Wow – is July already over? So we haven’t been so punctual on our updates, but we wanted to finish the honeymoon with our last leg. During our last morning in Istanbul, we woke up brutally early and flew down to Kas, a small beach town in the southern coast of Turkey. (pronounced “kash”)
There are plenty of Turkish beach towns to choose from – some more Euro touristy than others. We picked Kas because A) it was hard to get to so no one could find us, B) very few non-Turkish tourists, and C) the pure beauty. Following Istanbul, we were back to the sweet sounds of the waves and the low-key lifestyle that is expected of any beach town. I like to call it a perfect ending.
Check out the Kas pictures.
Highlights of Kas:
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** After a late night in Istanbul before, we were beat. We flew into Antalaya airport, the hub to most beach towns in the southern coast. Our adventure continued with a 3-hour drive to Kas. I luckily was able to sleep in the car while Tom drove to our destination. I was already reaping the husband benefits! |
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** The drive along the Turkey coast was absolutely gorgeous – hard to depict in a picture. We alternated between green cliffs, lots of teasing views of the water, and drove through many small towns along the way (as opposed to the states, where you exit off the highway to enter a town). Each town had a welcome sign with population and an exit sign – all within a lengthy 5-10 km average between them. I mean, small towns. |
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** Between the dry weather of the countryside and the moisture from the sea, the coast was perfect for farming, so we drove through many pretty greenhouses that contained tomatoes and the like. There were also plenty of mosques along the way – in what looked like the middle of nowhere. So many mosques that we played “Punch Mosque” – inspired by the classic “Punch Buggy” game. Tom won and punched me many times – should I report this to the police? |
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** When driving, watch out for large herds of GIANT mutant goats. Ridiculously large, bigger than some cows. Shepherds helped us out by moving the goats to the side of the road to let us pass. But if it weren’t for cars, you’d think the highways were built for the goat herding. |
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** We finally arrived in Kas – counting down the km along the way. Kas is nested in a cove of the Mediterranean Sea behind tall cliffs and mountains. For the last 10 km, we were weaving in what seemed like landlocked mountains. Then, we literally stumbled upon Kas as we turned a corner and laid our eyes on an open, vast view of the water. |
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** We checked into Gardenia Hotel, boutique hotel owned by a cute Turkish couple who spend their summers here. Not too shabby of a life. Because it was privately owned and with only 10 or so rooms, we received amazing customer service by the couple. We had breakfast with them and chatted about their travels. We discovered they visit Vietnam every other year or so – giving us plenty to talk about! |
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** Similar to the surprise of finding Kas, the “beach” and water were also something to discover. From the naked eye, the town looks quaint and quiet with cobblestone streets, shops, and cute restaurants. It’s not until you walk across the narrow street and climb down stone steps that open up to different levels of terraces and platforms, that you see the beautiful blue water before you. Yet another pleasant reveal. |
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** The “beach” setup was awesome – terraces of free lounge chairs and umbrellas – and only a few people. The restaurant brought you food, drinks – just like a cruise ship. To take a swim, you climb down a ladder or jump off the rocks into the depths of the open sea. |
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** The evenings were spent in the town square – with children celebrating Ataturk Youth Day with song and dance. Mustafa Ataturk was the founder of the modern Turkish republic and created the secular, western state we have today. |
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** Backgammon is a cherished way to pass time in Turkey – especially along the beaches. Tom and I played a few games in between our hectic schedule of lounging and eating. We even ended up buying a set to take home. |
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** Took a daytrip to Kekova, 45 minutes away, where we took a boat trip to the Sunken City. The boat, like most of them, was family owned. The crew was the entire family – husband, wife, and child. They gave us an okay tour of the Sunken City, which was an ancient town destroyed by an earthquake in the 2nd century. Even when under water, the ruins still prevail! We swam in a secluded bay over a ruined church. |
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** Another daytrip was spent scuba diving. The waters were gorgeous, but I got extremely seasick after the dive. Tom swam like a fish and loved it. Worth the experience though. |
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** Of course, we continued our food journey in Kas, with our last night at Blue House restaurant. It was literally an old house converted to a restaurant and was designed like the Anthropologie of restaurants. We entered the restaurant into the front door, were greeted in the open kitchen where they were cooking, and were seated on the patio outside overlooking the water. On top of the ambiance, the food was delish! |
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** Our last day was an early one – waking up before sunrise to catch our flight at Antalaya airport. But it was worth seeing the drive in sunrise – a whole different kind of beauty. |
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** Wish I could say our flight back was uneventful. But Tom was sick throughout, we barely made our connection in Istanbul, and Tom had cold shivers and bad nausea on our 11-hr flight back to Atlanta. In the meantime, my seat was being kicked by the dude behind me with long legs. But we arrived home safely and happily! |
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Thanks for sharing in our adventures! Wedding pictures should be ready in the next week or so (finally!), so you should hear from us soon.
Hello everyone! It’s been more than 2 weeks since our last posting, and life has been extremely busy. We are fully moved in but still getting settled. Living together is wonderful and day-by-day, we learn something new about each other. Who would have thought that after almost 6 years of dating, you’re still learning. Also, Christina is now officially Christina Nguyen White according to the powers that be (Social Security Office, Georgia DMV, and Sapient).
