Sunday, July 10, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Istanbul to London to Reykjavik
This is gonna be really long, so have patience and bear with me!
It has been too long since I last updated the good old blog, I think because I've been so busy having so much fun, that and my uncontrollable allergies which have given me a bad case of the cranky pants! But alas, I am now on the plane to good old Reykjavik to spend three days before touching down on Canadian soil for the first time in six months Friday evening. Too bad I missed Wills and Kate by mere days! Oh well, I have other exciting celebrity spottings in London to talk about.
But first, I must dish all about Istanbul. Me and Istanbul didn't get off to the greatest of starts, although I ended up loving it. As you may recall, last time I wrote I was just about to get off a 13 hour bus trip from Cappadoccia to Istanbul. When I arrived, this nice older British couple took me under their wing and let me tag along in their taxi to the tourist sector of Istanbul called Sultanahamet. Their Turkish friend even escorted me all the way to my hostel, which was very kind and so helpful, because when you first get to Istanbul, it is all very overwhelming what with the 18 million residents and the cobbled streets with no street signs. In retrospect I sort of wish their friend hadn't been able to find the hostel (the big apple) because I had a pretty crap experience there. Part of that experience I'll call "fanny pack."
Being at the end of my trip I have been trying to be as thrifty as possible (in some respects at least) and so I booked a dorm bed in a 14 bed room. This was a mistake. I was the only girl among smelly snoring guys in a dirty room. Then I had to deal with "fanny pack" guy, a former hostel guest and current lunatic who wandered in and out of my hostel room rocking a two inch ass crack hanging out of his pants and asking me for sips of my water bottle. This guy was clearly a few bricks short of a load. Remember this fact. The guy at reception didn't want to deal with this guy so I slept with one eye open- the one eye that would still fully open.
The next morning off I went in search of the English speaking German hospital to get some medical advice about my infected stink eye. I took the tram and then the slanted metro across the golden horn body of water and arrived in an area called Taksim square. After arriving at the supposed English speaking German hospital it became evident that no one spoke English or did much of anything. All of the admin people were busy on their cell phones and occupying themselves by staring at their large hairstyles in the mirror. After a frustrating communication breakdown I sort of lost it which made two older Turkish men in the waiting room laugh hysterically. That was a big mistake on their part as I launched into my loco mode and screamed in the hospital that I was so glad that they found my sickness so funny and that they were horrible people. Over reaction? Maybe. 160 Turkish lira later an eye doctor confirmed what I already knew and prescribed some eye drops and sent me off on my way.
On my way back I grabbed a much desired Starbucks and tried to get myself together. I decided to get off the tram before the Galata bridge which crosses the golden horn and walk the rest of the way back to sultanahamet in order to take in some sights. The bridge is cool and the surroundings cooler. There are tons of men fishing off of it and you can see more thousand year old mosques than you can shake a stick at. The bridge also has an underneath section that you can walk on with loads of restaurants and cafes. While walking, a restaurant owner told me he would give me a free drink if I could solve his math problem. Clearly being a math nerd I accepted the challenge. Unfortunately I couldn't quite figure it out, but he still gave me a free Turkish tea and some sight seeing advice.
I decided to take a ferry Cruise on the bospherous which is the channel of water that connects the sea of Marmara to the black sea and divides continental Europe from Asia. I had a bit of time to kill before the boat left so I walked around and stumbled upon the infamous spice bazaar. I have never seen so much Turkish delight anywhere or smelt so many intoxicating smells. I wandered into one spice shop and was accosted by this crazy character who calls himself "the short guy." Now he is what I would call a natural born salesman. Before i knew it he had me smelling things and tasting things and repeatedly told me that "short was gorgeous" and because we were both short, this definitely bonded us. He was a real riot! I knew I was going to have to encounter him again.
The ferry ride was nice, except for this bratty little two year old whose behaviour was outrageous. He was with his mum, grandma, and aunt and kept punching his aunt as hard as he could and spitting in her face. Apparently none of the women thought this behaviour needed to be corrected as Turkish boys are treated like kings, but I didn't let this fly. I grabbed the kid by the overall straps and disciplined him myself. Appropriate? Probably not, but his mum didn't seem to mind, and the grandma removed him from the scene which suited me fine. Honestly, if I ever had a kid that acted that way, I'd probably throw them overboard.
