DarrahBarrah

Hello Fellow Travelers and Bloggers! This post is quite short but I believe that it's worth it. So with entering the last two weeks of my eight week long stay in Istanbul, I have decided to do my best and see the last few places I have yet to experience that I have heard such wonderful stories about. So far my fellow travelers and I hit up the university beach one last time, and then I set sights to visit the home of the largest chandelier in the largest royal room in all of Europe, Dolmabace Palace. I visited Dolmabace Palace on a Wednesday morning, hoping that with it being early int he middle of the week, there would be fewer crowds and an easier time getting around the Palace grounds. Apparently tourists have no concept ... read more

Yeash, it has been awhile. So for starters, you all haven't missed much. Things have slowed down considerably lately due to high heat, a mid-term exam, and recently being more caught up in little league baseball than the average bear. However, the other day my roommate and I did go on a grand adventure to the Istanbul Modern Art Museum. This was one of the many times I am grateful for being a student in this country, there are so many discounts! Once we were inside we were greeted with a "plane" emerging from one wall, four glass walls puckered with bullet holes surrounding a staircase in the middle of the room leading to the bottom floor, and a mural of colors that covered a wall completely from floor to ceiling. Now personally I have never ... read more

Yes this post has an interesting title, yes this post will most likely make you laugh, and yes this post might be a bit long. Not sorry about it. Tuesday, July 1st, my roommate and I planned to go visit Topkapi Palace located on the Old Peninsula of Istanbul where the Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar are located. We decided to take the bus because being in the middle of the day when we left, the ferries are not running and we were unsure where to get onto the tram. So we had one connecting bus in Besiktas (pronounced Besh-ik-tash) we thought that the bus, which was 28T to Topkapi, would take us directly to the palace. The bus weaved along the peninsula, driving next to mosques, tourist shops, and restaurants until it reached its final ... read more

Merhaba followers! So after my last blog I figured I needed to re-invigorate this blog with a new entry. So first things first, what is Istanbul really like (once you get past the 'We're not in Kansas anymore' feeling)? Well it has an extremely high rate of stray dogs, cats, and smokers. As in people start smoking at age 14. FOURTEEN. I swear everywhere we go I hear my lungs crying. But besides that the views really are spectacular. Being in a Mediterranean area, the rolling hills, cliff-side housing, and water front views really are breathtaking (when you can breathe). In fact, today I finally visited Bebek which is located right off the Bosporus Strait which is basically in our backyard! The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. Bebek is home to ... read more

I'm creating this travel blog for friends and family alike so welcome! It has finally come to the countdown for me and I'm sure my parents have been counting down since I choose to study abroad. We're in the single digits 'til takeoff which is June 19, and this not only being my first time traveling out of country but also that I'm going alone, so naturally the nerves are starting to kick in. I've already packed (and repacked) twice and I'm sure that I will do it yet again before leaving. I encourage suggestions and words of advice from those who have gone before me and traveled throughout Turkey or the area. I hope you enjoy my posts from pictures to possible ranting and look forward to sharing this journey with those who care about ... read more