Kayseri in our bags (Turkey I)

Hi everyone! After a long time, Isak and I enjoyed some time together again in one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been, TURKEY! We had dreamt for two years about this trip and finally we made it. It was a short trip for this country, only 13 days, that’s why we didn’t have time to rest or even to sleep. Everyday we woke up early, went out, walked around all the cities and spent some hours on the plane or in the bus (once we had to travel for13 hours! I don’t recommend it). But we didn’t care about this bustle because we had a lot of awesome and lovely moments together that we will always keep in our memories.

During this trip we visited 5 cities, 1731 km: Kayseri, Cappadocia, Fethiye, Antalya and Istanbul.

In this post we will write about Kayseri, a city in the centre of Anatolia next to a well-known area, Cappadocia. Due to its airport and the short distance between the city and Cappadocia (about 1 hour by car), many tourists decide to visit Kayseri. The actual reason why we decided to stay in Kayseri is because Isak (My Panda :*) and his family live there, so we spent 2 days discovering the most important places and delicious Turkish food.

First of all, the main attraction in Kayseri is its gorgeous and huge Erciye Mountains. If you like skiing and want to spend your holidays here, these mountains are the best option because they have the longest sky slope in the world. Moreover, you should know that it is a half active volcano. The heart of the mountain is still filled up with lava.

The Grand Bazaar is another important stop that you should make in your tour. This bazaar is the biggest one in the centre of Turkey and it was built in the 13th century. It has around 600 shops where you can find real Turkish objects related to the tradition of its culture. We were in two different bazaars in Istanbul too (we will write a new post for this trip) but I personally prefer Kayseri Grand Bazaar because there are not too many tourists and you really can feel the traditional environment of Anatolia and see how Turkish people are in their daily life.

    

Our next stop was Republic Square where there is a huge Atatürk Statute in the middle. In this trip I realised that Atatürk is one of the most important people in Turkey, even after his death. He was the founder of the Turkish Republic and the founder of the new Turkey in 1923.

 Hunat Camii and Madrasah is a very interesting place to visit in Kayseri. Madrasah is a Muslim school, college or university that is often part of a mosque. Nowadays, this place is used for people to drink a tea in a quiet environment or to visit some of the antique Turkish customs in some of the several rooms there are here.

 

                                        Entrance of the building                          Isak, the best tour guide ;)

In one of the rooms there was a man who was painting flowers and other different paintings on posters with water and a kind of oil. This is a famous Turkish art called “Ebru”.

:’( I forgot mine

There were some women who were weaving pretty carpets which you can buy for a high price. In Turkey, weaving a carpet is another kind of art. All Turkish citizens have some of them in their houses and they have an important meaning in their home.

Nobody can deny that Turkish food is very tasty and extremely delicious. Don’t worry, we will write a post for popular meals and desserts in Turkey. For now, I’m leaving you a sneak peek, Just fall in love with all these edible presents that you can find in every corner of Kayseri:

Famous baklava

Kayseri pastirmasi

Halka tatlisi

Dried fruits and nuts

Turkish delights (Irene's mum favourites)

Famous manti from Kayseri

Kayseri used to be the central trade centre of Anatolia (today’s Turkey) but even now it is one of the trade centres of the country. Kayseri pushed the button for tourism and making huge investments for tourism. It’s a city full of historical heritages and culture.

It is common to find fountains in Turkey around parks, squares, mosques or bazaars with drinkable water. It’s an Islamic tradition (more than 92% of the population in Turkey are Muslims) and a cultural component too. Cleaning is the basis of Islam.

Most important and famous Architect of the world was Mimar Sinan the Arch, architect of Ottoman Empire in the 16^th century. He designed and built hospitals, food houses, libraries, schools, Madrasahs and mosques all around the world.

Mimar Sinan The Arch Architect of Ottoman Empire in 16th Century 

In the next picture we have the famous postcard of Kayseri. On the left side you can see Kayseri castle. On the right side Merkez Mosque.

Please leave an e-mail or comment if you have any questions

Regards

Irene Jimenez & Isak Uzun

London in Our Bags

Yeah !! London my good man the capital of the immigrants :) . Honestly its the biggest city in United Kingdom and the only city in UK Where the british people are minority.

You can find all kind of people from every country even from the countries that you never hear before.
Well i must confess its an amazing city to be. Amazing, wonderful city but for holiday lets say.
I wouldnt live in a city like that 'cause its soo busy busy busy busy .......
Another thing is you are not that welcome to live in there as well but i will not discuss about that.

We will discuss the beauty of the city and the prices for travellers and places to stay.

First of all no matter where you land (i mean the airport)  DO NOT take a taxi for where ever your hostel or hotel is because its a bloody robbery plus if its at night after 00:00 its double robbery.

Uk is a perfect country for local transportation, especially famous Tube can take you anywhere in London.

So use local transportation.

Well London is between one of the most expensive cities in the world so i m telling to the Turkish people now if you gonna calculate all the time like "its 10 pounds so in Lira its 36 lira" if you gonna do that DO NOT GO!!! you know its expensive so if you are going you have to be willing to pay stop complaining....

Yeah Unlimited Peace ;) 

Where the hell is the sun??? 

Another issue is people do rent an apartment or accommodate in a hostel which is far away from the city center well if you are one of them or planning to do the same, you ae about the make the biggest mistake of your life.

My Irish Mum :*

Yeah its cheap but the thing you are not considering the transportation, local transportation will be so expensive so whats the point it will cost you way more expensive so DO rent in a central area and be done with it.

She is my advertisement model :) 

You can use Oyster card which  will cost cheaper but i suggest that put your bag on your back and walk and discover the city get lost in the streets. Get your tourist map and do your own discovery.

Well if you are a lazy bastard never mind don't even read the rest :) but if there is a backpacker in side of you or an adventurer in you do listen all i say and discover yourself.

I did, walked all around central side of london by walking from Elephants and Castle to the london bridge, London Tower, St.Paul Cathedral, Royal Courts, British Museum, Cleopatra's Needle, İmperial War Museum, Lambeth Palace, London Eye, Parliament House, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Marble Arch, all Soho Territory and Piccadilly BY WALK.

If i did it you can do it as well. Really the historical heritage, and the history in London is amazing it made me feel like i was in another age.

After you go out from the Museums or cathedrals or palaces you do realize thet you are back to the future :).

Honestly i would be really happy if the entrance fees of the museums, palaces would be cheaper really if you are a student or a humble guy like me its kind a really expensive. ok let me tell you a story of a Sponger guy's story which used to be my ignorant boss.

5 days we spent in London and he didn't get in any of the museums or palaces because entrance fees were like 18 to 24 GBP but what u accept he didnt even eat food in London cause it was expensive. Just selfies infront of the touristic areas and monuments thats all.

Always nice to see good friends :) 

Guys really i am not gonna tell you like go there, do that, eat there i m just discussing my experiences with you and i am telling you if you won't be able to, get into the Palaces, Cathedrals or Museums, have shopping in Camden town, have dinner around theme river, go for clubbing in Piccadilly or give some coins to the street dancers or showmen and just watch take selfie and run away without giving coin, what's the point??

I think this is Uniqe AHAHAHAHAHA 

If you are just going to make show of your friends please dont spend your money for that who you are kidding???

Enjoy your time, taste the life, enjoy discovering a city you dont know meet with other people help the people who need help in a country or in a city when you go to visit.

Enjoy your life guys,

Have Fun :)

Irene Jimenez & Isak Uzun