on a moonlit night πŸŒ™πŸ•Œβœ¨Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ 

T H A T β€’ B I S H β€’ J O
 

Week 10.

Where: Ayvalik β†’ Istanbul, Turkey
 
 

R E F L E C T I O N S

It’s officialβ€” I never had Turkish Delight when I was in Turkey, mostly because I kept putting it off and didn’t want to get stuck paying the β€œtourist prices” at the local spice shops. I’m sure C.S. Lewis is smiling down on me. But I did have plenty of baklava… I’m sure my dentist will also be smiling down on me next time I see him πŸ€‘

Last Saturday, I was still in the coastal town of Ayvalik, which is about 150 kilometers north of Izmir (formally known as Smyrna). Beste, my Turkish instagram friend, took me to the nearby island of Cunda, which for many years was part of Greece but somehow eventually became part of Turkey (probably during the Greek war of independence from the Ottomans, although I haven’t researched it myself).

Cunda was a quaint little town, with hilltops capped by old windmills like you would see in the movies (or The Bachelorette, several seasons ago). Much like Ayvalik, there were restaurants aplenty, a plethora of old Orthodox churches either repurposed into mosques or irreversibly dilapidated, and many, many cats. We walked around for the better part of the day, popping into restaurants when we got tired, or hungry, or when it began to rain. At the end of the evening, we went back to our Airbnb and then went out for another night of mezzes and raki, the local ouzo-esque beverage.

I left fairly early the next morning for Istanbul. I only had a few other things on my list of sights to check out: Topkapi palace, the Suleymaniye mosque, and the Hagia Sophia one more time. I had heard there were many early Christian mosaics that I had somehow missed, plus, it felt like a good way to bookend this leg of the trip.

Suleymaniye ended up being a really lovely place to explore. The grounds surrounding it are particularly well-kept, and, insofar as one can say this, the graveyards are charming. Not to mention its view over the Bosphorusβ€” you can see the Asian of the city side very clearly because the mosque is situated high upon a hill. The building itself is also very lovely, although the Hagia Sophia still took the cake for me. It’s larger, older, and richer with history.

When I finally made it to Topkapi, I had to battle the thickest crowds I’ve had yet to deal with this whole trip. It was very difficult to make my way through the museum-palace because of all the student trips that seemed to be in attendance that day. I personally felt that Topkapi, built in the 15th century in the Ottoman architectural style, paled in comparison to DolmabahΓ§e, the 19th century palace closer to my airbnb that I visited several weeks ago. Jewel-encrusted thrones aside, people in the Victorian era were a little better at manufacturing decadence and luxury than their counterparts 500 years prior.

Hagia Sophia proved to be even more beautiful the second time around. I spied a few more mosaics over the railings of the second floor from the main floor below, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to get up there to see them up close. I wish had been able to see the basilica when it was still a museumβ€” I think I would have gotten more out of it.

I wrapped up my four weeks in Istanbul with another trip to the hammam, which was as good as the first time around. Now I’m settled in Vienna, and looking forward to seeing some friends here, old as well as new (relatively speaking).

Teşekkürler, and auf wiedersehen!
 

Windmill on the island of Cunda, with attached chapel that has been restored and turned into a library.

Interior details of a Suleymaniye mausoleum.

Side view of Suleymaniye Mosque.

Hagia Sophia mosaic in the main entry.
 

U P C O M I N G

Saturday 10/23: Fly to Vienna, settle in.

Sunday 10/24: Some light exploring of Vienna. Dinner with friends of a friend.

Monday 10/25: TBD, probably an art museum AM; work PM.

Tuesday 10/26: it’s Austrian National Day, so most museums and shops will be closed, but I’m going to check out some celebrations in Hofburg/Parliament area before heading to an open studio session at Aerial Silk Vienna :) work PM.

Wednesday 10/27: TBD AM; work PM.

Thursday 10/28: open studio at ASV, lunch with a dance friend AM; work PM.

Friday 10/29: TBD AM; work PM.
 

C O S T S

travel: $6.60

  • 3 buses

lodging: $312.11

  • Airbnb in Istanbul, 7 nights

  • Hotel in Ayvalik, 1 nights

food: $201.43

  • I treated myself to one fine-dining restaurant, Mikla. Worth it.

  • Groceries, restaurants, coffee, baklava

fun: $111.70

  • Topkapi Palace, Harem, Hagia Irene compound entry

  • Toy museum in Cunda

  • Hammam

miscellaneous: $89.89

  • Antique coffee grinder that I’m pretty sure is actually a pepper grinder

  • Pharmacy items

  • Postage for postcard

  • Travel jewelry case

  • Pretty shell from Cunda

___________________________

total damage: $ 721.73

This is solid. I’ve been spending a lot on food and souvenirs lately because the exchange rate is so good, but my baggage weight is becoming a serious problem.

I’ll probably need to dial back on my food and souvenir spend because everything will be more expensive here in Vienna, and truthfully I don’t want to haul my weight in luggage back home four weeks from now (!!! it’s coming up soon!).
 

Bonus shot of me climbing a big rock on Cunda for no reason.

The charming graveyards at Suleymaniye.
 

Thanks for tuning in!

If you’re playing catchup on these adventures, my past newsletters can be found on my archive page.

Also, a quick reminder: I have turned off my cell phone line and can only communicate via the internet now. If you call me or send me an SMS, I won’t receive it. Email, WhatsApp, iMessage, and FaceTime Audio will all work.

Catch you next week,

Jo

609 Clayton Lane, Austin, TX, 78752, USA

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