Cheerio, World Trip!

LONDON, ENGLAND

Big Ben

I arrived into London around 11:00pm and didn’t make it to the apartment of my former co-worker, Chris, until after midnight. Chris Medway worked for UBS London while I was in NYC and we collaborated on a number of projects together over the past 5 years. To be perfectly honest, he saved my butt a bunch of times and continued to do so during my 3 day stay at his lovely flat in London. 
 

Helpful hints when crossing the road

               London was to be my grand finale for my world trip. And what better way to end than in wonderful London where I would be surrounded by familiar language, food and people.  I started out my London tour by meeting another former UBS colleague, Lynden Howie, for a lunch of tapas.  I had met Lynden 5 years earlier when he visited NYC to present at an important meeting my former boss was hosting.  All managing directors that reported to my boss were summoned to NYC and I was the administrative assistant who had the pleasure of organizing the event.  You’d think that men of such stature would have their crap together but no.  These grown men could put college kids to shame with their perfection of procrastination.  They had me running around for two days solid.  Perhaps it was their guilt that persuaded them to include me on their final night out for some dinner, pool and ping pong.  I had a ball talking to all of them but it was Lynden that I got to speak to the most.  During dinner, he thanked me for my hard work and told me that he was very impressed with me.

“You don’t seem intimidated by this setting at all.”  He said.

“Oh, because I’m the only girl?  I asked.

Acrobats near Big Ben

“Well no.  Because you’re much younger than everyone here and you’re at a table with powerful Managing Directors from all around the world.  I mean, some of the most important people within Global Equities at UBS are at this table.”

“Oh,” I said. “No not really.”  The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind before.  But I began to think that maybe I shouldn’t have changed into my purple New Balance sneakers so quickly.

               And so I met Lynden for lunch in his homeland.  We were both free of UBS now and very much equals at our lunch table.  He had recently done a walk-about the world as well accompanied by his wife and looked so refreshed! He was expecting his first child to be born within a few months and was still contemplating his career path.  He seemed to be guided by his heart this time so I felt very happy that his next step would be a fulfilling one.

                After lunch with Lynden, I took the Tube to Parliament.  I kept saying, ‘Hey kids, there’s Big Ben’ as I made a loop around the area and checked on 10 Downing Street, the Women’s World War II Memorial, Westminster Abby, and the distinguished horses carrying the guards.  One less-than-distinguished horse kept sticking his tongue out at me and I was reassured that he had better teeth than most Brits.  Oooo, low blow!

Horse and me

                I misjudged the amount of time I would need in Winston Churchill’s Cabinet Room.  What a great museum!  It showed the close quarters in which Churchill and his crew quarterbacked most of the war and the many hardships they faced underground for so long.  Sometimes, after days of being underground, male and female workers would ascend from the underground bunker to find different areas of their beloved city destroyed by German forces.  They had to remember the layout of the city in their heads because all street signs were removed in fear of a German invasion.  I can’t believe there are people alive today that lived through it!  The life of Winston Churchill himself was astounding too- so many highs and so many lows.  It is almost inconceivable to believe that he ever returned to political office after the Galipoli disaster during World War I. 

 

                Closing out the museum that night, I rushed to Nottinghill for a drink with a couple I had met while in Greece.  It was not fun.  I knew it wouldn’t be.  The woman reminded me of an annoying girl I knew in high school and the guy was so pathetic….just doting on his little love muffin the whole dinner.  Let it be a lesson to all that you really should only do things that you want to do in this life.  I would have had a better time playing solitaire in my room than going to that dinner.  Don’t let false feelings of obligation and guilt make you do anything in life….but especially on vacation.  

Buckingham Palace

Sri and Lena excited for London

                The next day I had an extra hop in my step as I made my way to West Kensington.  I was so excited to meet my two friends that were flying into London to see me for a long weekend!!  Sri, my roomie from NYC and Lena, my partner-in-crime from Germany that I had traveled with throughout Australia!  I couldn’t think of a better finale to my trip than a weekend of fun with these two girls!  We first headed to Buckingham Palace where we reenacted the first kiss between William and Kate.  The British guards did not seem impressed by neither my new leather jacket nor my flirtatious advances….they wouldn’t let us in the gates.

