We ended our 7 ½ months of travel with just under 3 days of sightseeing in Istanbul. After arriving at our Airbnb in Beyoğlu, a lively and diverse neighborhood dating back to before the Byzantine Empire, we went to Old Ottoman Café for a delicious lunch of fresh mezze (yogurt with mint, grape leaves stuffed with rice and herbs, eggplant dip, and spicy pepper dip served with fresh Turkish bread) and a traditional Ottoman dish of chicken in a delicious sauce with peppers and onions. We got dondurma, chewy Turkish ice cream made with mastic, on our way to the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar was built in the 1450s following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. It is often considered one of the world’s first shopping malls, and remains extremely busy to this day; hundreds of thousands of people visit each day to explore the 4,000+ stores selling everything from spices to fake designer handbags to artisan-crafted jewelry. We spent the evening strolling through the beautiful, tree-lined Gülhane Park. The next morning, we started early with one of two extremely memorable, cheap, and delicious Turkish breakfasts at Van Kahvalti Evi. For about $10 total, we each had unlimited Turkish tea, fresh squeezed orange juice, an assortment of cheeses, tomatoes, cucumbers, honey with honeycomb, black and green olives, hazelnut spread, sour cherry jam, tahini, garlic yogurt dip with mint, hard boiled eggs, and fresh bread. We walked across the Galata Köprüsü Bridge into the Old City. We stopped in the Egyptian Spice Bazaar, and bought some spices and homemade perfumes from an extremely personable Syrian refugee shop owner, then explored the iconic Sultanahmet Square. We visited the Hagia Sofia, one of the most beautiful buildings we’ve seen. Formerly a Greek Orthodox basilica, the Hagia Sofia was first built in 537 AD. It was converted into an Ottoman Mosque in 1453, and used as a place of worship until 1931. Pink on the outside with a pale blue dome, surrounded by minarets, the Hagia Sofia is instantly distinguishable from the many mosques around Istanbul. Turkey’s first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk had the building restored in 1935, including having some of the Christian mosaics uncovered, and it has been a museum ever since. Next, we visited Topkapı Palace, the residence of the Ottoman Sultans beginning in the 1400s. We walked around the beautiful grounds and saw intricately decorated rooms and a collection of relics from some of the Islamic prophets. We had a simple but phenomenal lunch at Ortaklar Kebap Lahmacun. Robert had lamb wrapped in bread with spicy sauce, and I had the most delicious chicken grilled over coals with tomato barley. We also tried Ayran, a savory, salty yogurt drink popular in Turkey. We looked at silk carpets and handmade ceramics at a shop with a very friendly and effective salesman. Store owners in Turkey can be very aggressive – they usually invite you for tea, and won’t take no for an answer. They are very personable as they roll out the many carpets for sale. We ended up buying a beautiful hand-painted ceramic bowl, and promised to come back for the carpets when we have a house or larger apartment someday. We toured the Sultan Ahmed (Blue) Mosque, then had an afternoon treat of baklava, sliced ice cream, and Turkish coffee at Hafiz Mustafa. We spent the evening wandering around the city. We started our final day of the trip with another Turkish breakfast - this one included grilled halloumi, clotted cream in honey, tomatoes, cucumbers, hardboiled eggs stir-fried in butter and spices, bread with sour cherry jam, tahini, rose syrup, olives, cheeses, meats, roasted peppers, stuffed grape leaves, coffee, and tea. We saw the intricate and radiant mosaics at the Chora Church, originally built as part of a monastery just outside Constantinople at the beginning of the 4th century. Most of what stands today dates from the late 1070s when it was rebuilt. The mosaics were completed in the early 1300s. We had another strong, rich Turkish coffee, then went to the massive and architecturally stunning Sulimaniye Mosque on the Third Hill. After snacking on simit – circular bread covered in sesame seeds, not unlike a bagel, we visited the Basilica Cistern. Built during Byzantine Emperor, Justinian’s reign in the 500s, the cistern could hold 80,000 cubic meters of water. Its construction involved roughly 7,000 slaves. Next, we saw Taksim square, and the massive mosque construction site across from it. Construction on this controversial mosque began after the 2016 coup attempt against President Erdogan, after which Erdogan became more powerful and more forceful in his vision to make Turkey a more religious nation. We had dinner while watching the sun set over the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque. The next morning, we flew back to New York, where we stayed at Robert’s family’s house for a few days before moving into our new apartment! This has been the most incredible, eye-opening, fulfilling eight months of our lives. It feels like a lifetime ago that I finished college, we put all our things in storage in