Wrapping it up in Amsterdam

After Soup left, T and I decided not to head back to London for our flight a few days later as planned, but to stay and enjoy Amsterdam a while longer. We ate some absolutely delicious dinners, including one of my favorite Thai meals ever, did some last minute shopping, and enjoyed some local museums. We visited the Anne Frank Huis, AKA the row house in which Anne Frank and her family lived in hiding from the Nazis. This was truly one of the most moving experiences of my life and you all should experience it, too, if you're ever in the neighborhood. I read Anne Frank's Diary twice growing up. It was introduced to me by my favorite teacher of all time, Mrs. Sinks. The little things in the house were really the most emotional of all- like the wall in Anne and her sister's room that was still covered in aged photos from fashion magazines just like any other pre-teen girl's would be. I read a quote while there that really spoke to me:
"One single Anne Frank moves us more than the countless others who have suffered just as she did but whose faces have remained in the shadows. Perhaps it's better that way; if we were capable of taking in all the suffering of all those people, we would not be able to live."
Primo Levi, writer and Holocaust surviver

Now, I certainly can't end on such a sad note, people. So here goes with the hilarity. T and I started a game while in Amsterdam based on the fact that even the smartest non-Dutch speaker cannot remember the name of a store, restaurant, or anything else in Holland for more than 2 minutes no matter how hard he may try. We would challenge each other regularly and prove this point over and over. Well, we read about a local (and historical, really) distillery that served a traditional beverage called jenever. This gin-like liquor is served in tulip shaped glasses and filled to the top so that the drinker must lean over and drink it sans hands in order not to spill it. T and I went to this distillery that has been in business since 1679 and is still going strong. While we visited it twice, talked about it 10 times, and drank there extensively, the best I could muster up when challenged to remember their name was "Handjob Junkbox," and it will forever be known as that. However, if you'd like to check out Wynand Fockink yourself, here's their website!
http://www.wynand-fockink.nl/en/home.html

Canal Tour

Soup insisted that we go on the canal tour while in Amsterdam- and boy am I glad! We drank some Dutch beer wrapped in paper bags and had a fabulous time. There was so much amazing information shared on the tour about the architecture and history of different neighborhoods. Sadly, I remember none of it. But here are some pics for you to put your own stories to.

Amsterdam

There was something very special about the last stop on our way- our awesome pal Soup would be meeting us. It was such a great thing to see a familiar face and share some of the tales of our previous 5 weeks. Our joy when seeing a dear friend was hard to contain and we spent much of the first few hours laughing and chatting incessantly. The boys immediately set into making plans for our short time together. Our first night we had a blast walking all around the city. It was absolutely beautiful and unlike what I had expected. Being that Amsterdam is so much more liberal than any other place I've been to, including NOLA, I was surprised to find the city had such a wholesome feel to it. The sound of bicycle bells filled the air, beautiful blonde people and their families lunched at little bistros, colorful and fragrant flowers poured out of wooden boxes hanging from the ledges of practically every window. It was far more utopian that I ever would have thought.

On the plane from Istanbul


Cooking up a plan (AKA Goofing off)


The boys


Our Hotel


Soup and Monkey


Near a Canal


Dutch Flowers


One of my fave A'Dam pics


It was nice having a pic of us taken by someone else!


T getting into it

Turkey Tres

Being so close to the continent of Asia as we were, we could not resist the cross continental trip. So we hopped aboard a small ferry, crossed the Bosphorous River, and had a little sit down in an Asian park. It was pretty much the exact same thing at Euro-Turkey, but now we can say we've set foot in Asia. That night, we ate in the most modern part of Istanbul, Beyoglu, at a rooftop resaturant named 360 because of its panoramic views of the city. Tres cool view, tres mediocre fare.
When we left Turkey, we were ready. We liked our pretty little blue room, even though it lacked AC, but even after a few days in such unfamiliar surroundings, some English speakers and pizza sure sounded nice.