Royalty at Buckingham Palace

                 So instead we found what it really meant to take a ‘stroll in Paaaahk’.  People give Bostonians a hard time about their accents but I would argue that we actually sound the most like our British ancestors.  The park was truly lovely with all of its autumn colors shining through.  We followed the orange, yellow, and brown scattered leaves until we came out toward Big Ben and the London Eye.  We stopped for lunch before finally making it to Sri’s thinking spot.  Along the banks of the Thames, she reassured us there was a serene location near the Eye that she sought as a young girl- it always seemed to bring clarity to her life.  We arrived to the precise spot and watched Sri slightly unravel.  Her coveted spot was under major construction!!  As if in a Woody Allen movie, the London rain seemed to be perfectly queued and we took some great ‘thinking’ pictures for Sri’s sake.

Stroll in the pahhhhhhk

How can you not smile at this picture??

 

Kerri and Lena with the London Eye in the background

                I left the girls to meet another old colleague from UBS.  Lawrence Marshall was another managing director that was present during that prestigious meeting in NYC years ago.  He was the quintessential Londoner- completely jolly.  The two of us had a heck of a time at a very trendy Moroccan restaurant complete with exotic tastes, and I’m not just referring to their talented belly dancers.  I was really moved with Lawrence’s generosity.  I was in complete awe that such a busy guy would take that amount of time out of his schedule to entertain little old me (on a school night to boot)!  What a great guy!

Harry Potter moment

                The next day’s highlight was not just taking a picture at the famous 9 and 3/4 platform at King’s Cross train station (Harry Potter reference) but, instead, later that night at Harrod’s.  Call me naïve but I had never heard of Harrod’s.  I felt like a tourist going into Macy’s in Herald Square but I don’t care.  We took our time strolling through the different departments and pretending that we were millionaires…and models.  We had an especially good time in the lingerie section until Lena returned from the bathroom….but then it got better!  She had found a Chanel ring on the counter of the bathroom and was tied in knots about what she should do with it.  In a place like Harrod’s, that left-behind ring could be worth about $600!  Or it could be a knock-off worth less than $10.  Should she keep it?  Should she turn it in?  It was a great source of debate between the three of us.  We lingered around the bathroom for 15 solid minutes (since that is obviously the legal grace period before you can claim something for yourself) but no one came to claim at.   When it came time for the store to close, I confirmed with management that only one person had reported a lost ring that day and she had already found it.  So the ring was ours to keep!  We fantasized about its worth and how it would change the rest of our trip!  We would bring it to a pawn shop over the next couple days and reap the benefits of our good fortune!  And I say ‘ours’ because Lena had agreed to spend it on all of us. 

REALLY having a hard time with the ring dilemma

Eating on the stairs in Harrod's.  No shame.

Smelling the flower balls in Harrod's

A Night out at Harrod's

                That evening we met Sri’s friend, Rachael, and had a whopper of a night in the bars.  We started in a stuffy (figuratively and literally) piano bar and just pub crawled along West Kensington.  The night peaked with some dancing and LOUD singing to ‘Empire State of Mind’ as we patronized some sorry British bloaks.  Actually, I take it back, the highlight of the night was when we hit up McDonald’s at 2:00am.

Old McDonald's had some pigs....E-i-E-i-O

Lena, Sri, Kerri, Rachael

Wooooooaaaah!

                Overcast and misty weather made for perfect photos on London Bridge the next day.  A special thanks to city of London for showing us their typical day of weather- I would have been disappointed by sunny skies.  The three of us did some incredible negotiating outside of the gates of the Arsenal stadium and got ourselves inside with tickets to 3 awesome seats!  The sweetest old man gave us a deal of a lifetime on his season ticketholder seats and we cheered for Arsenal with all of our might.  I don’t know what was more entertaining- watching hot men take girly dives or watching my hot mess, Sri, vehemently coach the athletes from the balcony.  The crowd was more subdued than I was expecting…and compared to the soccer crowds I had observed in Brazil in the past.  It seemed like a bunch of old English farts that were more likely to watch the game with a cup of tea than a keg of beer.  It seemed more sophisticated in a way.

