North America part 1 (North Eastern States)

Monday 3rd November
Woke up feeling surprisingly ok after the flight, because of the time difference I was still able to get almost a full nights sleep. I need to do some serious travel planning but I am staying just a couple of blocks away from Central Park so I spent the morning walking through just the North West corner enjoying the Autumn colours and beautiful weather! I found a little pub (still with their Halloween decorations up - another novelty, although I suspect next year at home will be just as big) and was quickly reminded of American serving sizes!

I spent the afternoon doing a bit of travel planning (trying to find tours in the States but not many run during Winter) and watching a little tv! A perk of being here is that the US tv catch up websites aren't blocked!

Tuesday 4th November
I only booked 2 nights accommodation in New York as I'll be spending time here over Christmas/New Years. So today I took a bus up to Boston, Massachusetts. The only hostel available is a fair way out of town but easy enough to find. Of course it was dark by the time I arrived though (it's pretty much dark at 5pm here now), so I just had dinner at a little local Mexican place (there isn't much around but there is a Mexican restaurant every few blocks if not more in the US).

Wednesday 5th November
Out to explore Boston city today. They have their 'Freedom Trail' clearly marked throughout the city that takes you to most of the historical buildings and sites here. Very helpful for tourists and most sites have enough written information there that you really can do it without a tour guide. So I spent the day following that and seeing everything from the site of 'the Boston massacre', the old burying grounds where some of the big players in American history are buried, and Faneuil Hall (there is more but the main building is a big food hall). I also visited Boston Common, America's oldest public garden, which is really beautiful (I'm glad I made it here for the Autumn colours). Along the trail is the 'North End' or "Little Italy", full of Italian restaurants, bakeries and deli's, and finally it takes you over the Charles River and up to Bunker Hill and the monument. Bunker Hill is actually a lovely little area with great views back over Boston (and I was even treated to a few more late Halloween decorations still out). With it dark by 5pm, dinner is getting earlier and earlier but after killing a little time I made my way back to the North End for some yummy Italian for dinner.

Thursday 6th November
Off to Harvard this morning! I took the train out to Cambridge in the rain and had a look around the town before taking a tour of the university. It really is a lovely place and so much history to inspire their students. All students there have to take a subject in all faculties before they pick their major (or constitution as they call it) which I think that's a great idea.

I wanted to do some sort of tour of Boston and haven't really seen it at night so found a night ghost walking tour. It was absolutely pouring rain but I'm glad I did it as it was a great tour. More historical than the normal tacky ghost tour, the ghost stories also told us about some history of Boston that you wouldn't otherwise hear.

Friday 7th November
Took a day trip out to Salem today, as it's only a quick train ride out of Boston. The city is a ghost town after Halloween but it is a really lovely little town and I'm liking spending time in the New England 'fall' (even if the temperature has dropped dramatically today... apparently a storm in Alaska is bringing arctic weather right through Canada and most of the US over the next week). The city of Salem is funny, obviously it is famous for the witch hunt/trials and they certainly embrace it (there are endless witch related shops, shops with names like 'Salem Screamery' the local ice cream shop, and psychics galore; however the local National Park Rangers (who run the visitor information and Maritime History area) really try to pull away from it and try to steer people more to their Maritime history. Understandable considering the witch trials lasted for 9 months but their Maritime history is some of the oldest in the country. Having said that, they still play a movie/documentary about the witch trials at the visitor centre which I watched to refresh my memory of it all. After lunch I visited the Maritime historical site and had a tour through the 'Friendship of Salem', a replica of one of the ships from their strong trading days when they were still a colony of Britain. We also went through Customs House from back then and saw some items like the list of taxes they charged on incoming produce and the old silver dollars that they literally cut in half and into pieces to get a lower value.

After a walk back through town and a visit to the Witch Trial Memorial, I took the train back to Boston to try some of the famous Boston cream pie before I leave tomorrow.

Saturday 8th November
Farewelling Boston today, a really nice city but my experience dampened slightly by some terrible hostel roommates and not really being in the right travel head space after being on tours and with friends for so long. Starting to get back into it though and used my bus trip to Albany (actually the New York state capital) to do some research for my time in the States.

