Istanbul: Walks of Turkey shows you the mystery, the splendor, the sites

Istanbul, Turkey

with Walks of Turkey

Is there any other country that evokes such mystery, history and assault to your  senses in color, sounds, smells and tastes?

Day ONE:  Mosques and More

When Walks of Turkey was launched earlier this year I KNEW this way the way I could travel solo and be confident I would see everything and learn more.   The exceptional reputation of Walks of Italy assured me I would have a similar experience in 

exotic Istanbul.

  It was a great pleasure to be invited on two of the tours Walks of Turkey offer and the photos only tell a portion of the wonderful two day events I experienced.   I also learned a great deal about solo travel to exotic locations.

From the roof terrace in my hotel I had a view of everything.  This day started hazy

 The covered colonnade surrounding the interior courtyard of the                                            Blue Mosque

Before 9 am this popular site is less crowded but within an hours hundreds and hundreds of visitors flooded the interior

 We were prepared with scarves to cover our hair (women) and plastic bags were handed out to put our shoes into.  The entire interior was carpeted.  Our guide told us that year ago fine carpets lined the floor, either from donations or gifts.

Our guide Duygu, on day one was amazing and made all the difference.
She knew more history than my brain could absorb but went beyond the Ottoman Empire and told us
about religious customs, beliefs and practices.

No question was off limits but the three (tourists) were respectful:

Why are there only men working in the shops?
How many times a day are the devout called to prayers?
Is there a separate place in the mosque for women?
and on and on.....but she NEVER tired nor did she ever say 'I don't know".

Next stop:  Hagia Sofia:   Here it was not just the architecture but the history of the building that went back centuries.   

                     From the second floor of the Hagia Sofia there were great views of the Blue Mosque

Next Stop Basilica Cistern

The lighting is very dim but adds to the atmosphere 

There are GIANT fish (perhaps carp) swimming around in the dark

Part of a movie was filmed here and we debated if it was the Dan Brown adaption or a James Bond film.  Either way how they got a speed boat in here is the question.

There was one other couple on this part of the tour.
They were very friendly and did not mind a solo traveler at all.

At the end of the visit you can stop for a beverage at the underground cafe.   

          See part II for a review of the incredible food served during lunch!  Without a 'tour' I would never have found the restaurant nor been able to order such a wonderful assortment of great treats.

I was the guest of Walks of Turkey for the full day tour but the opinions and photos are my own.

Walking in the Cotswolds, UK, easy day trip from London

Even a rainy day in the UK did not prevent me from visiting the Cotswolds  

During many years of taking the short American vacation to London, I have visited the larger towns of Bath and Cheltenham since they are on a train route from London.  


The catalogue from HF Holidays* surprised me with additional towns I could reach without a car so off I went to Bourton-on-the-Water, Cotswolds in November.   


Taking the train from Paddington Station in London, to Oxford for a quick change to
the local train for Moreton in Marsh I had my first look at a Cotswolds village!   The train arrived late so I missed the hourly bus to my destination of Bourton-on-the-Water.   This gave me an hour to see Moreton in Marsh in the pouring rain.   

Rain does not stop the British nor the traveler with only one day to see everything!   A kind woman under the bus shelter suggested I go into town for tea while I waited for the next bus.   A short walk from the train station via narrow streets lined by 'charming stone buildings'  just what I love about Europe, brought met to the high (main) street of Moreton in Marsh.  Since I had not planned a stop in this village, I was not prepared, but I followed the 'T' signs to the local tourist office.  

I arrived just as the Tourist office was closing.   One of the reasons I try NOT to travel to busy tourist areas on a weekend:  open hours are limited and often the trains schedules are shortened. 


Arriving in the Cotswolds:
Taking the train from Paddington Station in London, to Oxford for a quick change to the local train for
Moreton in Marsh.  This was my first look at a Cotswolds village!   The train arrived late so I missed the hourly bus to my destination of Bourton-on-the-Water. 

Perhaps the single verbal 'draw' for this area is the
Cotswold stone you see on all the buildings.                       
A warm golden color that is striking in the sunlight and there was a moment when the sky was cleared to take one photo.

golden limestone walls
 

 


Bourton-on-the-Water on the River Windrush

                                                                           





Even in November the green of the wolds (hills) was striking.   The many villages are crisscrossed  by water and bordered by the River Thames on the south and River Avon on the north.
Bourton on the Water is called the Venice of the Cotswolds. 

Even visiting during November there were many tourists in town but I did not see the ubiquitous   tour buses.  Along the main street there are a number of shops and even more teashops.   hops!  Perfect! Visitors must be a large part of the local economy. 
A chat with one of the locals confirmed that the crowds in the summer were much larger. 

