Just finished packing my bags to head home tomorrow! Looking forward to going home to see family and friends. Can't wait to sleep in my own bed with my dog! It has been a fantastic semester and I have made so many great memories. I am sad to leave my friends but I know I will hang out with them again in the States. I am looking forward to hot showers again! Because that is something scarce here in Italia! I am also looking forward to mom's cooking again. So long Florence! I will be back again someday for sure :)
Its the little things that make my adventure abroad so unique. These small things remind me that I am a world away from home. I am going to miss Florence so much. I love just being abroad and feeling free. I have loved my time over here. I am so glad that I had such great roommates. I am looking forward to reunions and we are going to have a traveling journal between the four of us! Here are the little things I look forward to each day in Firenze:
This past week I went to İstanbul, Turkey. I absoutely loved it and it is up there with Cinque Terre as my favorite trip! The city is just so different from anything I had ever seen before. I went with my roommate, Kelsey, and Emily, a girl from my school.
Day 1: Travel Day. We left Tuesday on a train from Florence to Rome. Then we flew from Rome to İstanbul. Got in to İstanbul that night and checked into our hostel (Sydney İstanbul Hostel). The hostel is pretty nice for only being 12 euros a night! Can't beat that! Oh, and it comes with a free traditional Turkish breakfast in the morning. And it gets better... the location is great! Right in the middle of the historic part of İstanbul. I would totally stay there again if I went back to İstanbul. We stayed in a coed dorm style room in the hostel because it was the cheapest. It was pretty interesting. Met a cute Irish guy who stayed in our room! We were picked up from the airport by our hostel. A guy with the taxi service had a "Rachel Farr" sign held up as we walked out! It was great! Listened to Turkish music as we entered İstanbul and saw the city by night.
Day 2: Touristy Day. We went to Topkapı Palace, Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), Sultanahmet Camii (Blue Mosque), and the Basilica Cistern (Sunen Palace Cistern). The Palace was really neat with the different types of architecture and seeing the Harem (where all 1,000 of the wives lived). Also really enjoyed the Ayasofya Mosque. The Blue Mosque was neat to go to. You have to take off your shoes, wrap your hair in a scarf and I had to put a skirt on since I was wearing leggings. The Basilica Cistern was so cool!! It is an underground cistern. There are orange lights next to each pillar which makes it really neat to look at. We ended the day with a nice Turkish dinner (side note: they brought out bread for dinner and the bread came out breathing! It was moving up and down, it was nuts!) and some hookah!
Day 3: Shopping & Spa Day. Went to the Grand Bazaar (giant indoor shopping mall with 4,000+ stores). It was so cool. All the things they were selling were so different from the States. Bought a lantern, some pillow cases, Turkish delight, Apple tea & some other goodies! We were even invited into a guy's shop to have Turkish tea with him! It was so neat. After our long shopping day we went to have a traditional Turkish bath at Cemberlitas Hamami. We walked in and there are two sides, men and women's sides. We went to our side and were given a locker and a pair of panties! We stripped down and put on the pair of panties (yes, they were brand new, so don't worry!). Wrapped up in a towel and put on a pair of flip flops the spa gave us. Went to the bath room. Walked in and saw all these women just laying out on a hot stone. I've never seen so many topless women at one time! Lol. You eventually get use to it. We layed out on the stone, then one of the spa women washed us and massaged us which felt sooo good! Then we washed our hair and sat in the jacuzzi to relax. It was my favorite part of İstanbul!
Day 4: Cruise Day. Took a boat cruise up the Bosphorus River to see some of İstanbul's main attractions on the Eastern Europe side and part of the Asia side (İstanbul is half in Europe, half in Asia). We also got to take a tour of the Dolmabahce Palace which was so pretty. We had a Turkish lunch and sipped tea from a cafe on the Asia side of İstanbul. Headed to Takism Square for dinner!
Day 5-6: Mosque & Travel Day. Went to the Suleymaniye Mosque. It was similar to the other mosques. Then we went through the Egyptian Spice Market which was just crazy! It was so crowded and the shop keepers were trying to get you to buy their stuff. We also went to the New Mosque. Left İstanbul and flew back to Rome. Had to spend the night in the airport because our train back to Florence didn't leave til 6:30AM the next day!
Highlights:
"Rachel Farr" sign
The ride into İstanbul with Turkish music
Topakpı Palace
Ayasofya
Apple tea
Basilica Cistern
Breathing bread
Turkish food
Hookah
Grand Bazaar
Drinking tea in a shop in the Grand Bazaar
Grand Bazaar Restaurant
Appple tea & lemon cheesecake in the Bazaar at a tiny table
I can't believe I only have 12 days left in Florence. The semester flew by so fast! I will miss Florence and all the friends I have made. I came over here knowning no one and hardly any Italian. My roomies and I have all become so close. It will be hard to say goodbye. It is hard knowing that never in my life will I be able to have this same experience. I know that if I come back to Florence someday it will feel completely different. There are certain things I will miss once I fly home and so I have made a list of my favorite things. Hope you enjoy :)
