Traveling to Turkey

I'm a bit of a history geek. I love learning about the past, and it was a close call whether I would go to school to teach English or history - English won out, but mostly because I could still use history.  That being said, I don't incorporate a lot of history into my teaching at this time - mostly because I am not as familiar with the UAE history as I am with other regions of the world.  So when it came time for vacation, my family and I decided to visit some of the rich history of Turkey.

Our first stop was Ephesus and the Celsus Library. We learned about the powerful Greek and Roman influences in Anatolia, as we explored sites dedicated and celebrating gods I'd studied in school, or taught about while exploring older literature.  During long bus rides, we entertained Belle with the stories we recalled, so that she would understand the relevance of Dionysus and why everywhere we went had beautiful theaters still standing in his honor.

We also were able to visit some historic sites that are important to our Christian faith, the Basilica of St. John, with his tomb, and the Home of the Virgin Mary, where she is said to have resided after being placed in John's care. Within Virgin Mary's home, there were gifts from the last three Popes.  Everywhere we went it was amazing to think about the people who had come before us.

 

 Our last two major stops before returning to our home overseas were the City of Troy's ruins - the site of the Trojan war, and the Gallipoli memorials from more recent history.  Belle climbed to the top of the Trojan horse replica after we toured the remains of the many incarnations of Troy - it was continually rebuilt and enlarged. 

The Gallipoli memorials were the first time that I had learned about these battles, and ANZAC day (April 25). Our Turkish guide was full of pride in speaking of the role that both Turkey and Australia have played in remembering and honoring a generation of soldiers that never returned home, falling on foreign soil.  As my former students can attest, I have a special place in my heart for war memorials, because how we remember those who have fought for us, I believe, speaks loudly about who a nation is.  The memorials on the Gallipoli peninsula spoke poignantly of the place these soldiers continue to hold on both their foreign resting places, and their far away home. 

 

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives... you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours... You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears, your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace after having lost their lives on this land. They have become our sons as well." Ataturk, 1934

It made me cry.

We finished our trip by spending our final night in Istanbul, staying near the Hague Sofia, and enjoyed dinner on one of the cobblestone streets. 

It was a good holiday.

When the tub doubles as your washing machine...

The Yas Hotel in Abu Dhabi

I haven't stayed in many five star hotels in my life, and never for as long as I've been at the Yas.  For the first week, you walk around with a glazed look in your eyes and in awe that this is the place you call home.  After that, reality trickles in and you discover that even residing in a five star hotel has its challenges.  The first thing you realize is that it could break the bank to eat at one of the hotel's fabulous restaurants each night and that room service will add up quickly. This problem is easily solved by filling the minibar (that you had requested be emptied) with food purchased from local grocery stores, that are longish taxi rides away.  Now, you can feed yourself in your room for some of those meals.

One of two rooftop pools

BUT, the biggest problem you will encounter has nothing to do with diet, or the location of your hotel being as far away as possible from anything you will actually need, it has to do with clothing.  I am staying in one of the world's most renowned shopping areas, so it is not a problem to purchase clothing - there are over five malls within 20 kilometers and more are being constructed as I write this.  Shopping is, in fact, one of the biggest local past-times. The question is raised by the end of the first week: where are you going to do your laundry?

My make-shift washing machine

The hotel's laundry service is discounted, but even then, one smallish load will cost approximately $26 US.  There are no laundromats. There are only laundry services (and being unfamiliar with the area) with unknown reputations that charge by the item. Plus, this is an area where the water never gets really cold, testing color-fastness. So, upon listening to previous and current travelers, you learn to wash your clothes in the tub, create make-shift clotheslines in your room and finally, buy a drying rack that you will have to add to all the luggage and shopping bags you will cart to your final destination. 

What makes this visit to historical laundry methods bearable*? Being a resident at a five star hotel.

*But it also makes you eager to move into your own dwelling, too.