Patara - Turkey

Today we woke up early and left for the airport. We had pastries and water for breakfast. Next, we went to check in our bags and then made a pit stop to the bathroom. When we got to the gate we waited to board. It was different from the other gates because you had to take a bus to the airplane. In the airplane I got to sit next to Ilayda and Kaija. The ride was only an hour, but I caught  up on some rest before we landed.

When we landed we went to get our luggage, and then head to a taxi bus to drive us to Patara.

It took quite a bit to get there and we all were hot and hungry for brunch. So, we stopped at a restaurant and ate so much of the yummy food. Next, my Dad and my Aunt went to the grocery store and got sunscreen  and water bottles. Then it was time to hit the rode to Patara. Patara is a beach place with a little town and shops. When we got to Patara we went swimming. Then we all  went to our hotel and we rested until we went out to eat. 

We've been spending a week in Patara going to the beach, swimming at the pool at the hotel, meeting new people, and experiencing new things. I learned about the the earthquake that hit Patara years ago and it damaged many of the Acient Greek burial temples and amphitheater. Eventhough these Acient temples and theaters were damaged you could still see them in person and discover the history behind them. It is very important to know all about other countries and your country's history. 

One afternoon my Aunt and I got to go around Pataras' Ancient burial grounds and temples on the Lycian way. I saw where people where buried in the mountain.  The hole had a single room with the body buried on the side of the hole. When they finished buried the person they would cover it with a boulder.  Then, we walked on and we saw where the ocean used to be after a earthquake that hit Patara badly. Next, we went to this burial temple that had some pieces of the columns that stood in front of the temple. On the back side you  could see the inside of the temple. It was really cool,  I got to identify each column's design ( Doric,Ionic, Caritheum,). Also I got to learn a fact about Muslim religion and how they reacted when someone died. I learned  that its traditional in Muslim religion that someone is to stay with the dead body so the evil spirit doesn't tamper with the soul. 

After, Patara we flew back to Istanbul. We were going to stay a week, while our cousins flew back to the states. Stay tuned for our journey through Istanbul! 

A burial ground in the mountain 

Another burial ground on our hike.

A burial temple built in the 3rd century that I saw on my  hike. 

The side view of the burial temple.

 Me with the temple.

A piece from the burial temple laid on the ground.

The side view of the burial temple.

 A sign of information telling about the burial temple. 

Up close to the sign about the burial temple 

A picture of what the burial temple would of looked like. 

Me on the steps to the burial temple.

Me again on the steps. 

My Aunt in the steps.

My aunt again

The sundown of Patara on our hike.

The entrance to our hotel in Patara.

The view from our hotel room. 

Up: Okan, Chayton and left Is my dad and right is Babonne, there my Turkish family.

They are the hotels ping pong table.

The POOL!!!!!!

Istanbul Turkey

Today, we took a plane from Athens Greece to Istanbul Turkey to meet our cousins and family. 

 At the airport we had to wait to check in our luggage. Finally,  it was time to check in. Then, we walked to gate 14 and we waited until it was time to board. Yeah, we are about  to board the plane! The plane ride would be an hour, in the mean time I played on my iPad until we landed in Istanbul Turkey!

 

After  landing we went through customs. It was really fast. Next, we walked to retrieve our luggage to meet our cousins and family at the airport. To retrieve our luggage took so long. Finally, we all got our luggage and we headed to the exit. There  after the doors from the exit we saw our friends and family.  We got to meet a new family, they were really sweet and very helpful. We all hugged and they welcomed us to Turkey. Next, we split up and the boys went in one car and the girls in the other. We then drove to Seda- Halas apartment. The car ride from the airport to the apartment was a half an hour. When we got their we were welcomed by our other friends and family. We then caught up everyone on our travels. 

Then, there was a knock on the door and it was our cousins( Ilayda, Selda, Okan). We all hugged, we missed each other greatly. Finally it was time to eat dinner. There were all types of Turkish dishes. I ate until I had a full stomach and a smile plastered on my face. Now it was getting really late so my cousins, siblings, and I went and washed up for bed. ( It was well after midnight). We all talked for a little bit and then we fell asleep. 

We then spent two days in Istanbul learning about the history, historical sights and trying lots of yummy food. One of the days we went on an awesome boat ride that had fantastic views and fascinating history behind it.  One of the interesting facts about  Turkey is that one part is Europe and the other is Asia. When I learned that I was pretty amazed. The next day we went to the famous Egyptian Bazaar. It had all kinds of things from food to jewelry and clothing. It was very neat to see the amazing but inexpensive jewelry.  This is the place to go shopping and get all your dried fruit for the winter.  My cousin, sister and I all got a bag that says Istanbul with the evil eye on it. We had crazy fun! Tomorrow we are flying to Patara with our cousins and some of our cousins family members.

