Saturday, January 9, 2010
Istanbul to Vienna, via Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary
After a long day of driving, we arrived back in Istanbul just after midnight. The next day I met with one of my fathers old business contacts and family friend and toured the Istanbul Terminal Markets. It was amazing how similar it was to New York and it was really nice seeing all the action again. I met up with other members of the Manav family and ate delicious foods and discussed different ideas for the future. I was lucky enough to watch a banana container boat from South America be unloaded which was truly fascinating and got to tour their brand new cold storage facilities. After a few more meetings and a few more games of Tavla, I had to decide how I was going to get back to Germany. To keep up with the idea of always having a new adventure, I decided to do something that EVERYONE thought I was crazy for doing. I was going to take a bus from Istanbul, through Bulgaria, through Serbia, through Hungary and into Austria. After some research, I found a company that did exactly that and the price was about the same of a plane ticket, but it took 26 hours!
The following morning I was picked up by Atilla and after a thirty minute car ride I arrived at the bus terminal.....which was more like an airport! The first part of the ride leaving Istanbul was breath taking and the weather was perfect. As I approach the Bulgarian boarder, the sun started setting and the adventure began. I was the only non Turk on the bus and it was mostly elderly couples that were traveling to Austria to visit relatives. At the boarder, two people were removed from the bus and searched by the police. They were then taken back to the Turkish boarder and not allowed to enter Bulgaria. The Bulgarian police questioned me for a moment and were really curious as to why I was taking a bus and why I had no luggage. I told him I was on vacation and didn't want to take planes and this seemed like a guaranteed adventure. He looked at me like I was crazy. We were then boarded by the Bulgarian police whom told us we all had to pay 5 Euros to avoid being searched. I told the police officer he was welcome to search me and I didn't want to spend the money. He said “This is mandatory payment.” I decided it was then a good idea to forget about trying to argue with a grumpy Bulgarian police officer. As the sunset, I struck up a pleasant conversation with a Turkish/Swiss woman whom had been taking this bus for the past decade because she was terrified of flying. She knew every stop we made, which included stopping three times to give Bulgarian police cartons of cigarettes. Once inside Bulgaria, we stopped at a duty free zone where I was attacked by beautiful women asking if I would buy them cigarettes....apparently anyone traveling through is allowed to purchase 6 cartons of cigarettes at an extremely discounted prices. I pretended I didn't understand them and went to get food. There were dozens of cars that were literally filled with cigarettes.
Somewhere around midnight we crossed the boarder into Serbia and we all had to pass our passports up to the front of the bus and remain on board. About twenty minutes later I was called off the bus by the police. It was FREEZING and he asked me numerous questions in surprisingly good English about why I was on the bus. He seemed to accept my story after looking at me quizzically. At dawn we stopped somewhere in Hungry and I had delicious Goulash for breakfast for 2 Euro. The rest of the ride to Vienna was rather mundane, but the scenery was nice and I was happy to have made it through all the passport checks without too much hassle! Once in Vienna I met up with Kiwi and Moni for a pleasant night of catching up with old friends. The following morning I caught the ICE express back to Germany.
The following morning I was picked up by Atilla and after a thirty minute car ride I arrived at the bus terminal.....which was more like an airport! The first part of the ride leaving Istanbul was breath taking and the weather was perfect. As I approach the Bulgarian boarder, the sun started setting and the adventure began. I was the only non Turk on the bus and it was mostly elderly couples that were traveling to Austria to visit relatives. At the boarder, two people were removed from the bus and searched by the police. They were then taken back to the Turkish boarder and not allowed to enter Bulgaria. The Bulgarian police questioned me for a moment and were really curious as to why I was taking a bus and why I had no luggage. I told him I was on vacation and didn't want to take planes and this seemed like a guaranteed adventure. He looked at me like I was crazy. We were then boarded by the Bulgarian police whom told us we all had to pay 5 Euros to avoid being searched. I told the police officer he was welcome to search me and I didn't want to spend the money. He said “This is mandatory payment.” I decided it was then a good idea to forget about trying to argue with a grumpy Bulgarian police officer. As the sunset, I struck up a pleasant conversation with a Turkish/Swiss woman whom had been taking this bus for the past decade because she was terrified of flying. She knew every stop we made, which included stopping three times to give Bulgarian police cartons of cigarettes. Once inside Bulgaria, we stopped at a duty free zone where I was attacked by beautiful women asking if I would buy them cigarettes....apparently anyone traveling through is allowed to purchase 6 cartons of cigarettes at an extremely discounted prices. I pretended I didn't understand them and went to get food. There were dozens of cars that were literally filled with cigarettes.
