A Turkish Delight

I know I haven’t been very active on my blog lately, but I have good reasons! My head has been scrambled since being back from Europe due to my amazing boyfriend moving to New York in 27 days, our job & internship search, & our apartment search. On top of that, the weather has been horrible in New York compared to Europe, but I do not miss the Veneto pollution-I thought New York was bad, but you have no idea. In any event, I can finally sit down & share my Turkish adventures. Istanbul is a fantastic city full of life, prayer over the loudspeaker 5 times a day, delicious & affordable food, & amazingly beautiful (& cheap! 1 Lira is worth $0.40 at the moment) shopping.

Mom & I stayed at the Tria Hotel, which was not a good hotel but was in a great location. Surprisingly, Best Western is a great option in Turkey & conveniently located in the hotspots of Istanbul. Here are notes I took of some places we visited:

•The restaurant Mostra is known for their fish, but I had delicious lamb & salad. The sauvignon blanc & mezze plate were also delectable.

•The restaurant Lezzet-I Sark was very tasty. We did not like the lamb, but the chicken was delicious. What was astonishingly good was the Kunefe, which is a sweet cheese pastry (it sounds strange, but you must try it).

•Many will recommend the Grand Bazaar, but it is highly overpriced for items you can find at local Mom-and-Pop shops where they’re willing to give you a deal like Çakus Rugs.

•The Arasta Bazaar was nice & more willing to cut a deal, but still not as good as the side shops. 

•The Spice Market was my favorite market. They had the best quality spices & teas, souvenirs, & will vacuum seal everything to take back home with you. I highly recommend the Spice Market.

•The Blue Mosque was pretty cool. Enter through the side tourist entrance & see the great architecture from the inside. Be sure to have your legs and arms covered and women must cover their head.

•Mom really wanted to see the Pera Palas Hotel where Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie was set. We had wine & tea & enjoyed the nice atmosphere after such a tough commute finding the place. If you want to visit the hotel, take the Tramvay (aka tram) to Taksim & then walk around aimlessly asking people where the hotel location is-Good luck.

•Mom & I never reached the Asian side of Turkey (but we did see it from afar). If you want to go to the Asian side, you must cross the Bosphorus Bridge. If you ask someone how to get to Asia, they pronounce it Ah-see-uh. I was wondering why no one knew what Asia was…Oops!

•Last, but certainly not least, you MUST visit Çakus Rugs (Kurban Çakus) at Mimar Mehmet Aga Cad. No: 5 34122 Sultanahmet. These are one of the side shops that I was talking about. This is your one-stop-shop for Turkish jewelry, clothes, beautiful lamps, ceramics, & rugs. The men who own the stop are the sweetest, friendliest salesmen you will ever meet & they have the best prices in town. Definitely visit this shop if you plan to shop. If you can’t find the shop, here is their number: +90 212 638 56 68.

Mom & I also went on a dinner cruise with entertainment & the unlimited drink package; it was well worth the money. The food was okay, but the entertainment was very enjoyable, the views from the boat were gorgeous, & Mom & I certainly drank our money's worth. I was also recruited (or pushed on stage by my mother) to compete in the belly dance competition. Let’s just say I won a gold medal.

Moreover, EVERYONE should get a Turkish bath. It is the utmost form of pampering you'll ever receive. They exfoliate, moisturize, & massage your entire body. They also give delicious fruit tea & Turkish delights & the whole experience takes place inside a palace-like Mosque; I called it a water palace. They separate the men & women to 2 different sides of the building so you can be naked & free as a bird.

Overall my trip to Turkey was a delight & great last trip with my mom. I definitely recommend everyone visit Turkey. Travel & enjoy ☺

Until next time 💗

Follow me on Instagram: @arielview13

My first visit to Ireland & the Irish Family Initiation

I had a fantastic time in Ireland & I am thankful to have been able to immerse myself in the culture through my boyfriend, Jason's amazing family. I was also very lucky to be able to experience delicious Irish home cooking every single night & eat a full Irish breakfast (thanks Stephanie & Paddy!)

Jason took me to the leprechaun museum, which is great to hear stories about leprechauns & to take photos sitting in giant furniture.

We also went to the Guinness Storehouse despite my strong dislike for beer. It is a fascinating museum of the history of Guinness & at the top is a bar where we tried a free Guinness with the purchase of our museum ticket (& I can still say that I do not like beer, YUCK).

Then the fun continued at Newgrange, which is a beautiful sight to see & I think one of my favorite parts of my 9-day trip. The landscape & scenery are beautiful & for a city girl, it is nice to get a change of scenery. There are symbolic markings on the rocks that no one knows the meaning of that is near the cave entrance. The tour guide was very passionate about the site & showed us what it was like with no light & how it would be like to live there. Newgrange reminded me a lot of Stonehenge so if you like Stonehenge, you will definitely like this.

I had a great time being a tourist & visiting all the tourist sites, but the main reason for my Ireland trip was to meet Jason's whole family at his brother, Robbie's wedding. The reception was at Ballymagarvey, which looked like a quaint castle. There was food, lots of drinking, & Jason & I danced as if we were on "Dancing with the Stars," or at least that is what we thought. I had the best time meeting all of Jason's family & bringing in the New Year with a kiss from Jason.

I also got to experience the nightlife scene at the Palace in a cute town close to Jason called Navan. Jason & I drank, mingled, &danced all night long. I did not realize how much Jason & I love dancing until now.

I loved Jason's family; I felt very at home & if I were close to a city, I would move to Ireland in a heartbeat. Ireland is friendly, clean, & obviously, I love it because Jason & his awesome family are there. Who knows, I may be living out there sooner than I think depending on how things go. Fingers crossed!

Until next time 💗

Follow me on Instagram: @arielview13