Turkey/Bulgaria 2011: Istanbul Part One

One of the best things about OAR is the amount of cheap, accessible international travel. One day, an email to the list serve popped up on my phone screen with information about a ski trip to Bulgaria, going through Turkey. I had only ever left the country once, a trip to Niagara Falls, Canada when I was 12. Back then, you didn't even need a passport to go to Canada; I just walked across the border with ease. I had also never been skiing before and didn't know the first thing about it. I had only seen snow a few times in my life. Still, I found myself buying a plane ticket and applying for my first passport. I was particularly anxious to go to Istanbul in Turkey. My father is Greek and my family came to America from this city, which they still call Constantinople (as do all Greeks... I catch myself saying it every now and then). I had never been even close to Greece and the thought of connecting with my family, even superficially, was appealing. I wanted to see everything, to appreciate the land my great grandparents had left behind so many years ago. The city did not disappoint. Since our flight was in and out of Istanbul, our time spent in Bulgaria was sandwiched between two trips to Turkey.

When Emily, Andrew, and I first arrived, I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open on the metro from the airport. Our hostel was conveniently located near the Hagia Sophia and several other special monuments and museums. After a full day of flying and no sleep, I hardly remember that first day in Istanbul. We decided to just stay awake and keep going so that our bodies would adjust to the new time zone, which was seven hours ahead of Florida. We walked around near our hostel and then went to an archaeological museum. Honestly, I passed out in a chair and took a nap. I was mostly entranced by the ancient Greek artifacts and the ancient Greek writings on statues and tombs. That night, we took a sunset cruise down the Bosphorus. The illuminated buildings along the shore glittered and provided a beautiful backdrop to the churning water.

The next day, we had plans to meet up with our fourth group member, Brice, who had to take a later flight because of finals. We walked around a bit more before he got there, crossing one of the bridges by foot and walking along a bustling street that contained many consulates and shops. That night, the four of us took a 12 hour overnight bus to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Waking up at 2 AM to cross the border, which was encapsulated in an ominous fog, was intimidating. We all made it through though, officially entering the European Union.   

Events occurred: December 14-16, 2011