Trip Report - August 29
The Final Installment

Last time you heard from me, I was headed from Egypt to Turkey...

Found myself sitting next to an alum from the college where Andrew works on the airplane. Turns out he'd been living in Istanbul for several years working as a professor. This history buff became my personal tour guide for the next few days, setting me up in a magnificent old hotel with a view of the Golden Horn and the southwest bank of central Istanbul.I spent several evenings on my fourth-floor balcony with its scrolled balustrades, gazing out at the city lights twinkling off the water's surface as the minarets of a multitude of mosques pierced the starry night skies from the opposite bank.

The best part about meeting someone who loved the city so much (besides the great company) was that I skipped right to all the good stuff. For instance, we journeyed up the Bosphorus by ferry for breakfast in a quaint waterfront town reknowned for its fresh yoghurt (and let me tell you, it was delicious!); wandered the covered bazaar; visited Aya Sofya, the largest enclosed space in the world for almost a thousand years with its vast dome and impressive marbles and mosaics; and swung by Topkapi Palace for a wander through the courtyards and Harem. We explored a variety of historic sites, with personalized running commentary from my well-informed friend, including the Blue Mosque with its vast soaring interior, the Suleymaniye complex with its beautiful grounds and inspiring detail (designed by the celebrated master architect Mimar Sinan), and Rustem Pasa (my favorite mosque) with its quiet interior and incredible profusion of tiles.

After a few days touring the sights and visiting new friends (my guide knew lots of fascinating local characters), I set off on my own for Cappadocia. This geologically fascinating area actually reminded me a good deal of the American Southwest. Its "fairy chimneys" and sandstone cliffs are formed from wind and water erosion into undulating shapes that catch the morning and evening sun and capture the imagination. This moonscape has entire villages and religious complexes carved into its sandstone hillocks. Some of them are crumbling dangerously, but many of their rooms and passageways can still be explored by curious (non-claustrophobic) visitors such as myself. One day, I even joined a tour group visiting one of the area's underground cities, where we explored five vast floors (all that have been excavated so far) stretching over 50 meters into the earth.

After several hiking expeditions through the surrounding valleys, I caught a bus back toward the coast, stopping over in Egirdir (a village set among lakes and small mountains) long enough to watch the sunrise, climb a nearby mountain, and stumble into a military compound on my way back down (for that story, you'll have to buy the book -- *grin*).

I moved on to Selcuk, where Greco-Roman ruins abound. I dutifully explored Priene, Miletus, Didyma, and Ephesus -- all of them well-preserved examples of city planning and architecture. In Priene and Ephesus especially, I found myself imagining throngs of people in the streets, marketplaces, and forums.

Back to Istanbul for another day of friendly visits and a ferry ride out to the Prince Islands, then an afternoon airplane to Spain. Here I encountered my first nightmarish taste of peak tourist season: after wandering the dark streets of Barcelona for two hours searching for a hotel room, I finally found a place to sleep...but only for one night. I then had to go back out and search for someplace that would take me for the next night. Lesson learned, I started making
reservations ahead!

I spent the next couple of days wandering the streets of Barcelona, admiring the architecture, climbing Montjuic, visiting museums (the Naval Museum was fascinating and well done). Barcelona has several examples of Gaudi's work, including mansions, cathedrals, and parks -- I'd never heard of him before my visit, but was impressed by his creative use of natural materials to form surprising and magical structures. It's always nice to stumble across genius.

I moved on to Cuenca, the cliff-top old section of which commands inspiring views of the surrounding gorges, then to Madrid to fix a little issue I was having with my airline ticket. While I was only in Madrid overnight, I did find a room in the Puerta del Sol area (center of town) and managed to not only wander around much of the city, but fit in visits to both the Museo Thyssen-Bernemisza (interesting, well-laid-out collection) and the Prado (simply incredible) while I was there.

I then caught a bus to Granada, where I spent a day visiting the Alhambra -- a huge complex that includes some of the most beautiful gardens I've seen and a well-preserved palace with intricately carved and inlaid ceilings, walls, and porticos. Then on to Cordoba, where I visited the major sites (the Mezquita, several churches, some museums) and explored the streets before heading to Sevilla for what was to be a day trip to see the Alcazar, the cathedral, and the city's magnificent parks.

