Whenever we read something about Turkey, we think of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires both of which ruled the present day Turkey and many areas that extended parts of Europe, Asia and North Africa. The Ottoman Empire ruled for over 700 years after the decline of the Byzantine Empire. I was surprised to hear from our tour guide that Anatolia (part of modern Turkey) was also invaded by the Mongols before it was united by Ottoman beylik. I would be doing history injustice by trying to explain how this magnificent country was created starting from the fall of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. Best if you Google it and find many stories in the internet. Every story you will find about modern day Turkey the name of Kemal Ataturk will pop up as he led the successful resistance against the victorious Allies after the Great War. Ataturk was also the first president of Turkey.

Our walking started around 9:00 am after our bus rounded all the tourists like me. We were dropped at the Hippodrome of Constantinople where Byzantine emperors would watch chariot races. Today, there are still a few obelisks and statues left standing.

While we waited for a family who wandered away from our group I walked to a nearby café and ordered the extra-strong Turkish coffee. Basically, this is an instant coffee with extra heaping of coffee grounds then slowly simmered over charcoal.

Our tour guide decided to leave the family who failed to understand her instruction to meet us after ten minutes (they finally showed up in the next mosque but not after listening to a “few choice words” from the guide). We proceeded to the Blue Mosque (Trini and I visited it yesterday already). There were more people today than yesterday so we just sat in a corner conserving our energy for the long walks.

Next, we walked to the nearby Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) which used to be an Orthodox Church. It was used as a church for almost a thousand years until Fatih Sultan Mehmed conquered Istanbul then was turned into a mosque. There are currently restoration work being done inside. I was impressed with its cavernous interior and the giant chandeliers!

The church was re-built three times as it was burned, re-built, burned again. The third and final structure was re-built under Emperor Justinianos around 532 AD.

After our visit of Hagia Sophia we walked to the Grand Covered Bazaar (again, Trini and I visited this awesome “shopping mall” yesterday). The group was led into a rug store to listen to a presentation. Trini and I opted out and went to a café instead. I ordered Americano and Trini ordered the freshly made pomegranate juice. We just sat on the small table along a busy narrow sidewalk and watched as the café “salesmen” convinced passing tourists to come taste their food.

We went back to our meeting place and we boarded the bus to take us to the restaurant for our included lunch. We sat with a very nice and sweet young Malaysian couple on their honeymoon. We went with them to the same boat cruise yesterday and Trini and I noticed that most of the photos they took were – THEMSELVES! They had a selfie stick and every picture they took was a – SELFIE! I just hope they have photos of the highlights of the tour that they can show their friends and families when they go back home (smile).

We had soup for starters with pita bread and the assorted spread that comes with it. We had a choice of chicken or lamb kebab or pasta. Dessert was a super-sweet small slice of baclava. I ordered espresso to counter the sugary taste of my dessert.

With our energy replenished we again boarded the bus to take us to the final leg of our guided tour. We headed to the Topkapi Palace and the Sultan Tombs. Both entrances required tickets (included) but the lines were always long and disorganized as you have to go through security screening. At the Topkapi Palace entrance, several of the Turkish tourists got into a heated argument with the ticket checker (not sure what they were yelling about). I surmised it was due to the incompetence of the Palace employee who could not properly control the mob!

The last part of our tour was Topkapi Palace, a huge area with numerous structures that used to house the Sultan’s soldiers, many wives and dozens of his concubines. A thriller movie (starring Peter Ustinov) was made titled Topkapi in the mid-1950’s.

We ended the tour at the far end of the palace and after thanking the tour guide we were on our own. We roamed around a little bit more and we admired the view of the Bosphorus in the distance then we walked back to our hotel. Thankfully, it was only a couple of blocks away….

 

 

Eating breakfast in the hotel terrace overlooking mosques and watching the seagulls splatter their “white stuff” down below is really a great way to start your day. Breakfast buffet with eggs to order. Turkish breakfast consists of a lot of pickled stuff, cold cuts, vegetables, breads, and olives.

Our guided tour did not start until 1300 so off we went exploring the city.  Constantinople (the English name for Istanbul) is densely populated compared to that of other European metropolitan cities – 15 million plus inhabitants! The activity all around you is electrifying. Both sides of the streets are lined with all sorts of businesses – cafés, restaurants, pastry shops, spices, electronics, appliances, souvenirs, you name it they have it.

Trini spotted the famous Grand Bazaar – a covered shopping outlet where the gold and expensive jewelries seemed to have converged. Of course, they also have other items that you can take home like, scarves, watches, handbags and other souvenirs.

