havalimanı'da üç

So here are the (long-awaited?) posts from our time in Turkey, which I've almost already forgotten because Roma is simply amazing. Right now, Ryan and I are listening to Daniel Tosh (brill!) as we chill a little bit because his tummy hurts. Then we're going to see the Forum.

You know, the Forum? The one that the Ancient Romans built?

Yeah, it's right down the street.

Over there.

We could go see it now, but we don't have to. It'll be there. And we're going to see it. Just like that.

So while we're going to see the Forum, that Forum, you can read more airport updates.

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O my, how time flies. I am, once again, drafting blog entries in the Istanbul Atatürk airport. I also, once again, don’t have internet connexion down here in Starbucks, hence the drafting. Right now, the very nice Swedish woman (with darkish skin and brown hair and eyes) has asked to sit across from us after we watched her cart of bags whilst she piddled. I like her, and her feet are nice.

I think that I’ll update with pictures of our recent adventures.

I should also point out that, due to Ryan’s genius idea as we were on the bus (that we think was three lira more per each of us, but I was too tired to argue, name drop, or explain that I thought that when I asked ‘Iki tane, yirmi?’ and he answered in the affirmative, we were in accordance that two tickets were twenty lira, but I guess not), we are staying the night in the airport. Yes, that’s right. We figured that, since our flight to Roma lifts off at 0605, there was no point spending lira that we hadn’t yet taken out of the bank on cabs to the hostel and back, the hostel, and dinner. We’ll bum around here with the last 40 lira between us, thank you very much. This is much less stressful, too, and I got some espresso in me, so I was in a very jovial mood and I played immature crossword with Ryan. We agreed that, when in Roma and doing as the Romans are doing, if I start being bitchy, then Ryan will buy me espresso, and if Ryan starts worrying too much or being silly about silly things, then I’ll buy him a glass of nice syrah, even though I’ll be spending more money. O, well. =) Also, I’ve decided that I’ve lost the privilege to touch mine hair when in Roma, except to do it up all nice and pretty.

Money settled and stress free fifteen hours early for our flight, Roma feels like a new beginning. Until then, enjoy the very recent, relaxing, beautiful past.

Pretty much the top reason that I have for flying back...

Happy 17 August! It's time there, now, too.

Swear that I'm getting to updates, but currently I'm too busy planning to Vatican (yes, the verb). We can walk there from here. We can walk pretty much everywhere from here, our location being that awesome, and Roma being that awesome and accessible, just like another certain city in which I feel at home, which I miss quite a bit at times, especially when telling others about it.

Boston, you're my home...

I love you (yes, you!)! Speaking of Boston, Guinness, anyone? That's top priority.

Ah...

I'll have to update later sometime, but in the meantime, we're far too occupied with having a magnificent time around this glorious city to worry about things like putting text to blog. It's beautiful here, and I'm far more relaxed than I have been in I can't remember how long. I can't get over this city; I feel at home.

Perché noi siamo in Roma!

Yep, that's right--we're in Roma. Roma, baby! Do you know what we saw as we were wandering down the streets? IL COLOSSEO. Just chillin'.

I looked up to my left, and il Colosseo was there. I thought, '! [yes, I think in punctuation marks sometimes, like comic strip characters] Il Colesseo!' and il Colosseo thought back to me, 'That's right, Meaghan, I'm here--just chillin'. You know those ancient Romans whom you adore? Yeah, they built me. They called me Amphitheatrum Flavium, it's true, but it's all the same, really. No no, don't worry about coming down this street to see me to-day; I'll be here to-morrow. Like I've been for nearly two-thousand years. Heh. Yep. I'm older than dirt. And Romans built me. I know, bomb, right! Okay, okay, I'll let you walk. Yep, those are some ruins to your right. Okay okay, you get going now, dear, I know that you and Ryan are hungry. Yeah, that's right, I'm still here, behind you, watching you walk down the road, like I've watched all manner of people for almost two thousand years. I know, I know, I'll stop, you go now. I'll see you later.'

