Traveling Turkey (Part II)

(Village of Sirince, near Ephesus)

With the help of a travel agent recommended by our friend, we booked a six-day side trip from Istanbul down to the Mediterranean coast.

Again, we relied mostly on public transit to get us from place to place--taking planes, trains, and automobiles. We rented a car for a short while but gas is extremely expensive in Turkey so we didn't drive ourselves the whole time. At moments we were glad to be at the mercy of bus drivers who knew their way around windy mountainous roads; other times--like the five hour bus ride I spent next to a really stinky chain smoker who kept making smacking noises with his mouth--I would have rather been walking to my next destination.

Each place we visited was like a different country in itself, with varying geography, climate, culture and people.

(Breakfast at the Nisanyan Houses--yum!)

The Nisanyan Houses in Sirince (a small village on a mountain above the ruins at Ephesus) was a pleasant surprise. While the ride up the side of the mountain on the minibus was terrifying, and the hike up to the hotel strenuous, it was a beautiful little retreat up there. They also had the best breakfast ever with fresh fruit, jams, bread, olives, and cheese.

("The Library," ruins at Ephesus)
(Pamukkale; looks like snow and ice, but it's warm mineral pools you can walk in)

Our next stop to see the calcium pools of Pamukkale was by far our most difficult excursion. The buses going to/from were few and far between. The Richmond Hotel was hot, stuffy and outdated, and the people there only seemed to view tourists as big, walking dollar signs. The ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis and the "cotton castle" were very cool sites, it's just too bad everything around them was not.

(Ancient tombs at Hierapolis in Pamukkale)

We quickly discovered that the Turkish coastline is a major summer destination for England; local workers told us it's rare to see American's there. We enjoyed our time at the Kano Hotel on the river in Dalyan and at The Oyster Residences right on the beach in Olu Deniz. These were our couple days of "relaxation," though Tommie might still be scarred by our walk (that quickly became a sprint for fear of blistering) on the scorching hot sand which he likens to walking across hot coals. I guess that enjoying our swim in the calm, warm sea water could be considered our reward.

(River boat taking people to the beach in Dalyan; above are ancient tombs carved into the cliff)
(Driving down to Olu Deniz)

Traveling Turkey (Part 1)

Our honeymoon to Turkey may not have been what most would consider a "relaxing" retreat after marriage, but that's not really what we were going for. We wanted to travel, to experience something completely new, and have an adventure together. It was our first trip abroad together and it was very cool.

Bridge from Europe to Asia ( from our balcony in Ortakoy)

We began our journey in Istanbul. A kind friend let us borrow her "townhouse" in Ortakoy (just north of downtown Istanbul) which had a large balcony that proved to be a spectacular spot for people-watching, enjoying the breezes from the Bosphorus River, watching the bridge from Europe to Asia illuminate at night, and hearing the Islamic call to prayer from the mosque next door (this, however, lost some of it charm when it woke us up each night at 4:45 a.m. Note the megaphones...which were right outside our bedroom window).
During our stay in the city, we managed to find our way around the public transit systems and get to all the major sites (mostly via bus and tram). Be warned, those bus rides are not for the faint of heart--how there is not an accident every five seconds defies all logic.

Below are some highlights from our time in Istanbul. More to come from our travels to other parts of Turkey.

Topkapi Palace

Blue Mosque

Haghia SophiaIn the new district by the Galata Tower
Underground Cistern
Ferry down the Bosphorus
The Spice Market

Merhaba Istanbul

As my sister says, "Who honeymoon's in Turkey!? You're supposed to go to Hawaii or the Bahamas--you're so weird."

Our reason for choosing Turkey (Istanbul, mainly) is because we wanted to go somewhere abroad, and a mentor/friend from the college Tommie and I attended owns a place where we can stay. It is funny though how life leads you down certain strange paths.

As a person who has always loved words, particularly words that are fun to say, I remember learning about Constantinople in elementary school and thinking I'd like to go there someday because it sounds cool. This was long before I understood that Constantinople is modern Istanbul; long before I knew Tommie, or what college I'd attend, and long before we knew a woman who owns a house in "Constantinople."