That bit of travel excitement came to an ubrupt end though when I completely stacked it on my way from the bus stop to my Airbnb place. Absolutely bit the dust, smashing my tablet screen and my head on the sidewalk. Thankfully it wasn't worse as there was absolutely no one around. After checking out the enormous egg that developed instantly and a few tears (luckily it's not deep enough for a true head jury amount of blood), I picked myself up off the ground (not that easy strapped into backpacks! Haha) and made it to my place for the night. Not staying in the best area but the guys were very nice and concerned about me, offering what help they could. Ironically enough, my host owns a computer repair shop, unfortunately though he didn't have the part to fix mine.

That welcome put an end to my plans to check out the city of Albany so it was a quite night in.

Sunday 9th November
Woke up this morning to some lovely swelling and the start of a black eye (possibly 2). l left my place early so I could at least see a little of Albany but being Sunday the city is a ghost town. After wandering around feeling lost l found a bagel shop and Starbucks and treated myself to a yummy brunch. Then it was on the bus to Buffalo.

I met up with Andy, who I'm staying with, when I arrived and he took me to a local bar for some traditional buffalo wings! Then we went to see some of his friends play an amateur ice hockey game.

Monday 10th November
My face has swollen up impressively, l have 2 very swollen, black eyes (even the bridge of my nose has come up!) l still haven't really had a headache though which is really weird. A big day today though so it was on with a bandaid and sunglasses and off to see Niagara Falls! The river is extremely impressive and the first view you get is the 'American Falls', which is actually the small part of the falls! On the viewing platform you can see the 'horseshoe falls', the main part as well and can see why these falls are so impressive... just so much water! And the famous mist rising from the base. We crossed over to Canada, my last country on my trip! The views are even better from the Canadian side, you can basically walk right up to the very edge of the falls. We got treated to great weather and a nice double rainbow and then walked up into Clifton Hill which they've built up into kind of a mix between a carnival and Vegas!

After heading back over to the USA we hiked down to a cool spot down the river after the falls where the water is so powerful has created a natural whirlpool in a curve of the river!

Tonight a local bar was having their 6th birthday celebrations which meant an open bar and free food! We had a good night with a friend of Andy's and saw the nightlife of Buffalo.

Tuesday 11th November
Today is Memorial Day here is the US (so quite similar to our Remembrance Day appropriately) so Andy showed me the enormous Buffalo cemetery where they were having a ceremony, and they have a large area dedicated to military personnel (each gave marked with an American flag). The cemetery is the biggest I've ever seen and is a beautiful area. Next we went to the water front (of Lake Erie) and to the war memorial area, along with a ship from WWII and airforce planes.

We had lunch from a local Taco truck (the first in Buffalo and the one to really start the food truck popularity), which was so yummy! Then we went up to the City Hall observation deck for a great view over Buffalo. In the afternoon we went out to the outlets for a bit of shipping and a trip to Walmart!

Hockey is very big here so after dinner we went out to a new local bar to watch the game. Then it was onto my bus for an overnight trip to Chicago.

Wednesday 12th November
Eventually got to my hostel and had to wait to check in. Spent the afternoon doing some research and chilling out. Not feeling at the top of my game with my head injury, the swelling has finally gone down today but with that has come the headache.

I found a Lou Malnati's (famous for their traditional deep dish pizza) for dinner. Chicago is great for food, there are so many things/places I want to try while I'm here.

Thursday 13th November
Woke up to the first flurries of snow this morning! As if Chicago isn't cold enough, they are having a cold snap this week so I've hit the negative temperatures quickly.

Decided it was time to get my head checked out so I found a doctor and a couple of hours later I had an appointment at the hospital for a CT scan. I had some time first to get in some sightseeing so I had a good look around Millennium Park, saw the famous 'bean', some very bizarre statues and the 'all seasons' garden in which I failed to see the fall/winter component! I tried Chipotles for lunch (pretty good for a chain), and then walked up Michigan Ave. The city is really beautiful, they have even done the skyscrapers well! I can see why people say it's like a calm New York city, it has the same vibe to it but not quite the same. The water front along the river is really nice, with the impressive Wrigley and Tribune buildings. The Tribune building has stones/bricks/tiles etc from many other buildings, monuments and historical areas from all around the world, embedded into the external front of the building. Very cool! I continued up the 'Magnificent Mile' (shopping area) and found the hospital. I spent longer filling in forms than I was actually getting anything done, and $1500 later I had the all clear (just soft tissue swelling and very bad bruising).
It is absolutely freezing today so I started to walk around the area further but gave up and headed back to the hostel.