Our guided tour started at 1300 and the bus took us around the city highlights. Then we boarded a boat that cruised along the Sea of Marmara. Marmara joins the Black Sea on the eastern side of the country and is quite busy with many tankers and different ships crossing to get to the Mediterranean Sea.

There are three iconic bridges that cuts the Sea of Marmara – the famous Bosphorus Bridge, the Galata which spans Europe and Asia and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet. After the boat cruise – which was amazing – we went back to the bus and we got a glimpse of the two long underwater tunnels connecting the two continents! We had a spectacular view of the European Istanbul from the high vantage point.

After the photo ops we went to the cable cars to go down from the vista point to meet our bus and end our tour. We asked to be dropped off near the Blue Mosque as it was within walking distance from our hotel. We went inside the mosque which was currently undergoing some renovation so we did not see the blue interior (reason why it’s called Blue Mosque).

Famished, we made our way to the restaurant row and allowed ourselves to be subjected to the many “sales talk” along the way. Trini promised a gentleman last night that we would eat in their restaurant. He saw us and gave us a wide smile and simply said, “you’re back”. Tonight we ordered a huge sea food platter (all grilled) – trout, salmon, tuna, and shrimps. We had the house white wine and the waiter brought us this big inflated bread on steroids. When I popped it it deflated and turned into a wimpy flat bread but it was delicious. The bread came with assorted spreads that really made the bread taste differently with each spread and cheese.

We ended the fabulous dinner with little cups of the tangy black tea. I asked the waiter why he was not serving us the raki (a strong anise-flavored liquor) when the restaurant across the street served it for free. He glanced at the owner and the owner gave a thumbs up so he quickly served me one that I downed instantly (like tequila).

 

 

We left Praha early this morning and the weather was perfect. We flew Turkish Airlines and what a contrast from the Norwegian Airlines that we flew in when we arrived in Europe (see my blog dated February 15, 2018). Our flight with Norwegian took us over ten hours from LA to London but they did not provide us food or even water! Turkish Airlines flight from Prague to Istanbul was a little over two hours but we were fed properly! The flight attendants kept asking us if we wanted more coffee or water. Thankfully, we are flying Turkish again when we go to Bucharest next Monday. Unfortunately, we’re flying Norwegian again going back to LA.

The hotel shuttle was waiting for us as soon as we got out of the customs. The driver spoke good English and during the not so brief ride to our hotel, he kept pointing out historical spots to us and explaining what they were.

As soon as we entered the old part of the city the streets became narrower and the inclines increased. I was not sure if the streets were one- or two-way streets but there was no way two vehicles can occupy the same space. As it happened, our driver at one time had to back out and park into the similarly narrow sidewalks to allow another car to pass. The Turkish drivers are very tolerant and patient to each other and rarely did I hear them blow their horns nor did they argue about who was there first.

We were dropped “near” our hotel as vehicles cannot go through the pavement leading to our hotel. A waiter near our hotel volunteered to help us with our luggage as Trini had difficulty with the incline.

After checking in we rested a little bit. The Blue Mosque with its five minarets is located a couple of hundred meters from our hotel and we could hear the blaring broadcast of their prayers every few hours.

We were hungry around 6:00 pm and finding a place to eat is not a problem. The restaurants are all over the place and they vie for your business. Short of pulling you in, the restaurant employees would talk you into looking into their menus. We found one with a propane heater beside our table as it was already getting cold as the evening progressed. Trini and I people-watched as we sipped our drinks and nibbled at the flatbreads and olives.

I ordered lamb kebab slathered with yogurt and Trini tried a dish with chicken and rice. After dinner, we were served a strong milky alcoholic beverage. The price? A lot cheaper than Prague for sure!

While I was finishing my drink Trini went across the street check out the colorful handwoven rugs and pillow cases. And the rest is history…

 

 

 

Our last day in this charming Bohemian city of Prague and the weather seemed to share our sadness with our departure tomorrow. The temperature dropped a score from yesterday’s and the weather was drizzly all afternoon. Whatever the temperature is, warm or cold, or whether it is sunny or rainy, windy or calm – Prague will still be beautiful and alluring to me!

Trini and I took our time to start our last day of exploration. We did not leave the hotel until noon. We ventured to take another unfamiliar street again to search for the Church of the Infant Jesus (Sto. Niño). When we arrived we found the church to be a simple nondescript structure without the frills and complex façade like most churches here.

