We arrived today in the land of fairy chimneys- Cappadocia, Turkey. From the little we have seen today, it is the craziest landscape I have ever seen and we are set to explore it over the next few days...
Before we came to Turkey we spent an unexpected brilliant few days in Bulgaria- we weren't really sure what is was going to be like but the whole experience was great. We had a long journey by bus from Ohrid to Sofia, the capital. We happened to pitch up on Halloween night but had completely forgotten until we opened the door for a couple of zombies in the hostel. We were shown to our separate building by another zombie, who wasn't dressed up but had just been smoking a few too many we think, and headed straight out for food. We had some ok food and took in the freaky sights around us.
The next day we joined a free walking tour with an uber enthusiastic young guy. Sofia is a lovely city with literal layers of history. Every group of inhabitants has built on top of or around the previous group and so the layers have been stripped back and you can see full Roman roads and buildings including 3rd century churches. They even have the second biggest amphitheater found in the world, behind the Coliseum, but have allowed a hotel to be built over it which is sad. We spent the rest of the day visiting some of the churches and the cathedral. The hostel had free dinner which was great for meeting some interesting people in the evening (as well as the standard acoustic musician travelers trying to look cool 'jamming' in the corner). We even ran into Joe, a young Aussie guy we'd first met in Valbone, Albania, so it was great to see him again and he then featured numerous times throughout the trip until now and no doubt will pop up again before we leave. We would have both happily stayed in Sofia a bit longer as we enjoyed it but had to move on to the centre of the country, Veliko Tarnovo (VT).
VT used to be the capital of Bulgaria centuries ago so is historically quite an important place and a very strikingly set town. Our hostel sat right next to the fortress which was in fact a walled city on a hill. When we went up there to explore you could see the ruined walls of all the houses and churches that surrounded the main dwelling of the royal family. It had fantastic views of the town which sits between strange flat topped mountains and a couple of rivers. Before we ventured up there I took a deep breath and got a much needed hair cut. After asking numerous people we were shown through a shop and into a hair salon- the old ladies (the hairdressers) just looked at us for a good couple of minutes until they got up out of the chairs and signalled for me to sit down. My hairdresser did not have a word of English so all I could do was indicate a length and away she went! She sprayed some water on and then just starting nonchalantly chopping- none of this 'how do you want your layers', 'do you want a fringe cutting in' rubbish. 45 minutes and a shampoo later I had new hair and I have to say I think she did an alright job for a little less than a tenner! We spent the rest of the day exploring the cobbled streets and artists' quarter.
The next day was the real adventure...on our first day in Moldova we had met an American guy (Mr Sheen from Yonna's blogs) who told us that we had to see the abandoned communist building in Bulgaria. I had seen it before in pictures but had never really figured out where it was. Anyway by the time we reached Bulgaria we had decided it was an absolute must. Our hostel in VT ran day tours to it...a few things to note...it is not actually legal to get up to the Communist monument and it is on the top of a very high peak that barely has roads going up to it just mainly track so this wasn't going to be a nice, normal tour. Andy, a Kiwi guy, had been asked to stay working at the hoste after his trip as he was the only person crazy enough to try and drive up to it. We soon realised he certainly had the machine for it as seven of us (including Joe who'd popped up again) piled into what looked like a monster truck! We drove for a little more than an hour and spent some time in an Ethnographic village before the real adventure began. This truck could take on anything- we ploughed our way up the mountain, getting stuck a couple of times, running over full on tree trunks, nearly skidding off the mountain on snow and ice and scaling big rocks. It was a very very rough ride and particularly scary as I was in the front seat so could see everything coming but was well worth it when we reached the first stop to view the monument.
We were told that it was the HQ of the Communist party during their hold on Bulgaria. It was abandoned after the party fell and systematically wrecked and vandalised by the people since, as it was a symbol of oppression. It basically looks like a massive UFO has landed on the peak of a mountain. We piled back in the truck and headed due North up the side of the mountain- another crazy ride. The view from the top was incredible over the neighbouring peaks with clouds below us. After some time exploring the outside we got to do what we were all waiting for....go in! There is a clandestine small hole knocked into one side of the building which you have to climb through, dodging the broken glass and ice that had formed around it. Once in, the eerie space was absolutely staggering- some red carpet fragments still cling to the steps as you walk up into the main conference hall. There are huge 360 degree mosaics showing Communist scenes and figures with a huge sickle and hammer in the centre of the ceiling. The roof is slowly falling in so is open to the elements making it a bit like a skating rink inside. With the damage and the decaying building plus the snow and ice dripping around you it kind of felt like the whole monument was melting. We walked around the perimeter gangway which was at one point glazed, offering incredible views of the mountains outside. All the glass is smashed now so you can stand right up on the window ledge with the winds hitting you- it was a brilliant experience and we have some great pictures. We also climbed the tower which was not my favourite- it was basically 36 vertical ladders designed for workmen in the pitch black and freezing cold- the building was enough for me so I stayed for a few minutes before coming down again.
