Well, I told you that I would fail at updating this

I would start off with an apology for not updating my blog very frequently but I have to say, I did already warn you guys.

That being said, I've been fairly busy with school (gasp. Yes, I actually attend a university) and more traveling/exploring.

The weekend before last (March 25) I did indeed visit Topkapi Palace, the Archaeology Museum, Galata Tower, and Dolmabahçe (Dohl-muh-bah-che) Palace. Topkapi Palace was gorgeous and amazingly extensive in terms of size and the tiles (especially the ceilings) that were housed there. They also supposedly had the Staff of Moses and other religious artifacts that we weren't allowed to take pictures of. Can't say I particularly believe they were able to keep a bunch of bark in pristine condition for several thousand years (especially when it's only been a museum for less than a hundred years). The Archaeology Museum was very interesting but also very extensive. It was kind of like an overload in my brain of artifacts that I wasn't exactly sure of what they were/what context they came from. At least it was free to get into! Galata Tower may just have the best panoramic views of Istanbul and we were lucky enough to go on possibly the best weather day Istanbul has seen since I've been here. I honestly have no words and my pictures probably can't do it justice. Dolmabahçe Palace was different from the stereotypical Ottoman Palace that was Topkapi. It was built at the end of the sultanate in a more European (think of Versailles) style. We weren't allowed to take pictures in it but I highly suggest clicking here to learn more. I also ended up going on a cruise up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea. We stopped at a cute little town (that was obviously infested with tourists) and ate some good, fresh seafood. I still don't understand why they leave the bones in, though. Hello, health hazard. Anyways, we trekked up a very steep hill towards a castle for some more exploring only to find out that the castle was closed. However, the views from the top of the hill were gorgeous and there were hammocks nearby. Rough life.

This past weekend I went with Shannon, Emily, and Kayla (a friend of ours from Columbia) to Antalya, a gorgeous coastal town. We flew (yay no overnight busing!) on Thursday night and had two great days in Antalya. We stayed in the old city which is paved in cobblestone-esque streets and a very touristy, but gorgeous area that seems like it's been pulled out of a movie. We spent a lot of time just exploring the area which was fun.

Friday we were able to walk down to the beach (okay, we actually walked what felt like the entire length of the Antalyan coast..it was several miles). It was about 80 degrees which was a very welcome change from the weather we had been experiencing in Istanbul. The beach was actually made of rocks but it wasn't uncomfortable. Antalya is a very unique beach in that the mountain range behind it literally just drops right onto a beach surrounded by gorgeous cliffs. We were able to spend a couple hours with our feet in the Mediterranean. I got a really cute farmer's tan and Emily, well, Emily may have resembled a tomato for a bit there. We had dinner overlooking the harbor surrounded by cliffs and watched the sun set.

Saturday was a bit rainier which limited our options. We tried catching a bus to a supposedly nearby area with Lycian tombs but because of the windy coastal roads, it would have been a 3 hour bus ride. We decided to instead visit Duden Falls, which were beautiful but somewhat commercialized. It kind of looked like the place where they film those cheesy Irish Spring commercials. Afterwards, we headed back into the old town and did homework on a ledge overlooking the sea. Really the best place I've ever done homework. Not sure anything can come close to that one. We got cheaper dinner and baklava (cause you can't have a day without baklava) and ended up walking down to the harbor to watch the sun set. It was overall a really nice weekend to get away from the hustle and bustle of Istanbul and just be carefree for a bit.

Next weekend (aka this weekend) Emily and I are heading to Vienna for some delicious chocolate and fun shenanigans. The weekend after, my sister and her boyfriend are coming to visit so I finally get to be her tour guide after the time she spent leading myself and my parents around Honduras. After that, it's spring break and I'll be off to Italy! I honestly don't know where my time here has gone but I'm clinging to it. I really am going to miss Istanbul. It will be hard to go back to life in Chapel Hill (though I do miss Chipotle probably more than is humanly possible).

I'll attempt to update this after Vienna with pictures and hopefully good experiences to share!

To check out my Assos (last blog post) and Antalya pictures, click here

To check out updated photos of Istanbul (including things from the last post), click here