I find out that Kate Voegele (from One Tree Hill fame) was performing in Chicago tonight so made it out to that. A small little venue but a great set, she is really great live!

Friday 14th November
l made my way down to Museum of Science and Industry this morning. I had read they have a big Christmas exhibition and I wasn't disappointed. They have about 50 trees set up around their main floor, each decorated traditionally from different countries around the world. After paying the entrance fee I had a look around the rest of the museum before l walked back towards the city along the coast of Lake Michigan.

As dusk fell it really started snowing, it is so pretty! I made my way out to Navy Pier which I was surprised to see basically deserted on a Friday night, even in the cold. There is a lot of construction going on in Chicago, the downside of travelling in 'off season'. I found some life inside though and had a traditional Chicago style hot dog for dinner. l chilled out at the hostel this evening and met some American guys who were quite interested in Australia (always entertaining).

Saturday 15th November
l visited the Lincoln Park Zoo today - even a free, inner-city zoo was almost deserted, it must be cold! Unfortunately a few animals were inside due to the weather and the Winter displays/animals aren't open yet but l still saw lots: giraffes, gorillas, a lion, tiger, alpacas, and even a beaver. A little frozen, I found a patisserie for a coffee and then did some shopping around the district/suburb.

Sunday 16th November
My last day in Chicago today, I wanted to spend some more time in the actual city and still need to get some boots (Converse don't quite cut it in the snow!). After I finished shopping I headed back to the hostel via Lucky's Sandwiches for a late lunch and the biggest sandwhich I think I've ever had.

I got a last minute ticket to see A Christmas Carol for tonight, they run an annual season. When I arrived they had a local choir singing Carols in the foyer, nice touch! The show was good, not my favourite but quite well done.

Monday 17th November
My first domestic flight of my trip, unfortunately with American security l still had to be at the airport 2hrs early though. Arrived in Atlanta and it is still freezing (apparently they don't usually have these kind of temperatures until February!). l had a little look around the downtown area near my hotel this evening and can't say I'm impressed. The only street l found with a few restaurants was basically closed down for a TV show filming (show is called Hindsight) so I kept walking around and only found a lot of 'undesirable' characters so ended up grabbing McDonalds just so I could get back to my hotel.

I am meeting my next (and last) tour early tomorrow morning to explore the south!

London... again

Tuesday 28th October
A very early start this morning to fly back to London one last time. Had a pretty good flight (4hrs meant entertainment!). Through the British questioning again and I made it into the city. Didn't realise it was school holidays though, my god it is busy! I met up with Jus & Dom for a late lunch and made my way to Abbey & Jonathan's new place in Balham to meet them. They were actually moving in today so after dinner with Abs, we all got settled in their unit.

Christmas had arrived while I've been in Turkey, with decorations staying to go up everywhere. Have to say that I am excited for Christmas this year, not having to fall with any of the usual stresses that working in retail brings!

Wednesday 29th October
Abs took the day of work today so we started with brunch at their new local cafe. We had tickets to the matinee of Book of Mormon which was great. Definitely what they warn (inappropriate and offensive) but it's done in such a light hearted way that it is hilarious. Couldn't believe it, we had had mocktails at TGI Fridays before heading to the theatre and who should we see waiting for tickets bit Susan from my Turkish tour! Who said Loddon was a big city?

After the show we did a little bit of shopping (I need to start picking up warmer clothes!) and met Jonathan for dinner.

Thursday 30th October
The only plans I've made for this trip toLondon is to try and catch up Ruth all the people I've met over the last 5 months who are living here. I'm not got to manage to see everyone but today I caught up with Bethany (from my Scotland tour) for lunch and some shopping (woohoo got a big winner jacket so I won't freeze when I get to America). Then I met Kirsten (from my Baltics/Eastern Europe tour) for coffee. And finished the day with dinner with Abs & Jonathan. I quite like the south of London, there is so much around, I didn't even have to go into the actual city today at all.