Gulhane park, the palace grounds of Topkapi palace, which are amazing. The palace is huge and was the residence of many Ottoman sultans between 1453 and 1839. There is even a whole part of the palace that was strictly for concubines, the sultans harem. The park reminded me quite a bit of Canada because there were both birch trees and maples and it was just a really chilled out scene with people sitting on the grass and jogging etc. It reminded me of Stanley park in Vancouver or mt. Pleasant park in Halifax. I eventually made it back to my hostel and tried to orchestrate switching rooms but the guy at reception was a total asshole and ended up swearing at me, so after a third rage attack of the day, I grabbed my bag and got the hell out of there. I must have looked like a pretty big mess walking down the restaurant lined cobbled main street in Sultanahamet because some waiters at a restaurant came to my aid and told me to sit down and have some apple tea while I figured it all out. That's the crazy thing about Turks-they're either insane and obnoxious or literally the kindest most helpful people in the world. Not much of a middle ground.
After a lot of walking around in circles I eventually found the little hostel I was looking for and this is when everything turned around for me and Istanbul. If you ever go there, stay at Piya. It's great and I met amazing people (mostly Canadians) that made my trip awesome.
In my room were two Canadian sisters from Vancouver and this awesome Australian girl named Kate. We all ended up going out for dinner together to this cafe called Dervish where they have live musicians play and a whirling dervish dance. After dinner we went to a shisha bar for a much needed drink after the day's escapades. We noticed a Canadian guy walking by and so clearly I called out to him and then the aggressive Turkish waiter practically forced him to sit down with us. He declined, fair enough, and rushed off to "meet a friend." The funny thing is that when we made it back to our hostel, he was staying there too so we were able to call him out on his lie to avoid sitting with us! It turned out that Rick (that's his name) had been through quite an ordeal of being dragged into some Turkish carpet shop for over an hour, so we forgave him. Rick is also from Vancouver.
My second full day in Istanbul started by being woken by a bizarre conversation outside my window which I thought I dreamt. The conversation was real however and I later found out that it was our friend Rob being dropped off by Moustapha, the private driver of a big black American ex-football player who is now a textiles buyer in Berlin named Bosshog. I only wish that that whole shenanigan had happened to me! The girls and I went to the Blue mosque which is one of the most famous sites in Istanbul. It was built in the early 1600s to rival the beauty of the Aya Sofya (the church of divine wisdom) across from it and built 1500 years ago in 537 ad. Honestly, it is so nuts being in a place where you can explore buildings that are ten times older than your own country!
After the mosque we headed to the underground basilica cistern which is definitely one of the cooler things I've seen on this trip. It was built in 532 and and was used to store water for the Topkapi palace and other buildings. It was rediscovered in 1545 and has been restored a few times. It's basically a huge underground holding tank for water supported by hundreds of columns. There are also big fish (carp maybe?) that swim around in the remaining water. You can walk around the whole place on raised wooden platforms and it is so cool!
After grabbing some lunch, Kate and I headed back to meet Rick at our hostel and explore the grand bizarre, a huge market that you could spend days in. This is when we met Rob, a fellow Canadian from Vancouver, and heard all about Bosshog! The bazaar was a great time. We all bought Turkish bracelets and stopped at a cafe in the market for Turkish coffee (thick and strong enough to stand on) and glorious sweet baklava. I'm not sure if there is anything better in the world than baklava! The four of us then weaved our way through the back alleys of shop keepers selling everything you could possibly imagine-think poofy polyester wedding gowns along with what they like to call "Turkish Viagra." We eventually made it back to the spice bazaar and I had the pleasure of introducing them to the short guy! Boy was he ever happy to see me again, and happy that I had brought him customers. Kate, Rick, and Rob all bought amazing teas that we sampled after the short guy made hilarious cracks about putting the two guys in the shrink wrap machine for Kate and I (both Rob and Rick are about 6'3"). We then made our way to the palace grounds again and stopped for a 22 lira pot of tea in the tea garden there-stupid expensive because the cafe has an incredible view of Istanbul.
Later than night, the four of us went for dinner and then to a rooftop bar to meet up with two American guys, Russ and Andrew, that Rick had met somewhere else in Eastern Europe. On our way up to the bar, I was telling Kate and the guys about my experience with fanny pack, and lo and behold, guess who the first person we saw at the rooftop bar was? I could NOT believe it was him. Neither could they! He was clearly still rocking the fanny pack, and I think the two inch ass crack too, although I was careful to avoid all eye contact. After a few cheap Turkish beers, it was off to another shisha bar and then back to our hostel for a pot of love tea and good conversation. I didn't end up making it to bed until about 4:30am but it was fun as hell!