Philadelphia, and flew to Taipei last Christmas day. During our travel through 17 countries, we met so many interesting and wonderful people. We tried amazing foods like tea leaf salad in Mandalay, tian shui mian in Chengdu, pasta with foraged hazelnuts and truffles in San Miniato, and many more dishes we are going to now attempt to make at home. We lived out of carry-on backpacks for the entire journey which was convenient and wonderful, and also why we are always wearing the same unfashionable athletic wear in all our pictures. And we also got engaged! We are so excited for our future, and we will always look back with such joy on this exciting and unique time of our lives. Thanks to all our friends and family who kept up with our travel adventures on this blog! And if you’re ever in New York, definitely get in touch!
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We arrived in Tbilisi from Mestia around midnight after a 3-hour car ride and six-hour train trip. After some much-needed rest, we set out exploring the city on foot, passing through commercial streets, the eclectic garage sale-style Dry Bridge Market, and Liberty Square, the center of the city. Tbilisi, a city of 1.5 million residents, was founded in 479 and became Georgia’s capital in 1122. The area has been inhabited by humans since the 4th millennium B.C. Tbilisi has much European charm, but also relics of the Soviet past. The city is changing as tourism brings income and sleek glass buildings replace crumbling edifices. We found it modern and cosmopolitan, contrasting with the relative poverty and isolation of the country’s more rural areas, although they are changing, too. We had tasty meals at G. Vino, a Georgian wine bar. Georgia’s famous wines are different than most: the entire grape, stem, and leaves are fermented together underground in clay jars called kvevri, an 8,000-year-old tradition. The wine has an exceptionally rich, opaque color and bold taste, with a slightly thicker consistency than the wines we are used to in the United States. The most popular variety is Saperavi, produced largely in Eastern Georgia’s Kakheti region. We moved to another guesthouse for our last three nights. Located in Tbilisi’s old city, the Soviet-style building was in quite poor shape, with crooked staircases and a deteriorated façade; fortunately, our room was comfortable and the family was very hospitable, offering us fresh fruit in the mornings. We took a day trip to Mtskheta, the coronation city and burial site for Georgian kings until the end of the kingdom in the 19th, where we saw the incredible Svetiskhoveli Cathedral, built between 1010-1029. We also rode up to the Jvari Monastery (586-605 A.D.), the site where St. Nino in the 4th century introduced Christianity to Georgia by erecting a large wooden cross, fragments of which remain in the church. We spent our last two days in Tbilisi largely inside, as Alexa followed my lead and got sick. Although it was disappointing that we were sick for a cumulative week in Georgia, we had a great time doing what we could, and hope to return to finish our trek in Svaneti, visit the Kazbegi mountainous region, and see the Kakheti wine region. We made it through our entire 7 ½ month trip sick for only a few days. From Tbilisi, we flew to Istanbul for our last three nights of our journey. We arrived to our Airbnb room overlooking the Bosphorus, where we woke up to a spectacular view of both Europe and Asia, a fitting end to the trip. From Kutaisi, we took a marshrutka (shared van) 5 hours north to Mestia, the largest town in the Svaneti region, set among the stunning Caucasus Mountains. Svaneti is inhabited by the Svans, a distinct group in Georgia with its own language, dress, and traditions. The UNESCO-recognized Svan towers dot the landscape. 5-story structures mostly built between the 9th-12th centuries, the incredible towers served as dwellings and defensive posts against invaders in this remote region. We took in some Svaneti history at the excellent Museum of History and Ethnography – a must-see collection of material culture and history. For dinner, we had a light meal of eggplant with walnut paste, bread, and vegetable soup at Sunseti Restaurant. The next morning, we set out for our 4-day trek from Mestia to Ushguli, Europe’s highest permanently occupied settlement. The winding dirt and gravel trails took us over mountains, through pastures, across rivers, into valleys, and finally to the village of Zhabeshi, where we spent our first night. Locals run simple guesthouses with one shared bathroom for all guests, enormous meals, and livestock neighbors. We enjoyed our stay, and were fascinated to see how these villages, some of the poorest and most remote in Europe, are developing as tourism in Georgia and the Svaneti region increases. The second day took us on a steep hike over a mountain ridge where the brand-new ski lift signaled the arrival of the Tetnuldi ski resort. The sharp peak of Tetnuldi Mountain reaches 15,938 feet. The glaciers on the mountain supply part of the network of streams and rivers of clean water that sustains lkife in the region. We continued down through the