Go Arsenal!

Next Arsenal standout

                The funniest picture we took came from our visit to the London Dungeons.  Here we took a grimly, comedic tour of some of the most horrific historical events in the city.  Through role play and interactive rides, we heard the gory tales of Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd, Bloody Mary and others.  Lena and Sri were complete scaredy-cats but complete gluttons for punishment…they kept going back for more!  I was put on mock trial for prostitution and burned at the stake if you can believe it.  We left with a great memento- a picture of Lena’s horrified face when we dropped from the Extremis: drop ride to doom.  It’ll make for a nice Christmas card so keep an eye on your mailbox.  J 

Lena is the one in yellow.  It's the only evidence we have.

           With a fitting tune from the movie ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’, we set out for Portabello Road the next morning! 

“Portabello Road, Portabello Road,
Streets where the riches of ages are stowed. 
Anything and everything a chap can unload
Is sold off the barrow in the Portabello Road. 
You’ll find what you want in the Portabello Road.”
 

Portabello Road

Poppy Day in London!

                Ah, music to my ears.  We did lots of window shopping until it was time to say goodbye to our favorite Sri dawg.  Old Morgan Stanley was calling her back to her desk in NYC.  Lena and I went our own ways for the afternoon- mine led me to the Tower Bridge and surrounding docks with Chris Medway and then to magnificent St. Paul’s Church.  The whole city appeared to be getting a scrub-down in preparation for the Queen’s jubilee and the upcoming Olympics. Between that and the Royal wedding, London has had quite a run over the last couple years!

Not all that impressed with the London Bridge

But the Tower Bridge was gorgeous

                Lena and I were lucky to find each other in the theatre district only to learn that it was closed on Sundays!  Poor planning on our part.  But we grabbed something to eat and were about to head home when we saw a certain vibe coming from The Zoo.  There were no actual animals at this bar/lounge but many sailors that seemed to have adapted animal instincts.  We loved the next few hours!  Lots of dancing and lots of smiles to close out our trip in London!  The lions in Trafalgar Square were nice enough to pose for many a picture that evening.  We waited an eternity for the public bus to come but luckily there was a phone booth that occupied us and our cameras.

Lion shot

Last night out

Making a quick call to Canada

London held a lot of firsts for us- first bus ride on a double decker bus, first black cab taxi, first 1000 pictures in a red, British phone booth and first back-to-back late-night meal at McDonalds.  And first time I’ve been in a foreign country with 2 really good friends of mine!  I experienced a wave of emotions with my once-in-a-lifetime trip coming to an end.  I knew that I wouldn’t be free to travel like this again in the near future.  This was the trip I had waited so long for and, of course, it was over in a blink of an eye.  But I was lucky that I also had so much to look forward to- seeing my family and friends, sleeping in the same comfortable bed each night without an eye mask and ear plugs, not wearing sandals in the shower, and having a diet that consisted of more than nutella and peanut butter. 

Lena's first double decker ride

And first black cab ride

 

We're in London!!!

This wasn’t the end though!  It’s never the end (until it’s really the end).  Every single day is an adventure.  It may not be as glamorous as taking a world trip, but our own personal lives are the best trip we’ll ever have.  This trip gave me more clarity on the world, the way it was, the way it is and the people that are along for the ride.  And I am so grateful for that.  It was never my intention to visit 30 countries before I turn 30….but it is now.  I’ll be turning 29 years old in October 2012 and I’m currently at 29 countries….where should I go next??  Fire me some suggestions!  In the meantime, I think I’ll go mull it over in Calgary, AB while holding the hand of my really cool boyfriend, Brent.  It’s too bad the sights of Australia, NZ, western Canada, and Europe don’t really compare to him.

Brent Williams

 

Turkish Twist

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Istanbul by night

             I was fortunate enough to sit next to a recent UVM grad on my flight from Greece to Turkey.  He was backpacking around Europe as well so we had plenty to talk about at the dismay of our surrounding passengers.  Although we had casually exchanged info as we went our separate ways at baggage claim, I had more than a feeling that I would be seeing him again. 