So back to our honeymoon: our second stop was ancient and mysterious Istanbul, Turkey (the city previously known as Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium, aka the Easter Roman Empire). Istanbul is the only city in the world that bridges two continents – Europe and Asia. It is a melting pot of cultures with a history going back 2500 years. Unlike Rome, Athens, or other ancient Western cities, Istanbul is relatively well-preserved and has some amazing sites.
Overall, Istanbul was a whirlwind tour. Most people spend 5-10 days visiting the city. Every time a Turk asked us how long we were in town, they would laugh or look astonished/offended when we replied “Uh… 3 days”. In reality it was only 2.5 days with travel, so the agenda was quite hectic. I was forced to create an hour-by-hour itinerary with the hotel concierge to make sure we hit all the major highlights and maximized our time. Needless to say, this was quite a shocker after the relaxing idyll of Crete.
Check out the Istanbul pictures.
Highlights of Istanbul:
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** Visa line at immigration was a microcosm of geopolitics. Depending on your country you pay a different amount for a tourist visa. This is all displayed on HD TVs while you wait in the long long line. Americans pay half as much as Canadians. Poor citizens from Greek Cyprus have to pay the most and only get a single entry visa. Great job fixing that problem European Union in the 2004 expansion! (insert sarcasm here)
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** W Istanbul was the most outrageous W property ever, and that’s saying a lot. A total hyperbolic play on Turkish culture mixed with crazy night club. Upgraded to a big room with 8 different lighting schemes. They gave us a giant heart shaped cake with roses as a welcome.
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** Even Istanbul has a celebrity chef, and his amazing restaurant is Mikla on the rooftop of a giant hotel. Had the most expensive Vodka soda in the entire world (roughly $24 US for a single cocktail). We could have bought a bottle of good vodka for that price. However, the lamb entrée was the best we have ever had in the world. ever.
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** Visited home of the Ottoman Sultans, Topaki Palace. One of the most amazing sites in the world, similar to Louvre or British Museum. So much to see and so little time. Harem – where the many ladies of the sultan resided, treasury, religious artifacts from Mecca, unbelievable views of Golden Horn. Truly amazing. , |
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** Chora Church – (Sorry mom, no vaulted ceilings). Old Orthodox church from Byzantium. So many frescos with intricate scenes from the bible. Bought a guide book, and Christina gave an ad-hoc walkthrough. Parents, you will be happy that we guessed >50% of the Biblical scenes. Go Catholic educations! |
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** Asistane Restaurant – serves “revived Ottoman food” with rediscovered recipes from the Sultan’s palace dating back as early as the 13th century. The Ottoman Empire stretched from Austria to Iran and down through Egypt and North Africa. Ottoman cuisine was unlike anything we have ever tasted. We ate like Sultans and enjoyed every bite. |
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** Attended a show of “Whirling Dervishes“, the Mevlevi order, sect of Sufi Islam. We realized it was a tourist trap when there was a blue backlit stage, and that this wasn’t the most authentic location for a prayer ceremony. After an hour of whirling dudes, we took a nap and woke up and applauded. |
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** Visited the Blue Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world built as a rival to the Hagia Sofia. We could only enter at certain hours because the mosque is actively use for prayers, which means we had to took off shoes and cover up. The architecture was beautiful – tile work from floor to ceiling. It was truly unlike nothing we’ve scene when it comes to detailed artwork within an already fascinating structure.
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** Toured the Hagia Sofia, the largest basilica built by Emperor Justinian that was converted into a mosque upon the Conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Mehmed II kept the beautiful Christian mosaics and much of the architecture – so the overall experience was an unique blend of Muslim and Christian. After all, Christians & Muslims are both People of the Book, so the continuity is appropriate.
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** Walked around the Hippodrome – the Byzantine stadium for chariot racing. This wasn’t quite Ben-Hur, as none of the track remains. The highlight was several different columns, obelisks and statues. Nothing like a good obelisk to get you going.
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** Climbed deep under the earth into Basilica Cistern, the water storage system of the Great Palace and Churches. Lost during the conquest of Istanbul, the underwater cave was wonderfully preserved though a bit spooky, especially the statues of Medusa.
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** Grand Bazaar , one of the largest markets in the world. We wandered through the mazes of stalls, much nicer and cleaner than in Asia, but still a mad house compared to a US mall. Spent time buying porcelain with Mustafa, a salesman who seemed drunk/high. Apparently everyone is named after Mustafa Kemal (aka Attaurk), the founder of the Modern Turkish Republic. Christina became an expert in the Turkish language, especially in saying “thank you” – “tesekkur ederim” in Turkish. Too bad that didn’t get us cheaper prices
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** Wandered through the Spice Market enjoying the sites and smells of exotic cuisine. Everyone let us try different spice samples, candies, and cheeses. We saw an Eastern European girl count out five benjamins for some exotic oil that helps with cellulite, quite a pricey purchase. We bought a bounty of spices, but unfortunately the fish spice stunk up the entire bag. Why we bought fish spice? Not so sure.