forest on the other side of the mountain, passing rivers and wildflowers, then arriving in Adishi, where we spent the night. At our guesthouse in Adishi, we met backpackers from Belgium, China, Lebanon, Italy, Israel, and elsewhere, a testament to Georgia’s growing popularity. The country of 3.7 million had an estimated 3.5 million tourist visits in 2017, contributing 18% of GDP. Only 42,645 of those arrivals were Americans. Our guesthouse hosts cooked an enormous meal for the 18 guests (again, sharing one bathroom, so we took our showers early before most arrived). We enjoyed meeting people from around the world and trying the local white wine. Unfortunately, our trek was cut short when I woke up sick at 2am. I caught a terrible stomach virus, and Alexa took great care of me for the next two days as I was mostly confined to bed and had no appetite. We were disappointed to miss the rest of the hike, but are grateful for the two great days we had, and are looking forward to returning to Georgia to finish! We took a taxi to Zugdidi to catch the train to Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, and are now back on track.
We said goodbye to the family in London, as they had to catch an early flight home, while we spent our last morning there walking around and picking up some hiking gear for Georgia. We flew five hours to Kutaisi, Georgia, landing a bit after midnight on Friday. Despite our late arrival, we woke up early to spend a full day exploring Kutaisi, the capital of the Kingdom of Georgia in the Middle Ages and now the country’s 3rd largest city, with about 150,000 people. The Georgian parliament moved to Kutaisi in 2012. We walked to the main square and had breakfast at Baraqa, where we tried one of Georgia’s most famous dishes: khachapuri. Khachapuri is a fresh baked bread stuffed or covered with sulguni or imeruli, types of fresh, savory cheeses. We had the khachapuri adjaruli, which includes an egg yolk to mix with the sulguni cheese, making a dipping sauce. In an effort to balance our diet, we picked up some fresh fruit at the market before catching the marshrutka (shared van) to Gelati Monastery. Founded in 1106 and beautifully painted in the 16th century, Gelati Monastery was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Standing remote atop a small mountain, the monastery’s painted ceilings, mosaic iconography, and expansive views make it an incredible place to visit. We continued again via marshrutka to the Motsameta Monastery, built in the 11th century and beautifully set on a cliff’s edge above the Tskhaltsitela River. It, too, had beautiful artwork, impressive for such a seemingly remote location. We rode back to Kutaisi to pick up some snacks ahead of our 4-day trek from Mestia to Ushguli in the Caucasus Mountains, in the Svaneti region near the Russian border. Dinner was at Bar-Restaurant Palaty, where we had some more delicious traditional Georgian dishes: khachapuri imeruli (bread stuffed with fresh cheese), eggplant slices with walnut paste, beans in the pot (deliciously seasoned), chicken shashlik skewers, and pumpkin with honey and walnuts for dessert. We also enjoyed the local red wine. It is believed that wine production was invented in Georgia about 8,000 years ago; the traditional winemaking method in clay jars is deeply entwined with the country’s culture. All dishes were excellent and distinctive, different from anything we’d had before. Our six days in London were filled with delicious food, wonderful museums (entrance is free, so we went back to some multiple times), and entertaining theater. My family loves London so much that we go back every few years, so it was a great end to our seven weeks of traveling together. We went to Fortnum & Mason for our favorite chocolate truffles; saw art at the Tate Modern, the National Gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery; returned to see sections of the British museum we hadn’t previously had time for; and walked through the many different neighborhoods of one of my favorite cities in the world. Robert and I got to meet his dad’s aunt and uncle, Vivien and Sidney, who had us over for dinner. It was so nice to connect with another part of the family. We took a tour of Buckingham Palace, where we saw a small fraction of the monumental art collection owned by the royal family, as well as some of the formal ball and meeting rooms. This was new for us because it is only open during the short periods of the year when Queen Elizabeth is away at one of her other palaces in Scotland. Another thing we hadn’t done previously was to visit Parliament while it was in session. We got to observe both the House of Commons and the House of Lords as members gave speeches and debated over issues like Brexit and fostering unity between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Robert, my dad, and I spent a leisurely day in Oxford exploring the oldest English-speaking university (estimates date its origin at around 1096!). I spent a summer studying there when I was 17, living in the charming on the outside, but slightly shabby on the inside rooms on the quad at Oriel. The trip down memory lane ended