The trip down the mountain was actually crazier as the Andy guy decided he wanted to see just how 'off road' this truck could go, literally throwing us down uncharted mountain faces. I was pretty happy to be safely on the roads again and a little battered and brusied with ripped jeans but great memories of the experience.
That night we got on an overnight bus to Istanbul. As you can imagine the trip was not the comfiest so we were like zombies ourselves when we arrived in the city at 6am the next morning. After 2 hours of navigtaing the massive city we found our hostel and had a sleep! Istanbul is everything everyone says it is- an incredible mix of Eastern and Western cultures, busy, vibrant and buzzing. We stayed in Kadikoy so were a bit out of the tourist centre which was really nice.
After a sleep we got straight out and took the ferry across to Eminonu where all the main sites are. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the beautiful Topkapi Palace and hareem. That night I had the best baklava I have ever tasted! The next day we hit the tourist sights in a big way- we saw Hagia Sofia (which we thought was expensive and slightly over rated), the Blue Mosque, the 'underground palace' (which Dan Brown fans will know from his latest book) and the grand bazaar. A great day marred only slightly by the fact I had picked up a tummy bug again! The next day we visited Karakoy and went up Galata tower to get views of the whole city. We walked down to the waterfront and happened upon an incredible fish market before Yon tucked into two of the famous 'fish in bread'. I was gutted as it's the kind of thing I would love to eat but I wasn't feeling up to it :-( But I sat and took in the sights of the waterside whilst the beautiful call to prayer reverberated around the city from the scores of mosques.
On our last full day we visited our local hammam. Men and women were separate in this one so we went our seperate ways. With a few pushes, shoves and points, a lady directed me around the baths to tell me what to do before laying me on the central marble slab and scrubbing the hell out of me! Then came the soapy massage and the vigourous hair shampooing- it was a great, if not the most relaxing experience. Still not feeling great, we had a steady day of walking around the local antiques and artist markets before Joe popped up again! We all agreed it would be great to go to a local football match and Yon procured us tickets for Fenerbache. The stadium was huge and as you can imagine, the match was a very lively and loud affair. There was a brilliant atmosphere and the home team won which luckily meant the riot police we'd seen earler that night were not needed.
This morning we took a very short flight to Kayseri and then a bus to Goreme where we have based ourselves to see Cappadocia. I am very excited to see the crazy rock formations and cave dwellings tomorrow!
Before we came to Turkey we spent an unexpected brilliant few days in Bulgaria- we weren't really sure what is was going to be like but the whole experience was great. We had a long journey by bus from Ohrid to Sofia, the capital. We happened to pitch up on Halloween night but had completely forgotten until we opened the door for a couple of zombies in the hostel. We were shown to our separate building by another zombie, who wasn't dressed up but had just been smoking a few too many we think, and headed straight out for food. We had some ok food and took in the freaky sights around us.
The next day we joined a free walking tour with an uber enthusiastic young guy. Sofia is a lovely city with literal layers of history. Every group of inhabitants has built on top of or around the previous group and so the layers have been stripped back and you can see full Roman roads and buildings including 3rd century churches. They even have the second biggest amphitheater found in the world, behind the Coliseum, but have allowed a hotel to be built over it which is sad. We spent the rest of the day visiting some of the churches and the cathedral. The hostel had free dinner which was great for meeting some interesting people in the evening (as well as the standard acoustic musician travelers trying to look cool 'jamming' in the corner). We even ran into Joe, a young Aussie guy we'd first met in Valbone, Albania, so it was great to see him again and he then featured numerous times throughout the trip until now and no doubt will pop up again before we leave. We would have both happily stayed in Sofia a bit longer as we enjoyed it but had to move on to the centre of the country, Veliko Tarnovo (VT).
VT used to be the capital of Bulgaria centuries ago so is historically quite an important place and a very strikingly set town. Our hostel sat right next to the fortress which was in fact a walled city on a hill. When we went up there to explore you could see the ruined walls of all the houses and churches that surrounded the main dwelling of the royal family. It had fantastic views of the town which sits between strange flat topped mountains and a couple of rivers. Before we ventured up there I took a deep breath and got a much needed hair cut. After asking numerous people we were shown through a shop and into a hair salon- the old ladies (the hairdressers) just looked at us for a good couple of minutes until they got up out of the chairs and signalled for me to sit down. My hairdresser did not have a word of English so all I could do was indicate a length and away she went! She sprayed some water on and then just starting nonchalantly chopping- none of this 'how do you want your layers', 'do you want a fringe cutting in' rubbish. 45 minutes and a shampoo later I had new hair and I have to say I think she did an alright job for a little less than a tenner! We spent the rest of the day exploring the cobbled streets and artists' quarter.
