Istanbul, Turkey

Outside Hagia Sophia (the FIRST solely Christian church). We're both gross from a 10 hour bus ride. I was STARVING (seriously, I thought my stomach was gonna eat itself) but for some reason Joyce wasn't... maybe she's become accustomed to the greek tradition of no breakfast???

Grand Bazaar - crazy shopping!!! LOADS of fake stuff. Its the kind of place you have to barter at, which I STINK at doing =)

Inside the Patriarchate - apparently where the Pope-like person of Istanbul lives...

Dino with our tea (turkish, orange, apple) at the super sweet outdoor cafe we stumbled upon...everyone plays backgammon in greece and turkey. I sort of learned but I stink... =/

Joyce with the MASSIVE PITA @ Emek Saray (our FIRST Turkish meal) Seriously, isn't that thing ginormous!? It's like as big as she is!!!

I love this picture of Istanbul... =) In front of the University of Istanbul.

What else? We visited the Sultanahmetiblue (Blue) Mosque, ate a TON of Karisak Tost (toast with Turkish salami type stuff and cheese... SOO GOOD!), and went to the Hippodrome where we saw the obelisk of Theodosius, the serpentine column, and the German Fountain of Wilhelm II. We also crossed the Galata Bridge where tons of older guys stand and fish for these itty bitty fish that look pretty unappetizing and we were able to RANDOMLY attend this leather fashion show which was... interesting??? On an entirely separate note, turkish delights are AWESOME and turkish baklava is better than greek baklava (they're less honey-y and more nutty).

All in all the trip to Istanbul was really good =). I wish I'd researched a little more ahead of time but it worked out well. Besides, I think I really needed a break where I could just sit back and soak everything in without feeling pressured to see everything for a change.

Insanely tired...
Hannah =)

Thessaloniki, Greece + JOYCE!!! =)

So apparently the garbage people went on strike...

Joyce and me by a buncha OLD rocks

B-E-A-UUUTIFUL!!!

Joyce with a gyro (officially pronounced gyeee-ro)

Dino, Me, Joyce, outside the Rotunda (made in the THIRD century)

the monstrosity they call crepes in greece. strawberry, banana, nutella.... yummmm =)

Joyce and I sat on this Old Walls that protected Greece and watched the sunset... ahhh, so romantic! haha =)

What else? Visiting Thessaloníki's patron saint's church (St. Domitrius), the MESMERIZING water (sorry no pic, but pics really don't do it justice), our 10 euro ALL YOU CAN eat greek meal, our homemade kimbap dinner, ble pizza and dessert, trekking all the way up the old walls, admiring the Rotunda, Kamera arch, gyro's from The Best (really, that's what its called!) all the stray dogs, and most importantly, the CRAZY BLUE SKIES!!!!

But I gotta say, none of the stuff above compared to seeing the amazing JOYCE B. OH!!!! =) Thanks Joyce for an AWESOME week!!!!

Missing everyone mucho...
Hannah =)

Tower of London

On the way, we witnessed a protest against the Scientology center around my school. Notice the V for Vendetta masks?

The Chapel inside the Tower of London... the light shining through made it really pretty, especially since it was a dreary day.

Juliet and Me in one of the prisoner towers... =)

In front of one of the prettiest cannons I've ever seen... not that I've seen that many...

Juliet pointing at the ravens (in the black cage). Legend has it that if there are any less than 6 ravens kept in the Tower of London, the fortress and monarchy will fall. Its actually a royal decree to have 7 ravens at all times.

White Tower (foreground: holds the Royal Armouries collection) and Waterloo Block (background: home to the Crown Jewels)

Sorry there isn't an actual picture of the entire fortress but the thing is simply too big! The fortress is made of up over twenty towers in addition to several mounts, memorials, and other sites. My entire day flew by exploring everything. Its actually a bit creepy to walk around the towers people were held prisoners in and reading their etchings into the walls. Not to mention seeing replications of the torture devices they used on people. Its quite amazing to see this historic place so well preserved and in the midst contemporary London. I think that's actually one of my favorite things about being here, seeing the juxtaposition (haha... SAT word) of history and modern culture everywhere.

School is OVER in less than a week.... crazy.

Extra... GIFT
Remember this???

-H

London Eye

Pretty...

More pretty...

London Eye Capsules...

Bro, Dad, Me...

I don't even know... =)

Browski and me...

Ok, so I can't lie, the London Eye is definitely worth the hype. On a clear night like last night, you get to see London in all its glory! Only bad part is that it only lasts for half an hour... =( Now I get to say that I've been on the world's second (thanks gerald =P) largest ferris wheel!