Somewhere around midnight we crossed the boarder into Serbia and we all had to pass our passports up to the front of the bus and remain on board. About twenty minutes later I was called off the bus by the police. It was FREEZING and he asked me numerous questions in surprisingly good English about why I was on the bus. He seemed to accept my story after looking at me quizzically. At dawn we stopped somewhere in Hungry and I had delicious Goulash for breakfast for 2 Euro. The rest of the ride to Vienna was rather mundane, but the scenery was nice and I was happy to have made it through all the passport checks without too much hassle! Once in Vienna I met up with Kiwi and Moni for a pleasant night of catching up with old friends. The following morning I caught the ICE express back to Germany.
Izmir
I know that I have been slacking on updating my adventures and for that I apologize. Luckily I have an impeccable memory so writing about events from two months ago should not be a problem :)
The next morning we got up terribly early (5am) to catch the ferry from Istanbul that takes you out of the Bosphorus and down the Aegean coast a bit. By doing this, you save a few hours which would have been spent fighting Istanbul traffic on one of the bridges. Unfortunately due to bad weather, we were told the boat would not be sailing so we immediately headed out of Istanbul to catch another ferry. We arrived at the boat just at dawn and I caught a breathtaking views of the Bosphorus. (see attached pictures). The boat was loaded with truck drivers heading to the Asian side to make deliveries and go on their routes. I was incredibly exhausted and freezing cold, but after two cups of strong Turkish tea I was ready for the eight hour adventure to Izmir.
The area between Istanbul and Izmir is some of the most beautiful in the world. Not only is the coast line breathtaking, but roads also take you inland through small mountains and valleys teeming with agricultural activity. After passing through Bursa, we decided to stop for lunch at Viktor's favorite restaurant in all of Turkey. It is a family owned, very traditional restaurant and it was by far the best meal I had in recent memory. I had a plate piled high with eggplant and roasted spicy peppers as well as a Kebab.
The closer we got to Izmir, the more familiar everything became. I started recognizing names and actually seeing places I had been. Once we passed the signs for Manisa I knew we were getting close. We entered the city near to the Karşıyaka side and made our way into Alsancak. I was so unbelievably happy that not much had changed, except that the water was cleaner, the streets were wider in most places, and a few new buildings had sprung up. For me it was a true homecoming. I felt like I was fourteen again without a care in the world. After dropping our bags off at Ozkans amazing apartment, right on the first Kordon, I wandered around the streets of my childhood that I know and love so much. I made my way down Talatpaşa, passed the American Bazaar, into my old stomping grounds. The area around my school had changed dramatically, but was still very recognizable. I walked down lovers lane, turned left at the Hilton and I was standing in front of my schools. The High school has been torn down and is now a bank, but a large chuck of the Elementary school, that ugly, yet loveable, old tobacco warehouse is still standing. The corner store where I use to buy snacks and sneak cigarettes when I was a teenager was still there, and the most bizarre thing happened. The owner, whom I was friends with immediately recognized me. This man had not seen me since I was sixteen! He got my name wrong at first but quickly corrected himself and gave me a big hug!
The following week was spent meeting prospective clients for business and possible investors. These meetings took me all over the Izmir region, including Manisa, Salili, Soke, Bornova, and Goztepe. Ozkan and I set up office in his AMAZING restaurant where we ate most of the time and occupied the back tables like our own cubicle. The food at Le Trio was truly first class and their clients were the elite of Izmir. I got a kick out of working out of the restaurant and people watching. Towards the end of my stay in Izmir, all of my old neighbors from Güzelbahçe met up with Ozkan and me for a night of Raki and catching up. It was a shock to see how much they had all changed! All but one of them were almost completely bald and most had gained a lot of weight. They joked about it and just said it is too much of the good life.
