Dork Visits!

Come Monday I was feeling great and ready for Mike to come visit!  He arrived on Wednesday and was welcomed by a big “DORK” sign Kate, who also goes by the name of “The Kernal”, and I had made him.  We made our way back to my place and decided to stay in and watch the football match in the comfort of home.  Greg and our friend Ben came over and we just enjoyed the match and hung out after.  We kept it a low-key night, knowing that Mike had just traveled for about a day straight and would need his rest… and rest is what he did.  Morning to him the next day was about 4 or 5, which is completely understandable.  I forced him to come into my class and the students absolutely loved it!  He came for an hour and then went with The Kernal and our friend Chad to grab some grub and a beer.  I met up with them after and we made our way over to “Heaven”, our choice of places to grab a cheap brew.  Our friend Chloe came to meet up and we all hung out there for a bit.  The next day, we slept in and then explored a bit of Kadikoy and my neck of the woods, so that he could get around while I was working the next two days.  We did that and then went across to Europe.  We walked Istiklal, the major/popular street in Taksim.  We checked out some nice rooftop bars and ran into a friend, so decided to grab a brew with him and hang out for a little bit, breaking up our journey a little.  After, we went to this bar called 360°.  It is called such for obvious reasons.  The place has an awesome view of the city and the Bosphorus.  Although their drink prices are a bit steep, they are somewhat reasonable for the place and views.  We decided that we should splurge and get one… which we all decided on a margarita- how Californian of us… but hey, “when in Istanbul…”.  After our tasty treats, we made our way back to the ferry, parted with The Kernal so she could make it back in time for her private, and slowly explored our way back.  Back in Kadikoy, we met up with Greg and another friend Jon for some food and beers at a place called Aborjin, before they were off to the Fenerbahce game.  We were joined by a Turkish student of Greg’s and some of his friends, one of which paid for everyone’s tab before he left.  Mike and I decided to stick around and watch the game there and were later joined by The Kernal, Michael, Ben, a pal Justin, and a Turkish student Ilker.  We had a good time chatting it up and watching the game.  We didn’t stay out too late because the next day we all had to work early and long hours. 

Work went slowly those two days, and poor Mike was still recovering from being jet-lagged.  I drew him a decent map of how to get back to where I worked, because that Saturday we were leaving right after work to go to one of our student’s houses for a going away party. Hulya was moving to Brighton to expand her English and live with a host family.  We finally made it to her house, after a complete tour of the neighborhood, and were absolutely amazed at this place! The décor was so nice and cute, but what really made the place was the view.  One whole side of the place was basically windows- for good reasons: they had an astonishing view of the Bosphorus and the bridge and Europe.  As the night went on, I never got used to the sights.  It must be a treat to wake up in the morning and have your coffee with that view! She ended up opening her gifts and was so lucky to receive a laptop from a handful of her friends! Whoa! It was a good night and nice to see her before she left. 

The next few days we spent our time exploring Istanbul.  We attempted to go to Dolmabahce Palace one day (Tuesday, I think), but found it was closed that day- of course! So, Mike had to go back there on one of the days that I had to work. So, we ended up walking around Besiktas area and seeing some of the sights.  There were some fake cannons in a plaza area and we thought it was the perfect photo-op to get inside and act as though we were getting shot out. The first attempt went fine, except the camera didn’t take.  So, I decided to get back in- only this time my foot got caught and my leg was stuck in there upright… it was absolutely hilarious and took a good 30+ seconds to get me out.  I think those pictures are better than the one that somehow didn’t turn out! After that, we walked for a good distance over to Ortakoy, a cute town on the water.  We spotted a MEXICAN food restaurant and decided that it was absolutely necessary to get some guacamole! We ended up with a margarita, guac and some cheese dip.  It probably wasn’t the best… but when you haven’t had these things for months, it doesn’t matter.  It was delicious!  After that, we walked around the area.  We went inside the Ortakoy Mosque (The New Mosque).  We decided it was getting late and returned to Asia. Before getting on the ferry, we decided we were going to try to be the first one’s on.  It is hilarious, because the people here have to be the first on and the first off.  They actually line up at the exit ten minutes before, just so they can get off right away- many times before the boat has even stopped.  Anyway, we raced onto the boat and Mike was actually the first on- quite an honor!!! I came in with a short-second.  It was hilarious, bc there were so many others doing the same thing, but seriously.  We did it then kinda cheered, but the natives just kept running and hurrying to get that seat! Anyway, we spent our ride joking about the scene and thinking a great way to spend a day would be to sit and bet who the first one off the boat would be.  We never got around to it when he was here. 

