Hamman or Hammas?

Our last day in Istanbul included a fast track visit to Hagia Sofia, the Mosaic Museum, a ferry ride on the Bosporous River to Uskudar, ending with a special visit to the Cagaloglu Hamam. Built in 1741 by order of Sultan Mahmut I, this gorgeous hamam offered separate baths for men and women. We chose the overpriced, rudimentary wash, scrub and massage treatment. I kept thinking "car wash" as I was being scrubbed, exfoliated, and manhandled by Anja, my personal masseuse. She shepherded me around like a blind person, sans glasses, attempting to walk on the "nalins" (wooden clogs).  Despite the linguistic challenges and rough handling, I survived the experience with my bones intact, and much cleaner for the experience 🛀🏽😳.

I am leaving Istanbul with a very positive experience of the people and the city. I had some trepidation about visiting this city, concerned about the "arabness" of the place and potential safety and maneuverability. I thought it might be dangerous or dodgy, but am pleased to report it was nothing of the kind! I learned the distinction between Muslim and Arab, and Turks feel an affinity with the former and more reticent about the latter. They seem like a very friendly, accepting, modern, technologically-advanced and optimistic city. Maybe it was because we knew someone who took us around, or that people were so friendly and welcoming, but regardless, I feel I need to return to Istanbul. There is so much more to explore and learn about this city and 4 days is just not enough time to accomplish that. So I will not say adieu to Istanbul, but rather "a bientôt"!

The Cagaloglu Hamami- where I was abused by Anja

The Women's Quarters where we got changed. 

Haghia Sofia interior.

The Ceiling.

Virgin Mary and Child.

Another cool view of Haghia Sofia.

Ferry crossing- Beth looking like lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

The Spice Market

Look this photo of the cat sleeping on the goods to be sold to tourists!

Mosaic Museum- Tigress Griffen

A Funny Thing Happened at the Village of Arbanasi

This is a post I meant to write at the time but forgot so writing it now.

During our last morning in Veliko Tărnovo, Bulgaria, we had heard it was worth a visit to the small village of Arbanasi, known for its monasteries and hiking. I actually originally got the idea from a G-Adventure trip we were interested in booking before we decided to plan the trip ourselves. I ended up copied their itinerary and then altered itbased on our liking, to arrive at our own.

There were no regular buses up to the village that morning, so we took a cab. When we first arrived, we noticed a group of people with a tour guide. I always like to tag along with groups to hear if the tours are in English and then I ease drop to see if I learn anything. So I whispered to Beth lets tag along and listen. It was English-speaking and then we learned it WAS the G-Adventure trip we looked at and may have booked. They told us we were much smarter doing it on our own and how terrible the trains were particularly leaving Budapest on the night train to Sighsoara because of the Syrian migrant situation. The trains were slow and not very good. The group was made up of 85% Canadians, 1 Kiwi couple and 1 really obnoxious American, Glenn, from Harrison NJ. They were so happy to learn that there were nice Americains (like us!) out there as they were beginning to think all Americans were like him! Beth got stuck listening to Glenn complain about G-Adventure and I made some nice Canadian friends, Lucy and Dan from Winnipeg with whom we had coffee and baklava.

Arbanasi was adorable. A sleepy town of 2,500, especially on a Sunday misty morning, with 90 churches, homes and monasteries that are state-protected cultural monuments. During the 16th century, the town ironically flourished under the Ottoman rule, who encouraged church-building here.

We visited the Navity Church, the oldest surviving one in town, with a kaleidoscopic frescoes interior, and paintings created between 1632-1649. Over 3500 figures are depicted in some 2000 scenes throughout the church, making the site a bit overwhelming for one visit. We continued to walk around the town with our new-found friends but then it was time to cab it back to the hotel to catch out 12:30 taxi trip to Plovdiv. We hoped to run into them again in Plovdiv or Istanbul as hey, we knew their itinerary as it was almost exactly ours too!!

Adorable hillside houses

Typical Arbanasi home.

Typical Arbanasi (bored) man!

Church of the Nativity-outside 

Kaleidoscopic frescoes

Bulgarian Billy Goat

Tsarevets Fortress and a Tribute to Communist Jesus

So what Medieval city in Bulgaria isn't complete without its own fortified fortress? I had forgotten to write a blog on this fortress when reporting on Veliko Tărnovo, so needed to go back and share.

This impressive hilltop fortress occupies a commanding position on a rocky hill encircled by the Yantra River. This vantage point was occupied continuously from the 4th millennium BC until 1186!! Tsar Petur made it the capital of the 2nd Bulgarian Kingdom, when the Bulgarian Kings inhabited the royal palace. This empire fell to the Ottomans in 1393, and the fortress was reduced to rubble! Of the original 400 bldgs and 22 churches, only a handful have been fully restored but very impressive to me.

