Turkey Time!: Back in Istanbul But Leaving Tomorrow for America

I am back from Greece and what a trip! I had a wonderful with Melissa and Autumn but it is nice to be back home for a bit. Home being Istanbul. I will back up and tell you about the rest of my trip.

Our last day in Greece was really chill. We walked to the government building where we were told that some riots have taken place there due to the Euro crisis. We also went to the stadium where some events from the 2004 Summer Olympics were held. We had another delicious gyro and walked around and shopped. We then had to wake up very early to catch our seven am ferry to Santorini which is one of the Greek Islands. I was in and out of sleep the whole trip there. The hostel picked us up from the port and took us to the hostel which was really nice. It was much cheaper then Athens and nicer. We had our own little place with two rooms, little kitchen area and a bathroom.

Santorini was a real relaxing time. We went to the beach and just chilled. The water was so very blue and clear. When we were in the water, we could see the bottom very clearly. The beach where we were had black sand. It was really cool but not actually cool as it was super hot in the sun! It was much different from white sand as it was lots of little pebbles basically. I was in the sun quite a bit and it felt so good until I started seeing and feeling that I was burnt. So I spent the last day in lots of pain and applying lots of aloe. The trip home yesterday was pretty miserable. We were on the ferry from ten pm the day before until about 7:30 yesterday morning. Then I went straight to the airport with a bus while the other two went back to the old hostel as Autumn forgot some things. I was so out of it as I was tired, irritable and in so much pain. I really couldn’t walk much, more like gliding. Then we finally got on the plane which wasn’t too bad but still not fun. The worst was getting from the airport to my flat. I was wearing shorts to let the sunburn breathe. We got on a tram and then a metro bus and it was so bad as people kept brushing against my leg or my bag would touch it and it was so painful. It also was very hot and I was so sweaty. By the time we got of the bus by Kadikoy, I decide to take a taxi home would be the best opinion and it was. I was so happy to get back to my flat and relax and take some Tylenol!

I am doing better today. My body is still very sore but I can actually walk normal. The only bad thing is my right leg now has blisters. I have been putting wet towels on my legs which relives the pain. I am now basically done with packing. I have two large suitcases and according to my scale, they are about forty-five pounds each and I really hope it is right! I also have my carry on and my coat that has several sweatshirts inside of it. I am taking a taxi to the airport as there is no way I could take public transportation. My flight leaves around 5 am tomorrow so I am leaving my flat about eleven.

It hasn’t really hit me yet. I have been saying goodbye to people for a while now and slowly been packing also. I was just at an airport yesterday but this time, I am going home home. I say home home because Istanbul has been home for the past four and a half months. I will always have a place in my heart for Turkey. I will miss Turkey very much but I am ready to go home. I can’t wait until I walk out of the plane in Des Moines and see one or both of my parents there! I have missed them so much!

So I believe this will be my last post in Turkey. The next time you will hear from me I will be in America. It is a long journey as I leave from Istanbul then go to Amsterdam, them Detroit and then finally Des Moines. I will definitely post when I get back home so don’t go anywhere!