it's been so long (again) since I've blogged god sorry I'm a MESS! School's been getting pretty crazy and traveling almost every weekend, as amazing and fun as it's been, can be a little draining... blogging has honestly been at the bottom of my list week after week but I'm pushing through tired eyes to get this out there bc I don't want to forget a single thing once I'm back home in 2 months (WTF.......ok)
SO since I've been gone..... we went on a trip to Izmir, Ephesus, and Pamukkale..... and honestly, if you ever find yourself in Turkey, definitely try and make trips out of Istanbul. It's so worth it. I mean, yes, you won't get bored of Istanbul quickly, but it's such a tiny part of Turkey as a whole that I feel like you're missing out if you don't see at least some of these other places :-) yeah so me, Kyle, Carla, and Lauren flew into Izmir on Thursday and had an interesting car rental experience that involved Lauren renting a car with her Australian learner's permit bc Kyle was still 20..... shakily driving us out of the parking lot ("Which one is the gas and brake again?") and then doing a quick in-car switcharoo with Kyle out of the Enterprise workers' line of sight so we could make a speedy getaway. completely illegal but hey! Ended up being the cheapest travel option so we made use of it
The actual town of Izmir is full of cute restaurants, surprisingly energetic nightlife, and bars for days. Also some prostitutes...maybe one would even say many.. Not as raging as Taksim, which is probably why I loved it, but it had a very similar feel to it so we felt right at home. also I'm pretty sure I had pesto spaghetti every night for the 4 days we were there but no regretz............. U gotta do u sometimes
Pamukkale was our Friday excursion and it was SO F*CKIN COOL like! Google for a better idea of how beautiful it was in real life but .....it's basically just cascading clear hot springs in salt deposits where people go to wade in the water, sometimes fully sit, bathe.... it was an experience. PLUS Kyle completely ate shit as soon as we walked onto the ground!!! it was a truly magical moment for us and the Turkish bystanders (Kyle fall count: 4) hah
We saw tons and tons of ruins in Ephesus and Pamukkale and spending time with everybody was so great (missed Karol tho)! I would probably go back to that area of Turkey in the future, maybe during the summertime? The beaches and coastal islands are supposedly gorgeous, akin to the Greek islands, and not as touristy. definitely up my alley
The day I came back, Grace arrived in Istanbul for a couple days. It was so good to see her and catch up on ~life..... just seeing another familiar Boston face was so refreshing. We did all the typical touristy things, got harassed at the Grand bazaar (lololololol love it), went to delicious restaurants with her family friend JP (who was literally the kindest human being in the world), explored Karakoy, etc......miss her already but I know it's gonna be a thousand times sweeter seeing her again in the fall when we're SENIORS omg Kill me............
After Grace left, I went on a mini trip to Bursa with Karolina, Gwen, Anna, and some other people, and it was actually super fun despite the travel troubles we ran into beforehand. Running from one ferry port to the other trying to find space was tiring, but we eventually made it to the city and while it didn't offer as much as Izmir did, traveling with new people made the whole trip worth it. We went for breakfast the next day in a quaint village that seemed very touristy but was truly just full of kind people serving delicious foods and selling their colorful handmade goods. such a nice, albeit brief, getaway
In the midst of all these visitors and weekend trips, there HAS been hella amounts of studying in the library, studying in my bed, studying in cafes.... studying until I pass out basically. 5 classes ain't so fun for a simple gal like me. However, I did manage to fit in the latest season of Broadchurch into my schedule which was nice. I always like making time for ME aka sitting in bed with a Magnum bar and Netflix..... and I do miss Chipotle every now and again. But I'm enjoying the time spent with abroad friends, Karolina and Kyle................... and my eyes are literally closing on me in Simit so I'll save my weekend trip to Budapest and my upcoming Paris trip with the GF ABBY for next time! Time abroad seems like it's coming to a close so quickly but then it's off to India for 2 weddings and maybe an internship in Boston over the summer? who knows but exciting things are happening and grades are just a number........ *she whispers to herself with shaky reassurance*
Until next tiiiime...
SO since I've been gone..... we went on a trip to Izmir, Ephesus, and Pamukkale..... and honestly, if you ever find yourself in Turkey, definitely try and make trips out of Istanbul. It's so worth it. I mean, yes, you won't get bored of Istanbul quickly, but it's such a tiny part of Turkey as a whole that I feel like you're missing out if you don't see at least some of these other places :-) yeah so me, Kyle, Carla, and Lauren flew into Izmir on Thursday and had an interesting car rental experience that involved Lauren renting a car with her Australian learner's permit bc Kyle was still 20..... shakily driving us out of the parking lot ("Which one is the gas and brake again?") and then doing a quick in-car switcharoo with Kyle out of the Enterprise workers' line of sight so we could make a speedy getaway. completely illegal but hey! Ended up being the cheapest travel option so we made use of it
The actual town of Izmir is full of cute restaurants, surprisingly energetic nightlife, and bars for days. Also some prostitutes...maybe one would even say many.. Not as raging as Taksim, which is probably why I loved it, but it had a very similar feel to it so we felt right at home. also I'm pretty sure I had pesto spaghetti every night for the 4 days we were there but no regretz............. U gotta do u sometimes
Pamukkale was our Friday excursion and it was SO F*CKIN COOL like! Google for a better idea of how beautiful it was in real life but .....it's basically just cascading clear hot springs in salt deposits where people go to wade in the water, sometimes fully sit, bathe.... it was an experience. PLUS Kyle completely ate shit as soon as we walked onto the ground!!! it was a truly magical moment for us and the Turkish bystanders (Kyle fall count: 4) hah
The day I came back, Grace arrived in Istanbul for a couple days. It was so good to see her and catch up on ~life..... just seeing another familiar Boston face was so refreshing. We did all the typical touristy things, got harassed at the Grand bazaar (lololololol love it), went to delicious restaurants with her family friend JP (who was literally the kindest human being in the world), explored Karakoy, etc......miss her already but I know it's gonna be a thousand times sweeter seeing her again in the fall when we're SENIORS omg Kill me............
After Grace left, I went on a mini trip to Bursa with Karolina, Gwen, Anna, and some other people, and it was actually super fun despite the travel troubles we ran into beforehand. Running from one ferry port to the other trying to find space was tiring, but we eventually made it to the city and while it didn't offer as much as Izmir did, traveling with new people made the whole trip worth it. We went for breakfast the next day in a quaint village that seemed very touristy but was truly just full of kind people serving delicious foods and selling their colorful handmade goods. such a nice, albeit brief, getaway
In the midst of all these visitors and weekend trips, there HAS been hella amounts of studying in the library, studying in my bed, studying in cafes.... studying until I pass out basically. 5 classes ain't so fun for a simple gal like me. However, I did manage to fit in the latest season of Broadchurch into my schedule which was nice. I always like making time for ME aka sitting in bed with a Magnum bar and Netflix..... and I do miss Chipotle every now and again. But I'm enjoying the time spent with abroad friends, Karolina and Kyle................... and my eyes are literally closing on me in Simit so I'll save my weekend trip to Budapest and my upcoming Paris trip with the GF ABBY for next time! Time abroad seems like it's coming to a close so quickly but then it's off to India for 2 weddings and maybe an internship in Boston over the summer? who knows but exciting things are happening and grades are just a number........ *she whispers to herself with shaky reassurance*
Until next tiiiime...
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