Science Fair in Turkey!

It doesn't matter where you go to school, it seems like at some point you will be required to participate in a science fair.  Today the fourth grade students showcased their science projects.  They were done in Turkish, but I had a lot of fun going to each project and asking the students to tell me about their projects in English.  It really brings me back to those good old elementary school days.  Here's a few cute pictures from the day...

This scientist works solo and created all his posters about different types of pollution.  He also kept track of how many kids listened to his presentation and kept me informed on the tally :)

All about frogs....not limited to, but including frog life cycle t-shirts, frog hats, model of a frog's habitat, and two real live frogs!

If this kid looks like a genius, it's because he is....he told me about all different types of rocks and what they are used for. In perfect English, amazing!

Project about the moon, including a replica of the moon's surface and a really cool rocket poster.  

The solar system girls....models and information about each planet, and trying to outdo the frog pair with their matching solar system t-shirts and headbands!

BFFs who did their project on physical and chemical changes.  They attracted lots of spectators who got to dip marshmallows into melted chocolate!

These two boys, and maybe future science teachers, had lots of cool little experiments to show different ways how to separate particles.  Completely adorable how they modeled the experiments for the younger kids, they got my vote for best project

Strolling Through Athens

Nate and I arrived in Athens on a Monday, after the shortest international flight I will likely ever take (only one hour from Izmir to Athens).  After the success of using the iRhodes travel app in Rhodes, I had been looking for other walking tour apps for some of the places we were visiting this time in Greece.  The best option I could find was actually free--Rick Steves' audio guides.  You can download the app and from there download any of the walking tours for the places you are visiting.  I highly recommend this as a convenient and FREE way for getting to know a new city and to learn some important background information.  Rick provides enough background information to make it meaningful, but not enough to overload and bore (Nate and I got to know Rick Steves so well on this trip, that we just started referring to him by first name only).  The first audio tour we did was a walking tour of Athens.  Rick got us acclimated with the city center of Athens and offered us a small dose of the history and sights we would later explore in depth.  We started off close to our hotel near Syntagma Square, which is where the present parliament building is in Athens.  We arrived just in time to see the famous changing of the guards, with their funny walk and outrageous uniforms.  

New guards walking up

Slowly and deliberately walking away.

The guards have to stand still without smiling until the next change, amongst tourists trying to make them laugh and taking their photos.  I learned that there are 400 pleats in their skirt, one pleat for each year of occupation under the Ottomans.  

Standing stoic, even when some clown tries to take his photo with him

From Syntagma Square, we walked along a pedestrian walkway filled with shops and cafes.  Amongst all the H&Ms and shoe shops was a little Byzantine Orthodox church in the middle of the street.

The first of many Orthodox churches Nate and I would see in Greece

One of the most interesting aspects about Athens for me was how the different parts of it's history have come together to create the city it is today.  Throughout the city, there are different archaeological spots where scientists are still digging, as well as site from the Classical and Byzantine periods.  Our tour brought us to a large cathedral that was largely under construction and had been since the 1980s.  Next to it was a small Orthodox church that was built using pieces of ruins from other buildings.

A mish mash little Orthodox church

We kept on following Rick's instructions and made our way to a busy street filled with cars and huge busses.  Athens used to have the reputation as one of the most polluted cities in Europe, but in the past 20 years it has started to clean that up.  One way they have done that is to limit the days Athenians can drive their cars (even numbered plates get one day, odd numbered plates the other day).  We crossed the busy street to see the large and impressive looking Hadrian's gate and Temple of Zeus.

Hadrian's Gate

You can find evidence of the Roman emperor Hadrian all over Athens.  He loved everything about Greek culture and commissioned many structures to be built in the classical Greek style.

Massive columns of the Temple of Zeus

Rick brought us closer to the big Acropolis rock, which looms over the city of Athens, to my favorite part of the tour.  We started walking up one of the little narrow side streets that winds it's way up to the top of the Acropolis.  This neighborhood is called the Plaka.  The inhabitants came here from one of the Greek islands and have been here ever since.  Walking through this little maze of a street was like being on one of the Greek islands....except you are on the Acropolis rock in the middle of Athens.  Nate and I came back to the Plaka one night for an awesome evening of Greek food, wine, music, and dancing.

Little houses under the Acropolis

Just in case we should get lost...

Narrow little streets!

The little street wound us back around to the other side of the rock, where we saw another example of an ancient site in the middle of Athens, the old Roman forum.

Aerial view of the Roman forum

Acropolis at twilight

As dorky as we might be, we really enjoyed the little walking tour with turn by turn directions.  It gave us a pretty good bearing of the city center and we didn't even get lost the rest of the time we were there.  Although it isn't evident in these photos, even the city center was filled with empty buildings and graffiti, likely signs of the hard economic depression and protests that have taken place over the past several years at the parliament building.  But scattered throughout the city are some great little gems and it certainly made for a nice place to visit and stay for a while.