The next morning was a bit rough, but regardless Kate, rob, the American guys, and myself trekked over to Taksim square and walked down the long pedestrian walk lined with fantastic shops all the way back to the galata bridge. I gave into my weakness and bought a dress at a cute little boutique. We again walked through the palace grounds on our way back to our hostel. Arriving back at Piya was quite the experience as all the neighbourhood kids had set up shop outside and we involved in s serious jump rope showdown. Being the fantastic skipper I am, clearly I got involved and it was so much fun. I think one of the things I loved most about staying at Piya was that it was a little bit off the tourist trap, even though it was in Sultanhamet, and that it was in a proper Turkish neighbourhood with kids and families and cats galore. One of the teenage girls who I was skipping with loved Rob so much and despite not being able to speak English, was still hitting on him! It was so funny!
Later that night, all of us made the trek over to the Asian side of Istanbul to take part in a real Turkish experience-the hamam (Turkish bath). Unfortunately by the time we made it there the woman's part was closed, so Kate and I wandered off and explored the area while the guys went in and had a rub down scrub down. They all looked so funny afterwards! Other than telling us that what happens in a hamam stays in a hamam, they were all so clean looking with puffy hair! I thought they looked like baby animals! We made it back to sultanahamet on the ferry and got caught in the rain but soothed our dampness with a few rounds of apple tea back at Piya.
The next morning we said goodbye to Kate because her parents had just flown in and she was heading off to live the luxurious life a backpacker can lead when you meet up with parents who can pay for things (exactly what I've been doing for the past week! Thanks mum!) Rob and I decided to go to the Princes islands to see if we could get a little beach/swimming time. This attempt proved to be futile and the whole experience was a bit of a disaster as we spent the whole day on ferries going back and forth between the islands we didn't want to go to. At least we had good company though and we met this nice American family from California with three kids, the youngest one being the most precocious little 8 year old girl I've ever met. Oh my god was she ever hilarious with the questions she had for rob and I. We met Rick to go for dinner and some beers and he invited two other guys from our hostel. Vincent was a really nice Quebecois journalist from Montreal, but nick was a really obnoxious American guy who works on wall street. The only way I know how to describe him would be as a competitive conversationalist, a one upper if you will. Anyway, my anxiety level was hitting the roof, so rob and I managed to ditch out and went to the corner store to buy some beers and drink them in the park between the blue mosque and aya sofya which is probably one of the most sacrilegious things I've ever done. We were blatantly being judged by many people walking by, but it was fun, especially considering how beautiful the blue mosque looks at night all light up and with birds circling the minarets.
So, that's Istanbul for you. An amazing city that I would love to go back to. The next morning it was off to the airport and off to London which is where I have spent the past week checking out the sights and living the good life with none other than Susie Mrk. We have had such a great time in London and I am happy to report that I have three celebrity sightings to talk about!
Celeb sighting number 1: after spending a morning in beautiful Hampstead Heath, a 320 hectare park, and exploring the neoclassical mansion kenwood house across from where they were setting up the stage for Liza Minnelli's show in the park, my cousin took my mum and I through the posh neighbourhood of hampstead where we took the bus with none other than JK Rowling (Harry potter fans rejoice).
Celeb sighting number 2: on Canada day, my cousin took us for lunch at the amazing Covent garden hotel where we sat at the table next to none other than rock legend Patti Smith. My cousin David was going through inner turmoil bc he loves her and has had a number of Patti spottings over the past few months. In trying to tell me who was sitting behind me in a clenched whisper I thought he said "Betty Smith" who I clearly didn't know (because they don't exist) and he freaked out at me for not knowing and got the dinning room manager to print out the 11 page Wikipedia article on her. We eventually got the mix up sorted so he didn't have to disown me from the family and when the bill came our cocktails had already been paid for. This means that patti smith either bought us a round or the staff loved our ridiculousness. I'm happy with either option.
Celeb sighting number 3: on Saturday morning, we went to my Mecca-portobello market- which is a place that if you have no money, which I don't, and you love fashion, which I do, you should never go to. Ahhh! Stella McCartney and vintage labels galore. We had an amazing Palestinian breakfast too! Anyway, on walking though the shopping obsessed crowds I spotted Kelly Osborne and a few of her friends. She is so skinny now! Dancing with the stars did wonders for her I guess!
