TURKEY

As we arrived in Turkey at midnight we arranged a transfer who brought us to a hotel called “WOXXIE Hotel” situated in Turgutreis. Turgutreis is about a 60 minute drive from Bodrum International Airport. Here we will stay for the next few days.

Once arrived at our hotel we slept until 12 pm.

The town we will be visiting in Turkey is Bodrum. We thought it was a very interesting city to visit because they have a massive shopping mall! But also is has great monuments and amazing views.Let me give you some history about this amazing city!

Bodrum is a district and a port city in Muğla Province, in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey. It is located on the southern coast of Bodrum Peninsula, at a point that checks the entry into the Gulf of Gökova, and is also the center of the eponymous district. The city was called Halicarnassus of Caria in ancient times and was famous for housing the Mausoleum of Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. 
Bodrum Castle, built by the Knights Hospitaller in the 15th century, overlooks the harbour and the marina. The castle grounds include a Museum of Underwater Archaeology and hosts several cultural festivals throughout the year. The city had a population of 36,317 in 2012.

17^th of april

After our beauty sleep we had the opportunity to eat something in our hotel. We were obviously very hungry. Because of our nighty flight we were still a little tired so we planned a relaxing day. We took a dolmus to Bodrum (it was 2,5 Turkish Lira) we went for a walk along the water where you could take a boat trip. We didn’t go on a boat trip because we already planned one later to Kos! But more about that in a few days. After our walk we had a drink and went back to our hotel (again with a dolmus) where we had dinner and afterwards another little drink and went to bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day!

18^th of april

Hello!

We were so excited for today, we planned an excursion with a guide named Alida, she was very friendly and explained everything in dutch, wich made it easier for us to understand.

Today we visited the windmills of the Bodrum Peninsula, the Myndos Gate and The Bodrum Amphitheatre.

The windmills of the Bodrum Peninsula

The windmills are situated on a hill between two different villages, Gümbet and Bodrum.

So we had a wonderful view of Bodrum Bay on one side, and Gümbet Bay on the other.

The windmills face northwest, and would have been perfectly positioned to catch the coastal winds in their heyday. They date back to 18th century and they were used till the 70s as a means to grind flour for the local people.

The view was amazing, we took a lot of pictures! From where we were standing you could also see the Greek island Cos, where we will be in 2 days!

All the windmills have no blades exept for one. There is one rich men in Turkey who pays for the windmill and with that money they maintain the blades so they can show the tourists how they looked like in the old times. 

We drank something at the top and we got a bit of time to take some pictures. After that we got into a bus and went to the Myndos gate.

Myndos gate

The Myndos gate was built by King Mausolas also with the city of wall of Halicarnassus in 364 BC. There are still vaulted tombs of the Hellenistic and Roman periods around the gate. Because of it’s direction, the gate referred its name from Myndos.

It has a big meaning in the history of Bodrum Alida told is it was the scene for one of the greatest bloodiest battles during the siege Alexander the Great. After he liberated many cities from the Persian domination, he had strong resistance of Persians at Halicarnasus. Alexander placed his wooden towers and catapults facing to Myndos gate. Here, Persians and Carians tried to make a surprise attack which ended and it burned the wooden towers and destroyed the catapults. But strong resistance of Alexander's army made them retreat towards the Myndos gate. while they were so, the wooden bridge on the mod collapsed and many Halicanassian got drowned or got killed with the arrows coming from both sites. Trying to close down city gates, they left great number of their own friends outside of the city walls. This sudden attack caused great casualties and Persians and Carians started to retreat towards the inner citadel and while retreating they burned down the homes in the proximity of city walls. Alexander left 2500 of his soldiers and appointed queen Ada and Ptolomeus for the capture of inner fortress and left the region.

These stones were very big and really thick.

Again, we took our bus and went to our next stop in Bodrum: the Amphitheatre.

The Bodrum Amphitheatre

When we arrived at the Amphitheatre we all were amazed how huge it was.

It is one of the oldest and most beautiful ancient theatre in Anatolia built in 4th century BC during the rule of King Mausolus. The theatre restorated and hosts concerts and activities since 2002.

The theatre is another witness to the great past of Bodrum, and it is one of the best preserved structures of ancient Halikarnassus.

The Bodrum Amphitheatre lies on the road to Gumbet and is used for concerts and shows during the high season, and is also used as part of the September Festival. It is well preserved and we think it is definitely worth a visit. We think if you attend a concert that is has an amazing sound.

So this was our last stop for this day. We returned to our hotel with a normal bus, not a dolmus. So we could go to sleep for our next day in Turkey!

19^th of april

We had a really good sleep and were ready for today! SHOPPING !!!!!!

