Sunshine to Snow

Bellapais Monastary, Girne, Cyprus

Well snow is in the forecast for me here in Konya over the next 24 hours-- a pretty rude welcome back to the city after a (mostly) sunny Bayram holiday.  I was gone for a week and each day was jam-packed with activity, so unfortunately I don't have the energy, desire, or space to relate all that happened.  You'll have to be content with some pictures and bullet points.  Don't forget that the picture to the left of the posts (it is a picture of the Mevlana Museum) links you to my Flikr, which I update regularly.  Bonus photos anyone?



Adnan, EB, and I flew into Kuzey Kibris, or the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on Sunday night (the actual holiday), after a day-long layover in Istanbul.  My adventures in Istanbul were limited to walking through Taksim and Istiklal, lunch and relaxation at Ada, some bakalava, and walking accross the Galata bridge to the Yeni Camii and back.  Not bad for a layover!

Girne Harbor, Cyprus

Cyprus!  The krewe included the Konya ETAs (Adnan, EB, and myself) plus our friend Alex, from Kirikkale. We spent Sunday night through Thursday evening on the lovely island.  No Aphrodite spottings, but we did see some amazing sights.  We based ourselves out of Girne (formerly Kyrenia), and although our hostel lodging was more like a prison cell than a room, we managed to make up for it with some great sightseeing, relaxing, and even some beach time!

On a tip from some German girls at the hostel, we rented a car for the last three days on the island, and it was a great decision!  Having our own transportation allowed us to see way more than previously possible, and gave us the flexibility to see what we wanted.  Unfortunately, we didn't have time to see Lefkosia (the capital) or go into Southern Cyprus.  What did we see/do?  Glad you asked:

St. Hillarion Castle, Cyrpus

• Beautiful Girne harbor, and the Girne Kale
• St. Hillarion's castle, rumored to be the model for the castle in Snow White
• Wonderful Bellapais Monastary
• Guzelyurt and the ruins of Soli
• Famagusta/Gazimagusa and its ruined churches
• Fanatstic ruins at Salamis
• Played Elmalara Elmalar (aka apples to apples in Turkish-- thanks EB for making the game!)
• Ate delicious fish
• Sipped beer at some nice harbor-side cafes
• much more

Adnan, EB, and Alex on the Karpaz Peninsula

Alex had done some travel research, and upon recommendation of the NY Times's Frugal Traveller, we drove across the island to a little hotel on the Karpaz peninsula.  This proved to be the highlight of the trip-- the views were gorgeous and the spot was completely isolated.  The only nearby structure happened to be a medieval Byzantine church with geometric mosaic floors still partly intact.  And the food wasn't bad either.  Wow!  What a great break from the ugly greyness of Konya.  We even enjoyed a dip in the chilly Mediterranean!

Catholic Church, Antakya

Thursday saw us parting ways-- Adnan and I caught an evening flight to Hatay (or Antakya), while EB and Alex headed back via ferry to Silifke.  Due to Bayram travel craziness, we had been warned to get our travel plans worked out well in advance to ensure our timely returns to work.  Therefore, as soon as Adnan and I got to Antakya and put our things in a hotel room, we ventured to the otogar to purchase tickets home.  Good thing we did!  We got the last two seats on the last bus Sunday night!  However, our bus tickets ensured that we would have plenty of time to explore Antakya and the surrounding areas.

The next day, Adnan and I visited the major religious buildings in the city.  Antakya (ancient Antioch of course) is supposedly famous for its religious tolerance and diversity, though I didn't notice anything special other than that non-Muslims feel slightly more open about their beliefs (that plus the presence of a large population of Alevi Muslims).  Well, we had read that the Catholic church has rooms for guests, so we inquired and ended up moving to the church!  It was beautiful, though it turned out to have no heat or hot water (despite promises to the contrary).  However, it was significantly cheaper than the hotel rooms we had bargained for, so we stayed.  Besides, it was an interesting experience and the people at the church were fantastically nice, even though we never made it to mass (though we tried)!

In Hatay, we

Hatay Archaeological Museum

• enjoyed the relatively (to Konya) warm weather
• Ate famous Hatay kunefe
• Saw the amazing mosaics at the Hatay Archaeological Museum (see pics on Flikr)
• Sipped cay on the banks of the Orontes River
• Got kicked out of a synagogue by an unfriendly rabbi
• Visited some great mosques, churches, and St. Peter's Rock Church (supposedly the first cathedral) 
• Bussed through Iskenderum, on the plains of Issos (where I nerded out #honorsthesis)

For dad!

We also took a day trip to Tarsus, not actually that close to Hatay, but well worth the travel.  Our whole Bayram holiday was just a pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul!  We visited his well and hometown in Tarsus, saw Salamis (in Cyprus, where he stopped on one of his journeys), and Antakya (another temporary hometown for Paul-- also Peter, whose rock church we visited).

Soner and I in Harbiye

The highlight of our trip to Antakya, other than the mosiacs, was unplanned.  On Friday night, Adnan headed to an internet cafe and I visited a cafe/bookstore (my favorite kinda places) I had seen earlier.  There, I met Soner, a journalist who also worked at the cafe.  We exchanged numbers and made plans to meet up on Sunday.  So, on our last day in town, we met Soner at noon, went with him to the end of his Spanish class, and then took a dolmus with him out to Harbiye (classical Daphne, where Daphne and Apollo supposedly met).  It happened to be a major Alevi holiday Sunday (Eid al-Ghadeer-- celebrating the appointment of Ali to the Caliphate), so the town was packed!  Families out on picnics and enjoying the lovely weather.  Soner took us around town, talked to us about the festival, and about life in general.  We got some free bulgur (food is given out on some Muslim holidays) and fruit, and picnicked in his friend's backyard, where excavations of a Roman mosaic are currently underway.  No big deal.  On our way out, his friend (a farmer) tried to sell us a pretty amazing lamp with Eros or Apollo's head on it.  Someone call the Culture Ministry!  After our picnic, we went to Soner's boss/friend's apartment in Harbiye and relaxed with his family for a while, and went out for a drive to some nearby waterfalls with them, cute kid (Can, like my former roommate) in tow!  The day wrapped up with some delicious Harbiye durum.  Making friends like Soner is usually so easy in Turkey, and people are often so gracious and hospitable that it seems strange this still hasn't happened in Konya.  Well-- another friend made, and another friend to visit outside of lovely Konya.  So it goes.  It was still wonderful spending a day with Soner, hearing his thoughts on religion, Antakya, Syria, spicy food, and learning about new things.  I hope I can come back to Antakya and visit him again soon!

Our chauffeur and his steed

Overall, I had a great holiday.  Cyprus was beautiful and a welcome break from Turkey, even if only because of the beach/tourist/Christan history combo.  Plus lots of British tourists.  And Hatay was amazing-- the city itself is so interesting historically, the sights were great, and it too proved to be so much more friendly than Konya.

Now I'm back in the Erasmus Sarayi, prepping for classes and getting ready for the long-haul of straight classes until winter break (mid-January seems so far away).  Kar geliyor.