So getting to Communist Jesus... You climb up to the fortress and see nothing but very old bldgs and this small 12c church named Church of Sveti Georgi. You enter expecting to view the typical frescoes of Orthodox saints, and what you find is a cross between NYC street art, and the MOMA. No sure what to think about it, so I nicknamed it "a tribute to Communist Jesus." See for yourself!

I was so impressed with this fortress, that I spent 3 hours here. 

Entrance to the Fortress

View of the original walls and Royal Palace

Perched at the rock's highest point is the 13c Church of the Patriarch. Defended by thick walls, it was once part of the patriarch's residential complex.

This is at the main altar!

The frescoes on the walls of the church.

Our Lady of the Communist Jesus comes to mind...

View from Baldwin's Tower, named after Emperor Baldwin of Flanders who was held hostage here in the 13th century. He was wrongly accused of raping the queen (who actually tried to seduce him, but he rejected her desires) and was either executed or committed suicide (the historical story wasn't clear!).

The Executitioner is in town!!! Don't mess with her!!!

View from the fortress of Vekiko Tărnovo and Church of Sveti Nikola.

The Sound and Light show we waited for at the restaurant of our hotel. After being 1.5 hours late, we returned to our room only to view it from our hotel window. Wow, what a treat!

My Fascination with Devin and Water

Whenever I travel to a foreign country, I am always fascinated by their customs, routines and mentality. The best way to receive a glimpse into the local people's way of life is to visit their supermarket. So that is what we did. Some of my observations in this journey:

1. There are A LOT more goods and services available now than the last time I was in Eastern Europe during the 1980's and 1990's. In fact, there are so many Western products, they overwhelm the local country products. My memory of Eastern European clothing inventory was jewel-tones such as dark grey, light grey, brown, black, and one or two styles of coats, shoes, hats. Under communist rule, clearly fashion was not a priority!

2. In Romania they have a huge selection of bottled water products-ailses and ailses of them! In Bulgaria, "Devin" water was the most upscaled brand (like San Pelligrino is to Americans) and they do a lot advertising. I became obsessed with this water!! Whenever I saw the brand, I thought of my son. It was not only on the water bottle, but on cars, tables, vending machines, water coolers. Since my son is a difficult 15-year old and hard to find a gift for him, I decided to bring him back a bottle of Devin water--but an empty bottle since we have that TSA 3-oz liquid limit rule, so it will have to be empty😝.

3. In Bulgaria, they must have a drinking problem!! Alcohol (and I mean hard alcohol--liquor, spirits, not just beer and wine), is sold everywhere and is very cheap: supermarkets, local tabacs, Mom and Pop stores, the open markets, train/bus stations, baby stores (ok-kidding about the last place). It is odd to see a bottle of Absolut Voldka sold for $15 at the bus stop while waiting for your ride to work!!

4. The dentists must make a fortune in Turkey! I can't recall a country that has so many really sweet dessert- just loaded with sugar, honey and any sweet fruit that is grown! I didn't get close to the Turkish people to notice if their teeth were rotted away. Plus with the women in full-body burka, it was hard to see their teeth. We also wondered how the women ate in restaurants. Last night, we were dining and noticed a woman in full burka attire ordering a meal and we desperately wanted to see how she ate, but didn't want to be rude. I am thinking she has double-sided Velcro attached to the inside of the mouthpiece and she just opens it to shovel food in, then closes it again while chewing. I am not sure if Allah  had specific instructions in the Koran about eating etiquette and burkas!

My first view of Devin water-so exciting!!

Then it was twin-Devin water.

A typical aisle of bottled water (mostly) in Bucharest, Romania

The Devin Car!! I bet it moves fast!

The Devin Water Cooler- lots of gossiping going on here!

Finally, a Devin tea with the Tsarevets Fortress in the background!

Plot-zing in Plovdiv

We knew nothing about Plovdiv except it was a good place to stop between Veliko Tărnovo and Turkey. We had no expectations and it turned out to be one of the most entertaining and enjoyable places we visited. We met the most amazing people, who were so friendly and hospitable. The weather was terrible-pouring rain or on the verge of raining the entire 2 1/2 days of our visit. In fact, we were not able to view one of the monasteries because the road had washed out.

We arrived in town and were immediately treated like royalty at the Family Renaissance Hotel (thinking we may have been the only guests as we never saw anyone else during our entire stay!). Dimetri, the owner, was incredibly helpful. When I mean helpful, he was such a stark contrast from the communist-style customer service we were used to in Veliko Tărnovo. He gave us a map of the town, told us the top 3 sites we should visit with our limited time, reserved our bus trip to Istanbul (and we got one of the two last seats), did our laundry (for free!!) and delivered it to our room, folded, the next morning, made us huge Bulgarian breakfast every morning (turned on CNN Bulgaria in English for our personal entertainment), negotiated a taxi driver for our visit to monasteries and various stops the next day, and finally wrote a note in Bulgarian for us to deliver to Metro Turizm Bus Company to pick up our tickets!! I am only sorry I forgot to save our note or take a photo of it😟. He was truly our shining star in Bulgaria!!!

