Okay, I know this is late, but I have to post about it...
Our train ride from Istanbul to Bucharest was supposed to be 19 hours long, but that turned into about 22 hours after delays at the borders...immigration always causes delays, but no one seems to have decided to account for those delays in the arrival times. Anyway, upon arrival in Bucharest, we booked our train out for early the following morning and walked to our hostel. By the time we got to sleep that night we had only a few hours before we had to get up again and head out. The lady at reception was really nice and got breakfast ready for us early! Our train ride to Kiev (capital of Ukraine) was supposed to be 27 hours, and guess what? It was 27 hours!!! They left on time and arrived on time, accounting for the time at the border. The border took about 2 hours because (and we didn’t find this out until later) the rails are different in Ukraine than in the rest of Europe. So, they have to change the trains over.
We arrived in Kiev at about 9:15 in the morning and proceeded to take care of three errands...1) We needed to get money out of an ATM, 2) We needed to buy our tickets to Kharkov and make reservations for our train back to Bucharest, and 3) We needed to get a phone card and call John Lynch to let him know what time we would be arriving in Kharkov. We began with #2. I attempted to ask at the information counter, but unfortunately was unable to get any help. Almost no one speaks English there and the lady refused to even point to where I could buy a ticket (I showed her our passes and the name of the city we needed to get to). Joannie later said that I was just lucky she didn’t scowl at me. After standing in one line, I got a lady to write down the number of the ticket window I needed to go to. When we found that window, there was a woman buying a ticket there who spoke English and she was kind enough to help us communicate!!! Rebecca hurried to withdraw money as they don’t really accept credit cards. Once the tickets were purchased, we had one more hurdle. I asked about a phone card at a magazine stand and they directed me to the post office where it was easily purchased and I called John with our arrival details. –sigh of relief-
In Kharkov, we didn’t see John right away and eventually started wandering around the outside of the station before Joannie came up and asked if we were Elizabeth and Rebecca. Apparently, Tanya (John’s wife) had gone into labor earlier in the evening and things were a bit crazy. Yay, us...we just have the best timing! At the house, Joannie showed us our room, which was the attic. We climbed the stairs to the second floor, then ascended the ladder, and lifted the hatch. It was great! We didn’t get to sleep until late that first night so we slept in a bit the next morning. The kids were wonderful. Ariel is John and Tanya’s first...she’s 4, soon to be 5 in January. Arlen just turned 3 a few days before we arrived, and no one knew what the third was going to be except for John and Tanya, who had chosen to keep the gender of their new baby a secret until his/her birth. When John arrived home that morning we found out that Tanya had given birth to another son...Aaron.
We headed out into town with Joannie that day to buy a turkey at the open market. I don’t think I can really describe it, but that was an interesting experience! We were fortunate to be able to spend Thanksgiving with the Lynch’s. I didn’t think I would care much if I missed Thanksgiving, but I must admit, it was really nice to celebrate it.
There’s so much I could say about Ukraine, and I could probably go on and on with a detailed description of each day, but I think I’ll just share some of the things we saw and did, and the amazing people we met! John arranged for a girl from the church to help us navigate the city. Her name was Olya and she just couldn’t have been more wonderful! She was very friendly and talkative and we really enjoyed hanging out with her.
Olya is a member of a Jewish dance team, so the evening we first met her, she picked us up at the house and took us to watch their practice. About a week later we also had the opportunity to watch the drama team practice (Faceless People). They have some incredible choreography as well incorporated into their dramas. John took us with him to the youth group he leads and we enjoyed meeting the other youth leaders and some of the kids. They had a lot of questions about us so we chatted for awhile, with John interpreting. One night we went to an orphanage where a couple of ladies go every week and teach various grades. The week we went the topic was on love. These were 7th grade, 9th grade, and 10th grade students. We were unable to participate in a lot of the activities we attended for obvious reasons, but it was really interesting to see what was going on and talk with the leaders of these groups to hear about what God is doing.