London is fantastic. Definitely one of my favourite cities and a place I could live an incredible and bankrupt existence. My cousin lives in the most amazing neighbourhood, W6 with some pretty cool movers and shakers. The night I arrived, the vegetarian restaurant down the street that I love was closed because Beyonce was giving a private show for celebrity friends after Glastonbury. Crazy! There are a lot of people in the fashion and music world in the area, and if I can just brag/drool for a moment, my cousin has had beers with lady gaga. Uh, yeah. GAGA.
I book ended my week in London by eating at the best restaurant I've ever been to in my life called The Gate with a ridiculously hot south African waiter. As a vegetarian, I've never been to an up market gourmet restaurant where I wanted and could eat everything on the menu. My mum and I also squeezed in visits to the Tate, Tate modern, national gallery, national portrait gallery, Victoria and Albert museum, architect John Soane's house, the amazing Kew gardens, and Shakespeare's globe theatre among other places. We saw an incredible play called Realism at the soho theatre that I would recommend if you're going to be in London.
One more thing: my cousin has the most amazing dog Cheever who outweighs me by 40 pounds. He's a Newfoundland dog and if you're tired you could mistake him for a gorilla or small black bear.
I'm now hanging in Reykjavik which is incredible and unlike anywhere else I've been. I know I've said that a lot on this trip, but it's been true each time! I forgot that because Iceland is so far north it gets pretty much 24 hours of daylight in the summer. Right now it's 9pm and the sun is still high in the sky. I love it!
Tomorrow mum and I are going on a ten hour smorgasbord tour of some of the natural sights around Reykjavik and the next day I've convinced her to go horseback riding! Friday before we leave we're going to hit up the blue lagoon which is the famous spa with all the different warm pools. And then it'll be back to Canada! I can't believe it! Six months on the road and I'm finally going home! I've had an incredible time and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to do and see the things I have, but I'm aching for home! I'd like to keep the blog going in some way, shape, or form, but haven't figured all that out yet, so keep checking back, and thanks for reading and following my travels. I think the blog has kept me from going off the deep end! See you soon! Xoxo
P.s. Will post pictures when I'm home!
It has been too long since I last updated the good old blog, I think because I've been so busy having so much fun, that and my uncontrollable allergies which have given me a bad case of the cranky pants! But alas, I am now on the plane to good old Reykjavik to spend three days before touching down on Canadian soil for the first time in six months Friday evening. Too bad I missed Wills and Kate by mere days! Oh well, I have other exciting celebrity spottings in London to talk about.
But first, I must dish all about Istanbul. Me and Istanbul didn't get off to the greatest of starts, although I ended up loving it. As you may recall, last time I wrote I was just about to get off a 13 hour bus trip from Cappadoccia to Istanbul. When I arrived, this nice older British couple took me under their wing and let me tag along in their taxi to the tourist sector of Istanbul called Sultanahamet. Their Turkish friend even escorted me all the way to my hostel, which was very kind and so helpful, because when you first get to Istanbul, it is all very overwhelming what with the 18 million residents and the cobbled streets with no street signs. In retrospect I sort of wish their friend hadn't been able to find the hostel (the big apple) because I had a pretty crap experience there. Part of that experience I'll call "fanny pack."
Being at the end of my trip I have been trying to be as thrifty as possible (in some respects at least) and so I booked a dorm bed in a 14 bed room. This was a mistake. I was the only girl among smelly snoring guys in a dirty room. Then I had to deal with "fanny pack" guy, a former hostel guest and current lunatic who wandered in and out of my hostel room rocking a two inch ass crack hanging out of his pants and asking me for sips of my water bottle. This guy was clearly a few bricks short of a load. Remember this fact. The guy at reception didn't want to deal with this guy so I slept with one eye open- the one eye that would still fully open.
The next morning off I went in search of the English speaking German hospital to get some medical advice about my infected stink eye. I took the tram and then the slanted metro across the golden horn body of water and arrived in an area called Taksim square. After arriving at the supposed English speaking German hospital it became evident that no one spoke English or did much of anything. All of the admin people were busy on their cell phones and occupying themselves by staring at their large hairstyles in the mirror. After a frustrating communication breakdown I sort of lost it which made two older Turkish men in the waiting room laugh hysterically. That was a big mistake on their part as I launched into my loco mode and screamed in the hospital that I was so glad that they found my sickness so funny and that they were horrible people. Over reaction? Maybe. 160 Turkish lira later an eye doctor confirmed what I already knew and prescribed some eye drops and sent me off on my way.