Just like planning a cross-country road trip to San Diego for class in 8th grade, six years before my family moved there, maybe I sensed that someday I'd have an opportunity to travel to Turkey. Or, like my sister says, maybe we're just weird. Either way, we're about to embark on an interesting journey. Here goes!

Wedding Vendors

When Tommie and I first got engaged, we didn't have a wedding destination in mind. We took road trips far north, researched places online in the far south, and then we came across everything we were looking for in the Seacoast area of New Hampshire.

Tommie's dad, Don Watson, was our main photographer for the day and captured a lot of great shots! Several of his photos appear below.

Our welcome dinner took place on the enclosed deck at Warren's Lobster House in Kittery, ME. It was a casual, fun place to meet up as everyone arrived and enjoyed some New England seafood as well as the giant salad bar.

We chose to have our ceremony in the beautiful and intimate Fuller Gardens in Northampton, NH; perfect for a smallish wedding of up to 70 people.
Our titanium wedding bands were made by Minter & Richter Designs, Boston-based artists I came across on Etsy.com
Five-minutes down the road from the gardens in Hampton, NH is The Victoria Inn which has a cute covered pavilion in back. This meant I didn't have to rent an expensive, ugly tent--score! My family also had a place to crash at the Inn.
I ordered my dress online from a knock-off shop called Maryann Bridal to save money, and then had it fixed up at Alterations by Rosa in Salem, Mass. because she had fantastic reviews on Yelp.com
I was lucky enough to stumble upon my awesome day-of planner, JennieDee of Diamond and Pearl Affairs, on Craigslist. With the help of her planning friend, Tracy, they kept the whole day running smoothly so I could enjoy it.

Our reception food came from our favorite East Coast Mexican restaurant, Loco Coco's in Kittery, ME. They don't offer catering services, but they worked with us to deliver buffet pans full of flavorful food to our party. BML Catering based in Manchester, NH helped staff the evening.

Wild Orchid Baking Company in Northampton, NH made the cute lemon and vanilla cupcakes.
Lamie's Inn and Old Salt Restaurant provided lodging for Tommie's family and had an impressive and delicious Sunday brunch that many of us attended.

There are a lot of decisions to make when it comes to planning your own wedding. This process was daunting for two Libras, but we made it through and were so pleased with how it all turned out.

CSA Soup

Sometimes we get so many vegetables from our CSA we don't know what to do with them. Now that we have a dutch oven, we decided to throw them all into a garden soup, then we took pictures because we thought our Asian bowls and spoons were cute.
We used carrots, cabbage, onions, scallions, garlic, pinto beans, potatoes, egg noodles, and chicken stock (we're not used to being completely vegetarian).

Our Wedding

images from www.coast2coastimages.com

I'm happy to report wedding day success!

All the planning, organizing, and countless hours on Craigslist and Ebay paid off in what amounted to a marriage celebration that truly felt like a reflection of "us." It was real, it was cute, it was natural, it was with our closet friends and family who have been with us for many years. There were no catastrophes, no major meltdowns, and on top of that, it was a beautifully warm and sunny day! New England weather finally came through! Since we planned the bulk of this wedding ourselves, I totally think we earned that.

The gardens were absolutely beautiful. Tommie's Dad took some fantastic shots (as exhibited in this blog), and our second shooter was very creative and patient as she followed me around the garden making me pose all over the place for pictures. ..ok, so maybe the truth is she had to basically ask me to stop posing.

Even Maya (the dog of honor) and all the kids were attentive and well-behaved. I was very proud. The reception that followed went smoothly with the help of our awesome day-of planner. We got to eat our favorite east coast Mexican food, catch up with old friends, and dance (though Tommie could use some new dance moves). There was fun, there was laughter, and of course, a lot of pictures to remember it all.

I'll post more details about our vendors soon for anyone considering a wedding in New Hampshire or the surrounding area.