 

 

The Beach

Today we went to the beach. To get to the beach we had to walk to the shuttle station.  It was really difficult to get our tickets because it would only take exact change and no bills. Luckily a very nice gentleman gave us his two tickets so we now only had to get the kids ticket. After we got our tickets, my mom looked at the map and she found the beach we wanted to go to. So when the next shuttle came we got on.  Before the stop we were originally going to get off there was a beach even closer, so we got off. Yeah! We walked along the path to the beach.  After we got situated we went in the ocean. The ocean was very cool but not very salty. There were fishes so we had to move so they wouldn't nibble at our feet. Then, we all just swam in the ocean until we all wanted to get out and lay down and take a break. 

The sun was beaming, and it was very hot. The air was very warm and soothing. Next,  it was getting very hot and we all were getting tired so we swam a little longer and then we left. We stopped by the showers to clean our feet. Then, after we cleaned our feet we walked to the shuttle station and we waited for our shuttle to come. At last it came.  Instead of going home we went to a greek restaurant named Smile! It was the best restaurant ever. There was wifi, tv to watch and rocks you could draw on. The food was absolutely mouth watering. I had greek sausages with a greek salad and fries. Yum! For a drink I got Sprite. We all didn't finish our meal so we asked to get a to go box. When we were all done eating we ordered loukumades ( a doughnut with sugar and honey) and baklava. It was all delectable.   After we payed we walked home with a full stomach and yummy leftovers for a night snack. 

Our waiter, the food is not the food we ordered.

Adventuring around Greece

Hi! Today it was all around Greece. The first thing we did was go to the famous flea market, where  I got a my name in greek on a necklace for six euros. After, we went around the cool shops, cafes and saw neat artwork. Then we walked  to Hadrian's Library, it was wasn't really a library it was a cultural center where people could do poetry readings and study. Hadrian's Library was named after the Emperor Hadrian, it was built in  132 AD. We got to take pictures  and even touch the columns, I really enjoyed the experience. Next, we walked around to the where one mans junk is another mans treasure ( flea market). There were a lot of people selling very old stuff that was sometimes junk. Then, after the walking around the main square we headed to the Ancient Angora. We walked and gave our ticket for the site and we headed off. It was a very hot day and we had a very light lunch so we ate our bars in the shade. 

After that, we walked to the nearest building it was the Stoa of Attalos. We went in and enjoyed the shade. Then, when we  were all done we walked to the temple that was ahead of us.  On the hill by the temple there was a magnificent and breathtaking view, you could see the whole Acropolis. AWESOME! Lastly, we were getting tired so we walked for what felt like hours until my parents decided we could take a break at a cafe and have a snack. We ordered a large plate that had mozzarella sticks, spring rolls, chicken pieces, and sausages, hamburger meat. On the side we had sweet chili sauce and barbecue sauce. Yum!  That great meal washed down with ice water. After, we paid and we went walking until we went into this park and we found a wallet with someone's ID  Uh Oh! We returned it to the entrance booth on the way back. Lastly, we walked on the main pedestrian walk to our apartment, while we walked we stopped and bought post cards and mailed postcards. Finally,  it was time to go home so we walked back home happy, tired and excited for what lies ahead tomorrow! 

Acropolis

Hi! Today my dad woke me up early at 8:00am in the morning so we could go see the Acropolis where Athena the Goddess of Battle and Poseidon the God of Water fought to rule Athens. Athena was very smart and hit her spear and out came the olive tree, when Poseidon hit his trident on the floor out came sea water. When the city of Athens decided which person shall rule they picked Athena, that's how Athens got its name. Poseidon was so angry that he flooded the plain of Athens. So from this day they honor Poseidon and Athena to keep peace. I was also so excited to see and learn about greek mythology. To get all the way up to the Acropolis we had to walk a few ways until we got up to the top. The view was marvelous, you could see the whole city. Next we walked around and we took pictures of the famous Diyonus theater. It was so small, I thought it would be huge. But is was very cool experience to be where the ancient Greeks put on shows. Then, we took a break in the corner next to the Pantheon and we all ate bars while admiring the view.

 The Pantheon was where Athena would rule Athens. It was  partially destroyed after an explosion caused by the bombing from Venetian forces led by Morosini who were besieging the Ottoman Turks stationed in Athens. Next, we headed to the look out tower, where you could see everything. Finally, we walked and saw Athena's Victory Temple. It was constructed between 424 and 427bc. It is the earliest fully ionic temple on the Acropolis. This temple is the second made because the first one was destroyed by the Parisians. Also we saw we saw the old temple of Athena.  This was a wonderful experience, the weather was absolutely marvelous, learning about the old gods and goddesses was a treat. Im so glad to share it with you. Greece is an amazing place for you and your family to visit. Tune in for more of the Greece adventures. Bye!

The theater of Disyonus a god 

A theater 

The Pantheon 

The Pantheon

Girls hanging 

Below : the guard of the temple watch out this cat is on to you!