Friday 31st October
Happy Halloween! While there is a few things around for it, I thought that it would be a bigger deal here, especially seeing is getting so big at home now. Had another day of catch ups with a late brunch with Ashey (Croatia tour) and drinks/dinner with Barbara in the evening. In between I went to see London Tower now that the WWI poppy memorial is finished. There were soooooo many people though so could barely see it but it is very impressive what they've done. Then I just killed done time in the city and finally at least started my planning for America (even if it was just 2 nights accommodation so I have somewhere to go when I arrive).

Saturday 1st November
It is Abbey's birthday today so we got up and went for breakfast and then headed into the city to do something. Unfortunately we didn't organise anything but we had a good day around the city and ended up going on the Emirates Airline (a gondola across the Thames) and had afternoon tea at Attendant (a little cafe that is in an old public toilet that I went to with Bethany last time I was here). In the evening we met Abbey's sister and partner for her birthday dinner in the city.

Sunday 2nd November
Can't believe I'm actually going to America today, it was always so far away - the end of my trip - and now it's here! Sad to be leaving the normal/social aspect of London now that I know so many people here but ready for the last leg of my trip. It's a very long day of traveling though, have to leave 5hrs before my actual flight time, then 2 hrs to Zurich before a 9hr flight to New York (at least it's only a quick lay over in Switzerland).

Turkey (G-Adventures tour)

Saturday 11th October (con't)
Arrived in Istanbul, Turkey and slowly made my way out of the airport (definitely a busy one!) and to my hostel. By the time I arrived they were preparing dinner (falafel) so I just hung around until that was ready and had an easy night (seeing l didn't have my bearings in the city yet).

Sunday 12th October
Joining my tour today so I moved to the hotel we are staying in before heading out to see some of Istanbul. l walked along the river and through Gülhane Park and found the Aya Sofya. It is very interesting in the fact that it is both a Christian Cathedral and a Muslim Mosque together. Unfortunately half of it is under renovation though which kind of ruins the atmosphere. After a quick lunch in the park (with the stray cats!) and a wander around the area, I found the Basilica Cistern. Very cool, complete with fish and 2 Medusa heads that no one really knows why they are down there.

This evening we had our tour meeting and met the group. My first tour that is not majority Australian. We have 7 Canadians, 5 Australians and a South African, plus a Turkish guide. After the usual tour briefing we went to a local restaurant for dinner.

Monday 13th October
We started early this morning with our orientation walking tour. First stop was the Blue Mosque. It is very impressive, both inside and out. We came out into the Hippodrome and explored the area. From there we walked through some of the Grand Bazaar and made our way to the Suleymaniye Camii Mosque. Also very beautiful and with a great view over Istanbul. Next we went down to the (general) bazaar which has "everything you can think of and everything you can't". We then made it to the Spice (Egyptian) Bazaar and l had my first taste of real Turkish Delight. Yum! The Bazaars are very clean and tidy, considering just how much stuff is there and I don't think I was expecting the proper store setup of some of them.

After some time to explore and have lunch, we took the ferry down the Bosphorus River to meet our van to take us to Ankara for the night. We got an amazing view back over the city from the ferry, a nice way to see it. Ankara is actually the capital of Turkey and looks like quite a big city but we really were just there to break up the drive to Cappadocia so didn't see much. We did find a great local restaurant though that have us so many free appetisers that no one really needed their dinner; it was great food though.

Tuesday 14th October
Road trip day today as we make our way to Cappadocia, with some awesome stops along the way. First stop was at Anitkabir, the monumental tomb of Ataturk, the founder of the republic of Turkey. A very impressive monument and we were there during a visit by the President of Singapore.

Next stop was at a salt lake which being the end of Summer is mostly dry so we could walk out into it. Such an amazing view and a great little pedicure/massage for our feet ;) Our last stop for the day was at an ancient underground city, built BC, they were used by many different civilisations, first of which was the first Christians, hiding from the Roman Empire.

