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

Dublin in our bag part I

This time Irene will tell you about her trip to Dublin, capital of Ireland.

First of all I want to say that since this trip I found my hobby, my passion and how I would like to work for a living…TRAVELLING. It was the first time I travelled alone, so in some moments I could overcome some difficulties by myself and it gave me a little more confident about my actions and what I wanted to do.  Also I met one of my best friends in there. We were living together for 3 weeks, enjoying great and unforgettable moments and we created a beautiful friendship. Due to all these, my experience in Dublin is so special and magical and I would love to go back again and discover more and more places.

Thanks to a scholarship, I had the opportunity to travel to Dublin, visit the city and, the most important reason, practice English. About the improvement in English, it didn’t go very well because Dublin is full of Spanish people. There was not a single place where I entered and didnt heard words in Spanish. The first day was very useful because I was lost and the map didn’t help too much, so I could ask a couple the address of the building. But during the 3 weeks, I would had preferred an intensive and stressful English days.

But let’s go to talk about Dublin, the huge green and peaceful parks, the famous black beer and the traditional Irish music playing in Temple Bar.

Phoenix park

Dublin is well known due to its huge and green parks where you can have a great Sunday with your family and friends. This is one reason because I love Dublin. Saint Stephen’s Green, the Botanic Garden and Phoenix Park are the most famous; and also in the last one there is a zoo inside but I don’t recommend paying for it, the animals you can find there are not very exotic or difficult to see in other zoos.

Saint Stephen's Green

Botanic Garden

Hello Sweety :) 

The city is divided by the river Liffey in two parts, O’ Connell Street and Temple Bar.

River Liffey

O’ Connell Street is the main street in the city center and you will recognize it easily thanks to Spire, a very long monument placed in the middle of the avenue. Also there are people since early in the morning until the midnight. I liked this place due to the variety of cultures and people from all around the world. If you want to buy souvenirs or gifts, O’ Connell Street and others streets next to it are full of shops and some shopping centers. It is place really cool to walk or go shopping for hours.

             

O'connel Street

  

                           Spire

The other touristic part in the city is Temple Bar, being, in my opinion, the most attractive neighborhood in Dublin where you couldn’t decide between many kind of bars and pubs. In every narrow street there is a place to enter and listen to the traditional music while you are drinking an Irish beer. You will not have the possibility to be bored because even in the morning there are several markets like Food Market or Book Market. You can listen different songs and music coming from every pub. It’s amazing.

Temple Bar

MUSEUMS AND OTHER PLACES

Dublin is also a good choice if you are a museums’ fan because there is a great offer of them around the city. I will give my opinion about some of them and then you can comment if you agree with me or not.

-National Gallery of Dublin. In this museum you have the opportunity to observe paintings made by important artists like Caravaggio, Monet or Picasso. Of course you cannot compare it with Louvre museum but you can enjoy the paintings from Middle Age.

- Guinness Storehouse. In my opinion this is the king of the museums in Dublin. In here you can learn the process of the famous black beer Guinness. The visit is organized very well because at the entrance they give a kind of phone where it is explained the history of this drink and how it is prepared. You need time for this museum; it is divided in 7 floors and you can touch most of the things that you see. I highly suggest you to visit even if you don’t like beer because when you arrive to the top of the museum, there is a beautiful sightseeing of the city. Also they give you a free beer but if you don’t drink alcohol, you can ask for a Coke or Seven up.

             

-The Old Jameson Distillery. This museum is also interesting to know the different phases of this traditional and well-known Irish whiskey. Moreover, you can enjoy of a whiskey tasting and recognize which one is Jameson. But to be honest, this is not so spectacular as Guinness Storehouse.

-Dublinia. Do you want to go back to Vikings or medieval times? Are you interested in it? If you answered YES, this is your place. Dublinia shows how people lived and worked in the old city through reconstructions not really well-made. The museum is a good option for families because kids can play roles and interact with different objects from Medieval Times.

- Leprechaun Museum. First of all I will explain that Leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief.  In my opinion, this is one of the worst museums I’ve never been. In here, they try to move visitors to Leprechaun world and make you feel tiny and small as a Leprechaun, so for it they use huge chairs, tables and cups. Also there are other dark and white rooms with umbrellas on ceiling and colorful fabrics. I didn’t understand the purpose of this museum so from my point of view it doesn’t worth to visit it.

-Trinity College. It is the oldest university in Ireland, created in 1592. It includes 16 hectares with in squares and green spaces around the buildings which represents the rich architecture of those times. Important writes like Jonathan Swift, Synge or Oscar Wilde studied here. This is one of the first places I visited in Dublin, and I really liked the environment, I felt myself like I was in a typical university from a movie.

- Kilmainham Gaol:  It is an ancient prison built in 1796 and it is famous because some scenes of the movie “In the name of the father” were taken in there.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral

Christ Church 

Next to Molly Malone

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

Regards

Irene Jimenez & Isak Uzun