A.i.R. Adventures in Running: Churches

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Istanbul not Constantinople

Finding my hostel was a task. I grabbed a cab at the airport and told him where I needed to go; however, it could never be as easy as simply arriving at my destination. Once we got to the Sultanahmet borough of Istanbul all of the traffic stopped and we weren’t going anywhere, so my cab driver hopped a curve and asked a police officer what was going on. “The president is dining in the area so all the roads are shut down for security reasons” As I sit there listening to the conversation draw on I have a sinking feeling in my stomach that things are about to get more complicated. My gut was right as the cab driver pulled away from the officer and parked on the side of the road and began to explain how I am going to have to walk…and how it wasn’t so far from here…and it should only take 15 to 20 minutes…all you have to do is walk up this hill make a right, then a right at the fork, walk through the bizarre, continue on your left until you see the Blue Mosque and follow it along the Palace wall down the hill and it’s on the second street on your right halfway down the street….What?! In a daze I grabbed my backpack and got out standing on the corner as he smiled and pointed for me to start walking…I kept repeating the long list of directions in my head trying to remember them as I walked along the winding, narrow streets. I was soon extremely lost. An hour a half later and after asking many people for directions I finally found my hostel!!

When I knew I was finally getting close to finding my hostel. Besides being breathtaking the Blue Mosque has never been a more welcoming sight!

As soon as I got to my room I met Monica, an amazing woman who was on her way back home after serving two and a half years in the Peace Corps, we immediately hit it off and began getting ready for a night out, swapping makeup tips and hair ideas (She also has extremely curly hair) and she even let me borrow a skirt for the evening allowing me to mix up my wardrobe a little bit! We spent an evening out on the town and even saw the president drive by us when we were outside of our hostel! He really was having dinner in Sultanahmet!

Taksim! The party, shopping, and dining district of Istanbul.

Me and the girls having a drink on a doorstep converted into a couch. A great girls night out!

Of course I am in the party district and should be out partying like a normal 23 year old, but instead I am taking pictures of Mosques that I find tucked into corners of Istanbul in the middle of the night.

The next day I devoted all of my afternoon to exploring the rich religious history of Istanbul by visiting as many mosques as I could. I remember standing between the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque dressed in my flowy pants that reminded me of Jasmine from Aladdin, a shirt, a sweater, and a scarf over my head, which is really difficult to keep in place I discovered…I was melting in the afternoon heat when the speakers began to. I sat down in the middle of the plaza and listened to the prayers being sung. First the Aya Sophia’s speakers would ring out then the Blue Mosque would respond. The prayers and the respect I witnessed for Ramadan by tourists was beautiful; there was a religious tolerance present that I have never experienced before. As I sat there, in awe of the moment I was present in, I prayed to my God.

I was so excited to get in and see the inside of the Aya Sophia. I ended up sitting in there for over an hour listening to the prayers and soaking in as much of the Islamic tradition as I could.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

"My House in Budapest"

“My house in Budapest.

My, my hidden treasure chest.

Golden grand piano.

My beautiful Castillo.”

The song echoed on repeat in the playlist in my mind as I sat in the cab in the middle of the night whipping through the outskirts of Budapest heading into the center of the city. To ### József Krt where a friend, Manuel, who I met while travelling in Panama lived and had offered up his apartment to me during my stay. I was in a strange city, suffering from extreme exhaustion and jet-lag, and heading to a strange apartment in the middle of the night with a phone that couldn’t contact my friend if I got lost. What could go wrong? So many things crossed my mind that I had worked myself into a tight knot of tension by the time the cab stopped and I looked out onto a dimly lit street hoping to see the number on one of the many identical buildings. In the shadows I see Manuel standing there staring at the cab. Thank goodness! I am where I need to be, which is perfect because all I want to do is go to sleep.

The next day I had every intention of getting up early and getting my train ticket to Brasov, Romania so I could spend the rest of the day exploring the city. My plan was shot to hell when I slept in past noon…and subsequently got extremely lost trying to find the train station. What should have been a ten to fifteen minute walk turned into a three hour stroll through the Jewish district of Budapest where I saw numerous signs of the persecution that they experienced. It was unsettling, but it was a chance to explore a section of the city in which I hadn’t intended on visiting. After eventually finding Keleti Train Station I then had to figure out where to buy my ticket…I wandered around aimlessly pulling out my Eastern European phrasebook hoping to find guidance. I didn’t. The next step was to try to find someone…anyone who spoke English; I found someone who could understand me I think because she pointed to where I needed to go. All in all I got my ticket (or at least I hoped I did) and rewarded myself with a cappuccino and some delicious pastry filled with custard!!

At this point it was nearly five o’clock and I had agreed to meet Manuel at his apartment when he got off work, so I headed there and managed to find my way back in 15 minutes, how long it should have taken on the way there. I didn’t want to risk getting extremely lost again so I stayed put, and waited for Manuel because I figured he would serve as a good tour guide for the rest of my time in Budapest. I was right!

Lets hope this gets me to where I am supposed to be going...

Keleti Train Station

I saw all the sights. The iconic Hungarian Parliament Building, Buda Castle, Hero’s Square, Vajdahunyad Castle, Széchenyi Thermal Bath, St. Stephens Basilica, walked across the chain bridge, Margit-sziget Island, and I got acquainted with the bar and club scene! All of which was packed into two days!