Merhaba Turkey!

Turkey was not originally on my countries that I would have considered for my grad trip. However I am very happy that it was suggested as it is probably one of my favourite countries that I visited. As expected, Turkey was very different to all the other countries that I had visited. The smog/ pollution was something that I didn't quite expect from Istanbul, although it makes sense naturally. First night was at an airport hotel in Istanbul since the plan was to catch a high speed train to Ankara before heading by bus to Göreme.

The highspeed railway line between Ankara and Istanbul is incomplete and the closest station is currently at Pendik, on the Asian side and closer to Sabiha Gökçen International Airport. Once complete it will be a 3.5hr train journey, covering 553km. Until then a cab ride is the only way to get to Pendik, especially at 6am. The one thing that was interesting / annoying were the constant bag scanners at train stations, bus stations, shopping centres and even simply entering the airport (I don't mean to get through security for the gates. This made me cringe since I also shoot in film and each pass through x-ray damages the film. The train journey was quite pleasant, and there was free wifi (although BBC was blocked, odd). I also witnessed one of my most memorable and beautiful sunrises. The journey went through quite a few different landscapes. Initially through residential and populated areas, to in between the mountains and also landscapes which were very desolate. Around halfway through the journey, there was a crazy amount of dust/ cloud/ mist which made visibility very very low. It was quite scary sitting in a carriage that was going at 150kmph and not being able to see anything in the distance.

Ankara took me by surprise. I really didn't expect it to look like what it did (it didn't look like the images on Google). What did it look like? Very dusty, beige and smoggy. This was when I also realised that people didn't follow road rules and cars are king on the road. In fact, it was even scarier than Rome since the roads I crossed in Ankara were usually 4 lanes wide in total! I originally had plans to leave our bags in the lockers at the station (which I did) and to wander and explore around Ankara briefly before heading to the bus station to travel to Göreme. Sadly what happened was a brief stop in a cafe for lunch before attempting to find the bus station.

Simit. It is a "Turkish bagel", although I feel that it is better than a bagel (I'm not a fan of bagels). It has a texture more akin to bread than a bagel. These are actually sold on the streets for 1 Lira (roughly, $0.50 AUD). Plain of course..

The trip to the bus station was a lot more difficult than what I had envisaged. The metro to the bus station was on the other side of the tracks of the main train station. Google maps didn't quite show how to cross the tracks. Twenty minutes later, and after much frustration from my travelling partner, finally made it to the metro station. I feel that I am less frustrated when travelling (in terms of unexpected problems) than when I am back home. Perhaps it is because I expect that there will be difficulties. The ticket machine wasn't very helpful, especially since I had been spoilt with choice in all my other countries with the option of selecting the "English" button. After some hand signing with the man behind the ticket window and butchering the name of the bus station (AŞTİ), I finally boarded the train.

The bus station was also completely different to what I had expected. I expected something similar to the ones where I've caught Megabus and other companies like that. It reminded me of the Amazing Race when the constestants are running to the whole row of airline counters. In short, there were a lot of people at the station and this is because buses are the main form of transportation between cities and towns since the trains leave a lot to be desired (from personal experience)/ are non existent. Sadly, the next bus due out to Göreme was in 4 hours. Four hours spent at the bus station where I caught up on my travel journal.

One thing I also didn't expect in Turkey were squat toilets. If you are unsure what they are, here it is. I originally included my own image that I took from the delightfully clean (sarcasm) squat toilet at the bus station. But I decided against it. I'm not a fan of paying to use toilets generally, but especially when I paid 1 Lira to use a horribly dirty toilet too. I hate squat toilets with a passion. When I was a kid, they used to be everywhere in Hong Kong and I always had a fear that I would topple backwards and into the ... mess.

The bus journey between Ankara and Göreme is 5 hours. The great thing about bus rides in Turkey is that they offer refreshments: water, tea, instant coffee, and a small snack. In addition to the man driving the bus, there is also a bus attendant who acts very similar to a flight attendant. The bus is also quite comfortable and there are tv screens at the back of the chair which played Turkish shows.

The thing I noticed is that English doesn't really get you by (which isn't a problem) unless you are in a super touristy area. The coach stopped at Nevşehir which was the nearest big city. It seemed that everyone was leaving so I also got off the bus and asked, "Göreme?" to the driver of the mini buses. The driver said yes, so I boarded. Luckily, the bus attendant ran out after us and took us back to the coach (btw, with 0 English spoken between the two of us aside from ""Göreme?") and the coach continued with the 5 passengers inside. I am very thankful and grateful that the bus attendant was so observant that we had left (at the beginning of the ride he asked us our final destination). Very happy. Moral of the story and advice to anyone going on bus journeys in Turkey: check with the bus attendant and not the drivers as they seem to just say "yes" even if it isn't true.

This is a very text heavy post since I don't feel inclined to take out my camera when I am carrying all my luggage. But it is a necessary introduction to my Turkey portion of the trip. In some ways, Turkey was the hardest country for me since quite a few problems popped up, but it was still an incredible experience.