The days came and went so quickly, and it was just so nice to hang out with him and be ourselves.  We spent a day checking out the area of Sultanahmet: the underground cistern, The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.  I had never been inside these sights, so it was a treat for me as well.  Hagia Sophia was absolutely astonishing.  The details inside and such extravagance were somewhat overwhelming.  I was taking picture after picture… until my battery died on my camera.  We decided to purchase a 17 YTL disposal camera, that was the size of a brick, to finish capturing the place.  After the attractions, we ended up at a British Pub and got some snacks.  We explored the Spice Bazaar after, which is actually small and then made our way back to Asia.  A few times we met up with some friends to watch a game and have some food… seems to kinda be a routine thing here.  We also tried to introduce the English teachers to some new drinking games from America.  Those nights were absolutely hilarious and a good time.

We were lucky to go and watch a Besiktas game with Ben, his girlfriend Ozlem, and Kate.  The stadium is in a natural pocket of the hill, making for great acoustics.  The view is also amazing, the field with the Bosphorus just past in the distance.  We watched that game one Friday night and then Saturday, Greg had bought us tickets to the Fenerbahce game.  I arranged it with my students to end a bit early and meet up with the guys, who had eaten dinner and hung out for a bit beforehand. The stadium wasn’t full, but these fans are so dedicated and full of energy it didn’t matter. The game was awesome and we had a great time. 

The next night after work, we went out to dinner with Greg and his parents (who were visiting for a few days), as well as Jeff- his friend Mark, who was visiting and Carol.  We ate at Otantik, although Mike and I had to sit across the aisle from them, bc the guys working there couldn’t get the idea that a group of 8 didn’t mean 6…. Anyway, it was a nice dinner, but I don’t think Mike and I heard half of the convo’s going on at the other table.  After dinner, we met up with Kate and Michael for a beer before going home to bed. 

We had a Halloween party at our place on the Tuesday before Mike left, because the following day was a holiday.  That way, no one had an excuse not to come!  It turned out to be really nice and lots of people showed up… including the cops.  Apparently he was driving by and saw everyone, but it really was not a big deal.  We lowered the music and a few people left.  The next day we enjoyed the tidying of the house after a big gathering, grabbed a quick bite to eat, hung around and then went over to this Mongolian BBQ place near Bagdat Street, which is the equivalent to our Rodeo Drive.  We had a huge dinner and some wine.  It was a treat and a nice end to Mike’s trip.  The restaurant offers meals or a buffet that is all you can eat and you make up your own meal.  We all decided that was the best choice and made numerous trips through the line, trying different combinations.  We indulged and stuffed our stomachs silly, then had to make the trek home.  Mike, Kate and I stayed up for a bit watching a movie and hanging out.  We caught a few hours of sleep before Mike and I grabbed a cab to the airport… no, it was over! We got him checked in and then grabbed a coffee before he had to go on his way.  It was a very short 2 weeks he was here and it meant the world to me that he came out.  I had such a good time and although we probably didn’t do everything he wanted to do, it was just nice to spend time with, bond, and show him my life here in Istanbul. 

He left on Thursday morning and I slowly made my way back to Kadikoy.  Since he left, things have been somewhat the same…

This is the morning after the Munich fest at about 6:00 a.m... we weren't in our best suits!

in Munich

Beer garden in Munich- HUGE!

The gates of the Munich Oktoberfest!

The cute town of Stuttgart!

Stuttgart fest!

2nd garden...

Our new friends....

This blog will come in a few parts....

Here is number one (no pictures included):

The slacking must stop somewhere… so here I go.  I haven’t written since mid-September, so this might take awhile, as two months worth of events probably would.  Ok, so I guess it only right to begin with Oktoberfest.  We left Istanbul to arrive in Munich at the airport in the early evening.  We took a tram to the main train station, so we could hop that and go straight in to Stuttgart.  Well… first off, the train station alone was enough entertainment for us.  It was full of the stereotypical Germans… MANY wearing their Lederhosen and the women in their full-on getups, walking around (stumbling might be a better term) with beers and singing drinking songs.  It was a great way to get into the Oktoberfest spirit.  Anyway, as much as we hated to, we had to get on the train, which to our great luck transported a group of elderly German couples who, again, were all pretty drunk and jolly.  They provided some entertainment until they all passed out.  We also found quickly that almost everyone in Germany speaks English, very well actually.  It kinda made me feel arrogant for coming to their country and not knowing the language, but that’s how it is here in Istanbul too. Oh well… Ok, so on the train a guy sitting across the aisle started talking with us and he gave us lots of advice as to where to go in Stuttgart and even drew us a full on map.  He was so kind and showed us the way to our hostel and along the way, which trams to catch to get certain to places. 