I ended up meeting two friendly American women who adopted me for the day and invited me to stay over and attend a Flamenco performance with them that evening. Since I already had a hotel room back in Granada, they offered to let me sleep on their floor, and I gladly accepted. We had a great time sneaking me in and out of their room, since it was right next to the front desk! We all walked to the bus station together the next morning -- they were headed east, and I had to retrieve my bags in Granada before
returning to Madrid.

The next day -- my last day in Spain -- I took a morning trip to Toledo, where I was disappointed to find several of the sites I wanted to visit closed, but the cathedral and synagogues were still worth a look, and the town itself was a wonderful wander. Back in Madrid that afternoon, I walked to the botanical gardens and, after meadering along the shaded paths, lay on a bench under leafy trees, reading my book by a fountain until the park closed.

The next morning, I flew to Rome and caught a bus to Naples, where my friend and her husband were on sabbatical with their cheerful nine-month-old daughter. They had a fabulous little apartment high up on the hillside with a full panorama of the waterfront and Vesuvius from their balcony. The perfect hosts, they'd moved the fold-out couch so that I woke each morning to this view.

While I was there, we visited the archeological museum, where many of Pompeii's artifacts are housed, then took a trip down to Pompeii itself. I didn't know this, but Naples is the birthplace of pizza. Given that, the perfect pasta, and the fresh cannollis, it's probably needless to say we spent a lot of time sampling
the food! Yum.

I then took the train back up to Rome, where I spent three hectic days doing some full-on tourism (I'd gotten quite good at this by that time!). I managed to see St Peter's just as it opened, which meant there were no crowds, and I was early in line for the Vatican Museum. I'd met some folks in line, including a Frenchman I ended up spending the day with (those moments when high school language skills come in handy!), and we all rushed through the museum (having been assured we could go back in again on the same ticket) to the Sistine Chapel, which is at the end. I'd heard horror stories about the crowds, but once again, our strategy worked -- we had plenty of space to move around and admire the justifiably famous artwork at our leisure.

I spent time in an endless number of churches, piazzas, parks, museums, and ruins, including the Pantheon, the Colossuem (huge and impressive, but a disappointment given the cost and long line), the Roman Forum (free!), the Villa Borghese (incredible sculpture works by Bernini in the beautiful palace museum), the Trevi Fountain (among others), and the Museo Capitolino and Museo del Palazzo dei Conservatori, both of which flank Michaelangelo's
Capitol Square.

Of course, this list just skims the more well-known surface of what Rome has to offer. After eight months of "tourist training", I was quite happy to spend the entire day walking from one end of the city to another, so found a huge number of famous and lesser-known sites around every corner. Truly a fascinating experience, and a perfect place to end my 'round-the-world adventure.

I climbed onto my transatlantic flight wondering what I would do with myself next... Seventeen hours later, I was asleep in my own bed in a house I hadn't seen for almost eight months. The next morning, however, Andrew and I got up and drove to Connecticut for my sister's engagement party (hey, what's waking up to another five hours in a car for such a seasoned traveler? It was just like a continuation of my journey!) in the gorgeous garden and showpiece home of her wealthy about-to-be-in-laws -- talk about culture shock!

<Previous - Next>
or choose below:

January 10 - Hola from Ecuador!
Costa Rica, Ecuador

January 30 - Moving on from Chile
Peru, Chile

February 20 - Greetings from Laos
Thailand, Laos

March 18 - Adventures in Cambodia & Thailand
Cambodia, southern Thailand

April 3 - A whirlwind tour of Rajasthan, India
India

May 21 - Greetings from Malaysia
Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia

June 24 - Salaam from Egypt!
Bali, England, Egypt

August 29 - The Final Installment
Turkey, Spain, Italy

For a quick overview of the trip, check out travel highlights.
Or learn about my vivid slideshow & storytelling presentation.

Looking for more stories? Visit this handy list of articles.

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