Pamukkale and Hieropolis

For the two-week semester break at the end of January/beginning of February, Nate flew back to Turkey and we embarked on an epic historical two-week tour.  We met in Izmir, Turkey to go see an UNESCO site, the travertines at Pamukkale.  Nate made it all the way to Izmir from Minneapolis, but unfortunately his luggage did not.  When we left the hotel to go see Pamukkale, we weren't sure if his bags would make it.  But we didn't let that get in the way of having an awesome day at Pamukkale.

The travertines at Pamukkale were formed by carbonate minerals from hot flowing water.  Tourists are allowed to walk along the travertines, but shoes are not allowed.  Pamukkale translates into "cotton castle" in Turkish, and that really is the best way to describe how it looks from a distance.  Nate and I took off our shoes and walked along the slippery travertines, trying to find the hot pools to keep our feet warm on a chilly day.  In warmer summer months, you can actually go swimming in the pools of the travertines.  While we would have liked some warmer weather, it was great to be able to get some photos without hundreds of other people in them.

Panorama of the travertines at Pamukkale

The Cotton Castle

Keeping my feet warm in the hot pools!

Behind the travertines are the ruins of the ancient Roman city, Hierapolis.  Excavations are still taking place to unearth ruins from this ancient city.  It was originally chosen as a site for a city because of the thermal pools that are believed to have healing powers.  

What remains of the main road of Hierapolis

Theater with a reconstructed stage featuring Greek gods

The sun comes out for a little while at Hierapolis...

When we got back to Izmir, we were relieved to discover that Nate's bags had turned up and that we could pick them up at the airport the next day when before we flew to Athens.  We enjoyed an awesome seafood dinner in the Alsancak district of Izmir, and washed it down with some raki and baklava!

Relieved he doesn't have to buy a new Turkish wardrobe!

Cologne Christmas Markets

In mid-December, my friend Donna and I took a long weekend trip to Cologne, Germany to visit some Christmas markets.  We chose Cologne because we could catch a Friday night late flight from Adana and get to Cologne by about 2:30 a.m.  On Saturday morning, we woke up and immediately went in search of a great breakfast joint where we could find some bacon!  If only we knew what kinds of delicious food would be awaiting us at the Christmas markets.  Thanks to some very nice Germans who worked at the Cologne Starbucks, we found our way to the city center and bought a Christmas market train ticket that would take us to three markets that day.  

Cute Christmas train that took us around to the markets

Donna and I thoroughly enjoyed all of the markets that we visited.  The first one had a gnome theme, with little gnome mugs to drink your gluhwein from.  I thought of my good friend Chelsey Kornetzke the entire time and how she would have died and been in gnome heaven :) Each market had different types of Christmas knick knacks, food, and of course delicious, hot gluhwein.  To say that I overdid it on food, drinks, and knick knacks would be an understatement (see photo at the end of all my purchases).  We were lucky to have decent weather for the day, staying warm enough with our winter gear and a hot drink in our hands.  Here are some photos of the first market:

Christmas Gnome Market!  

Keeping the gluhwein flowing!

Hand painted ornaments at the market

The next market the train took us to was by the chocolate museum.  Of course, we had to go in the gift shop and buy some treats and gifts for our teachers and friends back in Tarsus.  This market wasn't quite as good as the gnome one, but we still managed to find our mugs and eat some more sausages!

Cologne Chocolate Museum

We took the train back to the city center and to one of the bigger markets in Cologne, the one by the big cathedral.  This was a really great market to be at night, as there were beautiful lights, music, and plenty of options for food and drink.  I loved hearing the live Christmas music and being able to enjoy the backdrop of the big Cologne cathedral as well.

Cologne cathedral all lit up at night, one of the only buildings in the city not destroyed in WWII

Entrance to the Cathedral Christmas market

Huge tree and lights!

Enjoying some live Christmas music

The place to be on a Saturday night

The next day, we enjoyed our breakfast at the angel Christmas market.  At this market, we found some awesome curried sausage, spiked egg nog, homemade cookies, gouda cheese, and more ornaments and knick knacks.

Another great day at the Cologne markets!

Angel mugs at the market

In addition to the markets, we also stopped at one of the Kolsch beer houses.  True Kolsch beer comes from Cologne, and from what I could see, it was the only kind of beer that you could buy there.  It is served in small glasses and the server will continue bringing them to you until you put your coaster on top of your glass!  With all the hot gluhwein and kolsch beer, I did not think I would be able to find anything better....until Donna and I returned to the gnome market and found this spiked hot apple cider...absolutely delicious!

Apple cider with apple brandy = tasty!!!

Cute quartet singing carols

Brass group blasting some Christmas jams

On our way back to where we were staying, we stopped at one more market close by that was in a park by a fortress in the city.  We got our last mug and last opportunities for German food and drinks.  I feel so lucky to be able to have gone to a Christmas market, as I know it is highly unlikely I will ever do this again.  If you ever find yourself over in Europe for the holidays, I recommend checking out a market or two (or five, if you are like me!).  It was awesome to be able to get this dose of Christmas, which we don't get in Turkey.  And it made me excited to return to Germany in April with my parents to do more traveling in the Munich/Bavarian region!

Big plate of sauerkraut, sausage, and cabbage.  Washed down with some gluhwein and that's satisfaction!

Last market of the trip

All the gifts and knick knacks purchased!  Success!