Our other great experience was the Plovdiv Free Walking tour at 6pm. We were the only people that showed up initially, so we had a private tour. This is when we met Tsveta Pancheva. Tsveta, our volunteer guide, is actually a professional opera singer whose English is impeccable, only matched by her love and refreshing enthusiasm for the history of Plovdiv. She delivered an outstanding walking tour of over 3 hours, and afterwards we invited her for dinner. She chose a charming local restaurant- University House- where we ordered local wine and delicacies. Even though it was down pouring, we had the best time. Somehow she walked us through the steep, wet and slippery cobblestone streets and walled city to arrive safely back at our hotel.

So a bit about Plovdiv....one of the most picturesque historic urban cities in Bulgaria. It is situated along the two banks of the Marista River. It is the 2nd largest city, after Sofia, but it feels small and quaint. Settled as early as 700BC (yes, that's BC!!), the city was controlled by the Romans between the 1st-4th centuries. It rose to economic dominance in the 14th century under the Ottoman's rule bringing a revival to the city when wealthy citizens built ornamented houses. In 1885, Plovdiv became part of Bulgaria. During the two wars, they backed the Germans and then endured almost 40 years of Communist rule but seemed to remain somewhat insular from their influence versus Romania or Vekiko Tărnovo.

Today, the old town is lined with National Revival homes, colorfully rendered exteriors protruding over high walls. We were able to visit two of these home's interiors (3rd was closed due to a performance). Most of the old town is now under state protection as an architectural reserve so a lot of renovation is still taking place. Within the old town, we were able to visit mosques, churches, Roman ruins, and these National Revival mansions. Plovdiv definitely had an old world European charm, but very inexpensive (ate in the 2nd best restaurant, 3-course meal, wine and dessert for $15/per person!!). Wish I could have stayed longer in this city, but Turkey awaits me!!

Welcome to Plovdiv

Telling Larry, the town's Keeper of Secrets, a wish.

Roman Stadium, built in the 2c AD, could set up to 30,000 spectators. Today it is oddly incorporated into the city center and we had drinks in the cafe built into the side of the stadium.

Original city walls, lit up at night.

Our amazing Walking Tour guide, Tsveta, who shared the history and great secrets of Plovdiv. A professional opera singer, she ended the tour with a sonnet under the entrance of Church of Sveta Marina.

The well-preserved Roman theater with seating for 6,000 spectators. Still in use today for performances.

The Kuyumdzhiough House, built in 1847, is now the Enthgraphic museum, with regional costumes, and furnishings from that time period. 

Ceiling of the impressive Kuyumdzhiough House.

Do you like my hat? I will be very stylish in downtown Westfield this winter!

A local vendor from whom we purchased handmade jewelry. She is dressed in the costume from her village.

Local artist of Plovdiv from the 19c. Rubbing his legs brings you good luck and fortune. Needless to say, I sat on his lap😳!

Ceiling of the Chomakov House. 

View of courtyard from inside the Chamakov House.

Our traditional Bulgarian breakfast prepared by Dimetri at the Family Renaissance. 

Just a really nice view of the rooftops in Old Town Plovdiv.

Remains of the Dead

This blog is dedicated to the many body parts and remains we have seen on our journey.

In Hungary (Budapest) they seem to be obsessed with the right side of the body only- St Stephan's foot and St Mattias' right hand. These body parts were nicely displayed  in arnate boxes, but we were able to view the foot clearly.

In Romania, they prefer to impale their victims by taking a dull spear (covered in pork fat) and drive it through the body from the bottom to the top openings, and hang the bodies upside down. This method ensured a slow and painful death while draining the blood from the body. This is how they confirmed the person was dead! BTW, Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) learned this from the Turks, where he was held friendly hostage as a boy/young man. 

In Bulgaria, they seem to be more descrete about their body parts. While in the Bachkovo Monastery, our new buddy and Monk-in-Training, Vladimir, showed us the index finger of St. Georghes. This was nicely displayed in a mother of pearl inlay wooden 18c box (hard to verify its authenticity).

In Turkey (Ephesus) they displayed the remains of Trajan's foot as part of the Fountain of Trajan from 104AD. There was also a left footprint carved into the stone floor from 2nd century showing that the brothel was down on the left side across from the Library of Celsus.

Just needed to write about some body part additions from Istanbul. Today, I visited the Topkapi Palace which included  relics such as a 7th century footprint, hair, beard of the prophets and St John's hand and St. Joseph's Skull! Sadly, no pictures were allowed!

Inside this urn is the right hand of St Stephen.

This is the right foot of St Mattias' foot. Pretty gross.

Vlad The Impaler's outfit for impaling. 

This is the foot of Trajan. I know it is hard to tell but it is from 104AD.

Left Foot at Ephesus showing the Brothel is on the left side!

In Bucharest, they just flash the world with the male body part!

To be continued.. May see some body parts to add in Istanbul!