We arrived in Goreme, Cappadocia in time to head to the local Hamam before dinner. Definitely an experience; the massages were fantastic though and the staff definitely have fun with all the tourists. We tried the pottery kebab for dinner which was tasty but unfortunately I succumbed to all the different food (in particular our lunch today on the road) and was sick all night. I've done very well with not being sick so far so I guess it had to happen once.

Wednesday 15th October
After a long night and basically no sleep, it was up well before dawn for our hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia. I still wasn't feeling well but the views were just amazing (I really need some new words to describe everything I'm seeing!). The scenery of this area is just so unique but maybe even more impressive was the 100-odd other balloons taking off and flying through the sky!

Once the rest of the world woke up we travelled slightly out of town and visited a local pottery workshop for a demonstration and shopping. The pottery was so nice pretty much everyone bought something. After lunch by the river, we went to the Goreme open air museum. This is the main tourist area to see the famous fairy chimneys of the area. The natural formations are impressive enough but then people have carved homes and churches etc into them!

Tonight is our local dinner at a local family's home. Lucky by then I was starting to feel a bit better so was able to enjoy the food which was really good.

Thursday 16th October
This morning we started with a walk through the valleys. So beautiful and such amazing scenery: the fairy chimneys, valleys, autumn colours and countryside. We even saw the original pigeon holes (cut into the side of the cliffs so the inhabitants could collect their droppings for fertiliser). We stopped at a local place for traditional gozleme (Turkish pancakes) for lunch.

After a relaxing afternoon we visited the Whirling Dirviş. The religious practice is definitely unique and was interesting to see. After another big day tonight was our Turkish night. A very fun night with good food, entertainment and even some dancing. We watched a number of different traditional dances including belly dancing, which I was called up to participate in!

Friday 17th October
Time to leave Cappadocia this morning so back onto the van. Our first stop was at a little place, Aksaray - Sultanhani Caravanserai. It is now just an empty building with lots of rooms but it was cool to see and imagine what used to be there. Next stop was in Konya (birthplace of Whirling derviş) at the museum, followed by lunch (Turkish pide! Yum). This afternoon's stop was at Catalhoyuk, an archaeological site with 7 layers/levels of civilisations! The oldest of which is said to be the oldest ever found! It reminded me of my interest in archaeology when I was little, there is just so much history in Turkey, it really was central in so many aspects of history.

Tonight is our homestay in a local family's house in a local village. We arrived and found our rooms, they have a great set up for tour groups in the whole downstairs area. We are mixing up roommates from now on so excited to get some sleep and spend more time with the other people on tour. We've got a really good group, with great dynamics, including with our CEO (leader) Mutlu.

After a quick walk around town we were back and had dinner, prepared by our hosts. It was such a nice meal, followed by a night of just chatting and enjoying our homestay.

Saturday 18th October
After a great breakfast we said goodbye to our hosts and drove south to Antalya (Mutlu's hometown). We did an orientation walk and saw the clock tower, Hadrian's Gate (entrance into the old town) and the great water views near the harbour. It is a really nice city so glad we have the afternoon to explore. Some of us took the tram down to the beach which was gorgeous. We saw lots of people paragliding off the cliffs which would be so much fun. We stopped for a drink and enjoyed the crystal clear water and beautiful afternoon sun before slowly walking back into town (stopping for another drink and then dinner on the way back). We wandered through the local shops for a bit and then relaxed by our hotel pool for the evening. It is a nice hotel here but so random, when I got into my room with Nancy, it was a ground level room and there was a scooter parked outside, plugged into the power inside our room! We thought it was a bonus feature of the room but no such luck ;)

Sunday 19th October
Pam and I woke up early to go to Starbucks for a 'real' coffee but unfortunately being Sunday it was closed that early. Still, it was a lovely walk through town while it was quiet on the streets. Leaving Antalya, along the drive we stopped at the Church of St. Nicholas (yes, Santa) in Demre. We arrived at our boat and accommodation for the night. The afternoon was spent sailing along the coast and through some of the islands. We saw some ancient ruins and even sailed over the 'sunken city' from about 300AD. We made a couple of swim stops and enjoyed the beautiful Mediterranean Sea... just amazing! Before we settled in for the night we went to Kekova Island to see the Simena Castle and archaeological ruins. We had a nice relaxed night on the boat and our boat crew and Mutlu gave us all Turkish names, mine is Ceylin [Jaylin]. So we have Mutlu and Australian name: Matilda. We headed to bed early on the top deck of the boat underneath the most amazing sky I've ever seen! There were so many stars you almost couldn't make out individual ones. It was crazy to see whole galaxies and the northern hemisphere sky (it's always weird not to be able to see the southern cross though).