The next day was the real adventure...on our first day in Moldova we had met an American guy (Mr Sheen from Yonna's blogs) who told us that we had to see the abandoned communist building in Bulgaria. I had seen it before in pictures but had never really figured out where it was. Anyway by the time we reached Bulgaria we had decided it was an absolute must. Our hostel in VT ran day tours to it...a few things to note...it is not actually legal to get up to the Communist monument and it is on the top of a very high peak that barely has roads going up to it just mainly track so this wasn't going to be a nice, normal tour. Andy, a Kiwi guy, had been asked to stay working at the hoste after his trip as he was the only person crazy enough to try and drive up to it. We soon realised he certainly had the machine for it as seven of us (including Joe who'd popped up again) piled into what looked like a monster truck! We drove for a little more than an hour and spent some time in an Ethnographic village before the real adventure began. This truck could take on anything- we ploughed our way up the mountain, getting stuck a couple of times, running over full on tree trunks, nearly skidding off the mountain on snow and ice and scaling big rocks. It was a very very rough ride and particularly scary as I was in the front seat so could see everything coming but was well worth it when we reached the first stop to view the monument.
We were told that it was the HQ of the Communist party during their hold on Bulgaria. It was abandoned after the party fell and systematically wrecked and vandalised by the people since, as it was a symbol of oppression. It basically looks like a massive UFO has landed on the peak of a mountain. We piled back in the truck and headed due North up the side of the mountain- another crazy ride. The view from the top was incredible over the neighbouring peaks with clouds below us. After some time exploring the outside we got to do what we were all waiting for....go in! There is a clandestine small hole knocked into one side of the building which you have to climb through, dodging the broken glass and ice that had formed around it. Once in, the eerie space was absolutely staggering- some red carpet fragments still cling to the steps as you walk up into the main conference hall. There are huge 360 degree mosaics showing Communist scenes and figures with a huge sickle and hammer in the centre of the ceiling. The roof is slowly falling in so is open to the elements making it a bit like a skating rink inside. With the damage and the decaying building plus the snow and ice dripping around you it kind of felt like the whole monument was melting. We walked around the perimeter gangway which was at one point glazed, offering incredible views of the mountains outside. All the glass is smashed now so you can stand right up on the window ledge with the winds hitting you- it was a brilliant experience and we have some great pictures. We also climbed the tower which was not my favourite- it was basically 36 vertical ladders designed for workmen in the pitch black and freezing cold- the building was enough for me so I stayed for a few minutes before coming down again.
The trip down the mountain was actually crazier as the Andy guy decided he wanted to see just how 'off road' this truck could go, literally throwing us down uncharted mountain faces. I was pretty happy to be safely on the roads again and a little battered and brusied with ripped jeans but great memories of the experience.
That night we got on an overnight bus to Istanbul. As you can imagine the trip was not the comfiest so we were like zombies ourselves when we arrived in the city at 6am the next morning. After 2 hours of navigtaing the massive city we found our hostel and had a sleep! Istanbul is everything everyone says it is- an incredible mix of Eastern and Western cultures, busy, vibrant and buzzing. We stayed in Kadikoy so were a bit out of the tourist centre which was really nice.
After a sleep we got straight out and took the ferry across to Eminonu where all the main sites are. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the beautiful Topkapi Palace and hareem. That night I had the best baklava I have ever tasted! The next day we hit the tourist sights in a big way- we saw Hagia Sofia (which we thought was expensive and slightly over rated), the Blue Mosque, the 'underground palace' (which Dan Brown fans will know from his latest book) and the grand bazaar. A great day marred only slightly by the fact I had picked up a tummy bug again! The next day we visited Karakoy and went up Galata tower to get views of the whole city. We walked down to the waterfront and happened upon an incredible fish market before Yon tucked into two of the famous 'fish in bread'. I was gutted as it's the kind of thing I would love to eat but I wasn't feeling up to it :-( But I sat and took in the sights of the waterside whilst the beautiful call to prayer reverberated around the city from the scores of mosques.
On our last full day we visited our local hammam. Men and women were separate in this one so we went our seperate ways. With a few pushes, shoves and points, a lady directed me around the baths to tell me what to do before laying me on the central marble slab and scrubbing the hell out of me! Then came the soapy massage and the vigourous hair shampooing- it was a great, if not the most relaxing experience. Still not feeling great, we had a steady day of walking around the local antiques and artist markets before Joe popped up again! We all agreed it would be great to go to a local football match and Yon procured us tickets for Fenerbache. The stadium was huge and as you can imagine, the match was a very lively and loud affair. There was a brilliant atmosphere and the home team won which luckily meant the riot police we'd seen earler that night were not needed.
This morning we took a very short flight to Kayseri and then a bus to Goreme where we have based ourselves to see Cappadocia. I am very excited to see the crazy rock formations and cave dwellings tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment