Home.

After 3 wonderful months of exploration and growth, we are happy to be safely home in the United States.  There is no concise way to summarize all of the experiences we were able to have,  the places we were able to see, the people we were able to meet.  It was a trip of a lifetime, and Nick and I are so thankful to have experienced it together.

We traveled throughout 5 countries and 1 territory via car, bus, train, plane, boat, and our own two legs.

We carried 2 backpacks.

We slept in hostels, pensions, hotels, tents, people's spare rooms, and even 1 swanky resort.

We ate falafel, shawarma, souvlaki, spanakopita, and mousaka.

We learned how to get along with each other even when we were exhausted and hungry and trying to find a place to stay.

We learned about Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, and saw many sites holy to each respective religion.

We had a great time!

Now we are back in Illinois, working on fixing up a little farm outside Freeport, happy to be able to see friends and family again, and looking forward to our wedding come August 18!

At O'Hare Airport just after our plane from Istanbul landed.

An entry from the daily journal I keep

Konya, Turkey -> Cappadocia, Turkey

Still sick.  But hope of a recovery in some not so distant future? Yes.  We mobilized, showered, packed, and booked it to the tram, not sure at all if we were going to make it in time for the 11am bus to Goreme, but we did!  Maybe even with 5 minutes to spare ;)  We waived farewell to Konya sadly without seeing a single whirling dervish whirl.  Maybe in Istanbul.

The bus was quite comfortable, as is the standard here.  Nice coaches.  The attendant was noteworthy of mention as well:  he didn’t speak English, but he LOVED us (or loved making fun of us.. not sure).  He would make the most ridiculous gestures at us.  For example, Nick pointed out a mosque, to which he grinned broadly and held up his hands like donkey ears sprouting out from under his neck!  At one point we are pretty sure he tried to scam us, as he asked to take our tickets somewhere and bring them back in a minute, but a friend I will tell you about next talked to him in Turkish (a scolding?) and he did not take them.

The friend we made was a 17 year old girl in the seat in front of us.  We attempted communication through the seat crack between us.  It was difficult, but we did connect with her.  She was trying so hard to communicate!  She is in high school.  As we were about to arrive at our stop, She gave me a BEAUTIFUL necklace from around her neck (at least I’m assuming she doesn’t carry extra as party favors).  It was such a sweet gesture, and something I will treasure. I gave her a shell Nick found for me in Rhodes- not as special, but still something.  She understood it was from Greece.

We decided to stay at the first place we looked at in Goreme, the town most people stay in in Cappadocia: Kose Pension.  We are up on the roof in a dorm with mattresses on the floor, and a balcony all around.  It is wooden and very nice!  Right now we are the only ones in it, though it could house up to 24 people!  I hope no one else comes.  It only costs 12 tyl per person, which is good (about $12 total)!  The shared bathrooms aren’t bad either.  Also, the owner has an itty bitty baby so that’s fun.

I crashed for a bit upon arrival, and then we went looking at renting a car or moto and found some Tavuk Doner (Cheap common street food).  This town is expensive!  Doner was 4 tyl each, and car rentals are like 80 tyl/day. (Divide in half to get an estimate of $US)

Nick brought me back to the hotel after our venturing and now I am resting and journaling and cough cough coughing while he goes for a run. 

I’ll enter the rest of the day later!

We ended up having a quiet evening: Nick went out and bought us some Tavuk Doner, and we ate it while we finished watching Casablanca.

Now time to sleep, and hopefully wake up feeling all better!

Greek Islands

Well we have been on the islands for one week now, and are unsure when exactly we will get off of them as the ferry company we need to use to get to Rhodes (another island, which we will then go to Turkey from) is on strike!  Everyone is always on strike it seems.  But that is ok, because we really are in no rush, and Nick happens to be sick, and the islands are a wonderful place to be trapped!  Good food, nice people, beautiful weather.


Fira, the city we stayed in on Santorini

We first went to Santorini, which is also known as Thira, located about 200km SE from the Greek mainland. This is a lovely little island which is what remains after an enormous volcanic eruption fractured what used to be there.  The result is stunning and rugged beauty- with colorful cliffs dropping down to the sea on three sides of the island.  There are red beaches and black beaches, a beautiful variation from the white sand beaches which we typically think of as a beach.



Our scooter!

We rented a scooter for a few days that we tore up the island with (I even learned to drive with Nick on the back!) and had a great time being some of the only tourists around.  There are only 4 or 5 main towns on the island, and all were bustling with the sounds of hammers and saws, the smell of fresh paint, and the sight of donkeys carrying supplies up and down the steep hillsides as all the shops, hotels, and restaurants prepared for tourist season.  You could drive from one end of the island to the other in half an hour, so we were able to take our time and explore every inviting country road that struck our fancy.



Harbor in Hiraklion, Crete

From Santorini we took a ferry to Crete, the largest and most populous of the islands which is famous for being the center of Minoan civilization long ago.  The ferry left Santorini at 3am and arrived at 8am.. so that made for an interesting night's sleep!  The weather upon arrival was just fantastic- sunny and warm, with hardly a cloud in the sky and just enough of a breeze to keep you cool.





Our balcony in Chania

We spent a few days in Chania which is an old Ventian city with a romantic charm to it.  We had a balcony over looking a busy little street, and found it difficult to escape the draw of endless people watching while snacking on fresh bread and olive oil, and spent a good deal of time doing just this!  I am especially enjoying being on Crete as my friend Christine and I came here when we backpacked across Europe in 2009.  It is so neat seeing familiar yet mundane things such as the bus station in a small town, or a market that we shopped in and witnessing the timelessness of it all.