We went up to the church’s museum where the different colorful robes of the Infant Jesus were on display. There was one purple robe donated by the Philippines!

After our visit to the Sto. Niño we spotted a restaurant with a swirly sign “P.Noy” across from the church. We weren’t sure what it says but when we saw the menu beside the door that says, “Sinigang” and “Halo Halo”, we almost ran across the street to go look inside. We were greeted by a Czech gentleman (who is married to a Pinay). He kept saying, “opo” when we talked to him. We ordered the advertised sinigang. Of course, not the real one but it had several small slices of okra, lots of sliced tomatoes, seasoned with sinigang mix although it could have been hotter (temperature and taste wise). The rice was already inside the bowl along with the soup. It had a couple of slices of pork loin (no fat or skin). Overall, it satisfied our urge for a Filipino food. We give the Czech guy an A+ for effort and friendliness!

After lunch, we headed north to try and find our way back to the hotel. We saw a long line of youngsters and went inside to find out that it was the famous Trdelnik. Trini wanted to try it so I ordered one filled with ice cream. I’m not a person who enjoys pastries or sweet desserts but I’m willing to try anything once. Verdict: it was okay but not spectacular.

My overall impression of Prague is that it is one of the best cities to go on a vacation and enjoy history, culture, architecture, night life, and a warm and friendly atmosphere. However, finding a place even with a map in your hand is not easy. The names of the streets seem to change every few blocks. I noticed that the street name changes when the road angles a little bit to the left or right. Hence, the map will appear to have several names of a single thoroughfare!

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I think food and drinks are overpriced in Prague. I am basing this on the fact that a sit down lunch in a mediocre restaurant will set you back more than 50 euros! I find most of Spain’s premier cities more affordable than Praha. Prague is also not a place to splurge on shopping as there are more affordable cities in Europe to throw away your hard-earned money.

In ending, in Prague there is a certain mystique in the air as you allow yourself to move through its serpentine streets. A kind of magnetic force beckons you to explore every nook and crannies until you realize that whatever you are looking for is all around just staring at you. Praha is one huge microorganism that pulsates with each tourist’s purposeless movements – increasing to a crescendo until the entire city becomes one humongous vibration… or shall I risk to say…one giant orgasm!

Sbohem, Praha….

 

 

The more you spend in Prague, the more you fall in love with it! Today was a perfect day to continue exploring this Bohemian city – temperature was in the high 40 degree Fahrenheit with the sun playing peek-a-boo all day long.

Trini and I walked the maze of narrow cobblestoned-streets where the tourists were few and far between. We got lost a few times but time is on our side. We had nowhere else to go and we did not have an itinerary (well, sort of, we had a direction).

We took our time to gawk at the crystals; admired the different colors of garnet, their national gem; stared at lladros unsure whether to like it or hate it.

We went from The Old Town to The Lesser Town. Passed several bridges and followed the Vitava River. We lingered in street corners listening to jazz and Western music provided by starving artists.

Praha is a city with timeless architecture. If you are an art lover there are numerous museums to keep you occupied and will satisfy your artistic thirst – from contemporary to abstract to bizarre.

We salivated at the aroma of fresh trdlenik – a popular sweet bread rolled into a spit and cooked over an open flame. Different restaurants try to promote the various Czech gastronomy from Old Prague ham to pig’s knuckles and knees to sausages and goulash.  Not wanting to offend the Czech cuisine lover but I am not really fond of their food. I will try anything once but will not force myself to eat it again just because it is the local’s popular food.

Our tour guide the other night told us that there must be at least 160 cathedrals and churches in Prague and I believe him. We must have passed dozens of them and many are closed. According to the same gentleman church-goers have declined drastically over the years that many of these churches are now used as venues for concerts.

By the time we were back in our hotel, my phone app showed we walked a total of 5.2 miles!

 

 

The Jewish Quarters (sometimes called the Jewish Ghetto) is one of the oldest in Central Europe. Trini and I went on our own since the tour that we took yesterday did not include the tickets to get us inside the museum, the synagogue and the cemetery.

Trini and I started before 10 a.m. and the forecast was rain around noon; however, it started early. The precipitation did not deter the tourists like us. Colorful umbrellas and waterproof jackets seemed to be the norm today.

In the Jewish Quarters is where the high-end shopping stores are found – Hermés, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo, Robert Coin, Breathing, etc.

Founded in the latter part of the 9th century, Prague became the seat of the Kings of Bohemia. The city flourished during the reign of Charles IV in the 14th century who ordered the building of the New Town, the Charles Bridge, St. Vitus Cathedral and the Charles University.