Montserrat, Spain

Montserrat ('serrated mountain' in Catalan) is a mountain near Barcelona and is known for Santa Maria de Montserrat which has the 'Black Madonna' and the famous Montserrat's Boy Choir. The boys in the choir actually live and study at the monastery!

This was an "easy" day trip from Barcelona (from memory 2hrs) and was probably the best part of my trip in Spain. To get to Montserrat required the R5 train which departs from Plaza Espanya. The ticket machine was a little confusing however there is a man who specifically sells tickets (at the same price) which is a lot easier. Sadly, the time of the year I was going meant that the furniculars were closed due to maintenance. In a nutshell, you needed to take the R5 train to Monserrat, followed by the mountain train up the mountain. Usually, the furniculars are open which would allow you to get higher up in the mountain.

The weather was not the best and it was very overcast.


Montserrat itself.


On the mountain train.







Funny story, after visiting the monastery and lining up to see the Black Madonna, I left only to discover that it was completely deserted. Eerily deserted. After checking my watch, I realised that it was 1pm (the time for the choir's performance) and quickly went back in. I watched the performance and it was good (I don't really know how to judge). I usually am quite good at filtering out things but it still nags at the back of my mind. Firstly, there were two guys chatting behind me during the performance. Secondly, selfie sticks to record the performance. I don't hate selfie sticks, I just think there is a time and place. Also, enough is enough. It gets to a point where I feel like the person must realise that it detracts from the experience. But maybe that is just me.

There really isn't much to do there after you have visited the monastery. I had planned on doing a hike up to the peak, St Jeroni because it looked incredible on Google Images. For example:

Sadly, it was incredibly overcast and in fact, it felt like being in the clouds since they were so low and visibility was pretty horrendous. However, I sometimes have a #yolo personality. Sometimes. It pops up every now and then.


Very eerie.






If the furniculars were open, they would skip part of the hike meaning that the hike to the peak would be considerably shorter. But as mentioned previously, the furniculars were closed. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the top since I stumbled upon this (it may have been 3/4 of the way there).

The STOP was painted onto a tree branch which had blocked the path and it was in the same paint that had been used to sporadically mark the path. How annoying. It had rained quite heavily the day before so perhaps it had something to do with that. Nonetheless, it was quite an easy walk although some portions had quite a lot of stairs. A thing to note, I am not a fit person by any means so when I say it is relatively easy, it is quite easy.

There were quite a lot of tourists - namely Chinese and Japanese- moreso than when I was in the actual city of Barcelona! Or at least that was my impression. However the vast majority just stuck to the area.of the monestary and the information centre. I would definitely recommend a day trip out to Montserrat, although with a little more forward planning so that you could also complete the hike to the summit.

Barcelona, Spain

Everyone that I have spoken to has absolutely loved Barcelona. Whilst I think it was a better city to visit as a tourist than Madrid, it wasn't great in my honest opinion. First things first, I stayed in a hotel somewhat close to Arc de Triomf and it was really freaky. It had those giant wooden doors (the one where there is a smaller door within the bigger door) and two staircases that converged into one in the middle. There was also a super old metal elevator and it honestly felt like something from a horror movie since it was super dim and it echoed.

One thing that I didn't realise about Barcelona was the existence of the grid system of the streets. I'm not the biggest fan of the grid system and especially at night since every single intersection was exactly the same as the previous one which was a little confusing. First night was empanadas at El Laurel which was highly rated on Yelp.




I can't remember what I ordered anymore. From memory it was cheese & corn, blood sausage and ... I have no idea. Super yummy.

What is a visit to Barcelona without visiting Sangrada Familia. Well, I was a little torn originally since it was so expensive (for my standards) at €15,50 I believe (student price) for Sangrada Familia + tower admission. I do think it was money well spent since the interior was absolutely amazing. It's incredible to think that it was constructed in that style during the 19th century. I would highly recommend!











That being said, I think the visit to the tower was a waste of time and money. Largely money. Pretty much, you caught the lift to the top of the tower. Walked onto the little walkway (which was 2m in length) and then ... that was it. You would then descend via the stairs. Hmm.




Hello grid system.




I have an inherent bias for beaches in my area, therefore all beaches I have visited are usually quite underwhelming.

Gloomy day (the next day). Walked all the way (quite a few blocks) to see the Magic Fountain, however it was turned off for cleaning. D'oh.
And to wrap up this Barcelona post (did also take a day trip out due to sheer boredom but that is for another post).


Paella! Carne paella since I'm not the biggest fan of seafood. Prior to that night, I had never tasted paella before and it was nice? It's hard for me to really judge the quality as I don't have a basis of comparison. This was at Bosque Palemro (also highly rated on TripAdvisor and Yelp) and it was quite a nice place. Although there was a table of Canadians who were super loud and obnoxious. I don't know what it is, but you can usually hear North Americans tourists (Canadians and Americans) from a mile away. I think the same also goes for Australians. It's weird. You could also order 600ml bottle of cava for something ridiculous like €3 if not less.

