Hotel Merin Istanbul

... Coleman Hawkings, Ben Webster. Great. Free Jazz no." The other people were amazed that we could communicate and I spoke in English and Julide translated into French and another woman translated the French to Turkish. There is always a way to communicate. I had a turkish coffee and a delicious salad with some toasted cheese on top.

Julide is Valerie Capers' friend and she wanted me to see an art exhibit she had done in Moda with people who have lived there for over 20 ...

... and James Brown howling to the people dancing on the dance-floor and after the people disappearing out into the light backyard to smoke their cigarettes and talk in the relative quiet.

We bought two beers, and two shots of malibu, for 40 liras, and we meekly drank the shots and sipped the beers out in the garden, trying to look like we were enjoying ourselves despite the stares that we were getting and the fact that we were two rumpled broke-ass backpackers in the den ...

Istanbul was the insanely cool take-away from the trip. Cannot say enough good things about the city. In the same way that it was moving to see the Reichsparteitagsgelände and Acropolis -- things you read about and expect that you'll never actually see -- the Hagia Sophia blew my mind.

I got that glazed-over look and could only think, "Wow, I'm standing here right now ...

... without giving a rats what anyone else is doing. Crossing the road like frogger is fun when you get away with it but terrifying while you're trying! Alicia did really ask me to mention some things in more detail when I had a chance but buggered if I remember what they are, so watch this space. Hungary details of course will be with you soon. Especially if I can keep getting access to free hostel internet! Chris.

... we drank a LOT of tea over the weekend since everyone offers it to you! I'd always get the apple tea because it tasted like apple cider and was delicious. After the spice market we went to a small restaurant for lunch, where we ate more kebabs and lentil bean soup. Then we went to another look out spot in the "modern Europe" section of the city and took a gondola ride down a hill full of gravestones, it was pretty cool. Then we went on a long boat tour of the city and ...

Hello! I have now been in the city of Istanbul for three days. The flights were long but the excitement kept us awake, although we were a little cranky when we reached our destination. The university sent a driver to pick us up and Hannah and I were sure we were about to die at least 3 separate occasions. Apparently, I have learned that in Turkey, the rule of thumb is that if any part of your car is ahead of ...

... catch a 47 bus home, so walk a way down the main road to a stop to make sure we are on the right route. Have to wait a while, but get one all the way back to the end of our street. Retire buggered, Front up later to find out what is going on tonight. A few are going out to a nightclub. DP has read that the programme calls for a night at an "extremely risque" show, and she tries everything short of physical violence to find ...

... bo myslalam, ze to kolejna kiepska proba podrywu. Goki odprowadzil nasza czworke - Anie, Arka, mnie i Marcina - na dworzec autobusowy - inny niz ten, na ktory przyjechalismy. Poswiecil mecz swojej ulubionej druzyny, zeby sie z nami pozegnac, co bylo bardzo mile z jego strony. O 20:30 wsiedlismy w autokar i pojechalismy do Sofii... ENGLISH: I thought I wouldn`t wake up at that silly 8 am. Goki made us scrambled eggs for the breakfast, and then we walked to ...

After leaving Jess and the girls, my first challenge was to work out how to catch the tram. It turned out to be pretty easy - I just had to buy a token for 1.30 lira and walk through the turnstile. It's the same price for all trips. The tram was absolutely jam-packed. I could hardly move. My fist port of call was the Archaeological Museum. This is a vast collection of antiquities and well worth a visit. I spent a couple of hours wandering though the ...

... anton." i apologize profusely but am secretly a little excited to have at least a piece of a kitten named after me. as i read "heat" i'm enamored by the prospect of practicing (no, no, i mean cultivating; no, no i mean finding, establishing, realizing) my culinary skills in the shared kitchen of my college house next year. i have grand plans to keep the place clean as i cook both breakfast and dinner for guests and housemates alike. keep the place clean?! having ...