On my way back I grabbed a much desired Starbucks and tried to get myself together. I decided to get off the tram before the Galata bridge which crosses the golden horn and walk the rest of the way back to sultanahamet in order to take in some sights. The bridge is cool and the surroundings cooler. There are tons of men fishing off of it and you can see more thousand year old mosques than you can shake a stick at. The bridge also has an underneath section that you can walk on with loads of restaurants and cafes. While walking, a restaurant owner told me he would give me a free drink if I could solve his math problem. Clearly being a math nerd I accepted the challenge. Unfortunately I couldn't quite figure it out, but he still gave me a free Turkish tea and some sight seeing advice.
I decided to take a ferry Cruise on the bospherous which is the channel of water that connects the sea of Marmara to the black sea and divides continental Europe from Asia. I had a bit of time to kill before the boat left so I walked around and stumbled upon the infamous spice bazaar. I have never seen so much Turkish delight anywhere or smelt so many intoxicating smells. I wandered into one spice shop and was accosted by this crazy character who calls himself "the short guy." Now he is what I would call a natural born salesman. Before i knew it he had me smelling things and tasting things and repeatedly told me that "short was gorgeous" and because we were both short, this definitely bonded us. He was a real riot! I knew I was going to have to encounter him again.
The ferry ride was nice, except for this bratty little two year old whose behaviour was outrageous. He was with his mum, grandma, and aunt and kept punching his aunt as hard as he could and spitting in her face. Apparently none of the women thought this behaviour needed to be corrected as Turkish boys are treated like kings, but I didn't let this fly. I grabbed the kid by the overall straps and disciplined him myself. Appropriate? Probably not, but his mum didn't seem to mind, and the grandma removed him from the scene which suited me fine. Honestly, if I ever had a kid that acted that way, I'd probably throw them overboard.
Gulhane park, the palace grounds of Topkapi palace, which are amazing. The palace is huge and was the residence of many Ottoman sultans between 1453 and 1839. There is even a whole part of the palace that was strictly for concubines, the sultans harem. The park reminded me quite a bit of Canada because there were both birch trees and maples and it was just a really chilled out scene with people sitting on the grass and jogging etc. It reminded me of Stanley park in Vancouver or mt. Pleasant park in Halifax. I eventually made it back to my hostel and tried to orchestrate switching rooms but the guy at reception was a total asshole and ended up swearing at me, so after a third rage attack of the day, I grabbed my bag and got the hell out of there. I must have looked like a pretty big mess walking down the restaurant lined cobbled main street in Sultanahamet because some waiters at a restaurant came to my aid and told me to sit down and have some apple tea while I figured it all out. That's the crazy thing about Turks-they're either insane and obnoxious or literally the kindest most helpful people in the world. Not much of a middle ground.
After a lot of walking around in circles I eventually found the little hostel I was looking for and this is when everything turned around for me and Istanbul. If you ever go there, stay at Piya. It's great and I met amazing people (mostly Canadians) that made my trip awesome.
In my room were two Canadian sisters from Vancouver and this awesome Australian girl named Kate. We all ended up going out for dinner together to this cafe called Dervish where they have live musicians play and a whirling dervish dance. After dinner we went to a shisha bar for a much needed drink after the day's escapades. We noticed a Canadian guy walking by and so clearly I called out to him and then the aggressive Turkish waiter practically forced him to sit down with us. He declined, fair enough, and rushed off to "meet a friend." The funny thing is that when we made it back to our hostel, he was staying there too so we were able to call him out on his lie to avoid sitting with us! It turned out that Rick (that's his name) had been through quite an ordeal of being dragged into some Turkish carpet shop for over an hour, so we forgave him. Rick is also from Vancouver.
My second full day in Istanbul started by being woken by a bizarre conversation outside my window which I thought I dreamt. The conversation was real however and I later found out that it was our friend Rob being dropped off by Moustapha, the private driver of a big black American ex-football player who is now a textiles buyer in Berlin named Bosshog. I only wish that that whole shenanigan had happened to me! The girls and I went to the Blue mosque which is one of the most famous sites in Istanbul. It was built in the early 1600s to rival the beauty of the Aya Sofya (the church of divine wisdom) across from it and built 1500 years ago in 537 ad. Honestly, it is so nuts being in a place where you can explore buildings that are ten times older than your own country!