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** Our last night in Istanbul was a great night out on the town. We started by going to one of the original Meyhanes, or Turkish Taverns. The food consists of small plates that are brought to the table, then you order exotic meats and other entrees – such as delicious sautéed lamb liver. Then after Turkish wine, Turkish beer, and Turkish raki, we explored the alleyways and found crowds pouring out of bars and clubs. We joined in the revelry and had a great time – all on a Wednesday night and all worth it despite our rough Thursday morning.
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Next leg – Southern Turkey! We go from the busy energy and life of Istanbul to a quiet, beautiful small beach town that, wonderfully, felt like the middle of nowhere.
Hello everyone! We are 2 weeks back from the honeymoon, and starting to get back into our routine, which includes bothering you with our blog updates.
We’ve been getting tons of questions from you all, friends, colleagues, etc – “How was the honeymoon? We want to see pictures.” We don’t want to disappoint, so we thought, why not blog about it?
Overall, Tom couldn’t have planned a better trip. The beauty of the Mediterranean from Crete was surreal. We were constantly amazed at the amount of history and culture that Istanbul had to offer to the point that we will be returning on a future trip for more exploration. And our last stop in southern Turkey was a hidden gem that we hope will not be spoiled over time.
Since we took 1200 pictures over 12 days, we thought not to overwhelm you in one post. So we’ll take it one leg at a time.
Our first stop was Crete, Greece – the goal at this leg was pure relaxation and rest. And believe me, it was achieved.
Check out the pictures.
Highlights of Crete:
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** Amazing hotel with a sweet complimentary upgrade – thank you hotel points. Times like these make up for all of the airport time during business trips. |
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**After a long travel Mon & Tues after the wedding, we woke up to gorgeous, serene view of Mediterranean Sea |
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**Spent first few days in Crete taking 4-hour naps on the beach after a few cocktails. Note: Do not order a Pina Colada outside the Caribbean or U.S. – Crete’s interpretation is lots of ice cubes with cream foam. Not what we would call “frozen” |
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**Resort had amazing restaurants that we thoroughly enjoyed and esp. appreciated the convenience during our period of rest. As you can guess, everything was accompanied with buttery, delicious olive oil – the best post-wedding diet friend. I even got an olive oil massage! |
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**Visited small cute town of Elounda nearby for dinner over the water. Picture a small marina as the town square and cobblestone walking streets with restaurants separating you from the beautiful water. |
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**Visited Knossos, capital of Minoan civilization – over 3500 years old!! We (read: Tom) love ruins. Saw plumbing that was better constructed than our modern American pipes. Very impressive. |
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**Walked to nearby town of Plaka for dinner – which Lonely Planet claimed to have a population of 38 people. That was a lie. Seemed more like 300 people, but still small |
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**Ate seafood that was literally caught less than 5 hours ago – so fresh |
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**Took a boat to Spinalonga Island – Venetian fortress then Turkish colony then leper colony – over 500 years old. On boat ride, it was a particularly windy day – almost crashed against docks getting there. Our small boat couldn’t pick us up due to waves, so we had to get on mothership boat to do a boat-to-boat transfer. Our little adventure was really fun actually. (Crete tends to get strong winds from the Sahara that pulls in red sand. So on some days, our “overcast” was actually incoming sand.) |
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We left Crete fully relaxed and quickly got used to our slow-paced schedule of barely moving…
…And then next came Istanbul – the extreme opposite. Stay tuned for our Turkish adventures!
In between all of the wedding planning, we have somehow managed to remember our honeymoon. I’ve had the awesome task of planning the trip (as opposed to picking the flowers or bridesmaid dresses). Our goals were to aim for pure relaxation on beautiful beaches during the first half and fulfill our itch for adventure and culture during the second half. And of course, delicious, unique food and drink. After much research and deliberation, we finally decided on Crete, Greece and Turkey.
On Monday after the wedding weekend, we’ll be on our way from Atlanta to Crete. Our basic itinerary is:
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Elounda, Crete Greece
6 days
Located in on the northeast shore of Crete. We’ll tour the town/island, scuba diving, and of course, rest and relaxation. Through all of our business travel over the years, we are using hotel points and got upgraded to a suite with a private infinity pool overlooking the Mediterranean Sea! Pure bliss. |
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Istanbul, Turkey
3 Days
A rare opportunity to visit the only city that spans two continents, Europe and Asia. A city with almost 3000 years of history: Istanbul (Turkish/Ottoman) was Constantinople (Byzantine) which was Augusta Antonina (Roman) and before that Byzantium (Greek). We’ll tour the hub of the most intriguing Muslim country, enjoy the beautiful mosques, scenery, and culture in an urban setting. |
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Kas, Turkey
3 Days
After flying to the southeastern coast of Turkey, we’ll drive along the beautiful coast to Kas, Turkey – a gorgeous, small beach town. We’ll kayak over a sunken city, tour local ruins, maybe squeeze in another dive, and enjoy our last few days of relaxation.
Then we spend a long day traveling home to reality. |
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