One of the ministries that impacted me (and that we were able to participate in) was a hospital ministry. When expecting mothers go to the hospital to give birth, sometimes they choose not to keep their babies. There is a process that includes signing papers giving the child up for adoption. The problem is, sometimes these women (or girls) just leave without signing the necessary papers. The baby is then left in the hospital with no home to go to, but also unable to be adopted (and therefore cannot be taken to an orphanage). If the women disappear and the lawyer is not able to find them, these babies can end up stuck in the hospital for up to a year, and sometimes longer. In these situations, the babies are rarely held, spoken to, or played with. The nurses feed them, but it’s a hospital with sick patients. It isn’t set up as a nursery. So these babies are confined to a crib for most of the day. A group of ladies from the church (6) go to four of these hospitals on a regular basis to hold and talk to the babies. In summer, they can sometimes take the babies outside as well. There are probably nineteen hospitals like this, but they are only able to go to four of them. The woman we spoke to would like someday to have a home where these babies can go until they can be put up for adoption. I’m not certain what she needs in order for that to happen, but it’s definitely a huge need!
In addition to the ministries we participated in, we also did some walking around the city and shopping while we were in Kharkov (including some trousers for Rebecca from the second hand store- all of her other trousers are falling to pieces). In between the activities going on during the week we tried to be as much help at the house as we could...from cleaning and doing dishes to playing with the kids or picking up something from the store.
We really enjoyed our time in Kharkov with the Lynch’s and were sad to leave. After leaving Ukraine we had only 5 ½ weeks left of the trip. I can’t believe it’s December!
Pics...
1. Thanksgiving with the Lynch's (from far left and going clockwise)...John, Sarah, Elizabeth, Joannie, Ariel
2. This is a picture of the university square in Kharkov. It is supposedly the largest or second largest square in Europe...we got different stories.
3. This is a picture of me and Olya, who helped us navigate the city. On this day, Rebecca stayed back so it was just the two of us.
4. This is me with Dima, who is one of the abandoned babies I held.
5. Elizabeth, Soombir (spelling?), and Ariel
6. Elizabeth, Soombir, and Arlen
7. Group shot of all of us...John, Tanya, Ariel, Elizabeth, Igor, Arlen, Rebecca, and Soombir
8. On the train from Kiev to Bucharest, we met a couple of girls (who shared our compartment). They were on their way to Bulgaria for a boxing competition!!! Rebecca, Elizabeth, Svetlana, and Julia
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Turkey!!!
I really liked Turkey, so a big thanks to Brook for recommending it. I don't think we would have gone there otherwise. When we arrived in Tsesme it felt and looked like the other coastal towns we had seen in Greece. In fact, the ferry from Chios to Tsesme is only about 30-45 minutes. We bought our visas, went through customs, and then walked about a kilometer to the bus station where we purchased tickets to Izmir. After almost two and a half hours we arrived at the Izmir bus station where we were met with the hustle and bustle of a big city. We desperately needed a toilet when we got there, so we hurried down only to find that, of course, you have to pay. They accepted euros in Tsesme, so we hadn't needed to withdraw any money and as I'm sure you can imagine, toilet attendants aren't exactly the friendliest people around. At the last minute Rebecca remembered that although we had paid our bus fare in euros, the change was in lira, so we had enough to satisfy the toilet guard. Scooping up our large bags afterwards, we wandered into the large hall full of various kiosks with people shouting at us, "Where are you going? Where do you want to go?" At first I thought they were telling us to get out, but they eventually beckoned us over. We were passed down the line to the kiosk selling tickets to Kusadasi. The bus was about to leave so they herded us out, telling us to buy the ticket on the bus. About to board, I turned to Rebecca who reminded me that we still didn't have any lira. We informed one of the attendants who ushered us back in the building where they exchanged some of our euros before hurrying us back out to the waiting bus. Finally in our seats, we sat back in relief and prepared for another two and a half hours. Upon arrival in Kusadasi we called our hotel and Ali, who runs the hotel, came to pick us up. From that moment on, everything was taken care of. They drove us where we wanted to go, arranged buses or other transport, even ordered in food. At first it was nice, but eventually we felt ready to explore on our own and had to kind-of sneak out the door. Okay, not really. They were great! And they really went out of their way to ensure that our stay was enjoyable, which it was!
Our second day in Kusadasi we went scuba diving. The idea had been to do that in Greece, but unfortunately, things tend to shut down in Greece in the winter so diving wasn't available. We decided that if we couldn't dive from the Greek side, maybe we could from the Turkish side. This worked out rather well and due to the time of year, we were the only divers. Our guide was great and Rebecca had her first actual dive (apart from her lessons). Back at the hotel we took a quick nap, then headed to the ruins in Ephesus. Again, so much more fun without all of the crowds. Traveling in winter definitely has its drawbacks, but the benefits make up for it in my opinion. Anyway, afterwards Ali took us to a shop owned by a friend of his where we had tea, chatted, and shopped a bit.