For some reason I was nervous my last day in Izmir when I met up with old family friends and headed out to Güzelbahçe, my old neighborhood, for a visit. I had heard from numerous people that lots had changed and that my hold house was a retirement home, but I decided I wanted to see it anyway. That night I spent with the Yetkin family enjoying wonderful food, great conversation, and good company. In the morning I was greeted by incredible weather, and the view of the coast that was my playground for five years. Seeing my old house was a bit depressing and it looked nothing like it did when my family lived there, however my neighborhood had not changed much so it was worth it! In fact, much of Izmir was exactly how I remembered it, which I am happy for. The area between downtown Alsancak and my old neighborhood is the area that had changed the most. It is now packed with chain stores, luxury apartments, and upscale shops. It has now become my dream and goal to move back to Izmir in 2010 and start living and working there.
The next morning we got up terribly early (5am) to catch the ferry from Istanbul that takes you out of the Bosphorus and down the Aegean coast a bit. By doing this, you save a few hours which would have been spent fighting Istanbul traffic on one of the bridges. Unfortunately due to bad weather, we were told the boat would not be sailing so we immediately headed out of Istanbul to catch another ferry. We arrived at the boat just at dawn and I caught a breathtaking views of the Bosphorus. (see attached pictures). The boat was loaded with truck drivers heading to the Asian side to make deliveries and go on their routes. I was incredibly exhausted and freezing cold, but after two cups of strong Turkish tea I was ready for the eight hour adventure to Izmir.
The area between Istanbul and Izmir is some of the most beautiful in the world. Not only is the coast line breathtaking, but roads also take you inland through small mountains and valleys teeming with agricultural activity. After passing through Bursa, we decided to stop for lunch at Viktor's favorite restaurant in all of Turkey. It is a family owned, very traditional restaurant and it was by far the best meal I had in recent memory. I had a plate piled high with eggplant and roasted spicy peppers as well as a Kebab.
The closer we got to Izmir, the more familiar everything became. I started recognizing names and actually seeing places I had been. Once we passed the signs for Manisa I knew we were getting close. We entered the city near to the Karşıyaka side and made our way into Alsancak. I was so unbelievably happy that not much had changed, except that the water was cleaner, the streets were wider in most places, and a few new buildings had sprung up. For me it was a true homecoming. I felt like I was fourteen again without a care in the world. After dropping our bags off at Ozkans amazing apartment, right on the first Kordon, I wandered around the streets of my childhood that I know and love so much. I made my way down Talatpaşa, passed the American Bazaar, into my old stomping grounds. The area around my school had changed dramatically, but was still very recognizable. I walked down lovers lane, turned left at the Hilton and I was standing in front of my schools. The High school has been torn down and is now a bank, but a large chuck of the Elementary school, that ugly, yet loveable, old tobacco warehouse is still standing. The corner store where I use to buy snacks and sneak cigarettes when I was a teenager was still there, and the most bizarre thing happened. The owner, whom I was friends with immediately recognized me. This man had not seen me since I was sixteen! He got my name wrong at first but quickly corrected himself and gave me a big hug!
The following week was spent meeting prospective clients for business and possible investors. These meetings took me all over the Izmir region, including Manisa, Salili, Soke, Bornova, and Goztepe. Ozkan and I set up office in his AMAZING restaurant where we ate most of the time and occupied the back tables like our own cubicle. The food at Le Trio was truly first class and their clients were the elite of Izmir. I got a kick out of working out of the restaurant and people watching. Towards the end of my stay in Izmir, all of my old neighbors from Güzelbahçe met up with Ozkan and me for a night of Raki and catching up. It was a shock to see how much they had all changed! All but one of them were almost completely bald and most had gained a lot of weight. They joked about it and just said it is too much of the good life.
For some reason I was nervous my last day in Izmir when I met up with old family friends and headed out to Güzelbahçe, my old neighborhood, for a visit. I had heard from numerous people that lots had changed and that my hold house was a retirement home, but I decided I wanted to see it anyway. That night I spent with the Yetkin family enjoying wonderful food, great conversation, and good company. In the morning I was greeted by incredible weather, and the view of the coast that was my playground for five years. Seeing my old house was a bit depressing and it looked nothing like it did when my family lived there, however my neighborhood had not changed much so it was worth it! In fact, much of Izmir was exactly how I remembered it, which I am happy for. The area between downtown Alsancak and my old neighborhood is the area that had changed the most. It is now packed with chain stores, luxury apartments, and upscale shops. It has now become my dream and goal to move back to Izmir in 2010 and start living and working there.
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