somewhat quick experience. Here I tasted a white, a red, and a cherry aperitif. Once I was done though, I sat down in the garden and had a full glass of red with some cheese. Very enjoyable.

I spent my last night in Turkey attending a dinner at my hotel. The hosts cooked dinner for all the guests, which was very nice of them. I relaxed and enjoyed the company of the people who work there, and the other guests.

Overall, I've really enjoyed seeing Turkey. I do have a few parting thoughts as I wait for my flight to Tel Aviv.

• The country was the perfect start of my world trip. A little bit of European and a little bit Asian. Some city, some beach, and some amazing landscapes
• I decided that I really like Cherry juice and will be on the lookout for this back home (lemonade is too sweet here). This is one of their juices offered everywhere
• I'm still a little freaked out about all the cats roaming around the entire country. There are also a lot of dogs, but you don't see many cats out and about in the US. I did make friends with some of the dogs as I ran in different cities. 
• I don't think I've seen as many selfie sticks as I did in this country. However, stay tuned
• Every mosque has a loudspeaker to announce when it's time for prayer. I also believe they use it to communicate big news. They start as early as 5am and have them throughout the day
• Cappadocia was probably the highlight of Turkey and so glad I made it there

Overall, the Turks have been pretty nice and I've had a great time seeing their country. Not only did I see some really great things, but also enjoyed their food and drink. I hope to come back again someday.

Next stop: Israel

Running in Turkey

It's been a couple of weeks since I left NYC and of course I've been running almost every day. I mean, I am training for a marathon.  This is one part of the adventure. Run everywhere I go and prepare for the Chiang Mai Marathon on December 20th. Plus that is what I do. I run. And it's such a great way to explore. I get to see so many neighborhoods I wouldn't otherwise see. Especially on those 15 and 17-milers. 

And since this is my 10th marathon, I did want to make it pretty good. Since Thailand has been on my list of places to visit for such a long time, it seemed like a good choice. People have also been recommending the city as well, so that's even better. And it's the 10th anniversary of this race. Even more fitting. 

So how has running in Turkey been you may be wondering. Well besides the obvious challenge of finding routes, tracks, and people to run with, it's the same. The one good thing about running, is you can truly do it anywhere. 

So far I've run in every city I've visited in Turkey. And since I'm in my last city before I head to Israel, now is a good time to comment on my running experience. 

Istanbul

I got a few solid runs in and a 15-miler shortly after I arrived. Fortunately since it's a city, there were some recommendations on where to run. I got to see more of the city, outside of the touristy parts. However, even with the recommendations, there weren't that many people out there running. I think I saw a total of 15 people in the 3 runs I did. And only like 3 females. I also got the sense that I was getting a lot of looks from people. I tried not to focus on that as I don't want to call additional attention to myself. I'm not sure if it was me, or the traffic, but I felt like I also got a lot of honks. Again, I pretended that it wasn't for me, as I don't want to be cursing at them for being inappropriate. Plus since I can't understand Turkish, I have no idea what they are saying. Except with the occasional, "go go".

View of the Bosphorous Strait and downtown Istanbul.

Bodrum

Running in Bodrum was a bit more pleasant. Not as much attention. But I could have done with less hills. Since I'm training, I want to get in as many tempo and speed workouts as possible. Which will continue to be a challenge. When running isn't a part of the lifestyle, it's nearly impossible to find a running track nearby. And no easy place to do tempos. I was definitely spoiled with Central Park being in my back yard and having tracks at my disposal. You have to be a bit creative, like doing laps on a basketball court, when you want to get speedwork in. I do have to say my 17 miles around the Bodrum Peninsula was quite enjoyable, even with all the hills. I still got a lot of honks and didn't see another runner during the entire time, but the views were spectacular. 

One of the many bays of Bodrum.

Pamukkale

I only got one run in Pamukkale, but it was a good one. Again, no other runners (and when I told the owner of the hotel I was staying in what I was doing, he was confused), and more honks. But I did get to see more of the Turkish landscape. 

