Blogger, Carson Dobos
Day’s Highlights:
- Leaving Eleia Hotel & bus ride to Istanbul
- Seafood lunch in Tuzla
- Waterfront walk to Tuzla Marina
- What the other half of the class was up to
Leaving Eleia Hotel & bus ride to Istanbul:
Checking out of Eleia Hotel. Photo by Carson Dobos
After spending three lovely nights in Iznik, it was time for us to travel back to Istanbul to be near our respective airports.
Kacie and Sydney invited me for a walk along the lake before checking out of the hotel, but I was too tired, so I slept in. Just outside the hotel, there was a nice family who gave some of us delicious cherries they grew. Our check-out time was 12:00, and the bus came to take us back to Istanbul. Grace, Sophie, Gabby, and I were dropped off first in Tuzla, which is on the Asian side of Istanbul along the Sea of Marmara. The four of us are flying out of Sabiha Gökçen tomorrow afternoon.
Seafood lunch in Tuzla:
Seafood lunch. Photo by Carson Dobos
It was really hard saying goodbye to everyone once we arrived at the hotel. I’m going to miss everyone a lot, but we can reconnect at Clark in the fall.
After the four of us checked in at Mihman Hotel, Sophie had the idea to get calamari, so we took a walk to a seafood restaurant. I got fried haddock, but everyone else had calamari. We were amazed how many waiters the restaurant had—they must have had at least 25.
Waterfront walk to Tuzla Marina:
Gabby along the Sea of Marmara. Photo by Carson Dobos
Kitty along the water in Tuzla. Photo by Carson Dobos
Kitten by the rocks in Tuzla. Photo by Grace Bramer
Palm trees at the Tuzla marina. Photo by Carson Dobos
Gabby and Grace with drinks on the marina. Photo by Carson Dobos
After a brief stop at the hotel, we decided to walk along the water and go to the marina. Along the walk, we saw many cats, including many kittens. One of the kittens took a particular liking to us and was super friendly and cuddly. When we arrived at the marina, we saw clothing and food chains that we recognized from the United States, and we felt that the area reminded us of California. There were many palm trees along the marina, and we found several coffee shops that had delicious specialty drinks.
We saw a large Ferris wheel that we debated riding, but it was expensive, so we decided against it. Instead, we went to more stores to buy some last-minute souvenirs and gifts.
I found a bag I really liked that said “Istanbul” and had a cat and a mosque on it. It felt perfect because the friendly street cats and beautiful mosques were the two things I loved most about being in Turkey. On our walk back to the hotel, we stopped in a very large grocery store and purchased some snacks to eat and take home with us.
The other half of our class:
Ana and Syd at the Black Sea. Photo by Paulina Allen
After dropping us off in Tuzla, the other half of the class continued to Sultan Ahmet, dropping off Helen, Ellie, and Rosemary.
When they eventually arrived at their hotel, Villa Siesta, a group went for a walk on the beach. Villa Siesta is located along the Black Sea, which is connected to the Mediterranean through the Turkish Straits. After their walk, the group got kofte, which is a dish similar to meatballs, for dinner and went to bed early to rest for their flights tomorrow.