When we were having a drink in our hotel the first evening we saw an advertisement of a big shopping mall in Bodrum, called MIDTOWN. Today, MIDTOWN was our destination.

MIDTOWN as the biggest fashion and entertainment center of bodrum, bringintogether many new brands, new concepts in a strong shop mix. MIDTOWN is located on the largest zoning scale as 77.500 m2 in Ortakent which is also Bodrum’s central business district, includes many national and international brands, cinema and open-air cinema, childrens playground, café and restaurants. MIDTOWN was an amazing experience to shop where we could enjoy flavors of Turkish and international cuisine as well as shopping and entertainment.

We had an amazing time! Overall we didn't bought a lot of stuff because of our small budget...

20^th of april

Today is our last day in Turkey.. We packed all our stuff in the early morning and made a review about our trip here in Turkey.

So about Bodrum in general..

We thought the views were all absolutely amazing, we took a lot of pictures and wished you could be with us to see it with your own eyes.

The people here are very friendly, they are really nice and are whole-souled. We would recommend you to visit it one day!

We decided to take a boat to Kos wich we had reserved on our first day in Bodrum.There was a bus who brought us all to the port where we took a ferry to Kos!

It was one hour trip, the sun was shining we had our sunglasses on and we were absolutely enjoying the view. It was relaxing and very pleasant ! 

Now we have been arrived in Kos and we will continue our journey from here.

We will see you all very soon!

XOXO Céline Delbecq  

SYRIA

15th of April 2015

SYRIA

We have arrived in Syria, a land in the Middle East, Azia.

Despite they told us not to visit Syria because of all the fights and the war, we decided to go there just for one day. Because of all our preparation for our road trip, we couldn’t leave visiting Syria in our planning.

Syria has 3 international airports. One of them is situated in Damascus, the capital of Syria. Damascus is also one of the best known cities Syria has. And there is a lot of things tourists would want to see.

The country is based on an independent republic. Syrians also attach a lot importance to their believes. Most of the Syrians are Islamite but a few of the others are Christians and Kurds. And that is why there are a lot of fights and discussions with war as result.

Freedom of speech, religion and personal freedom are guaranteed by the constitution, but it’s different in practice and reality. Nevertheless, the law has introduced a new clause with the rule that the president needs to be a Muslim.    

Most of the celebrations in Syria are Islamite. The most important festivity is Ramadan. This one is situated in the period of full moon, but it varies during the time of the year. Through this month everyone fasts between sunrise and sunset. So, If you want to visit the country during this period, you have to be aware of the attitude of most of the people because of their appetite.

Syria is depending on the oil industry  and agriculture. De most important export products are crude oil, refined products, clothing, fruit and cereals. De biggest import of raw products are essential for the industry, cars and (agriculture)machines.

So, enough information about Syria. Time to tell you what we have seen and what we think about this country.

As told before, we have arrived at the airport in Damascus. Because of everyone telling us not to visit Syria, we decided not to stay here longer than just one day. So because of that, we are leaving our stuff at the airport in a safe environment so we don’t have to take care of it all day while visiting the capital.

Because of Damascus is probably the oldest inhabitant capital in the world, there are a few old sights to visit.

First of all we have visited the Big Mosque of Damascus, also known as the Omajjadenmoskee. This is the most important mosque of de Syrian capital, Damascus. It’s important because of the architecture and the religion meaning it has.  

It’s amazing how we saw everything that has been ruined because of the war and then arrive here at the mosque, which is so beautiful and admirable to see. 

It was not allowed to go in there with camera. We also had to put on a black blanket, so only our face was visible. For me personally, it didn’t felt nice. It was like we had to hide who we are. There also was a lot of security on the outside as well as on the inside.

After we had visited the mosque we all decided to go find something to eat. For us, all of the restaurants and tea-rooms looked like they needed a transformation. It was so old and their was a weird smell too. But still, we decided to try the Syrian food.

Most food was based on potatoes, onion, vegetables and meat (cow or sheep). It didn't taste bad, some things were spicy and others weren't at all. But I do prefere other food. 

It was already 4 p.m. when we left the restaurant. There was one particular thing we really had to see before we left Syria: Mount Qasioun. When you stand on the mountain, you can look all over the city of Damascus. It's highest point is 3,776 ft. The mountain has been heavily entrenched with Syrian government forces since the start of the Syrian Civil War.

The view was amazing but yet also heartbreaking. On one side you could see a beautiful city with a lot of buildings agriculture but on the other side we saw a whole village that is ruined by the war. People walking all over their own houses and children  playing all by themselves.

It was hard to see because here in Belgium we don't really know what war means and what the consequences are for the city and buildings. It was heartbreaking but yet fantastic to see.