Prague was under a communist rule for more than 40 years and seldom visited by tourists until the Velvet Revolution on November 17, 1989. From the moment freedom came into the streets the city enjoyed an economic boom. Today, tourism is the number one income generating business in Prague.

Trini and I joined a package tour yesterday which basically took all day until the evening. It was very tiring as it included a 3.5 hours walking tour over uneven cobblestones. We visited the awesome St. Vitus Cathedral with its Gothic façade and spires designed by a French master builder Mattias of Arras. When Mattias died the construction was continued by a German master builder, hence, the combination of French and German Gothic styles.

Trini went inside the cathedral (there was long line but we were told this is nothing compared during the summer months!) while I went to the presidential palace to witness the changing of the guards.

The walk took us along quaint neighborhoods with narrow streets. We bought a ginger bread and I tried a glass of the local hot wine. By now, there were so many different tour groups there was always a “collision” between groups trying to outmaneuver each other. Our group only had ten people – six of us from the U. S., two from Germany and an Indian couple.

Our group made our way to Charles Bridge which only pedestrians were allowed. All sorts of artists and caricaturists plied their expertise and positioned themselves on both sides of the bridge. Selfie-takers and other tourists who wanted to immortalize the moments blocked the only remaining inches of walkable surface.

Our group continued on to the Jewish Quarters which now houses the most expensive real estate in the country. Trini and I will be going back here since the tour did not include tickets to go to the synagogue and the Jewish cemetery. We browsed the high-end stores, the usual – Hermes, LV, Ferragamo, Robert Coin, Prada, Patek Philippe, etc.

We ended our walking tour in the Old Town where Trini and I ate our lunch – Old Prague ham and sausage with Czech beer. The place was crowded and many people just sat on the square to consume their foods.

After the light lunch, Trini and I went to our hotel to rest and get ready for the boat cruise with dinner later that night. The tour company picked us up at 1745 and we did a half-hour tour of the city before we got dropped off to join the others for the boat cruise.

Our boat went through a “lock” similar to that of the Panama Canal where the water level was dropped to a certain level to allow us to pass.

Trini and I are so impressed with this Bohemian city. Although we expected it to be very affordable we were a little disappointed to find out that it is not (food and drinks)! However, the warm friendly people and the unforgettable experience we’ve had during the past two days more than made up for this “disappointment”.

Prague is one of the most visited destinations in the world and now I can understand why. The history behind this lovely city is unsurpassed and the fact that it was almost untouched during the bombings in WWII makes it the most preserved historic city in Europe.

Some call it the Paris of Eastern Europe and I can vouch for that, especially, when we did the night boat cruise along the River Vitava. Walking through the redeveloped Baroque, Rococo and Art Nouveau streets is indescribable!

Ah, the allure of Praha….

 

Trini and I grudgingly ended our 8-day stopover in Wiesbach where Manfred and Miriam (Trini’s cousin) lived.  It was hard to say Auf Wiedersehen but move on we must. Until next time…

We woke up at 3:15 a.m. so we can have a head start since our flight to Prague was in Frankfurt. Poor Manfred had to get up early too to drive us there. The drive was almost two hours although we weren’t flying in the autobahn like the other drivers. Manfred dropped us off at Terminal 2 and we bade him goodbye and expressed our sincere thanks for being a very gracious and kind host.

The Czech Airlines counter was still closed when we arrived at 6:10 a.m. so we sat for another hour or so. At 7:15 a.m., a lone employee started to check us in. When we proceeded to the gate we noticed there weren’t that many people flying with us. After boarding, we were all bused us to the plane. Trini and I stared in “horror” at our tiny turbo prop airplane! No wonder there were not that many flyers and the counter guy tagged most of our hand carry luggages since it was going along with the checked in baggage.

 

Trini has a fear of flying on small airplanes, luckily, the flight only took an hour and twenty minutes (15 minutes of that taxiing in the runway). After retrieving our baggage we exited the customs area and found our shuttle driver holding up my name. A curt hello with a smile then he took over our cart and we followed him with two other ladies who shared the shuttle with us.

The shuttle driver was a speed demon with a lead foot. At least he did not run over any red lights. He drove us around the city and we were able to see the beautiful UNESCO Heritage and Cultural Site. I was surprised to see so many tourists considering it is still winter. I’ve been following the European countries’ weather forecast for the last couple of weeks and we are lucky to have this spring-like weather now whereas it was 20 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit colder two weeks ago! I observed that the people were dressed in extremes – some were in shorts and t-shirts only and some were bundled up to the hilt.

