Thursday, 24 April 2014

Istanbul, Turkey


Hello Blogging world!!

Life in Dusseldorf is going good I must say. I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of lovely people and I have already made some great memories. This past weekend was Easter (as I’m sure you are well aware) and my host family was away which left me with the house all to myself. It was quite peaceful and I was also able to have some friends over one evening for a dinner party. We made pizzas and talked the night away over wine and cheese which of course made for a lovely evening.

Saturday morning I was off to Frankfurt to catch a flight to Istanbul with my brother and our friend. We arrived in Taksim square, the centrum of the city quite late in the evening when the night life seemed to be at its peak. We found our hostel after an hour of intense searching and attempting to navigate with a less than adequate map.
Sunday was spent sampling lots of delicious Turkish food and exploring the Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern.
Monday we spent searching the Grand Bazaar,  the Spice Market and later found ourselves in the Blue Mosque and climbing the Galata Tower.
Unfortunately our trip only lasted for a mere two days and Tuesday it was already time to head home. Although I only spent two days exploring its streets I must say that Istanbul is an incredible city. It has a population of slightly over 13 million (more than the whole population of Belgium) and it is the only city in the world to boarder two continents. It has an outstanding rich history and there is something truly mystifying and intriguing about it. Here are a few photos from my time there, hope you enjoy!!
 
Typical Turkish Breakfast
 Turkish Coffee



Exploring the Topkapi Palace


 Fresh Pomegranate Juice
 The Blue Mosque
 The Aya Sophia
 Lunch time-- Doner Kebab Plate and Tea
 Turkish Delight
 The city was full of cats!!
 The Basilica Cistern
 The Second Medusa Head Pillar


 Enjoying some Tea and Coffee at a local Café.
 
 View from the top of the Galata Tower



 The Galata Tower
 Spice Market where I was able to purchase some Turkish Tea
 More Turkish Delight!



 Inside the Blue Mosque

 The Grand Bazaar

 The Street of our Hostel
"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." - Henry Miller
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Hitch Hiking Meter

I decided to keep track of the Kilometers I've Hitch Hiked!
Inevitably, as the kilometers accumulate so will the stories, experiences and memories I make.

393 km-- Dusseldorf, Germany to Strasbourg, France (2 rides)
393 km-- Strasbourg, France to Dusseldorf, Germany (6 rides)
728 km-- Dusseldorf, Germany to Copenhagen, Denmark (5 rides, 1 ferry and one night with a wonderfully hospitable family)
864 km-- Copenhagen, Denmark to Dusseldorf, Germany (10 rides)
42 km-- Copenhagen, Denmark to Malmo, Sweden (1 ride)
42 km-- Malmo, Sweden to Copenhagen, Denmark (1 ride)
1, 200 km-- Berlin, Germany to Zagreb, Croatia (11 rides and one night camping out on a rest stop on the Autobahn)
162 km-- Zagreb, Croatia to Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia (2 rides)
180 km-- Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia to Opatija, Croatia (3 rides)
1, 140 km-- Icici, Croatia to Kaarst, Germany (5 rides)
434 km-- Düsseldorf, Germany to Magdeburg, Germany (4 rides)
434 km-- Magdeburg, Germany to Düsseldorf, Germany
471 km-- Freiburg, Germany to Düsseldorf, Germany (3 rides)
76 km-- Düsseldorf, Germany to Königswinter, Germany (2 rides)
76 km-- Königswinter, Germany to Düsseldorf, Germany (3 rides)
558 km-- Berlin, Germany to Düsseldorf, Germany (4 rides)
558 km-- Düsseldorf, Germany to Berlin, Germany (3 rides)
502 km-- Thessaloniki, Greece to Athens, Greece (4 rides)
762 km-- Athens, Greece to Korce, Albania (5 rides)
48 km-- Korce, Albania to Stenje, Macedonia (2 rides)
58 km-- Stenje, Macedonia to Ohrid, Macedonia (2 rides)
121 km-- Strugga, Macedonia to Tirana, Albania (3 rides)
94 km-- Tirana, Albania to Skodra, Albania (2 rides)
209 km-- Skodra, Albania to Dubrovnik, Croatia (9 rides)
1, 713km-- Dubrovnik, Croatia to Düsseldorf, Germany (13 rides)
1,095km--Düsseldorf, Germany to Warsaw, Poland
313km--Warsaw, Poland to Oswiecim (Auschwitz), Poland
128km--Oswiecim, Poland to Zakopane, Poland
109km--Zakopane, Poland to Krakow, Poland
562km-- Berlin, Germany to Düsseldorf, Germany

Total to date-- 13,465 km hitched!