Useful Program Found Abroad

Every day we set out on an adventure not always knowing where we are going. We have somewhat of a routine now of getting up, having breakfast, dressed and walking to the Blue Mosque / Hagias Sophia since there is a beautiful fountain there and a central location for whatever we may want to do. Some of our best adventures have started from there – like the day we discovered Emigran Park and the Tulip Festival I talked about in my Getting Lost in Istanbul blog. Regardless it is a great way for us to start the day and this day was no different. We decided we wanted to venture to Ortakoy Mosque since this is our favorite place to get Kumpirs (loaded baked potato).

Ferry to Asia

One thing I have to say about Istanbul is their public transportation system is great! We can go just about anywhere via a bus, tram, or ferry for about 2.30 Lira or $0.64 USD. Today we chose the ferry since both of us have a love for water and it as a nice sunny day and nothing really we wanted to do. The ferry first takes you to the Asia side and then you catch another ferry to get to the Mosque and park area surrounding it. While doing our transfer, we came across what looked to us like a spring festival. There were booths set up and they were all selling items such as Turkish towels and robes, shirts, shoes, jewelry, hand carved wood items – just about anything you can think of they had. As we walked around we noticed what would be contraband items in prison in a glass case and we slowly learned from talking with someone that the festival was actually supporting the prisons. Everything for sale was made by inmates! To say some of the work was incredible is an understatement.

Guard carving out the next piece of art. The pieces hanging behind him are all done by inmates.

Now, let me tell you about this program. The festival travels all over Turkey and stays for a short period of time in each area. Inmates are taught how to make the items that they are selling. The guards are involved in rehabilitating the inmates by showing them how to make the items. Everything is made by hand – whether it was sown, carved, woven. Jewelry was put together piece by piece. The plates and stoneware you see everywhere over here were all hand painted. The guards and inmates work together as a team. You could see the relationships between the them almost as if they were friends as opposed to authority / inmate. The inmates are released with new skills back into society where they have a fighting chance at life again. I couldn’t find it for sure but, I would assume the money generated from this event was put back into the prison system in order to help pay for the expenses incurred by the inmates. The vibe of the whole place was great. We walked around it again with a totally different prospective. I can’t tell you enough how much I think the US would gain by implementing programs like this.

Had we gone on our normal tram and bus ride to this area we would have totally missed out on this experience. So, yet again, just by stepping out of our normal routine we found something that will stick with us forever. Don’t forget to check back often and follow us on our journey along the way. You never know where we will end up next. Don’t forget to 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.

Seeing Everything for the First Time

I have been out of the states for a month now. I can’t explain enough how amazing it is to see and experience other things for the first time. My boyfriend loves introducing me to new things simply because it’s that pure joy and happiness you feel when doing so. He says the smile on my face when I see or try something new is priceless. I have learned to trust him when it comes to trying new food and to go with the flow when he wants to do something I haven’t done before. Why? Because it usually tastes really good and I have a blast doing whatever it is.

I never really understood what he meant about how it made him feel so happy to see me experience things for the first time until a couple days ago. Americans are few and far between over here so when you hear someone speaking English you tend to notice it and a couple of days ago we did. We were doing our normal morning walk to the Blue Mosque to see the progress on the carpet of tulips they were putting in when we heard them. We quickly stopped them and introduced ourselves gave them a few pointers on how to navigate the city and some must see places. We talked for a little while, pointed them in the direction of where they were originally going and before leaving them exchanged numbers in case they needed anything while they were here. We have spent the last 3 days showing them around Istanbul and even though they have been traveling for 7 months already to different places to take them and show them some of the amazing places we have found on our journeys has been beyond amazing. Seeing their faces light up, or pure amazement of some of the things around us I understood what my boyfriend was talking about for the first time.

View from the street on Price Island

One of the places we took them to was the Prince Islands – well it was supposed to be the Bosporus Strait tour but, we made a mistake in getting the tickets so off on a new adventure for all of us. it’s nothing new for my boyfriend and I to go get lost somewhere and make the best of it but, now we have others with us to join in the fun. So, after about an hour boat ride we arrive to Prince Island, get off the ferry and just pick a direction to go. We walked through the town and saw some gorgeous views of homes along the water and some beautiful flowers. Even though the island was on our list of things to visit it was funny to watch them experience for the first time as well. After spending a couple hours on the island, we head back and took them to one of our favorite restaurants in the plaza – Burgerilla’s. it’s a must try if in Istanbul by the Grand Bazaar. We all agreed the company was nice and to meet up again in the morning.

Inside the Fethiye Museum

The next day we did the Chora Museum and Fethiye Museum.Now I will say this – if you plan to be in Istanbul and go to any of the museums while here the pass is well worth it. You have the opportunity to see 12 museums within 5 days for the price it would cost you to see 2 of them. All of the museums we made it to on our passes were great for the history of the culture here along with some great art pieces. With that said having already been to these places I knew what to expect so I just sat back and watched as their faces dropped in awe when they would walk into the different places. It’s things like that here that you have to see for yourself to be able to truly appreciate them. It’s not just seeing though it’s the feeling you get when you walk in and you realize you are standing in the same place as Emperors, Kings, Queens, Prince and Princesses once stood.  To read about each individual place and how it was built and by who. These are things you can only experience in person and in my opinion much better than reading about them in any history book.

Every day we took them on a new adventure and every day I got to see them light up with pure excitement and joy in everything we showed them. It was nice to share part of this experience with a couple we got to know and will now be lifelong travel friends. As we all continue on our journeys throughout the world the brief moment in time we got to spend together will forever be part of all of us – Just like the thong they call the travel bug.  Don’t forget to check back often and follow us on our journey along with showing 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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