After checking in, these two seniors took their afternoon nap. We only had three hours of sleep and our old decrepit system is begging us to rest. After a power nap, we went exploring the historical center. There were people from all over – Asians snapping photos of their kids in store fronts, young Americans discussing where they had lunch and where their next destination will be, Swiss gentlemen with their feathered hats licking ice creams, locals just trying to dodge the tourists getting from point A to point B.

We noticed that there were a lot of gambling casinos outnumbered only by McDonalds.

We plan to join some tours today to get a better tourist-view of this Bohemian city. More updates later…

 

 

 

 

Having rested for a few days and with the temperature slightly warmer, I asked Manfred if he would like to accompany me walking as it was such a beautiful day to walk. He eagerly agreed as he has not walked since we walked in the snow (he too caught the “bug”).

I thought Manfred would take me to the same hiking trails but he surprised me with a different one! This time the trails took us partly on tree-lined trails, along paths with a view of the surrounding communities and alongside the highway. There was a long moderate uphill that surprised me but enjoyed it anyway.

I noticed that the towns and villages were so close together and Manfred named each one of them (which I will not repeat here as most of them are tongue-twisters). He pointed at an abandoned German WWII bunker which was filled with moss by now.

Our walk was really energizing. The breeze was biting cold but after a half hour of walking my body started to get used to it. The walk took us a total of one hour and twenty minutes (my phone app showed 3.6 miles). Feeling good and ready to move on to the next country.

                      DIE FAMILIE (THE FAMILY)

Tonight will be our last night staying with our very hospitable and kind hosts – Manfred and Miriam Jost. Miriam’s younger sister, Marie and hubby, Aryan arrived from Amsterdam last night as they were going on ski vacation with the Josts in the Italian Alps starting this Sunday.

The Jost’s two daughters (Yvette and Nicole) and their families were there too. Miriam, cooked up a storm and baked the best apple pie and cheesecake that I’ve ever tasted! Manfred took out his loyal grill from storage and showed off his culinary expertise with it. The lamb was cooked to perfection – a little pinkish and even a dull knife would cut through it easily. The pork chop was just as good and juicy. But I was more impressed with the sausages – they were lamb sausages and very tasty!

 

Miriam’s different salads and veggies are “to die for” – delicious would be an understatement to describe the banquet! Manfred completed the feast with his Italian reds!

The night was filled with stories reminiscing our long gone youth, laughing at funny anecdotes that only Filipinos will understand, comparing exotic places we’ve visited, and grateful to have been successful in life and most importantly, that we were still healthy to do what we are passionate about – traveling.

Trini and I can never thank Manfred and Miriam enough for we know that without them inviting us to their lovely and comfortable home, we would still be recovering from the dreaded cold somewhere in a hotel in Spain.

The Germans are very warm, friendly and helpful people! Trini and I vowed to return again but when that time comes it will be on a warmer weather!

Vielen Dank für lhre herzliche Gastfreundschaft, Manfred und Miriam!

We drove to Bernkastel-Kues which is about 50 km (31 miles) from Trier. We passed vineyards that were growing on steep (really steep!) hills that only a mountain goat can traverse. Manfred explained that machines do the harvesting.

Bernkastel-Kues is a famous winemaking region along the Moselle river. I fought the urge to go wine-tasting as I was still medicating myself due to my colds. When we arrived in Bernkastel-Kues it was like walking into one of the Grimm Brothers fairy tale story. I would not have been surprised had I encountered Hansel and Gretel.

The architecture were similar with that of the old houses in Trier but there was a distinct difference in the air and I didn’t know what it was. Unlike Trier, the people seemed more laid back here. We saw young couples pushing baby strollers chatting with friends; matronly women walking pedigreed pets at leisure; shoppers taking their time to browse. In Trier, everyone seemed to be in a hurry to be someplace.

Finding a place to eat at 4:00 pm was almost impossible. First because the restaurants do not open until 7:00 pm or so; second, many are closed for the winter due to lack of tourists at this time of the year. We found a pizza place finally. What? eating pizza in Germany, you ask. I agree but when you’re famished and have no other options, then pizza it is!

I spotted another scallop shell symbol of the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James). It was pasted on a pipe and was advertising a Camino tour.

We walked around a little bit more after eating pizza. Bernkastel-Kues is not a very big city so we ended our day as the clouds started to gather and obscure the sun. We decided it was time to go home….