Monday 20th October
We woke up to a beautiful sunrise on the boat before sailing and one last swim stop in the Mediterranean. Once we disembarked we had short drive to Kaş, a really lovely little seaside town. We spent the afternoon wandering around the shops, stopping for lunch and a drink by the water. We have had fantastic weather for the costal part of our trip; I'm enjoying the last of the warm weather I'll be getting for a while.

The whole group met this evening for a walk around town to see 'The Ancient Theatre'. A Greek style amphitheatre with stunning views. After a lovely dinner we did a bit more shopping (I'm buying more souvenirs in Turkey than I have my entire trip so far) and some of us continued on to a local bar. We had some great entertainment (a group of oldies dancing to the Elvis/Johnny Cash style band) plus the moment when 2 dogs came straight into the bar and just hung out with us for a while!

Tuesday 21st October
We're saying goodbye to the Mediterranean and the Anatolia area today as we drive up to Pummukele. On our way we stopped for some local yoghurt (natural yogurt with honey & crushed walnuts... yum).

Once we arrived in Pamukkale we headed up to the ancient site of Hierapolis built on top of the white "castle" (the famous cliffs). There's a museum which we saw but the highlight was the 2 Chinese ladies (1 of which was a tour guide) absolutely going at it, screaming at each other while everyone just walked past. So random but kind of amusing. Then we headed to the actual city ruins which are amazing. They reminded me of Delos in Greece, just because of the size of the ruins. There is so much still there! One of the most intact (& restored) buildings is the amphitheatre which is enormous and had the most amazing view over the ancient city. Just before sunset we made our way to THE white cliffs. They truly are incredible; just a build up of calcium from the thermal waters but looks more like a snowy mountain. We took our time walking down and enjoying the spectacular view, the warm thermal water and taking hundreds of photos. We also got treated to a fantastic sunset on the way down and a great view over the twinkling lights of the city as it got dark. A seriously good afternoon. This tour has been so amazing, with so much happening everyday!

We found out that it was Clara's birthday today (she kept it very quiet) so after singing to her on the van, we all had dinner together at a nice outdoor restaurant just next to the hotel and they (& Mutlu) surprised us all with a cake and even fireworks (or life size sparklers).

Wednesday 22nd October
On the van again this morning and off to Selçuk. We stopped just outside of town at a carpet maker's workshop and briefly saw how they handspin, dye and make traditional Turkish carpets. It is very impressive and I can see why they are so expensive. After tea and cake we went into town to go to the actual carpet store where we saw the finished products. After lunch we checked into our hotel and quickly went and saw the ruins of St John's Basilica and castle (honestly not that impressive after yesterday and knowing we are going to Ephesus this afternoon). We made it to Ephesus and saw it all. There is an extra section that is currently being reconstructed that was cool. They have all the excavation findings laid out so you can kind of see the archaeological process. Then we saw the famous library which has been rebuilt using original parts and another impressive amphitheatre. Finally at the end is the 'harbour road' which led to the harbour that no longer exists which is a cool view.

In the evening we had dinner at our hotel and then went into town to a local bar where we had a great, relaxed night. We had a few drinks, tried Nargile (Turkish Shisha) and even learnt to play backgammon.

Thursday 23rd October
Before we left today we saw one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Temple of Artemis. Only basic ruins are there now but cool to say I've seen one of the ancient wonders.

Off to Ayvalik today for a relaxing day after the last few which have been so busy. We are staying in a local 'pansion' which is really cool, kind of a large B&B, or a cross between a small backpackers and someone's home. Today is market day where people from the nearby islands (some Turkish,  some Greek) visit for their shopping. It is definitely more of a local market than for tourists but we had a look around and wandered down to the waterfront. Not the best weather today (rainy and very windy) so a lot of us ended up in this cute coffee shop Mutlu found and then she took us back to the markets to shop with a local's knowledge.