After the mosque we headed to the underground basilica cistern which is definitely one of the cooler things I've seen on this trip. It was built in 532 and and was used to store water for the Topkapi palace and other buildings. It was rediscovered in 1545 and has been restored a few times. It's basically a huge underground holding tank for water supported by hundreds of columns. There are also big fish (carp maybe?) that swim around in the remaining water. You can walk around the whole place on raised wooden platforms and it is so cool!
After grabbing some lunch, Kate and I headed back to meet Rick at our hostel and explore the grand bizarre, a huge market that you could spend days in. This is when we met Rob, a fellow Canadian from Vancouver, and heard all about Bosshog! The bazaar was a great time. We all bought Turkish bracelets and stopped at a cafe in the market for Turkish coffee (thick and strong enough to stand on) and glorious sweet baklava. I'm not sure if there is anything better in the world than baklava! The four of us then weaved our way through the back alleys of shop keepers selling everything you could possibly imagine-think poofy polyester wedding gowns along with what they like to call "Turkish Viagra." We eventually made it back to the spice bazaar and I had the pleasure of introducing them to the short guy! Boy was he ever happy to see me again, and happy that I had brought him customers. Kate, Rick, and Rob all bought amazing teas that we sampled after the short guy made hilarious cracks about putting the two guys in the shrink wrap machine for Kate and I (both Rob and Rick are about 6'3"). We then made our way to the palace grounds again and stopped for a 22 lira pot of tea in the tea garden there-stupid expensive because the cafe has an incredible view of Istanbul.
Later than night, the four of us went for dinner and then to a rooftop bar to meet up with two American guys, Russ and Andrew, that Rick had met somewhere else in Eastern Europe. On our way up to the bar, I was telling Kate and the guys about my experience with fanny pack, and lo and behold, guess who the first person we saw at the rooftop bar was? I could NOT believe it was him. Neither could they! He was clearly still rocking the fanny pack, and I think the two inch ass crack too, although I was careful to avoid all eye contact. After a few cheap Turkish beers, it was off to another shisha bar and then back to our hostel for a pot of love tea and good conversation. I didn't end up making it to bed until about 4:30am but it was fun as hell!
The next morning was a bit rough, but regardless Kate, rob, the American guys, and myself trekked over to Taksim square and walked down the long pedestrian walk lined with fantastic shops all the way back to the galata bridge. I gave into my weakness and bought a dress at a cute little boutique. We again walked through the palace grounds on our way back to our hostel. Arriving back at Piya was quite the experience as all the neighbourhood kids had set up shop outside and we involved in s serious jump rope showdown. Being the fantastic skipper I am, clearly I got involved and it was so much fun. I think one of the things I loved most about staying at Piya was that it was a little bit off the tourist trap, even though it was in Sultanhamet, and that it was in a proper Turkish neighbourhood with kids and families and cats galore. One of the teenage girls who I was skipping with loved Rob so much and despite not being able to speak English, was still hitting on him! It was so funny!
Later that night, all of us made the trek over to the Asian side of Istanbul to take part in a real Turkish experience-the hamam (Turkish bath). Unfortunately by the time we made it there the woman's part was closed, so Kate and I wandered off and explored the area while the guys went in and had a rub down scrub down. They all looked so funny afterwards! Other than telling us that what happens in a hamam stays in a hamam, they were all so clean looking with puffy hair! I thought they looked like baby animals! We made it back to sultanahamet on the ferry and got caught in the rain but soothed our dampness with a few rounds of apple tea back at Piya.
The next morning we said goodbye to Kate because her parents had just flown in and she was heading off to live the luxurious life a backpacker can lead when you meet up with parents who can pay for things (exactly what I've been doing for the past week! Thanks mum!) Rob and I decided to go to the Princes islands to see if we could get a little beach/swimming time. This attempt proved to be futile and the whole experience was a bit of a disaster as we spent the whole day on ferries going back and forth between the islands we didn't want to go to. At least we had good company though and we met this nice American family from California with three kids, the youngest one being the most precocious little 8 year old girl I've ever met. Oh my god was she ever hilarious with the questions she had for rob and I. We met Rick to go for dinner and some beers and he invited two other guys from our hostel. Vincent was a really nice Quebecois journalist from Montreal, but nick was a really obnoxious American guy who works on wall street. The only way I know how to describe him would be as a competitive conversationalist, a one upper if you will. Anyway, my anxiety level was hitting the roof, so rob and I managed to ditch out and went to the corner store to buy some beers and drink them in the park between the blue mosque and aya sofya which is probably one of the most sacrilegious things I've ever done. We were blatantly being judged by many people walking by, but it was fun, especially considering how beautiful the blue mosque looks at night all light up and with birds circling the minarets.
