So if you've a date in Constantinople..

So I know this update is quite long and I apologize in advance. I’ve been trying to update here for ages and Blogger has not been cooperative (see post below).

First, just a quick recap of my everyday life here in Istanbul:

Classes have started (cannot believe it’s the 5th week already!) and I’ve decided to take Ottoman Cultural History, Legacy of Alexander the Great, Museums and Cultural Heritage, and a course on the History of Philanthropy. My courses are fairly interesting but require a lot of reading which is never all that enjoyable when I could be out exploring one of the greatest cities in the world.

In terms of things I’ve done around Istanbul, a group of friends and I went to see the local football (real football, not American football) team play on a drizzly Sunday night. The game was crazy and pretty raucous as they were playing the number one team in the league whose fans are known for being even more raucous. The fans lit flares and never stopped cheering/standing up and screaming and it’s really how I think a football match should be. I never felt unsafe or anything of the sort, but it was certainly an experience.

Last weekend I made a trek to obtain my student discount travel card, which makes transit around Istanbul much easier (and cheaper!). I also got to make a journey out to the customs office to pick up a package. Let’s just say I would hope to never make it back to that part of Istanbul, though I did have baracklava. No, I spelled that right. The Turkish love Barack Obama and call their chocolate baklava baracklava. Clever, right? The next day we got our discount museum cards, which essentially makes all Turkish museums free. We ventured to the Aya Sofya and I honestly have no words for how gorgeous it is. It’s very weird to be inside a church that was converted into a mosque from roughly the 6th century.

Prior to last weekend, Emily and our two Kansas State friends (Beth and Shannon, for future reference) made a trip to the coastal city of Assos. We took an overnight bus to Cannakkale (where we had previously stopped to go to Troy). The bus was only 6 hours and I barely slept. I ended up waking up in the morning with a migraine, which was bad news. However, we ended up heading to Assos fairly early that morning (quite a good decision, I might add). I can honestly say is one of the most beautiful and serene places I’ve ever been. Friday we walked down towards to Aegean Sea and had a nice lunch. The water is so clear with no pollution or anything of the sort. It stretches on for miles with some gorgeous mountains/hills in the background. It’s not a large town but it’s a very relaxed place, which has a very calming effect. The next morning we woke up and had a homemade Turkish breakfast (tea, bread, honey, hard boiled egg, olives, cheese, and sometimes jam) at our pension. Afterwards, we headed towards the ruins near town, where the Temple of Athena was located. It never ceases to amaze me that you can just walk all over the ruins here. There are no guardrails that prevent you from experiencing something. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of walking around something that is more than two thousand years old. Just another reason to love Turkey.

This weekend I will finally get to see Topkapi Palace and some other museums in Istanbul (Archaeology Museum, Istanbul Modern). We only paid about $7 for our discount museum cards and they get us into all these great places for free. What a novel idea. I will also be going on a Bosphorus cruise that will take us up near the Black Sea (very far north from Istanbul) so that should be very exciting. Next weekend, we will be heading to the coastal city of Antalya for some sun and relaxation. Istanbul has not been particularly warm yet (60 has been the high, but it snowed for about a week two weeks ago) and I am really dying to be able to not wear a jacket everywhere. It’s really rough living in one of the greatest cities in the world.

I am starting to cement my spring break plans for Italy, which is very exciting. My K-State friends and I will be heading to Rome, Venice, Florence, and possibly Pisa on our excursion. We will also be in Rome during Easter, which should be an experience in itself.

Unfortunately, my sickness really did not allow me to take many pictures in Assos. I will edit this post and add a link to my photos once I upload them as well as links to some of my friends’ pictures. I’m also going to be a lazy bum and wait to upload pictures of the Aya Sofya until I go sightseeing this weekend so I can just do it all at once. I’m really only using writing this post as a tool for procrastination and not doing homework that I maybe possibly should be doing.

Anyways, expect an update to this post sometime early next week. I know you guys were just dying without my regular blog updates. So sorry!

Finally! An update!

So I know I've been remiss in updating my blog, but seriously, I've had a great reason. Turkey banned Blogger (and I think it's still banned. I really have no idea how I was miraculously able to access this site) for some legal reasons that I don't particularly care to explain. But you can read them here:http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=blogspot-is-banned-2011-03-02

Hopefully I'm able to access this site again tomorrow and I will therefore make a real update of what I've been up to for the last couple of weeks. Hope everyone is well!