A quiet night tonight, we all went out for a basic dinner (Turkish jacket potatoes), then back to the pansion for some quiet drinks.

Friday 24th October
Making our way back to Istanbul, first we have one night in Canakkale. On our way we stopped at Troy. Lucky we were warned because compared to the last couple of ruins we'd been to, it is nothing special. The excavation site has not been kept up so everything's starting to overgrow again... kind of a good example of how they disappear in the first place though. It was cool to see though and of course we saw the Trojan Horse.

Once arrived in Canakkale we had a little bit of a look around at the local bazaar and shops. After a group dinner at a local restaurant we saw the Trojan horse that was used in the movie Troy that is now in display on the harbour. Then Mutlu took us to a local bar that had a great live band playing. It was kind of strange not knowing or understanding most of the songs, especially when everyone else is singing along, still a lot of fun though.

Saturday 25th October
An early start this morning to visit Gallipoli. We took the ferry back to Europe and stopped first at Anzac Cove and one of the Anzac cemeteries, then we headed up to Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair. Definitely an emotional experience to be there; I've been to a few war memorial places now but nothing anywhere near as close to home as Gallipoli.

A long drive back into Istanbul this afternoon. After a quick rest, we all met for one last group dinner. I am sad to be finishing this trip, it was amazing and we had a really great group and fantastic tour leader. After dinner, some of us went over to the Taxim area (across the water) to a club for some drinks and dancing. It was a cool place, on the top floor of a pretty dodgy looking building with great view over the city.

Sunday 26th October
The end of another tour means a lot of goodbyes. Throughout the morning we said goodbye to those leaving and a few of us that still had another day explored the Spice Markets again. After saying goodbye last night, then again at the hotel this morning, we ran into Mutlu again on our way so had our personal shopper back! After picking up some last minute souvenirs we walked over the Gatala Bridge and back again to the hotel.

After seeing how nice the area around Taxim Square is last night, we decided to go back and explore a bit more. After our actual final goodbye to Mutlu (I think we said it at least 5 times) we made our way slowly up to the square doing some shopping on the way. It is definitely a busy area but quite nice. Daylight savings finished last night so it was well and truly dark by 5:30pm so we had an early dinner in one of the many restaurants on the Gatala Bridge and made our way back to the hotel for an early night (the hectic 2 week tour has caught up in us all).

Monday 27th October
The last few of us still here met this morning to visit the Topkapi Palace museum and harem. It was very impressive, sooo many tiled walls! Also countless amounts of jewel encrusted items, the Ottomans definitely had a lot of wealth! After a quick lunch we said our final goodbyes and I had quiet afternoon at the hotel repacking and relaxing after such a busy tour.

Bulgaria

Tuesday 7th October
A big travel day today with 3 flights to make it to Varna, Bulgaria.
l flew via Berlin (it was either that or Russia or Ukraine!) and it wasn't until l was going through immigration that I realised that I was leaving the Schengen area for the last time (and lucky I play by the rules because they went through my whole passport checking all the dates I've come and gone). Those Germans certainly are thorough, I also had my first security pat down of the trip.

Arriving in Bulgaria, I am staying with an old work colleague of Dad's, Damien and his family (Stella, Laurence and Danny). A nice short holiday from my travelling, l won't be doing much at all!

Wednesday 8th October
After a sleep in, it was off for a massage and coffee before a late lunch with Damien.

Thursday 9th October
Another relaxing morning (Damien downloaded some episodes of Revenge onto my tablet... the novelty of tv!) We went out to a traditional little place for lunch (yummy chicken soup).

Friday 10th October
In the afternoon Damien and I headed out to get some lunch and he showed me around the central area of Varna. There's not a lot to it and they are refurbishing it at the moment but we saw the Cathedral and the 'CBD'.

Saturday 11th October
After breakfast Damien and I took Lawrence out to the 'Sea Garden' where they have a whole lot of kids rides set up. Then it was back for lunch before I was off to the airport.