I had a late lunch at one of the restaurants.   Later than a local would have a meal but there were a few other customers there.    Both Morton-in-Marsh and Bourton-on-the-Water offer great facilities for travelers with clean restrooms.  Thank you.

Other villages I wish to see next year:   Broadway, Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold, Burford, Stroud and Cirencester.

A very helpful clerk at the Paddington station 'future ticket' desk searched for a brochure that outlined a train route through the Cotswolds.  The Cotswolds Discoverer:  A  three day ticket allows you to use the connecting bus service to see many of the other villages in the Cotswolds.  You can also pay for a oneway or round trip bus ticket on the bus.

NOTE:   there are more trains Monday to Friday and the bus service does NOT run late into the evenings so plan ahead.     Of course if you have a car you can go to many

*  A detailed story on my adventure with HF Holidays follows

Harrington House, Bourton-on-the-Cotswolds

 

Italy, Go Solo, Enjoy

Solo Travel In Italy


I usually post anything about Italy on http://www.hometoitaly.com, but Solo Travel In Italy some challenges I shall add to this blog as well.

Italy may have more travelers than many other countries in Europe.   After traveling there for years and for 4 to 6 weeks at a time, I fully understand why.
With all those ‘tourists’ being a traveler has some challenges. 

I never thought it was ‘odd’ to travel solo.  I am solo but not sad.  I travel solo because I have no friends who would EVER travel in the style I do.   And the one  perception I continue to receive is that only gay people travel solo.  What?    During my 3 month sabbatical I became friends with two lovely much younger woman who I met at the local Internet café.  While having dinner early in our friendship the both agreed that ‘no Italian woman would this’.  I was VERY surprised.   Apparently it may not have been socially unacceptable but solo travel was NOT something an Italian woman would do…..

There are endless benefits to solo travel but I want to cover a few of the ‘challenges’ solo travel in Italy may present:
1.  With the crowds of tourists in Italy it can be difficult to visit ‘tourist spots’ solo.    Tour buses do not know what to do with a solo.  Other travelers do not want to sit with a solo person….
2.  Reaction of Italians that solo travel is ‘odd’.   In Italy the family has great importance.  It may not occur to Italians to go off by themselves and travel.
3.  Economics:  Italy as other countries are in an economic situation.   A solo traveler may be perceived as wealthy.    On one trip I wanted to compare living costs in Italy with the USA and as I compared the salaries with the USA, I understood this misconception.   Housing is expensive in Italy and this may be another reason family members remain at ‘home’ until they marry.
4.  Travel in Italy during tourist season means crowds on buses and trains.  Solo travel means you have no one to ‘watch your bags’ while you use the WC or even go to an ATM.
One year, before ATM’s were on each corner, I could not enter the money exchange at the Rome termini because they used a revolving door and my bag would not fit in the door!
5.  You spend more time planning and organizing solo, no one to share the work.
6.  For me dining is the hardest part of solo travel anywhere but the USA.  Here in the USA we have so many casual restaurants and my favorite, diners, that you are mostly unnoticed.  The disadvantage is you are unnoticed in some restaurants and service is ‘different’.  I understand the tip will be less than a couple, but I also don’t take up as much time at the table.

In Italy eating is VERY important.  Going to diner is the entertainment for the evening often taking hours.   I only remember seeing one other solo diner in a restaurant in Florence.  And they put us next to each other.   I have had waiters look at me with pity and surprise that I am sitting alone.    Why do people assume solo is sad?

While these may be some challenges to solo travel, some of the perks in Italy:
vendors in markets will often chat with you
You can often observe without being noticed….take a peek into daily life.
You can walk by the same corner countless times while looking for the correct turn and no
             one notices, no one ridicules you, no one gets impatient.
You can stroll the town center without dragging a reluctant companion or child with you.

One of the sadist days in Sorrento was hearing a couple just off the cruise line for the day.
The husband loudly insisted, pick ONE thing you want to see.......implying that that was         enough    and back to the boat.    One look at the woman's face was enough for me to pledge to always go solo.

Solo Travel with a Purpose

I have been using a new mantra this year:

Be a Traveler NOT a tourist
Learn something new,
Find a new adventure
Experience the local life
In 2008, after many years of trying to do or see everything in the  2 or 3 weeks a year my 24/7 job allowed, I finally took a sabbatical.

