Living the News Vs Hearing the News

Our main reason for going to Bursa for the weekend was concern over the referendum that was being voted on. It’s also nice to get away every once in a while.  There are many positives and negatives to the vote and with everyone we spoke to saying it was going to be a close call we figured it would be a good idea to get out of a heavily populated area. Us as Americans are so worried about traveling overseas many of us let that fear get the better of us. I can honestly say I feel safer over here than I do in most places in the US – even with the current referendum going on. Aside from the fact I am liking living the news as opposed to seeing the side the media wants us to.

So, what is the referendum you ask? It’s a simple yes or no vote. Or is it that simple? A yes vote allows for 18 amendments to the Turkish Constitution. A couple of the bigger changes consist of the Prime Minister position to be abolished and replaced with a Presidential system. The number of seats in Parliament would increase from 550 to 600. Giving the President more control over Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors. The people who agree with these changes say this change is necessary to strengthen and stabilize Turkey.

There are two sides to everything so those who are opposed to this referendum known as the No campaign argue that it allows the President to have too much power and dismantling the separation of powers by taking legislative authority away from Parliament. They believe that it leads the country to an elected dictatorship with no accountability which will eventually lead the country to democratic suicide.

Now, being here in the weeks building up to the election was very interesting and defiantly an experience to be had. Just about everywhere you went you would hear the propaganda music playing. If you were sitting in the plaza on any given day you would hear both sides playing their side of the story they wanted to be told – except Sunday. I never found out why but, on Sunday the No campaign was not allowed in certain areas only the Yes. None the less it made walking through these areas interesting. Some days one side would have a stronger support than the other. You would see them waving flags around in the air, singing the songs of the story that was being told. An interesting sight was seeing the campaigns plant themselves within a couple hundred feet of each other. One thing we never saw was fights erupt between the two parties. You never saw people having heated arguments over their beliefs. It was all done in peace.

The vote happened on April 16^th and it was a very peaceful process. Very similar to our Presidential elections in the United States. We walked the streets that night peering into restaurants throughout to see how the vote was going. The streets were calm and peaceful. People were out walking around with the sense that they made their vote and what ever happened is how it was meant to be. The results came in shortly after 10 with a 51.23% victory for the Yes campaign. Now, with the voting being that close of course there is question of voter fraud. There is a little talk about recounting but, no rioting, no looting nothing even close to what we experienced in the last election in the United States. Imagine that the people have spoken and respect they won or lost and are dealing with the issue properly. That is why I feel safer here than in the United States. They have reasonable laws. They follow those laws and not everyone is out to sue or get rich quick.

Now, me I am loving living the news as opposed to seeing what the media wants me to see on TV. I am learning that traveling overseas isn’t as scary as I once thought. That there are people in the world who can obey laws whether their side wins or loses. Its an amazing world out here and I encourage others to start doing the same – Get out and live life and not be afraid of everything. I can promise you it’s an experience you wouldn’t understand until you do it and once you do it you will be surprised at how differently you view the world. In the meantime show your support by following us on the blog Trapped In Neverland and Instagram Shutterflypro for more beautiful pictures and adventures we are having around Istanbul.

Bursa Checked Off the List

Another beautiful place in Turkey – Bursa. We spent just a couple days there and while it was not big like Istanbul it still had some of the magical touch. We started off our day like most walking to see what we can find. We did have a couple places of interest we wanted to see like the Green Mosque, cable cars through the mountains and the Grand Bazaar other than that it was a let’s get lost and see what we find. I have come to realize getting lost is so much more fun than planning everything and it isn’t as scary as I once thought.

We did the touristy thing too and went on up to Teleferik. I had never been on any sort of cable car so this was a first for me and I didn’t know what to expect. The view was AMAZING! As we started going up the mountain you look down on the town and you realize how big Bursa really is. As you look up towards the top you see snow on the caps of the mountains. It is a fill 360-degree view of everything around you. When we got to the halfway point of the mountain we got off the cable car and walked around the little town for s little bit. We had a potato on a stick and saw some great views when we went off the beaten track and explored. Sitting in the cable car on the way back down the mountain I was thinking to myself how great this all really is. How I wished I done this earlier on in life. How I wished my kids could see and experience this too and how much they would learn from it. Once we reach the bottom of the mountain we are off to our next destination – The Green Mosque.

For those that have an IPhone I am sure you will be able to relate to this – we frequently use Siri for directions when we want to know where we are going. This time was no different however, do you ever question where she is really taking you? As we are walking towards the Green Mosque we follow the route she has laid out for us. Down the hills and stairs through places I think even Turkey has declared inhabitable. As we always say – it’s part of the adventure so let’s see where we end up. Thankfully she did lead us to our destination but, not before a quick stop for the TO DIE FOR ICE CREAM of Turkey. It’s a must have on a daily basis.