According to our plans we would be taking a ferry from Crete to Rhodes today, and under this impression made our way back from the eastern part of the island to the main city and port, Hiraklion, only to learn that (as previously mentioned) the ferrys are striking.  So now we are holed up in the city waiting to hear when they will be running again (hopefully this Sat). Poor Nick is layed up with the flu, but I am enjoying the gorgeous weather and have had some nice jaunts about the area.  Jaunts are almost always more fun with two though, so hope he recovers soon!

We are exactly two thirds done with our trip, which seems to me like a good point to take stock of where we have gone and some of the things we have done:

January 13-21: Istanbul, Turkey

Enjoyed experiencing the city with friends! Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Princes' Islands, good eats!

January 21-24: Cairo, Egypt

Experienced unrest in the country, as anticipation rose for the one year anniversary of the 25 January 2011 Revolution.  Feared for our lives every time we crossed a street due to the insand traffic!

January 24-27: Dahab, Egypt

Chilled out in the sleepy beach town, recovered from a bad cold, did lots of reading and walking.

January 27-February 10: Israel, Palestine

Explored Israel and the Palestinian Territories.  Rented a car and drove along the Dead Sea, through the Golan Heights, around the Sea of Galilee, to Tel-Aviv, Haifa, and Nazareth; explored Jerusalem and Bethlehem on foot/via bus. Experienced Shabbat and the Jewish culture full force.

February 10-26: Jordan

Spent one week in/around Amman staying with my cousin Lisa and family, enjoying time with them and the respite from full time tourism.  Spent one week exploring Crusader Castles in the Eastern Desert, driving to the Dead Sea, Hiking in Dana Nature Reserve, and Exploring Petra.  Camped for a few days in Wadi Rum, hiked in the desert. Snorkeled in the Gulf of Aqaba.

February 26-March 5: Sinai, Egypt

Experienced crazy Bedouin tension in the border town of Taba.  Rented a beach bungalow in a deserted tourist town and enjoyed snorkeling and warm weather.  Volunteered on a WWOOF Farm in the beach town of Nuweiba, getting to know locals and other WWOOFers. Kiteboarded in Dahab and enjoyed the most amazing ice cream on earth every night from our favorite café there.

March 6-March 14: Mainland Greece

Flew from Tel-Aviv, Israel to Athens, Greece.  Couchsurfed with an incredible host.  Explored Athens on foot, eating all the way!  Rented a car for a few days and drove around the mainland, checking out all the Greek Ruins.  Spent another night in Athens with our couchsurfing host, sharing food and stories.

March 14-? : Greek Islands!

Two words: Greek Salads

I've never tasted such fresh, flavorful, deliciousness in all my 24 years of loving food.

We share a Greek Salad at every meal that we eat out, and the breaking of the feta has become a meaningful part of my day.   

The day the cammmmera died.

I have sad news- our camera seems to have bit the dust!  Yesterday it decided that zooming was just too much, and refused to function on any level after my attempt to zoom in on some crazy mountain goat things inside the National Gardens in Athens.  I guess I will just have to learn to describe things really well with my words!

Today we will leave Athens and explore the main land of Greece for a few days before working our way across the Islands on our way back to Turkey.  It is a good thing we are leaving the city, because we have probably eaten our weight in delicious pastries, chocolates, and other baked delights in the past two days.  We have had a glorious time wandering through the streets with no real destination in mind other than the next bakery, which was never more than a few blocks from the last!  We walked for hours, exploring the Acropolis, walking around Piraeus Port, walking through the lovely little neighborhood- Hiraklios- which we are staying in with a couchsurfer. 

We are clearly no longer in the middle east- it is amazing what such a relatively small difference in distance can make in the feel of a place. There are not mounds of garbage everywhere, cab drivers don't holler at you constantly and follow you as you walk, I don't feel uncomfortable walking alone on the street, and when you sit down in a restaurant, they serve you water- free!  It is cool to experience these differences, and to recognize them.  It is also cool to think about the constants that exist regardless of where you are- people are generally kind, and when approached with a smile are happy to help you.  Parents are proud of their children, and like to tell about them.  The most delicious food comes from the most unimpressive looking places :)

Off we go!

And on to Greece!

After spending a few days in Nuweiba on the Habiba Village Farm assessing the situation in Egypt we abandoned all plans of continuing to explore the country (the lack of operating public transportation was just going to make it too difficult and expensive) and bought a flight to Greece!We spent a few days in the beach town of Dahab, Egypt which we had visited earlier on this trip, and Nick was able to get some kiteboarding in. Unfortunately I was (and still am) too sick to my stomach from an intense bout of food poisoning I contracted on the Habiba Farm for very much motion or activity beyond walking, so I did a lot of sitting on the beach reading.
On March 5th we started making our way towards our flight in Tel-Aviv on the following morning. We took a shared minibus to the Egypt/Israel crossing at Taba/Eilat (our third time here.. we were pros) and from Eilat took a 5 hour bus to Tel-Aviv.  In Tel-Aviv we took a train to the airport, arriving around 11pm, and found a place to post out and get a little rest before checking in to our flight at 3am.
We arrived in Athens at 8am, tired but happy to have safely arrived.
We were met at the airport by the couchsurfing host we had arranged, and will be staying at his place for a few days.  It was so nice of him to pick us up!
We are staying in an 8x10 room with a mattress, a toilet, and a counter with a sink and cooking supplies.  It's very cozy and we have our own key to it, so we can come and go as we like.
Unfortunatley I am still feeling quite sick to my stomach, but Nick is out enjoying a beer with our host, Kostas, as I type and I am hoping that maybe tomorrow I will be all better and can enjoy our new location!

Now, I must note that we have had very limited internet access for the last few weeks, hence the gap in blog posts. I intend to write a little and put up some pictures regarding our time in Jordan since it was really quite wonderful and deserves to be shared.  Keep an eye out!