After that we got into a bus that brought us back to the airport of Damascus so we could leave for Turkey in the night.

So, up to Turkey!

Talk to you later & see you all soon.

XOXO Lien

Sources

http://www.theguardian.com/world/syria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria

IRAQ

13th of April

Today, we arrived in Iraq! Yeeeey???? …

We were only staying here for one day because it’s not safe here for us.

Our guide, Theo, who is also from Belgium, will be with us the whole time when we are here in Iraq. Just for our safety, he already planned our trip in Baghdad. We will visit a mosque, the Swords of Qādisīyah and the National Museum of Iraq. Theo also arranged our sleeping place.

By bus and under high security, we visited the Spiral Minaret of the Great Mosque in Samarra. We climbed the stairs with Theo and enjoyed the wonderful view.

The Great Mosque of Samarra is from the 9^th century. It is one of the most important Islamic architectural monuments.

The mosque was at one time the largest in the world. It was built entirely of brick within a wall flanked with towers, its minaret is a spiraling cone 52 meters high and 33 meters wide, the minaret is called the Malwiya Tower.

The mosque had 17 aisles, and its walls were paneled with mosaics of dark blue glass.

Before we planned our trip to Iraq we looked up some things on the internet about the Great Mosque of Samarra. We founded that the mosque was destroyed after an invasion of Iraq. The only things that remain after the explosion is the outer wall and the minaret. It is very sad that the mosque is damaged, because if you look at the pictures of the mosque from back in the days, it was amazing!

After our visit to the Great Mosque we went back, by bus and again under high security. Because it was a long drive (120km) and because it was not safe here we didn’t go out and stayed in our hotel.

14^th of April

In the morning our guide, Theo, who also slept in our hotel, took care for our little breakfast.

For lunch Theo got to know us the Iraqi cuisine. It was sober but it was delicious.

We ate Qeema. Qeema is a flavorful meat dish. It’s minced lamb or goat with mostly peas or potatoes but for us it was served over rice.

After our lunch we went to see the Swords of Qādisīyah.

It’s a huge pair of triumphal arches. They celebrate the alleged victory over Iran. Because of our safety we just passed by with our bus. The swords were huge and I think it would look nice if we could take a picture with it but unfortunately..

After seeing the swords we wanted to visit the National Museum of Iraq.

So we tried, but unfortunately the museum was only open for special occasions. While we were standing in front of the museum Theo told us everything about it. Before the Iraq war, the museum had a huge collection. It tells the history of all human civilization, the show the development of everything like hunting, art, law, …

Theo also showed us some pictures. We were really disappointed that we couldn’t visit the museum because it looked very interesting!

So, after that we drove to the airport were we took an airplane to Syria.

We will keep you posted! See you all soon!

XOXO Céline Delbecq

IRAN

10th  of April

After months of planning, our trip can finally begin!

The adventure began at Brussels Airport, 5 girls ready to push their boundaries and explore a world full of different cultures.

I have to admit we were all a bit nervous about our first stop in Iran. And I don’t think I have to explain why …

But with the help of Foreign Affairs we went up to the challenge. We chose to visit Isfahan, Iran’s third largest city after Tehran and Mashhad.

As we arrived we had to be very discrete and we couldn’t take pictures. Also our blog will be checked by the security services so I hope I can publish this blog before we leave for Iraq.

11th  of April

Today we went to the Naghsh-e Jahan Square with our guide Aram, this is one of the largest squares in the world and is designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Unfortunately we couldn’t take any pictures because of a demonstration.

After our visit to the Naghsh-e Jahan Square, Aram took us to a little ‘restaurant’ of one of his brothers so we could get acquainted with traditional cuisine. My favorite was Fesenjan, it’s a dish from pomegranate molasses and ground walnuts cooked with chicken, duck, lamb or beef and they serve it with rice. Delicious is an understatement!

In the afternoon we went to visit the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, an architectural masterpiece. Aram told us the mosque was built between 1603 and 1619 and I was stunned by the beauty of the colours.

We choose to stay here a little bit longer, just to admire the atmosphere. It was so calm and breath taking. We couldn’t leave without sitting there just a few more minutes in peace and quiet.

After that, we hadn’t much time left, so we decided to say goodbye to our guide, Aram. Because tomorrow we have to catch our plane early in the morning.

12th  of April

Today we are leaving. We are all very happy that we had te courage to visit Iran.

We will keep you updated! 

XOXO Hannelore



Rescources: 

• http://diplomatie.belgium.be/nl/Diensten/Op_reis_in_het_buitenland/reisadviezen/azie/iran/ra_iran.jsp
•  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naqsh-e_Jahan_Square
•  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Lotfollah_Mosque