The following day we took a day trip to Pamukkale. Most of the day was spent on a bus, but after all of our moving around we decided we'd rather spend more time on a bus than pack up and move to yet another location. Pamukkale is fascinating and really unique. We've visited so many places that sometimes things start to look the same everywhere we go. Pamukkale was definitely different. When we got there, we walked up this path full of mineral springs. The white rock looks like snow and the water drizzles over all of it. They don't allow shoes, so we went barefoot up the path, stopping to play in the water. It felt like walking up a wall of water and since others were climbing as well, we kept going until an employee came up the path blowing his whistle. Apparently, it's permissible to climb a certain distance, but not too high (no signs to indicate where this imaginary line is, though). Actually, we weren't entirely sure if the whistle was being blown at us or the guys who had climbed even higher...oh, well. Anyway, once at the top there were more ruins to explore, including an amazing theater that is pretty impressive. Brook could probably say a lot more about this. In fact, since we weren't on a tour, I'd love to hear more about what I was seeing! On our way back down to catch the bus, we were beckoned over by a woman who anticipated our hunger and we ate in her tiny little restaurant.
Our last day in Kusadasi was spent doing a little more shopping, a little more bargaining, and going to the Turkish baths. That was nice...very nice. It's like getting a message only there's water and soap involved. That night, we took an overnight bus to Istanbul. We arrived early in the morning, transferred to a small bus that took us to the city center, and then began the hunt for the hostel. It didn't take too long, and they let us check in really early (and gave us breakfast). We slept for about an hour (because sleeping on buses is not easy) and then began our exploration of Istanbul. Between our guide books and Brook, we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do and see. Unfortunately, within about 20 minutes we discovered that they have doubled the prices in the last three months. I guess they figured that if tourists paid that much in western Europe, they'd pay it in Turkey, too. Anyway, that changed our plans a bit. We went inside the Blue Mosque, which is beautiful (and free) and then walked quickly through the Grand Bazaar (just wanted to get a taste of it...didn't really care to stop and get hassled). We bought some spices at the Spice Market, and then headed across the canal after buying fish and bread from a street vendor. The bridge was full of fishermen, a line of polls on top and a line of restaurants on the bottom. We actually found that walking on top was better (even though it was cold and windy) because at least the fishermen didn't hassle you along the way! : - ) We tried Turkish coffee, which is slightly better than Greek coffee, although very similar. I have to admit, I don't really like the grainy texture, but whatever!
The next day we opted to be satisfied with seeing Topkapi Palace from the outside and took Brook's recommendation to go inside the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia used to be a cathedral, but when Istanbul was conquered, it was turned into a mosque. Anyway, there are remnants from both eras inside, making it a really interesting bit of history!!! We also bought some baklava and turkish delight later in the day before heading back to the hostel where we ate dinner (Rebecca went out and picked something up). By the way, I really like Turkish food...very yummy!
That night we were planning to take the train from Istanbul to Bucharest. At about 7:00 pm (or 19:00), the electricity went out all over the city due to poor weather conditions. Poor weather conditions consisted of wind and buckets of rain being dumped on the city. I was a little concerned when the guy at reception said he wasn't sure if the trains would still be running, but figured the worst that would happen would be that we would have to arrive in Ukraine a day late. We poor unfortunate souls were forced to trudge through the aforementioned weather in order to get to the station where we sat on a cold, dark bench until the electricity came back on. Applause filled the air as we all breathed a sigh of relief and then business carried on as usual. Our 19 hour train ride turned into 22 hours (because no seems to plan in enough time for all of the border stops), but we eventually arrived in Bucharest, where we stayed a short night close to the station before departing on a 27 hour train ride to Ukraine. But that's another story...
Picture Explanations:
1. Ephesus
2-4 The mineral springs at Pamukkale
5. Rebecca at the theater in Pamukkale
6. The outside of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul
7-8 The Blue Mosque (outside and inside)
9. The Hagia Sophia
10. This is one of the mosaics from inside the Hagia Sophia
11. Yum! Baklava on the top and Turkish Delight on the bottom! Also, they really like pistachios in Turkey so pistachio flavoring is very common and very good!