Cotton Castle.

Goreme

Goreme is my last stop before heading to Israel. I have a couple of more runs here, but the one from this morning was quite lovely. I took an overnight bus in and my room wasn't quite ready. So I figured, let's go explore. Hilly of course. Shockingly. But man the rock formations are amazing. And I got to run on some trails, which were quite nice. I would like to get some sort of tempo run in tomorrow, but maybe I'll do some sort of hill workout instead. Take advantage of what you have, right?

Cappadocia.

I'm glad I've been able to run in each place so far, and it's definitely interesting to see the reactions. This is only the first country I've visited so far, so I imagine each place will be a bit different. And if you are reading this and have any running recommendations for Israel or beyond, please share. 

Bodrum

I made it to Pamukkale. My next stop. I've spent all last week in Bodrum, which was been pretty nice. Well except for those thunderstorms the first day.  Bodrum is a coastal town in Southwest Turkey. It seemed like a pretty popular place to visit, so I figured why not. And really I'll take any excuse to get to the coast. So after a short flight from Istanbul, and a bus into Bodrum, my Airbnb host picked me. Which was really nice of her, especially as I was late due to a flight delay. And she she took me the long way home in order to give me a quick tour of the area. She took me to her home, gave me the lowdown and then headed out. She was actually going on holiday for a few days with her kids, so I had the house to myself. Which was a nice change of pace from the smallish apartment I was staying in Istanbul.

And it was even better when I spent the first day watching the rain pour down from her living room. Of course, I go to the beach and it rains. But not just rain, thunderstorms. So I decided to relax for the day. But once the power went out, I decided to catch the Dolmus (shared minibus) to town. Which may or may not have been a good idea. Water was just gushing down the hills of Bodrum, and the house I was in, wasn't the only place that lost power. It didn't seem like this was a regular occurrence. So just tried to go with the flow. Good thing I brought my rain jacket.

Dolmus going down a flooded street.

The following day was definitely better, so I went to explore the area. I walked around the various bays that make up Bodrum, including Gumbet and Bardakci, and of course the marina. So many hills. They make for great views and pretty pictures. And strong calf muscles. Inn my wanderings, I visited some of the older parts of the town, including the windmills and castle.

windmills.

Bodrum Castle.

On Thursday, I finally thought I had a beach day. However, the weather was still not cooperating. I decided to make my way to Yahsi Beach, which is in Ortakent Bay, regardless. Once I got there, I walked along the boardwalk and then planted myself at a cafe right on the water to have some Turkish tea. With cover from the rain of course. The sun eventually came out and I went to have some meze (cold appetizers) for lunch. I had some stuffed peppers and eggplant in yogurt, which may be one of my favorite dishes. I also tried the Raki, but I wasn't really a fan. The liquor was a bit too sweet for my liking. I think I'll stick with Efes beer from now on. After my food digested a bit, I took a dip in the Aegean Sea. The water was very nice. Not cold at all. Not like the Atlantic Ocean in the Northeast. Even though liked the warmth of the water, I wasn't a fan of all the rocks. I do like my sandy beaches. You do need to be careful when going in as to not slip and hurt yourself. They actually have ramps that go down into the water to avoid injuries. 

meze and raki.

The following day was the perfect day to be on the water and good thing I waited to take the boat trip I was thinking about. We departed from Bodrum marina in the morning. The weather ended up being fantastic as we explored all these coves on the coast. Again, the coast is very rocky, but it was much prettier away from all the touristy bays. We would anchor in a cove and just swim for a while.The water was so clear and beautiful. Every chance I had, I was in the water swimming around. And I actually got somewhat of a tan. My runner's tan is still prominent, but hey, progress.

all the boats enjoying the coves.