Walking up to the Mosque you see nothing but, families spending time together and kids playing in the grassy areas. You see Tulips in full bloom. Makes you wish you saw more of this. We enter the Green Mosque and like all others you immediately feel a sense of calm come over you. You look around at the artwork that was done centuries ago by hand in complete and utter awe. There are a few praying and I sit back and ask myself do they realize how magical this area they live in really is? As we walk out we notice how the door entering the Mosque is carved out into this cool little star shape which we later read was of course done by hand but, the door was built without a single nail. To think if we had craftsmanship like that today how beautiful things could be.

Now, off to the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaars are usually mazes of stores where you can literally buy anything you can think of. You need shoes – they got them. You need a prom dress – they got them. Bed linens, housewares, toys, fresh fruits and vegetables – you guessed it, it’s there. There are shops in every knock and cranny possible. Now with that said the bazaars are jammed packed. Trying to walk side by side is virtually impossible and don’t worry the little old lady walking towards you is quick to throw an elbow in order to make her way through the crowd. It is an everyone for themselves situation. My theory for the aggressiveness is items in the bazaar are pretty cheap. We picked up 5 plums for 5 Lira ($1.25). Spices are created to look like pyramids and are paid for by the kilo. My favorite is gummy bears where we can usually get a kilo for 26 Lira ($7.00). Thank goodness we walk so much.

 

We end the day walking around clueless sightseeing and getting a little lost. We didn’t come across anything like we usually do so after a little while we give up and re treat back to the hotel for the night. However, on the way back we came up with a new saying…. You can’t see that in the US. A couple examples we saw are the tram going by you as you reach out and touch it, stop signs we like to jokingly say are suggestions and cat food and water left out for the stray animals that wander the streets. So, stay tuned for the You Can’t See that in the US entry in the next day or two. In the meantime show your support by following us on the blog Trapped In Neverland and Instagram Shutterflypro for more beautiful pictures and adventures we are having around Istanbul.

Up Next…

Why come 5,000 miles to stay in Istanbul all the time? I mean we came this far why not move around a bit? There are many places close by to see and experience that are relatively cheap. We have thought about going to Izmir and Ethesus. Budapest is also on our list however, this time around we chose Bursa. Mainly because it was on our list and we wanted to get out of Istanbul due to the referendum election coming up on the 16th. So off we go!

I had been sick the last couple days so we hadn’t decided for sure where to go. We rushed around Friday morning buying our ferry tickets and booking a hotel room. Part of the fun in all of this just saying ahh ok and going with the flow. We packed our bags and headed to the ferry ticket office hoping we could make the 2:30 ferry. Not so much – we were lucky to make the 7:30 ferry due to no available seats. We now have 6 hours to waste carrying our bags around as well. We find a cafe nearby and have a cola (soda, coke, soft drink) and a snack all while playing back gammon. Keep in mind up until about a week ago I had never played the game so my boyfriend is teaching me. To say I am addicted is an understatement. After a couple hours we decide to walk around a bit bags in tow we walk. 

Now, one of the biggest misconception people have about coming to places like Istanbul is we only hear about the bad. Yes, they did have an incident in July 2016 at the airport and another in a January 2017 st s night club. Haven’t we had incidents in the US? What if people stopped viditing the US because of those incidents? However, the things in Istanbul you don’t see and hear about are the beautiful parks they have through out and the tulip festival that has been going on for years. So, as we walk up and down the streets you see kids outside having fun. You see tulips planted everywhere. You see food vendors selling simits (almost like a bagel).  It makes the walk fun and inspiring as you never know what you will see.

We return to the ferry a couple hours later and board the ferry. It’s a 2 1/2 hour ride so we play a some more back gammon and edit pictures from earlier in the day.

Once we arrive in Bursa unsure of exactly where to go so when all else fails follow the crowd. Luckily it lead us to a taxi area and we were able to catch one rather easy. It’s now nearing 11pm and we arrive at the hotel. Hungry of course however, Bursa is not like Istanbul where restaurants and stores are open all hours of the night. There is one restraunt open nearby and across the street. Now, I need to mention that we refer to crossing the street as Frogger (that deserves its own blog… stay tuned). Also, remember I am very picky when it comes to food. We found the restaurant andit of  course serves Turkish dishes only. I’m screwed! Thankfully they had some plain chicken wings. 

We had quite a busy day running around and for the first time in weeks we have a comfortable bed to sleep in along with some other comforts from home in our hotel room. We have a full shower as opposed to a shath ( big sink you can stand in). The tv that actually talks English and most important AIR CONDITION. Needless to say our heads hit the soft comfy pillows and we were out. 

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