So, that's Istanbul for you. An amazing city that I would love to go back to. The next morning it was off to the airport and off to London which is where I have spent the past week checking out the sights and living the good life with none other than Susie Mrk. We have had such a great time in London and I am happy to report that I have three celebrity sightings to talk about!
Celeb sighting number 1: after spending a morning in beautiful Hampstead Heath, a 320 hectare park, and exploring the neoclassical mansion kenwood house across from where they were setting up the stage for Liza Minnelli's show in the park, my cousin took my mum and I through the posh neighbourhood of hampstead where we took the bus with none other than JK Rowling (Harry potter fans rejoice).
Celeb sighting number 2: on Canada day, my cousin took us for lunch at the amazing Covent garden hotel where we sat at the table next to none other than rock legend Patti Smith. My cousin David was going through inner turmoil bc he loves her and has had a number of Patti spottings over the past few months. In trying to tell me who was sitting behind me in a clenched whisper I thought he said "Betty Smith" who I clearly didn't know (because they don't exist) and he freaked out at me for not knowing and got the dinning room manager to print out the 11 page Wikipedia article on her. We eventually got the mix up sorted so he didn't have to disown me from the family and when the bill came our cocktails had already been paid for. This means that patti smith either bought us a round or the staff loved our ridiculousness. I'm happy with either option.
Celeb sighting number 3: on Saturday morning, we went to my Mecca-portobello market- which is a place that if you have no money, which I don't, and you love fashion, which I do, you should never go to. Ahhh! Stella McCartney and vintage labels galore. We had an amazing Palestinian breakfast too! Anyway, on walking though the shopping obsessed crowds I spotted Kelly Osborne and a few of her friends. She is so skinny now! Dancing with the stars did wonders for her I guess!
London is fantastic. Definitely one of my favourite cities and a place I could live an incredible and bankrupt existence. My cousin lives in the most amazing neighbourhood, W6 with some pretty cool movers and shakers. The night I arrived, the vegetarian restaurant down the street that I love was closed because Beyonce was giving a private show for celebrity friends after Glastonbury. Crazy! There are a lot of people in the fashion and music world in the area, and if I can just brag/drool for a moment, my cousin has had beers with lady gaga. Uh, yeah. GAGA.
I book ended my week in London by eating at the best restaurant I've ever been to in my life called The Gate with a ridiculously hot south African waiter. As a vegetarian, I've never been to an up market gourmet restaurant where I wanted and could eat everything on the menu. My mum and I also squeezed in visits to the Tate, Tate modern, national gallery, national portrait gallery, Victoria and Albert museum, architect John Soane's house, the amazing Kew gardens, and Shakespeare's globe theatre among other places. We saw an incredible play called Realism at the soho theatre that I would recommend if you're going to be in London.
One more thing: my cousin has the most amazing dog Cheever who outweighs me by 40 pounds. He's a Newfoundland dog and if you're tired you could mistake him for a gorilla or small black bear.
I'm now hanging in Reykjavik which is incredible and unlike anywhere else I've been. I know I've said that a lot on this trip, but it's been true each time! I forgot that because Iceland is so far north it gets pretty much 24 hours of daylight in the summer. Right now it's 9pm and the sun is still high in the sky. I love it!
Tomorrow mum and I are going on a ten hour smorgasbord tour of some of the natural sights around Reykjavik and the next day I've convinced her to go horseback riding! Friday before we leave we're going to hit up the blue lagoon which is the famous spa with all the different warm pools. And then it'll be back to Canada! I can't believe it! Six months on the road and I'm finally going home! I've had an incredible time and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to do and see the things I have, but I'm aching for home! I'd like to keep the blog going in some way, shape, or form, but haven't figured all that out yet, so keep checking back, and thanks for reading and following my travels. I think the blog has kept me from going off the deep end! See you soon! Xoxo
P.s. Will post pictures when I'm home!
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