with a visit to Christ Church (where they filmed the great hall and some other scenes in Harry Potter) and an afternoon tea and scone. We returned to London via train to meet my mom and Amanda to see Les Miserables. We also saw two Agatha Christie plays, Mousetrap (now in its 66th year) and Witness for the Prosecution, as well as Dreamgirls. All were fabulous. We spent four days last week walking through the Cotwolds, a scenic, pastoral region of central England. The UK has friendly laws towards walkers, so we were able to cross farms and other private property along the Heart of England Way. We walked between 8 and 15 miles per day, staying in a different town each night (our bags were transported between B&Bs by a van). As we walked over the rolling hills, we passed grazing animals, raspberry and blackberry bushes, fragrant fields of lavender, and golden wheat rippling in the breeze. We stopped in towns along the way for lunch at pubs, to sample local beers, and for afternoon teas. It was an extremely pleasant few days and we are looking forward to going back to walk more of the 100-mile walking trail! We started in Moreton-on-Marsh, and stayed in Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Campden, and then back to Moreton. We enjoyed the centuries-old history and charm of the towns, usually centered around an 800 to 900-year-old church with an ancient graveyard. Some buildings even still have thatched roofs. We also walked to Broadway, and stopped in other charming Cotswold towns on our way before catching the train to our final stop of the family trip: London. We drove south to Edinburgh (pronounced ed-in-bruh or ed-in-buh-ruh), the picturesque capital of Scotland since the 15th century. Alexa and I had an excellent lunch at Mother India, then went for a long walk through town. We visited Victoria Street, inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series, and continued on High Street to Cockburn Street, a cobbled path that winds down the hill. We had cream tea (tea with a scone, clotted cream, and jam) and a slice of cake at the charming Forsyth’s Tea Room, managed by a woman who runs the old-fashioned shop herself. From there, we climbed Calton Hill to enjoy panoramic views of the city, then met Rick to ascend the much steeper Arthur’s Seat, a promontory that overlooks Edinburgh. We reached the top just in time for sunset. The next day, some of us took a walking tour to learn about Edinburgh’s rich history. During the final stop at Greyfriars Kirkyard cemetary, the guide recounted the heartwarming story of Bobby, a Skye Terrier who became famous for spending 14 years loyally guarding his owner’s grave. The guide pointed out that Skye Terriers have a 10-year life expectancy, so the city may have installed a Bobby II to maintain the popular attraction. Alexa and I spent the afternoon at Edinburgh Castle, located high on the Castle Rock. The site has been occupied by humans since at least the 2nd century and it has been a royal residence since the 1100s. We had an afternoon treat at Mary’s Milk Bar, located in the Grassmarket, where people historically could buy groceries, visit taverns, and watch public executions in one convenient location. From Glasgow, we drove north to Oban (pronounced ooh-ban), a port town that has been inhabited since Mesolithic times. Oban grew in the 1800s around the distillery and fishing businesses, aided by the opening of the rail station. It served as an important Atlantic base during World War II, and was the site where the first Transatlantic Telephone Cable came ashore. We enjoyed the town’s beautiful horseshoe harbor and cool, northern feel; the sun set just after 10pm. We took a boat tour to the islands of Mull, Staffa and Iona. The Isle of Mull, sparsely populated, boasts dramatic hills and mountains, lush with greenery and grazing animals. Lachlan Macquarie, the “Father of Australia,” was born near Mull and was part of the family Clan MacQuarrie, which owned some of these islands for over 1000 years. We rode out to Staffa, also once owned by Clan MacQuarrie, where we saw the dramatic basalt columns reminiscent of the famous Giant’s Causeway in Ireland. The island is also a nesting site for puffins, an adorable bird species. We continued to Iona, where we ate lunch and saw the Iona Abbey, which was originally founded in 563 and was attacked by the Vikings in the 800s. The close communities, deep history, and beauty of these islands made for an excellent day trip. We drove north to Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands and northernmost city in the United Kingdom, to take in more scenery and long, sunny days. Alexa and I spent the afternoon walking through the city and its parks along the River Ness. The next day, we visited the famed Loch Ness. Alexa’s dad, Rick, and I tried haggis, the Scottish national dish: “a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs); minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, traditionally encased in the animal's stomach” (Wikipedia). It was delicious and went down smoother than expected with whisky cream sauce drizzled over it. We relished the chance to try sheep’s