A group of young college students I befriended invited me along to a group-trip to Antalya. Antalya is a beautiful city in the south of Turkey, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea (and near the island of Cyprus). It's basically the "California" of Turkey -- lots of planted palm trees, sun for much of the year, and a vacation spot for Turks and tourists alike. We stayed in a very cute "resort" - a hotel with a small park 
attached with fun activities for kids - and basically just hung out by the beach for about 5 days. Very fun! The best part of the trip was our mode of transportation: we took a huge tour-bus to and from Istanbul, a 14-hour drive each way! Plenty of singing took place, as well as some dancing in the aisles... I learned a few choice moves as well! ;)After Antalya, I came back to Istanbul and resumed looking for work. Again, not much luck was coming my way... So instead, I thought I'd work on my social life, and began to utilize couchsurfing.org a little more to try and make some women-friends; so far I had only really been meeting guy-friends and I just needed some girl time! (Ladies, you know what I mean!) I had a few coffee dates and met a few very fabulous women that I would later travel with...
But not yet! Instead, a couple weeks later, my best friend here in Istanbul had his cousin come to visit. We three toured the city and I finally saw the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya... And wow. What a sight they are to see! Since then, I've already been back twice, just to sit in the Blue Mosque for hours, staring at the impossibly elaborate walls under hundreds of candle-strength light bulbs in low-hung circular chandeliers, 
listening to the soft sounds of chatter muted by the beautiful floral-printed carpets and gently-curved dome-ceilings. Every square inch of the place is detailed, but not in a way that western churches will ever be able to understand or replicate. Even the most stereotypical/obnoxious American tourists lower their voices in respect and awe. Though many decades of work went into creating this wonder, there is still a humility and softness about the structure that the towering cathedrals of western Europe defy in opposition with their sharp edges, pointed turrets, dark and foreboding interior, and ugly-faced gargoyles intermingled with endless images of dead saints/Mary/Jesus. To me, inside a mosque there is a sense of light, softness, tranquility, and a desire to be thankful and at peace. Inside churches, I usually feel a sense of foreboding, guilt, sins remembered, and strong urges to ask for forgiveness for my 'wicked ways.' Though I'm not saying Islam is completely without bloodshed on it's hands - it is, after all, a major religion and has played a role in many of the world's wars just like Christianity and other religions - it does seem to generate much more peaceful energy to me.
I feel less violence in my soul when walking into their place of worship. The Aya Sofia feels the same yet different - colder, breezier, all made of marble in deep shades of gray and dark green. But still, on the main level there are no images of dead prophets or saints - only beautiful Arabic script in giant gold lettering on huge forest-green disks, hung 50 feet in the air along the main pillars of the interior. Similar low-hanging chandeliers have small candle holders where low-wattage light bulbs now give off light to cast a beautiful soft/fuzzy luminance throughout.I moved out of my flat May 15th and have been couch-surfing with friends since. So I took the opportunity of this flexibility to head out to Samsun
with a couple of my new friends from couchsurfing.org! Samsun is another sea-town in Turkey, though this time to the north and along the Black Sea. This was really exciting for me, as I have always regretted not seeing the Black Sea when I went to Bulgaria for the first time when I was 16, and it was so close... Actually, Samsun reminded me a lot of Seattle -- gray, drizzly/rainy, and the sea was gray as well, much like the Pacific Northwest. Lots of greenery, a medium-sized city, and a historical one at that - Samsun is where Ataturk founded the Turkish Republic movement, and it served as it's base during the Turkish War of Independence. Again, my friends and I drove, but it was only about 10 hours each way this time! ;)Now, I'm back in crazy/beautiful/exhausting/magnificent/crowded Istanbul
for a short while before taking off again -- I've got a quick trip to Sofia lined up from this Friday to Sunday. The goal is to see some of the major sights in the capital I didn't get a chance to see the last time I was in Bulgaria, and to eat fabulous Bulgarian food!! (Duh! Of course!) Then, I return to Istanbul for the last time (in the near future at least), before flying out to Athens on June 3rd... I'm certainly ready to leave Turkey behind for now and continue the adventure in Greece.That's all for the moment, friends. I'm missing Seattle and sending you all my love!
- nova.
P.S. I hope everyone knows you can click on any picture in my blog to make it bigger/see more detail! ;)