Holy my, Roma. This city is wonderful. It's almost as I've stereotypically imagined it, but just about 235u239q532905230952340 times more amazing. It's August, so nearly all Italians seem to be on holiday, and only a few places are open. There are tonnes of tourists, but it makes us feel less awkward. There are little piazze everywhere, fountains, random pointy things that I'm sure are important monuments--all sorts of things that I stopped taking pictured of because I was on a bit of a sensory overload and taking pictures of everything.

The only thing that I didn't expect was the quiet. Maybe it's because it's August, but this place is quieter than Hampstead at times. We sat a lunch and heard nothing for the entire time, sitting on a little back street and drinking Chianti (in Rome!) with my pizza margherita (in Rome!).

Out hotel is also the nicest in which I've stayed, probably--even nicer than the resort. The hotel in Disney World may have been technically nice, but it wasn't in Roma, didn't have a separate little vestibule and hall for the bathroom, wasn't in Roma, didn't have raised ceilings of wooden beams, wasn't in Roma, and didn't have a sink and a two-burner over. Also, nowhere that I've stayed has been in Roma before.

I am now, though! And we're safe. We had a marvellous time taking public transportation from l'aeroporto and saving some money, and we checked in early. Then we wandered around Roma (Roma!) until we were good and lost, ate, and wandered back. In Roma.

havalimanı'da iki

Safe--at IST again--about to check-in--frustrated with the fact that I can't figure out how to link to hidden text so that the pictography entries don't have to be so horrendously long...

Love! Peace! About to be in Rome!!

...and another!

We're safe at the hostel now, our rich tourist days being over. The resort was really nice--we had a good time relaxing, and no, we didn't go overboard with alcohol, because even though we are Americans and that would be expected behaviour, we are Americans in Turkey, which clearly qualifies us as not-your-average Americans. In fact, we didn't see one drunk person the whole time, and I didn't hear one American accent, although Ryan thinks that he may have.

The hostel scene is more our fit, too. Tuna and Monica, the owners, are really nice, and they can organise and arrange all sorts of day trips and stuff. There's a bunch of information about places around in the verdant little lobby, and the books even contain notes of thanks about Ferah Pension and messages of warning against other pensions in the area and gypsies trying to book people on tours, et cetera. O, Turkey. I'm looking forward to taking a boat tour down the coast for a day, and for seeing the ancient tombs up on the hills around here. Ryan, as I ask him, is looking forward to seeing Kayaköy (literally 'Ghost Village') and Butterfly Valley.

Peace!

Another leg...

Ryan and I are safe and sound at the resort now. There's no wireless in our 'room' itself, but life goes on. After all, we are at an all-inclusive resort, so there's not too much time between drinking our stay's money's worth of free alcohol and eating all day when not swimming in the Mediterranean (it's so salty! I can lie on my back and float no problem!) to waste time on the internet. After we get to the hostel to-morrow, though, I think that I will take an hour or so to post the massive amount of text that I have to make up for lost time, and everyone can read that while we hike mountains, travel to hidden valleys near the sea with thirty metre walls, and, once again, swim in the Mediterranean (and go to the bazaar, and try to find some simit or real dondurma, and see Ancient Roman ruins...)! The Mediterranean! We're in Turkey! Asia, honestly!

It's beautiful here, really, and it's been such an odd, foreign feeling of relaxation for the past day or so. As mentioned, I'll update sometime to-morrow evening, and then people can read that for days until the next update. I'm really just enjoying Ryan's company, most of all: being with someone fluent in English who understands my idiosyncrasies and has missed me enough over the past month to be patient with my annoying habits. Blessed!

So enjoy the upcoming posts, and for now, I'll enjoy my gin and tonic. Although, there are no limes in Turkey...

(...which is really cool, because they're not indigenous, and they don't import them because that would be silly, because they're not indigenous, so there are no limes in Turkey. Please don't make me come back to America. When can I leave again?)