So once we got to our hostel (which was really modern and nice, probably the nicest I’ve ever stayed in) we just passed out so we could get up at a decent time and explore the town, and that’s exactly what we did.  We got some shopping done and tried some delicious pastries.  We enjoyed a real cup of coffee, which is something we rarely are able to do here in Istanbul.  We also, of course, got free samples of wine at a store similar to a Macys.  They were giving out tasters and these old men worked there, one of which was pretty eager to use the little English he knew on us.  So, after a good amount of “tasters”, which we were able to pour ourselves, we continued on our way checking out the shops and sights.  We later grabbed our long-awaited sausages for some grub. That night we checked out an Irish pub and grabbed beers that were not Efes! Let me tell you, we had choices and therefore were in heaven! That doesn’t sound like a big deal, but when you live here and you order a beer, there is never a question as to what kind… because there is only one kind.  So, we took advantage of having a variety of choices- including dark beers. 

With one day down, the next would prove itself to be quite a different kind of day.  We hurried and went back to pick up a few things we had debated buying before heading over to the Wasen, which is the Oktoberfest celebration. We grabbed some beers and a sausage before taking the tram over.  This seemed to be a very common thing, seeing that dozens of people, old and young, were doing the same thing.  We get to the fest and find that it is just a huge fair with rides and families walking around, but between those Ferris wheels and cotton candy stands are the huge beer houses.  Each one is a specific brand of beer and our original intent was to hop from house to house… ha, that was a far-fetched idea.  Well, before I get ahead of myself, we decided to go on a ride before we got caught up working on our beer bellies.  It was really fun and we were able to get a good view of the town.  It was absolutely gorgeous: green rolling hills with lush trees and a clean river separating us from a hillside covered in cute houses. It was such a contrast to the bleak sights and lack of greenery we see here in Istanbul.

            Our first beer garden was not so crowded, but we found that getting a seat was a bit more difficult than it looked.  The tables were reserved and so we squeezed in with a group of guys and grabbed our first huge beer of the trip.  The evening turned very happy, very quick.  We got along well with the group and found ourselves not drinking one and moving on, but rather a few and I even got sucked into taking a shot of jager… ughhh.  I made friends with an elderly group a few tables behind us and found that I love Germany.  The people are so friendly and just out to have a good time.  We finally decided it was time to move on and pick another garden to enter.  I am sure we grabbed a sausage between the two houses- (as you can probably already tell, our trip was full of sausages and beers).  The next house we found a table full of guys, who looked like they would be fun, to sit with.  They were a mix of ages, but for the most part a few years younger than us.  I will say that finding girls to hang out with in these houses was very difficult; it seemed to just be full of guys guzzling giant beers.  Anyway, they were a team of some sort and were fun to hang out with.  We spent the night enjoying our brews and having a good time.  We later made it back to our hostel, through the rain, and were surprised to find it full of people still hanging out and drinking.  There must have been a huge group come in that day, because we had not seen many people at all before then.  Anyway, chatted with a few cool people and then hit the sack.  It was a long day and the next we were heading back to Munich for round two of beer garden hopping.  We awoke early so that we wouldn’t get into Munich too late and grabbed the train over.  Of course, at the station there were already people having their sausages and beer… it was so early for that, more like coffee and muffin time!  Anyway, the train was crowded but we eventually found some seats.  I dozed on and off, but not for long.  In our cabin was a group of guys who were obviously going to the fest in Munich.  They were drinking away, a few passed out and were really loud.  It was entertaining for us, although for the rest of the people in the cabin, they were just annoyances.  A guy yelled at them to be quiet, but that only shut their beer brains up for a short time. 