Our second day in Kusadasi we went scuba diving. The idea had been to do that in Greece, but unfortunately, things tend to shut down in Greece in the winter so diving wasn't available. We decided that if we couldn't dive from the Greek side, maybe we could from the Turkish side. This worked out rather well and due to the time of year, we were the only divers. Our guide was great and Rebecca had her first actual dive (apart from her lessons). Back at the hotel we took a quick nap, then headed to the ruins in Ephesus. Again, so much more fun without all of the crowds. Traveling in winter definitely has its drawbacks, but the benefits make up for it in my opinion. Anyway, afterwards Ali took us to a shop owned by a friend of his where we had tea, chatted, and shopped a bit.
The following day we took a day trip to Pamukkale. Most of the day was spent on a bus, but after all of our moving around we decided we'd rather spend more time on a bus than pack up and move to yet another location. Pamukkale is fascinating and really unique. We've visited so many places that sometimes things start to look the same everywhere we go. Pamukkale was definitely different. When we got there, we walked up this path full of mineral springs. The white rock looks like snow and the water drizzles over all of it. They don't allow shoes, so we went barefoot up the path, stopping to play in the water. It felt like walking up a wall of water and since others were climbing as well, we kept going until an employee came up the path blowing his whistle. Apparently, it's permissible to climb a certain distance, but not too high (no signs to indicate where this imaginary line is, though). Actually, we weren't entirely sure if the whistle was being blown at us or the guys who had climbed even higher...oh, well. Anyway, once at the top there were more ruins to explore, including an amazing theater that is pretty impressive. Brook could probably say a lot more about this. In fact, since we weren't on a tour, I'd love to hear more about what I was seeing! On our way back down to catch the bus, we were beckoned over by a woman who anticipated our hunger and we ate in her tiny little restaurant.
Our last day in Kusadasi was spent doing a little more shopping, a little more bargaining, and going to the Turkish baths. That was nice...very nice. It's like getting a message only there's water and soap involved. That night, we took an overnight bus to Istanbul. We arrived early in the morning, transferred to a small bus that took us to the city center, and then began the hunt for the hostel. It didn't take too long, and they let us check in really early (and gave us breakfast). We slept for about an hour (because sleeping on buses is not easy) and then began our exploration of Istanbul. Between our guide books and Brook, we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do and see. Unfortunately, within about 20 minutes we discovered that they have doubled the prices in the last three months. I guess they figured that if tourists paid that much in western Europe, they'd pay it in Turkey, too. Anyway, that changed our plans a bit. We went inside the Blue Mosque, which is beautiful (and free) and then walked quickly through the Grand Bazaar (just wanted to get a taste of it...didn't really care to stop and get hassled). We bought some spices at the Spice Market, and then headed across the canal after buying fish and bread from a street vendor. The bridge was full of fishermen, a line of polls on top and a line of restaurants on the bottom. We actually found that walking on top was better (even though it was cold and windy) because at least the fishermen didn't hassle you along the way! : - ) We tried Turkish coffee, which is slightly better than Greek coffee, although very similar. I have to admit, I don't really like the grainy texture, but whatever!
The next day we opted to be satisfied with seeing Topkapi Palace from the outside and took Brook's recommendation to go inside the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia used to be a cathedral, but when Istanbul was conquered, it was turned into a mosque. Anyway, there are remnants from both eras inside, making it a really interesting bit of history!!! We also bought some baklava and turkish delight later in the day before heading back to the hostel where we ate dinner (Rebecca went out and picked something up). By the way, I really like Turkish food...very yummy!
That night we were planning to take the train from Istanbul to Bucharest. At about 7:00 pm (or 19:00), the electricity went out all over the city due to poor weather conditions. Poor weather conditions consisted of wind and buckets of rain being dumped on the city. I was a little concerned when the guy at reception said he wasn't sure if the trains would still be running, but figured the worst that would happen would be that we would have to arrive in Ukraine a day late. We poor unfortunate souls were forced to trudge through the aforementioned weather in order to get to the station where we sat on a cold, dark bench until the electricity came back on. Applause filled the air as we all breathed a sigh of relief and then business carried on as usual. Our 19 hour train ride turned into 22 hours (because no seems to plan in enough time for all of the border stops), but we eventually arrived in Bucharest, where we stayed a short night close to the station before departing on a 27 hour train ride to Ukraine. But that's another story...