Both my dad and brother left today. I have to say, the past week was AH-MA-ZINGGGG to see familiar faces and act completely free. THANKS BROWSKI and DAD!

A little something extra...
Christian Umbrella Remix

-H

Frankfurt, Germany

Dates: March 6 to March 9

In the land of BMW police cars...

... and Mercedes taxis (they were the norm, NOT the exception)

Romer... "old" Frankfurt. cool eh??

Bro and Me in front of the Alte Oper

THE BEST street performers I've EVER heard....

Me and Dad at Seoul Korean Restaurant. Yes, we traveled to Germany and got Korean food =)

Frankfurt flea market... I realize, I love markets. Notice the weird trees? They were EVERYWHERE...

Sausages and meat on the brilliant grill contraption! It was DELISH!! =)

Bro, Dad, Me, Invisible Mom (Umma, that space is for you!) at the Palmengarten

Frankfurt was great. I don't think we needed 3 full days there (2 will do) but I loved walking around. The city itself isn't too big so you can get from one side to another relatively quickly. I probably visited like 10+ museums while I was there because they have soo many! My dad and bro weren't so keen on that part but we all loved the Palmengarten, walking around Zeil Street (shopping district), and taking the boat along the River Main. Oh! And all of us were AMAZED by how many nice cars there were! Maseratis, Porsches, Aston Martins... not to mention the ROWS of Mercedes taxis lining the streets.

Words to remember: infatuated and preparation

Missing you all...
- H

Randy Pausch

Be humbled by this man....
Take 11 mins to put life into some major perspective.

Randy Pausch

Picnic at Regents Park + Madame Tussauds + Tate Modern + St. Pauls Cathedral

Regents Park: isn't that INCREDIBLE???

Browski with his Greggs wrap... WE HEART GREGGS!!!! (best bakery I've found)

Madame Tussauds: Bro and Nicole Kidman

MT: My interview with Oprah... =)

MT: Muhammad Ali and Bro... he's so mature =P

Me and Van Gogh... Audrey, this was for you but while I was uploading I realized you liked Monet, not Van Gogh. But its the thought that counts, right??? =)

Brother with the London Paper on the Millennium Bridge in front of the Tate Modern

Bro and Me... St. Pauls Cathedral in the background.

Yesterday was insane! My brother and I were literally out for 12+ hours!!! Plus my lectures in the morning. But it was well worth it... =)

I totally thought Madame Tussauds was gonna be overrated lame-ness but it actually ended up being super fun! (Note to future self: don't get so caught up in the pictures that you forget to actually appreciate how AMAZING the wax models are!) Hope you enjoy a few of the HUNDREDS of pictures we took.... =)

After walking through East London for the day we ended up WAY North for dinner at Andy and Sie-Yan's (the young adult couple that lead 20/20). It was sooo nice to eat a home cooked delicious-ness, not to mention the great company.

My dad comes in t-minus 6 hours...

Until next time,
Hannah =)

Markets... and HTB

Brick Lane Market... this is just fruit, but they sell THE MOST random combination of stuff

taking a break near Spitalfields...

New Spitalfield Market food stalls... yummmmmm =)

Brother at Old Spitalfield Market...

Pizza Express for lunch...

Holy Trinity Brompton church... prettttttyyyyy =)

Out all day: Brick Lane Market, Old Spitalfield Market, New Spitalfield Market, Pizza Express, Harrods, shopping on Brompton Road, HTB, home... midnight McDonalds run =)

Showing my brother around really makes realize how much I've settled in here. It's nice to know the area well enough to show him around! But it also makes me realize how little time I have left here... so much left to do!

Tired... =)
-H

BROTHER + Greenwich

BROTHER IN LONDON!!! seconds after meeting him.
I gotta admit, I was soooo happy to seen him!!! =)

FOOD!!! Thanks Umma!!! Mothers are THE best!!! The WHOLE suitcase was FOOD!!!

City Cruise down the Thames River...

Browski and Me in front of Tower Bridge

Brother and the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich

The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Navel College (Greenwich)... breathtaking...

Chapel at the Old Royal Naval College (Greenwich)... stunning...

Browski and Me at the Naval College
I promise we're not matching on purpose! =)

So I actually thought my brother was coming yesterday (friday) but turns out he left friday and arrived saturday... oops! =) Regardless, it was awesome seeing him! He got in pretty early so we dropped off his stuff and made our way towards the Thames, got on a tour boat, and spent the day in Greenwich. Devoured traditional fish n' chips (delish!) for lunch, toured the market, and went around the town (National Maritime Museum, The Queen's House (idk why they call it that bc she doesn't live there... =/), and the Old Royal Naval College). Great day AND I got to do stuff I havn't done yet!

Cheers!
- H