My first Mosque

               As I made my way down to the pristine subway station, I officially felt like I was in a foreign country.  And that may seem strange to some of you since I have been in foreign countries all along but, unfortunately, a lot of Europe looks like America when you first step off the plane, train or bus.  Apparently Americans aren’t the only ones getting fat- McDonalds, Subway, Burger King and KFC were always the first thing welcoming me to a new city.  Not exactly what I was expecting!  But here in Turkey, I definitely sensed the gateway between east and west.  There weren’t too many women to be seen and, the few that were on the subway, covered their heads and/or faces with a burqa.  I didn’t actually see any face veils, which I later discovered were outlawed in Turkey!  Turkish law prohibits religious dress in public places so most Muslim women comply by wearing what is called a Tesettur, which is more of a head scarf over a light cover-all top coat.

Amazing Suleymaniye Mosque!  I loved the patterns.

               I got a terrible headache as I made the long train ride to the Bada Bing hostel on the Western side of Istanbul.  Apparently Americans weren’t the only ones watching the Sopranos either.  I was really impressed to find the owner of the Bada Bing extremely generous.  He was so helpful with my backpack and he insisted on bringing me tea for my headache.  I didn’t feel like going out that night but my two roommates from Georgia (the American state, not the sovereign state in Eurasia) had invited me to dinner.  We made the steep walk up to the busy shopping street of Istiklal Caddesi and enjoyed a quick donner kebab dinner.  Good but not as good as the donners I discovered in Berlin.  Wasn’t this supposed to be the capital of donner kebabs??

I'm just mad about Saffron.  Saffron's mad about me.

               The next morning, I climbed the steep streets yet again to meet up with the kid/guy from the plane, Will.  We began at the famous Galata Tower and headed across the Galata Bridge where many Turkish men were fishing the Bosphorus River for the catch of the day.  Just moments after pulling the fish out of water, they were sold right there on the street to locals passing by.  Will and I veered off the main street to explore the famous spice market.  Now, as most of you know, I’m not much of a cook.  Salt is really the only spice necessary in my kitchen.  So as much as I could marvel at the different colors, smells and tastes of the Istanbul Spice Market, I really couldn’t appreciate it the way Will could.  He was 22 going on 52 and I loved him for it.  He was well-read.  For sake of a cheap joke, he was Will-read!  Not only was he a wealth of information, he was generous enough to pass on that wisdom to me.    

Spice Market

Turkish Delight!

Feel that plush carpet between your toes

                We walked a mindless zip-zag pattern around the Spice Market until we came out near a large mosque.  I don’t recall its official name but I will always remember it as ‘my first mosque’.  I don’t really know what I was expecting but this certainly exceeded it.  The incredibly high ceiling was supported by beautifully patterned walls.  The plush carpet under my feet was so soothing.  Now this was the way to pray!  Why do Catholics insist on praying with their shoes on?  Why so formal?  It’s much more comfortable in your socks. 



Removing shoes at my first Mosque

Mosque

                We returned back to the hustle, bustle, and lack of muscle amongst Instanbulians (not an actual word) and headed for the Grand Bizaare!  Amongst the 31 covered streets and over 3000 shops, I can say that Wikipedia’s estimation of 250,000 to 400,000 visitors per day sounds about accurate.  It’s one of the oldest and most famous marketplaces and I felt like I was back on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.  I loved the bartering!  Exchanging bids and offers on even the smallest of Turkish merchandise was a lot more fun than paying sticker price at the Gap back home!  Besides the rush of making a deal, the bartering system also left one open to fraternizing with the locals.  Some were more versed in English than others but all seemed to love Americans.  I was subject to some very flattering pick-up lines, which I am happy to share with you:

Ahh, Lady, over here.  You are so beautiful.  What you want, Lady?

You are lovely.  Have you come here for me?

You want to marry?

Is it me that you are looking for?

Where are you from?  Boston?  I love Celtics….and you.  Can I move with you?

I….am….divorced.  Hello.

               Somehow I managed to resist their charm.