Picture Explanations:
1. Ephesus
2-4 The mineral springs at Pamukkale
5. Rebecca at the theater in Pamukkale
6. The outside of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul
7-8 The Blue Mosque (outside and inside)
9. The Hagia Sophia
10. This is one of the mosaics from inside the Hagia Sophia
11. Yum! Baklava on the top and Turkish Delight on the bottom! Also, they really like pistachios in Turkey so pistachio flavoring is very common and very good!
Greek Islands
The islands in Greece were much more enjoyable than the big cities, although Crete has more than it's share of big, dirty cities with too much construction. We stayed in Heraklion because of it's proximity to the port, but took a couple of day trips. The first day trip was to Knossos where we enjoyed exploring more ruins. The Knossos Palace was once the center of Minoan civilization. Parts of it have been restored (I don't know how accurately), but it's pretty fun to explore! Rebecca was very enthusiastic because Knossos was very important in Indiana Jones' search for Atlantis!!! Brook, I hope my extremely brief description gets a better grade than Rebecca's. Another fun day trip was to a couple of coastal towns. We just really enjoyed getting out of the cities, walking along the coast, and and enjoying some fresh air!
We took an overnight ferry from Crete back to Athens, then transferred to a ferry going to Syros, one of the smaller islands. Again, the highlight was being out of the city. The people were nicer, more helpful, and the atmosphere was, in general, much more pleasant. We found a hotel that let us store our luggage while we took a bus to see more of the island. Late that night we caught another ferry that took us to Chios where we were greeted by a very kind man who runs a hotel about 7 kilometers outside of town. I had called to book with him because his prices were so good and he offered to come pick us up at 2:30 in the morning so we wouldn't have to look for a taxi. Not only that, but the hotel actually turned out to be apartments, so we had a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living room. It was great!!! The town was pretty small and out of the way (better in my opinion) so we walked around a bit, enjoying the scenery, the quiet, and the small market a short walk from our apartment. After two nights there, we caught a ferry from Chios to Tcesme, which is in Turkey. I have lots to say about Turkey, but that will have to wait for next time...
Pictures:
1. This is Knossos. Obviously, much of it has been reconstructed, so this isn't what it actually looked like...just what Arthur Evans thought it probably looked like...
2. This is me during our day trip away from Heraklion. I am sitting on rock on the coast in a town called Elounda.
3. This is an old Venetian Port in Heraklion that we walked by every day.
4-5 These pictures are from Syros. We only had an afternoon and evening in this lovely town, but we enjoyed every minute!
6. Here I am on the island of Chios where we spent a day prior to heading to Turkey!
We took an overnight ferry from Crete back to Athens, then transferred to a ferry going to Syros, one of the smaller islands. Again, the highlight was being out of the city. The people were nicer, more helpful, and the atmosphere was, in general, much more pleasant. We found a hotel that let us store our luggage while we took a bus to see more of the island. Late that night we caught another ferry that took us to Chios where we were greeted by a very kind man who runs a hotel about 7 kilometers outside of town. I had called to book with him because his prices were so good and he offered to come pick us up at 2:30 in the morning so we wouldn't have to look for a taxi. Not only that, but the hotel actually turned out to be apartments, so we had a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living room. It was great!!! The town was pretty small and out of the way (better in my opinion) so we walked around a bit, enjoying the scenery, the quiet, and the small market a short walk from our apartment. After two nights there, we caught a ferry from Chios to Tcesme, which is in Turkey. I have lots to say about Turkey, but that will have to wait for next time...
Pictures:
1. This is Knossos. Obviously, much of it has been reconstructed, so this isn't what it actually looked like...just what Arthur Evans thought it probably looked like...
2. This is me during our day trip away from Heraklion. I am sitting on rock on the coast in a town called Elounda.
3. This is an old Venetian Port in Heraklion that we walked by every day.
4-5 These pictures are from Syros. We only had an afternoon and evening in this lovely town, but we enjoyed every minute!
6. Here I am on the island of Chios where we spent a day prior to heading to Turkey!
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