My last full day in Bodrum was spent taking a day trip to Efes (Ephesus). It was quite a journey, but definitely easier than I expected. I took a nice coach bus to Soke. From there I took a dolmus to Kusadasi, and then another one to Selcuk. I feel like a pro at the dolmus now. Especially as the first driver, just stopped in the street, flagged down the 2nd driver to let me on. I figured out very quickly what was happening and I ran across traffic to hop into the other dolmus. And I was on my way. 

After a short walk (1 kilometer), I found myself at the lower gate entrance. The day was another beautiful beach day, however, I tried to stay cool as I wandered around the ancient Roman town. It was very cool walking around imagining what it was like back in the day. A day a very long time ago. There were some pretty cool spots, like the different stadiums (which I had to climbb to the top of course) and the Library of Celcus.  

Efes.

My last day in Bodrum was spent running 17 miles around the peninsula and eating. Oh and packing up my bag. Which I think I'm getting quicker at, but probably not. 

After spending way too long on a bus, I made it to Pamukkale last night. Even though I'm not a fan of buses (who is?), I can appreciate the Turkish making it as comfortable as possible. It's almost like you are on a plane.They come by with beverages and snacks. Which I did need when the ride turned into 5+ hours. 

Now to go check out Pamukkale. 

Istanbul

I'm on Day 5 of my adventure. I'm counting the first day as it was the day I left. But it was only a travel day. I guess I had some champagne at JFK, which could be seen as exciting. I mean for me it was. Bubbly to kick start off the trip for $14? Yes please. After a quick layover in Russia, I eventually made it to my first destination on Day 2. 

In the last 72+ hours I've been able to cover a lot of Istanbul. I can't help feeling like a tourist. Well I guess I am. But there seems to be a lot of them, so I don't stand out. Too much. And going from NYC to another city actually bodes well for me as that is where I fit in most. Hustlers can't get anything on me. It's a nice transition to a new country, and I can acclimate myself a bit before heading to more remote areas. 

So what have I done so far you may be wondering. I explored the neighborhood I'm staying in (Beyoglu) and went up the Galata Tower my first day (all after taking a much needed shower of course). The tower had some pretty good views of the city, which I caught right at sunset.

View from Galata Tower, looking at Suleymaniye Mosque.

On Day 3, I wandered around the other side of the city and visited both the Suleymaniye and Sultan Ahmed Camii (Mosque). Both were pretty cool and a little bit different. Of course it's quite warm here (still summer-like and not too different from NYC except way less humidity), and I was wearing shorts. I did have a scarf with me to cover my head and shoulders, but they provided a skirt for me to wear. A long skirt did not make the cut when I packed. Actually I guess I have to own one first before it could make any sort of cut. 

Outside Suleymaniye Mosque.

Inside the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.

Yesterday was a bit of a lazier day. I guess after a 15-miler, I deserved it. I took a nap. Longer than I anticipated. Then decided it was a bit too late to do anything else but get some beer. So that is what I did. I found myself at a nearby "urban garden" bar. One of the things I love about this city, are all the hidden side streets. You can turn down any one of them and find a restaurant or bar. So that's what I did. I'm on a mission to try all the different Efes beers that Turkey has to offer. I've tried 3 of them so far: the pilsner, the dark one, and the malt one. I like the dark one the best as of now. I then decided to do a Turkish bath. But I'm going to come back to you on that one. I'd like to do one more before leaving Turkey and will provide a review then. 

Today was more of a touristy day. After my very humid run (did I mention it's not humid here?), I made my way to Gulhane Park. This was a suprise find. I didn't realize it was there and went through the gates and was pleasantly surprised to find all this greenery. As much as I love the side streets, I wish there was more green space here. I didn't realized I missed it until I came across this park. I know I spent most of my time walking around the urban jungle known as NYC, but I did get my almost daily dose of Central Park. Which does make a difference. 

Gulhane Park.

After that I checked out the Basilica Cistern and the Hagia Sophia. Both pretty cool spots if you get a chance to get to Istanbul. 

Basilica Cistern.

Hagia Sophia.

That's it for now. I'm going to pay my bill at this lovely outdoor bar and head to bed.