Overall Thoughts
I had high expectations of Barcelona and it was very underwhelming for me. I'm not really sure what the appeal is, but I didn't really appreciate the city. It was kind of non-descript for me. And saying that to people makes me uncomfortable as everyone seems to love the city and I feel like the odd duck. I think it would also be wise to have this disclaimer that I did visit more than Sangrada Familia and the things I mention in all my posts. I sometimes just don't have what I deem as worthy photos or simply, a story to go with it hence it is omitted in my travel posts.

An interesting thing to note is the whole pickpocketing reputation that Barcelona has. That being said, a lot of other cities that I have visited also have that reputation and perhaps it is because I went in the quieter season, but I didn't think it was a problem. To be honest, I am quite situationally aware when I am travelling, probably moreso than when I am back home. In fact, I have only ever had one thing stolen in my life and it was my wallet on the bus back from the CBD to my home.

Would I re-visit?
No.

Ingrid Michaelson - "Lights Out" Tour

One of my favourite singers is Ingrid Michaelson. I don't consistently listen to her, but I always seem to "rediscover" her music every now and then and I remember why I absolutely adore her. The last time I really loved her music was in New Zealand on the bus trip to Paihia which was back in 2013. Her 'Lights Out' show for Sydney was originally scheduled for September however, she cancelled it due to her mother's health. It was rescheduled for last night and I had a brilliant time. She is an incredible singer, has a great sense of humour and really engages with the audience. In fact, she is even better live than on her albums and she is able to make me appreciate and like songs that I didn't originally like when I listened to it on the album.

A very funny story. My friend and I lined up early so that we could be at the barricade. An old man was handing out VIP passes (the VIP tickets cost $170 whilst GA was $65) and I assumed he was some promotional guy for her tour. My friend went up to ask for one and he only had one left so she gave it to me. Turns out everyone in the line was there just for the VIP rather than GA and the Metro Theatre woman started calling out names for the people on the VIP list. Turns out the old man wasn't a promotional guy, he just happened to have a lot of VIP tickets (he had a total of 6. I don't know how...) and we went inside. It was so surreal. The VIP package included a meet and greet, a photo and an autograph. The experience was unexpected. I've never been to a meet and greet nor met anyone really famous. (Although I have seen Samantha Harris from afar at my work). It was very impersonal and very much like a production line. You first lined up for her to sign your things (greetings were pretty much non existent) and then lined up again to take a photo with her (once again nothing was said). All in all, it was so cool that I have a photo with her and I actually "met" her. Ah!!












This was my third show and the last show I watched was actually in Atlanta, Georgia in 2012. The show was also amazing and has very funny memories associated with the night. Namely, that I think I got hit on by the security guy of the venue who offered me a tour around Atlanta. Ha. It's all good fun but I always bail/ sneak away because I'm never 100% sure if it's safe. But I love just messing around and playing along (is that weird). I actually have a few stories like that which just make me smile.

I can't wait for her next album whenever that is, and will definitely be going to her next show. Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of her past two albums, I still love her shows due to her personality and her amazing voice. Anyways, videos that I took from her previous show I went to (whilst I love my current camera for low light photos, my old p&s' audio was infinitely better for videos).



I guess it would be appropriate to point out now that although I do take videos (occasionally) and photos I am definitely not one of those people who only does either one (a couple behind me where just doing that). I pretty much turn on my camera, point in the general direction and keep snapping absentmindedly whilst actually listening. I don't know how to explain it, but I don't really pay attention to what I am doing with my camera, if that makes any sense.

Ettalong to Pearl Beach

Catching the ferry from Palm Beach to the Central Coast was a day trip that I had placed on the back burner since 2013. I finally decided to do this day trip and I am very glad that I did.

As I do live in the northern part of Sydney, I simply caught the bus to Palm Beach Wharf, followed by the ferry to Ettalong. It was a beautiful day; Sydney is not always blue skies and sun, but I tend to only go out on those type of days.







The plan was to walk from Ettalong Beach to Patonga. I didn't quite make it to Patonga as I had underestimated the walk. Conversely, I had overestimated my abilities.






So I was walking on the "path" and then it just ended.


So then I decided to clamber across these rocks, until I realised halfway across that it was entirely idiotic, so I went back.


But I eventually found the path.

At a beachside cafe, I bought a packet of mixed lollies for $1 and it had lollies that I haven't had since I was a kid. This included: red frogs, milk bottles, sherbert lollipop, pythons and those dodgy, and probably toxic, banana lollies. It was very nostalgic but also sickening as I don't really eat lollies anymore.



I finally made it to the start of the track from Pearl Beach to Patonga however I stopped 30 minutes in as I realised I wouldn't have enough time to head to Patonga and back to Ettalong wharf. Maybe next time, but the beaches I did visit were absolutely gorgeous already. As I had 40 minutes to kill, I sat on a rock and just read on my Kindle.







I walked a total of around 15km and am dead tired. I always seem to have that problem though, walking a lot further than what I think it is.