Good Morning Sultanahmet

Some shots from the roof of our hotel. Top to bottom: the Bosphorus, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.

Merhaba from Istanbul

This is the view from our hotel, the Hotel Alaturka, which is very close to the blue and red mosque.

Turkey

This is a picture of the traditional Turkish breakfast we had at our charming and quirky (and most importantly, cheap) hotel in Gumbet, which is a mile or so from Bodrum. Also pictured is part of a mural hung over the bar at the hotel. Two honeymooners, perhaps?

We spent about a day and a half in Gumbet, eschewing cultural pursuits for a day relaxing on the beach, drinking beer, listening to the ubiquitous techno music, smoking hookah, and trying to pick up a few Turkish phrases (we’re still struggling with “thank you”).

There were loads of British tourists in Gumbet, but very few Americans. In fact, we were the first Americans the bartender/waiter at the hotel had met. Don’t worry, we’re doing our best to make a good impression, and yes, Carter is wearing his “Local Celebrity” tshirt everywhere.

As I write this we’re on a bus from the airport to Istanbul! It was quite an adventure getting to the airport in Bodrum this morning. We taxied to a bus depot, and wandered around fruitlessly looking for the official airport shuttle. When we realized the next shuttle was leaving too late to make our flight, we hopped on a local bus, which proceeded to randomly pick up and drop off old men along the way. We were then dropped off at the side of the road, and had to walk across a four line highway to a taxi stand seemingly situated in the middle of nowhere. After a cab ride of about a mile, we reached our destination, just in time to board out Turkish Airways flight to Istanbul. We can’t wait to explore this amazing city!

Bodrum, Turkey

After some wrong turns, Google Maps deceptions and a cheap bus ride, we have made it to our hotel in Bodrum, Turkey! We’re actually in a neighborhood called Gumbet, just 2km from the port. One day and two nights and we’ll be off to Istanbul!

Assorted Photos

Captions to come, but have fun inventing your own for now!

First travel post!

I am writing this on my iPhone, using the WordPress app, at a cafe with free WiFi on the island of Kos. Carrie and I are spitting distance from Turkey and will be taking a ferry to Bodrum this afternoon. Sorry for the delay in posting, but I was on my honeymoon.

But now the “honeymoon” is over and the trekking begins! We’ve been to Athens (1 night), Santorini (4 nights) and Naxos (3 nights). We’ve ridden scooters around mount Zeus, burned our feet on the sand of the Red Beach, and lived in a cave house perched on the edge of a volcano’s caldera.

And now it’s time for Turkey. More updates to come!

P.S. If the next update is slow coming, it’s Carrie’s fault.

Slowly But Surely…

…the photos are coming in!  I’ll be posting links to ALL the on-line albums here:

• www.carterheartscarrie.com/photos

Enjoy!  If you’ve got a link, send it my way!

Get Outside!

While you’re in Austin, you owe it to yourself to get outside and enjoy the weather.  I’ve jotted down a few choice spots.

Town Lake

Town lake (which is really more like a river) cuts Austin in half.  The main downtown area is just north of the lake, so most people can walk to Town Lake from their hotels.  It has a walking/running/biking path that loops around the lake, with trails on the north and south sides.

More information: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/trails.htm

Barton Springs

Barton Springs is a glorious, fresh water pool located just off of town lake near the Barton Creek.  It’s pretty easy to get too and is a great way to beat the heat and chill-out on Friday or Saturday!

More information: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/bartonsprings.htm

Lake Travis

Lake Travis is about 20-30 minutes outside of Austin.  If you can get a few people together it is easy to rent a pontoon boat, load up a few cases of beer, and spend an afternoon enjoying the sun with some frosty beverages.  WARNING: there is a section of Lake Travis known as Hippy Hollow where clothing is “optional”. 

More information: http://www.touringtexas.com/laketravis/

Live Music Capital

Make sure you see AT LEAST one show while you’re in Austin.  Curious about who’s playing an where?  Check-out Turn2Live for a comprehensive list of shows going on this week.  My favorite venues are:

• Stubb’s
• Beauty Bar
• Scoot Inn
• Antone’s
• Club DeVille
• Mohawk

Movies + Food + Beer = Alamo Drafthouse

If you’ve never been to see a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse, you owe it to yourself to check it out!  After 2 years watching movies here, I’ll never be able to watch a movie elsewhere without missing the delicious food, excellent beer selection and totally reasonable prices.  There are a bunch of locations around Austin.

www.originalalamo.com