I had been dreaming of moving to Italy for part of the year for a long time.   All my vacations to Italy were wonderful.  My business trips were "interesting" but allowed me to see new parts of Italy.
But would I enjoy living there?   I am an Italian American but would real Italians accept me?  How do you manage in a town where you do not know anyone and do not speak the language fluently?
But it was now or never and I closed my business, obtained a dog sitter and took off for Sorrento for 3 months.  I know I would not have enjoyed or on some days survived this adventure without my weeks at Sorrento Lingue.    For all of you who already travel solo, I won't comment on solo travel, but long term travel opened a new door to my travel adventures.     
During my months in Italy "living as an Italian, not a tourist"  I searched for ways to enrich my days.
I spent hours exploring the towns along the sea.  Walking with a view of the sea was an endless pleasure.   But I still looked for a way to fit in, to participate,  not just another member of the expats organizations.

Tina, a former student at Sorrento Lingue, found a GREAT solution.        She did volunteer work!  See her story below.

Meet for a meal all over the World

Wish I had found this site sooner, but thanks to a popular blogger, Grey, I now have an option for eating solo while traveling the world......

Invite for a Bite

When traveling on business or pleasure does the fear of eating alone in a restaurant keep you from traveling solo?


You can book travel, find hotels, navigate the train system if not the bus routes alone, but sitting 
in a restaurant is the equivalent to a root canal!


Now a woman has found a solution to our problem!   You can request a companion to meet you for a bite!    


The full story below!

Don't eat alone: INVITE FOR A BITE

Invite For A Bite is a new online social network for women who don't want to eat alone. Wherever they are in the world - traveling solo for business or pleasure, or home alone on a Saturday night - Invite For A Bite helps women get together with other women for a meal and a great time.

The Inspiration

Invite For A Bite came about after founder Cressida Howard heard a programme on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour. A group of women were talking about how they loved traveling alone. But they all agreed on one thing: they hated eating alone.

“It's a problem I've had myself in the past,” says Cressida, who has spent time traveling and teaching in Spain and Japan. “Most women aren't comfortable going into a bar or restaurant on their own, especially in the evenings when they're surrounded by romantic couples, or drunk men with not very romantic intentions! I thought, wouldn't it be great if there was a website where women who didn't want to eat alone could hook up with one another and have fun eating together. That's when I decided to create Invite For A Bite.”

Although the inspiration for Invite For A Bite came from solving a problem for female travelers, women can also use the site to meet people in their own town. “Maybe you're new to a town,” says Cressida, “or you've lived there all your life and want to meet new people. Invite For A Bite can help you do that. It could be over a meal in a restaurant, at your house, or a picnic in the park. Eating together is a really relaxed way to get to know people. When you think about it, it's the oldest social network there is. We're just giving it a 21st century twist!”

How It Works

Women go on the site and create an invite to meet and eat, or accept one that someone else has created. Then they meet up and eat together. They can use the site whether they're at home or traveling thousands of miles away. “It's as easy as falling off a log. . . after a glass of wine!” says Cressida. “We're also happy if women use the site to meet for activities that don't involve eating. It's as much about the fun as the food.'

Growing Trend

The number of ‘social discovery’ websites that encourage users to go online to meet offline is growing. Invite For A Bite is at the forefront of a growing trend in online social dining networks that enable users to meet new people over food. It's the first to cater specifically for women.

About Invite For A Bite's Founder

Cressida Howard is a jazz piano teacher from Cheltenham, England. She describes herself as a reformed ‘technomoron’. She created the site with the help of two friends, web developer George Farron and web designer Kayleigh Witts-Thomas. “When I told my family and friends I was starting an online social network they thought it was hilarious. But they really liked the idea of the site, and I believed in it so much that I wasn't going to be put off by my own lack of knowledge. I've certainly learnt a lot in the last year!”

Launched: March 8^th 2012

see the web site:  http://inviteforabite.com/about.

“Invite For A Bite was inspired by a radio program I heard on BBC Woman's Hour. A group of female travelers were talking about how much they loved traveling alone. But they all agreed on one thing: they hated eating alone. I thought, ‘Wow, wouldn't it be great if there was a website where women who didn't want to eat alone could hook up with one another and eat together?’

Invite For A Bite solves the problem of what to do when you don't want to eat alone. Wherever you are in the world.

You might be traveling for business or pleasure. Or you might not be traveling at all! On Invite For A Bite you can meet people who live in your own town, as well as those traveling through. It doesn't matter if the ‘bite’ is a three-course meal in Amsterdam or a packet of peanuts at your local cinema. In fact, we're perfectly happy if you use the site to meet and not eat. It's as much about the fun as the food! All you have to do is create an invite and see who's up for joining you.

So wherever you are or wherever you're going, Invite For A Bite is here to help you: to find people to eat with, to have a great time.

Good health and happiness to you!”

Cressida Howard

Founder of Invite For A Bite