lung, as it is banned in the United States. We hiked through the stunning Glen Affric nature reserve to recover. The Highlands’ pristine scenery is a relaxing and invigorating break from the cities. We said goodbye to Michael in Dublin, as he had to fly to Dallas to begin intensive tennis training before starting on the GW team in the fall. The rest of us flew to Glasgow to begin our travels through the UK. Though we only spent a couple days in Scotland’s largest city, we found it to be lively and dynamic. We had dinner at a Greek restaurant, and Robert and my parents went for an evening walk to the Glasgow necropolis, a historic cemetery, while Amanda and I went back to the hotel. The next day, Robert and I went on a walking tour of the city where we saw interesting murals, statues, and learned a bit about the history and culture of Glasgow. The population of Glasgow is around 600,000, but up to 2,000,000 live in the city and its suburbs. Glasgow was founded by St. Mungo in the 500s AD, and signs of the patron saint are everywhere. The mural we included is a modern depiction of St. Mungo bringing a bird back to life. We had dinner at Number 16, a creative, modern take on Scottish cooking, then Robert and I met Amanda at the hotel and the three of us went out for drinks and live music. The next morning, we rented a van to drive to the Highlands. After a memorable three weeks in Italy, we took the train from Florence to Pisa to catch our flight to Dublin, Ireland. We checked into our hotel and went for a late afternoon walk around Grafton Street, a lively shopping area with many street performers. My mom and Amanda were tired, so they went back while Robert, Michael, my dad, and I went to The Brazen Head for a beer. The al fresco pub claims to be the oldest in Ireland, dating from 1198. We had a couple beers there and at L. Mulligan Grocer, then ate some late-night fish and chips at Leo Burdock, which has been in business since 1913. Amanda planned many of our activities in Dublin, including the Kilmainham Gaol prison tour and Guinness brewery tour on our first full day. The tour of Kilmainham Gaol was excellent – we learned about the significant revolutionary leaders of Ireland who were imprisoned and, in many cases, executed there by the British. Though no prisoners have been held there for about 100 years, it is an integral part of Irish history. We had lunch at Nancy Hands, a cozy pub, then spent the afternoon learning about and tasting Ireland’s most famous beer. Though it was a pleasant enough way to spend a couple hours, Guinness was far from the best beer we drank in Ireland. The next day, we had breakfast at Kilkenny Café, a friendly cafeteria-style breakfast and lunch restaurant in a department store near our hotel. Their scones with raspberry preserves and clotted cream were particularly delicious. My dad and I walked around the zoo and visited Dublin Castle while Amanda relaxed and Robert and my mom visited the Trinity College Library and ChristChurch Cathedral. At the college, they saw the 1200-year-old Book of Kells and unusual library where the books are organized by weight and height. We all met later in the day for a beautiful walk around St Stephen’s Green. On our final full day in the city, we took an entertaining free walking tour with Sandeman’s, and went to a delicious afternoon tea that Amanda planned at the Shelbourne Hotel. Some of us went to the Irish Whiskey Museum (the Irish spell it with an "e" in contrast to Scotland's spelling, whisky) to learn about the history and process of distilling whiskey in Ireland. Production is increasing again in Ireland after a stall in the last century, and the country has much to offer beyond Jameson. Compared with Scotch whiskey which is usually distilled twice and made from peat-smoked barley, Irish whiskey forgoes the peat and is distilled three times, so though it tends to lack the smokier flavor of Scotch, Irish whiskey is typically smoother. We of course tried several varieties to taste for ourselves. We visited Howth, a charming fishing village a few miles outside Dublin for a late dinner. We spent the last day of our short stay in Ireland visiting Glendalough and Kilkenny. We got a late start due to a delay at the rental car company, so we didn’t get to spend as much time sightseeing as we would have liked. In Glendalough, we visited the ruins of an early medieval monastic settlement founded by a monk named Kevin in the 600s AD. We saw a stone tower, the ruins of a church, and graveyard set amongst the stunning green valley. In Kilkenny, we walked around the outside of the castle, which had unfortunately closed by the time we arrived. We explored the charming town and visited the Black Abbey, the location of a siege when Oliver Cromwell tried to force Catholicism out of the British Isles in the 1640s. The abbey has beautiful stained-glass windows. The next day, we took a Ryanair flight to Glasgow to begin our travels through Scotland. We hope to return to Ireland soon to spend more time exploring the countryside and to visit the famously beautiful Cliffs of Moher. |
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