After arriving back in Munich, we find our hostel and check in.  There was such a difference between the two hostels, this one we couldn’t even tell which beds were clean and empty.  We figured it would be a late night and we wouldn’t be sleeping for too long, as our flight was early the next day.  We rid our arms of our bags and decided to go for a walk around the town before heading over to continue the debauchery.  We eventually got on our way over to the fest, having no real idea of where to go, but were happily surprised to suddenly be caught up in a constant flow of people going to the fest, decked out and all.  When we got to the gates, we knew we were in for an adventure.  This was the real thing!  We walked around a bit, knowing that once we went in a garden we wouldn’t reemerge to the rest of the world for a long time.  We finally decided on a house and this thing was insane! It was jam-packed full of people and the building was massive!   It was two-stories full with little room to spare.  We fought our way through the crowd and were immediately grabbed by a wench and brought to a table where she threw down our beers and then off she went.  She was a good business woman, because she was constantly bringing people over in our time there, giving herself some serious business.  We hung around this place for a beer, again knowing that two would mean settling in for the night.  This house was awesome; the music was very traditional and we got right in spirit joining in on the drinking songs and making new, short-lived friendships.  The best was when Bruce Channel's song: "Hey Baby" would come on… EVERYONE knew and looooved it.  It was hilarious, but so much fun to belt out the lyrics.  With our giant glasses empty, we moved on and out.  We decided to walk around a bit and hit up another house.  By this time, they all were getting crowded and many had lines out the door.  We decided on a smaller, more family style place and grabbed a beer.  It began sprinkling a bit and so we decided that once we finished we would find a place we could sit inside.  As we were walking, we saw a ride that caught our attention.  We thought it only fair to go on a ride here too.  As we were in line, we met a group of guys who were in Munich from London for a bachelor party.  They were a real nice and fun group and so after the ride, we decided to all beer-garden-it-up together.  It started sprinkling a bit again and we were having trouble finding a place without a line.  They decided to try to find a little pub-style bar they had been at earlier that day, because there probably wouldn’t be a line.  This proved to be more difficult than they thought, and the group split up… some of them leaving the fest to just go to a bar.  A few stayed and we eventually found a place… but the seats were outside and well, by this time it was raining.  We thought it only right to just continue our drinking and give honor to the fest, despite the undesirable conditions.  The people who worked there brought out some ponchos for us and I got the great idea to try to make a tarp for us out of it.  So, I got up on one of the guys shoulders and was trying to put this plastic piece above us… but that didn’t work out so well and before I could get it secured we were told to stop by the workers… oh well.  After this, we decided to walk around a bit and I ran into a group of girls who were really friendly.  I ended up hanging out with them as the group went on to play arcade games and go on some rides.  This was probably a stupid idea, seeing as I had no way to get in touch with Kate.  As the night went on, I ended up going back with them to their hostel and ran into the group of guys we had been hanging out with.  We hung out outside the hostel with a large group of other people and continued our drinking.  We decided that it was cold and we should go to a place we could hang out indoors.  We found a random hole-in-the-wall-of-a-bar and hung out there.  It was getting really late and so we eventually grabbed a cab and I got dropped off at my hostel.  I probably slept for a looong 2 or 3 hours before we had to get up to make the trek back to the airport.  We went back to the station, where we had to take a tram.  We hopped on, only to find that after about 45 minutes (maybe less, I fell asleep- so wasn’t sure) we were going the wrong way.  When we realized this we jumped off, ran across the tracks, and grabbed the next one back the other way.  We finally arrived at the airport, with little time to spare and go through the checks.  We find that with all we bought, we have to check our bags… well, duh! So we ran back to the luggage check in and then back through the other checks.  Finally on the plane, we can relax.  After our crazy few days full of beer, one would think the thought of alcohol would just be repulsive.   No, of course not… Lufthansa offers free drinks with your meals and we took full advantage of this opportunity.  I will justify it with the fact that Turkish wine is nasty, so we had to get our last tastes of something good/decent.  Anyway, our journey back seemed to take forever and after the flight, train, tram and ferry rides, we decided to get a cab back to the apartment.  Ahhhhh… we were finally back, wrecked and exhausted, but we were back. 

We used the evening to clean ourselves up and then spent time reliving our trip through the pictures.  From day one, we decided that we wouldn’t look at any of the pictures until we got home, that way we couldn’t delete anything and it would be a nice surprise.  They were hilarious! Greg came over a little later and told us about his trip to Sofia in Bulgaria.  We shared stories and pictures and just hung out.  He brought us a nice bottle of Bulgarian wine, but we decided that we had enough alcohol for a month and the enjoyment of it would have to wait. 

The next week was pretty rough, catching up on sleep and just recovering from a very eventful week.  I ended up getting pretty sick over the next weekend. I thought it was food poisoning or something because it hit me all of a sudden at four in the morning and I had been fine the night before.  I was unable to work the weekend and spent my days sleeping and recovering.  It was nice to have some time to relax, but when is being sick ever relaxing?!  Greg had even bought me a ticket to the Turkey football match at a seaside stadium over on the European side that I was so excited to go to, but I had to miss due to being ill.  I was really bummed about that, but there was nothing I could do.  

Next blog is about Mike's visit here... working on it right now.  Pictures to come also!

I must apologize for the lack of posts... time has just been flying by. There is so much I need to show and fill you all in on.  That is soon to come.

I just wanted to let you all know that things are still going great here and that all is well.

Hope everyone is enjoying life and taking care!

I'll be back shortly...