Ferry to Asia


Asian Monkey


Beyoglu


Blue room

Turkey Two

Our visit to the Basilica Cistern was unlike anything we had seen before. Built in the 6th century during the reign of Emperor Justinian I, this underground marvel was both mysterious and beautiful. Water (up to 80,000 cubic meters) was brought from north of the city via aqueducts to the cistern. The space was dank, cool, and stale, and the few fish that adapted to the unique surroundings were blind and albino. The most talked about features of the site are the two Medusa heads featured in the back of the cistern. One is on its side, while one is upside down. No one really knows why, but the various explanations are certainly interesting. We were also introduced to a ritual while in the cistern involving what we think is called the "wall of tears." Supposedly if one maneuvers their hand in a certain way in these variously placed holes throughout the city, they can feel the tears of the virgin. I tried the ritual in the wettest place in the city, so whether it was tears or ancient underground scum, I certainly felt some moisture. ***Watch the video and see me impress an elderly local with my technique.
After the cistern, we took our chances in the Grand Bazaar. I've never experienced salesmanship with quite this level of enthusiasm in all of my life. I had previously found the merchants on Canal St. to be the pushiest I had ever seen, but I would take 10 of them to just one Turkish pusher. The Bazaar had everything one might dream of buying- spices, clothing, souvenirs, artwork. There was literally an entire street devoted to the sale of buttons, hooks, and fasteners. The experience was amazing, but I cannot express my happiness at escaping those short little guys relentlessly trying to push 5 packs of men's Hilfiger socks on me.


Basilica Cistern


Medussa I


Medusa II



Wall of Tears


Grand Bazaar

Turkish Delight

We had an overnight stop in Athens, where we again stayed at "John's Place," in a tiny room sans bathroom. It is amazing how much grooming one can do with just a tiny low hung sink with no water pressure. We woke at 4am to catch a flight to Turkey. Getting to Istanbul was a little stressful to say the least. We nearly missed out flight and had our passports checked and luggage scanned no less than 3 times. I'm assuming the whole "Middle East" thing might have something to do with the stifling levels of security. Anyway, we arrived early in the afternoon on Friday- the holy day. We chose to stay in the historic (and highly religious) area of the city called Iskandari (questionable spelling to be corrected later). Being that it was the holy day, the calls to prayer were frequent, at ear piercing volumes, and frankly, a little freaky. And at the time of the call, when people from all directions began rushing to the nearest mosque (of which there were many to choose from in this area), T would remind me that we were "Not in Kansas anymore."
Our first stop in Istanbul was the former Grand Mosque of pre-Constantinople days, Hagia Sophia. It was formerly a place of christian worship, then a mosque, and currently a museum. Traces of this dynamic history were left in every corner of this fascinatingly beautiful place. We were also quite near the Blue Mosque, and it is still a functioning place of worship, and therefore a place we did not feel comfortable touristing in. But the pictures are incredible. We had an amazing dessert on a rooftop cafe with a remarkable view. That night, we ate at a small outdoor restaurant and upon ordering a much needed cold beer realized, to our dismay, that the whole of Iskandari was dry- thanks a lot, Allah.

Call to Prayer


Outside Hagia Sophia


T and Hagia


K and Hagia


Monkey and the Blue Mosque


Blue Mosque

Sayonara, Syros!

I would be remiss if I did not share this story. As the days of our 40 day adventure began to dwindle, money did, too. Syros was a perfect place to save a few bucks- cheap hotel, only entertainment being the beach, and most meals acquired from the local fruit stand/market. Well, on our last night, we ate at a shoreside restaurant that had a fabulous looking fish selection in a small glass case. How expensive could it be with rooms for 30 euros a night? I mean, we're talking about a tiny piece of land completely surrounded by the Mediterranean here- how difficult can it be to catch a nice fish? We found the answer to that question the hard way. Tom ordered a great looking snapper, and thankfully it also tasted great, because this was the world's most expensive fish. In fact, judging by the price, he may have eaten the world's LAST snapper. In American dollars, Tom ate a 90 dollar fish that night- the equivalent of 3 night's stay in our current hotel. He assured me we would laugh about the debacle someday.
Anyway, our last day on Syros was spent on Kini beach and we were pretty sad to leave. It was a beautiful place and one we hope to visit again someday.

Dinnertime Entertainment (Included in the price of the fish)


T bidding farewell to Kini


Anemone wound, Part II


Views from the bus ride home