Grand Bazaar

Suffice it to say that no Turkish man took my hand in marriage.  I survived their pick-up lines, ignored the Chinese knock-off Louis Vuitton bags and Dolce and Gabana sunglasses, and finally found what I was really looking for in the Grand Bazaar- authentic Turkish craftsmanship.  There were so many beautiful colors and designs that cannot be found in a Pottery Barn catalogue at home.  If only I could bring some back home with me without breaking it in my bag. Oh wait-if only I knew where my next home would be.  Crap, looks like bad timing on Istanbul household items.  I would look, admire, shop around, and possibly come back another day.

Will and I spent the evening at the Aya Sofia where I had my socks knocked off!   From its date of dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople except during the 13^th century when it had a 50+ year run with the Roman Catholics.  It later served as a mosque from 1453 to 1931.  Now it’s a remarkable museum!  Usually when a country is conquered, the old is replaced with new.  However, in the case of Aya Sofia, some of the oldest and most precious Christian mosaics were preserved under the new Islamic tributes.  The entire structure was just so massive.  My friend, Sri, had told me that it was her favorite sight in Istanbul so I took some extra time to absorb it all.  I had a feeling Aya Sofia would hold a special place in my heart as well…and I was right.

Aya Sofia

Aya Sofia

Aya Sofia

              The next day, Will and I decided to team up again to see the Topkapi Palace, which was the center of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four centuries.  No big deal, right?  It was very impressive but, for whatever reason, I didn’t connect to the Palace like I had with other impressive sights I saw on my trip.  Maybe it was the surprisingly cold, damp weather.  Maybe it was the especially long queues to view the artifacts in each building/room.  Maybe it was the headache that seemed to be lingering over the past few days.  Maybe it was the annoying and disrespectful herds of Asian tourists that cut the lines and elbowed their way through crowds.   I WILL say that I really enjoyed the building full of colorful, patterned tile.  Turks are so tasteful with their tile!  I also got to see the sword that David used when fighting Goliath.  Yeah, I didn’t really think that story happened either but they had a sword and plaque and everything.  Hmmph.


Tiles at Topkapi Palace

               

Topkapi Palace

The next few days, Will and I continued to conquer all the top spots in Istanbul:

The Blue Mosque where I tried to take a peaceful nap on the carpet like my friend, Sander, advised.  I was scolded by Will and others.  With 6 minarets and 20000 blue tiles, it was as awesome as expected.

In the Blue Mosque

Turkish Hamam- Nothing like a day at the Turkish spa!  Picture a warm, hexagonal room where you douse yourself with water and lay on heated tiles looking up at small star-shaped openings in the ceilings that let in natural sunlight.  You see it?  Now picture your calming experience coming to an yend when a large, unattractive Turkish woman grunts to express his readiness to bathe you.  She throws a couple buckets of water over you and then adds lots of suds.  She scrubs and scrubs until you’re clean of the idea of ever coming to another Turkish spa. I actually enjoyed the Haru but most female tourists looked pretty scared.  When I reconvened with Will later in the lobby, it sounded like he may have been one of those tourists in the male steam room.

Typical Turkish Hamam

 A boat ride on the Bosphorus en route to Asia-  Not only is Turkey located within two continents but Istanbul is too!  I took a ride up the mighty Bosphorus River in order to climb a hill in Karakoy.  It was a short, steep hill with lots of stray dogs.  We looked out over the Dead Sea and Will was giddy with fun facts about different battleships.  Oh and did I mention it was my 28^th birthday??  Yeah, I got to visit two continents on my big day!  Knowing my love (and growing addiction) for Coca-Cola, Will taped a couple candles to a can of Coke and sang for me.  Very sweet.  Definitely my most unique birthday yet!

Check out that Dead Sea

So long Europe! We're in Asia today!

Swinging in Asia!

               About five days later, Will had to move on to Ireland.  I had met lots of people on my journeys so I was used to relishing the good times and not dramatizing my goodbyes.  I knew Will and I would stay in touch since he was a Maine-iac back home.   I was flattered to find out that I was really the only person that Will had teamed up with on his trip!  He tore through sights like he tore through books so he was completely self-sufficient.  I must have held him back from seeing/doing everything he was capable of in Istanbul but I’m glad that I could contribute to his experience in some unknown way.  Or maybe he was just too nice to say, ‘Go away!’  J 

Will's consequences of overdosing on Sudafed

               I didn’t have time to wallow because my awesome brother-in-law Brian connected me with some amazing locals!   After recently attending his class reunion in Victor, NY, Brian reconnected with the Turkish foreign exchange student, Bora, who also attended.  I’m sure the Victor High School Class of 1990 something NEVER thought they would see the Turkish exchange student again!  Well Bora and his wife, Denis, had proved them wrong by making the trip to the USA!  They returned to Istanbul just in time to meet up with me for my last few days.  We shared a nice brunch overlooking the entire city and they invited me back to their apartment that was conveniently located in the heart of shopping strip of Istiklal Caddesi. 

               It was just my luck that their personal masseuse was paying a visit to their home to help them relax from the long airplane ride from the United States.  The man was so pleased to meet an American that he insisted on giving me a free massage.  It was the most amazing 45 minutes of my life.  I really felt like the luckiest girl in the world.  People love to wallow when they’re on the bad side of luck.  I am going to gloat on being on the good side of this one.  Massage aside, I had the pleasure of sharing the evening (and some pizza and wine) with these Bora and Denis who were such WONDERFUL people!  Each of them had so much going for them.  And, together, they were even better.  Somehow they had struck a balance with life and each other.  There was a mutual respect and admiration amongst the two of them that you don’t see enough in real life.  They were clearly in love, which was really cool to be around. 

Returning the favor to the best massuese in Turkey

Denis and Bora!

               The next day I hit the grand bazaar with a fire in my eye.  I was ready to bargain/barter/hustle/buy stuff!  I bought many small ceramic items but my most cherished one came in leather.  I had staked out a jacket and I was ready to commit.  I thought that I had finally reached an age where I should be responsible enough for such an expensive item.  J  I let the salesmen schmooze me with delicious apple tea.  I let them pour water over the leather to revel in its quality.  I even let them take a lighter to the leather sleeve to wow me!  Meanwhile I honed in on my price and wasn’t going to budge.  Bora and Denis were really impressed with my negotiating skills and were surprised at the great deal I had struck! 



A Grand Bazaar entrance



Man who sold me my snazzy leather jacket

"I will need Apple Tea to help me decide."

              That evening, Bora and Denis invited me back again.  Bora gave me a tour of the surrounding neighborhood where we sampled mussels with lemon….straight from the barrel.  Remember when I only ate peanut butter and fluff sandwiches??  Ain’t no stoppin’ me noooow!  Denis made a delicious home-cooked meal but it must have had some tryptophan because I conked right out once we started watching ‘Snatch’.  Bora took me home in a cab again and walked me right to the door of the Bada Bing.  He was definitely a gentleman but he was also rightfully concerned for my safety since he made me aware that my hostel was located right next to a legalized brothel!  The whole Bada-Bing-thing was now making sense! 

A girl who has been shopping!

               I was finally guilty about all the food I had been eating over my few months in Europe so I decided to go for a run on my last day.  I knew that it wasn’t a great idea since 80% of the people on the streets of Istanbul were menl.  And 100% of those men were accustomed to seeing women in only burqas.  But I really needed to work out!  I’m glad I did it but It was pretty uncomfortable.  Cabs were slowly creeping along behind me and men were not afraid to just stop and stare.  I flipped off a couple of men and had staring contests with others but it was no use.  They didn’t understand who I was or what I was doing and I didn’t understand how they could ever make a woman feel so degraded.  It was an experience nonetheless. 

In fact, it really summed up the incredibly interesting city that Istanbul was.  It served as the gateway between the East and West- a Muslim democracy.  It was truly unlike any other city I had visited and it was a real shame that I didn’t feel safe enough to visit the rest of Turkey.  I had heard such wonderful things from other travelers but didn’t want to send my parents into cardiac arrest.  With just a couple hours until my flight to London, I returned to the spice market for some Christmas shopping- Turkish Apple Tea for everyone!! 

Umm...why the quotes??  "hope to see you again soon too, Istanbul"???

 Check out more pics from Istanbul:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100116003699467.2382484.1611207&type=3&l=8b21fe07fa

 

FOODS I TRIED: apple tea, baklava, donner, borek, Turkish delight, hummus, beer, olives, assorted cheese