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    Daytrip to Beypazari

    Yesterday, four of my friends and I visited Beypazarı to do some Christmas shopping. Beypazarı is about 60 miles northwest of Ankara. We took a dolmuş to ANKAmall and then caught the Beypazarı bus under the overpass.

    The little town was so cute! I loved the white and brown houses and cobblestone streets:

     

    Beypazarı streets

     

    One of the things Beypazarı is known for is its carrots. We saw several carrot juice stands. I didn’t try any, but I love the carrots in Turkey – they’re a lot sweeter than the carrots in the States.

     

    Beypazarı carrot juice

     

    By the time we finally got there we were super hungry, so we grabbed a quick lunch. We had a little room to ourselves. It felt so good to get in from the cold!

     

    Lunch in Beypazarı

     

    I ordered tarhana soup to warm up and a speciality of Beypazari called güveci. Güveci is lamb mixed with rice, some veggies, and spices.

     

    Guveji lunch

     

    While we ate our lunch, it started snowing outside. It was the first snow we had seen this winter! It started snowing lightly, but then the flakes got bigger and bigger and the snow came down faster and faster.

     

    Exploring Beypazarı with friends

     

    I think it was one of the first snows of the season in Beypazarı. Kids came out to play and throw snowballs and all of the Turkish shopkeepers were in a good mood. It was so beautiful and kind of magical! We didn’t get much snow in Turkey last year. I felt like I was home in Michigan crunching along in the snow.

     

    Leah in the snow in Beypazarı

     

    Aside from checking out shops and stopping for some çay and baklava, we didn’t explore a lot since it was so cold. I’d love to go back when it’s warmer out! There were a lot of empty street stands that I’m sure are overflowing with beautiful produce in the warmer months.

     

    Carrots in Beypazarı

     

    A few travel notes if you’re in Anakra: the Beypazari bus comes on the hour near ANKAmall. The ride one way costs 9TL and it took a little over an hour and a half to get there.

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    Istanbul Marathon

    Running a marathon was something that was on my never-to-do bucket list… then I gained 30 pounds.

    Before we moved to Turkey, I only dabbled in running. The summer we moved overseas, I was near 210 pounds at 5′ 9″… and by near I mean greater than or equal to.

    After we moved to Turkey, I started losing weight primarily from the change in diet (smaller restaurant portions/less preservatives/fresher produce). To complement this, I decided to start running again. I soon realized that when I stopped running, so did my metabolism. Before last year, running was never something I loved and it is still difficult to motivate myself. It is a small price to pay to keep healthy.

    I am goal and statistics oriented. I think that is why the Nike+ app was such a motivator for me. I loved tracking my average pace and how I compared to others my age. I also loved logging personal records. As my running strength and endurance grew, I became interested in long distance. In the spring, I experimented with several long runs to see my pace, including several ten milers and a half marathon. Sometime around then I decided to participate in the İstanbul Marathon. I thought it would be a good challenge to encourage me to run.

    After a couple of minor injuries last spring, I spent a lot of the summer biking and trying to keep my metabolism going without the high impact on my legs. However, the marathon was always in the back of my mind. When we came back to Ankara in August, I started running again.

    It took me a while to register for the marathon. I actually started training for it before I registered. I don’t know why I held back. I think I secretly hoped I wouldn’t have to run it. I finally registered and made travel reservations, so I was committed.

    Training was difficult and unlike anything I’ve experienced before. I was running 40+ miles some weeks. At times, I despised running. It cut into my schedule and school become more stressful, not to mention I was helping coach men’s volleyball through several weeks of training. I found myself trying to come up with excuses not to run the marathon, but they were ruled invalid each time.

    There were two key people that encouraged me throughout my training. A dad of one of my students has run multiple marathons and Iron Man competitions. He gave me a lot of encouragement and taught me exercises to help prevent injury when I had some weak spots in my legs. I credit a lot of my race technique and injury prevention to him. The second person that encouraged me throughout training was Leah. I knew that she wouldn’t let me give up. Three weeks before the race, I had my longest training run and was super nervous. I had burned out on my long run the week previous and I had resorted to walking. Leah’s encouragement helped me work through this tough time in training when I was about to give up.

    Fast forward three weeks and I was in Istanbul with Leah and friends. We stopped by the marathon expo where I picked up my number, shoe chip, and race bag. There were several vendors and booths. I even ran into the dad previously mentioned and he helped talk me out of some pre-race jitters.

     

    Marathon Expo

     

    There were two of us running the marathon and two that ran the 15k:

     

    15K and Marathon runners

     

    Leah and three of our friends registered for the fun run. As you can see, they were really enthused about getting their numbers:

     

    Fun Runners

     

    The morning of the race was crazy. We lined up in Sultanahmet Square to get on buses that shuttled us to the start of the race. I feel like I had a higher risk of injury getting on the bus than the actual marathon. People climbed and clawed onto the bus like rabid cattle.

    Finally at the starting line, we made last minute preparations and paused for a few pics.

     

    Shoe chips

     

    We met up with one of our Turkish friends and spent some time getting pumped up together:

     

    Runners

     

    The place was hustling and bustling. There were vendors selling çay (Turkish tea) and coffee:

     

    Crowd at the race start

     

    Other vendors sold simit (Turkish bagel):

     

    Simit bread

     

    Leah decided to support our home state by wearing her Michigan Awesome shirt during the fun run:

     

    Michigan Awesome TShirt

     

    The Istanbul Marathon is the only trans-continental marathon. We all crossed over the Bosphorus Bridge from Asia to Europe.

     

    Bosphorus Bridge

     

    Bosphorus Bridge

     

    Here’s Leah with the Welcome to Europe sign:

     

    Welcome to Europe sign

     

    While I spent the next four and half hours running in the marathon, Leah and our friends enjoyed the beautiful sights of the fun run and the trek to the marathon finish line. They even stopped for milkshakes and coffee.

     

    Istanbul Marathon

     

    Galata

     

    My goal was to finish the race. I relaxed and didn’t push too hard my first 15 miles, then tried to pick up the pace for the last half. At about 30 kilometers, I was pushing about all I could. I am quite pleased to say I did not walk as much as I thought I would, probably less than a quarter mile (I know I keep switching between metric and standard – such is international life). I knew that I had given almost everything when I thought about the finish line and almost started bawling. As I drew nearer to the finish, the cheering crowd grew thicker and I pushed harder.

    I ended up finishing on a dead sprint, passing several people in the last three hundred meters. I think I finally realized how close I was and the adrenaline gave me an incredible rush. I heard Leah and my friends calling my name and took off:

     

    David and his medal

     

    At the marathon finish

     

    The relieving beep of the chip being detected and my name being announced over the loudspeakers was almost more than I could bear. I had done it. I finished my first marathon. I was excited, covered with salt (see above), and exhausted.

     

    David's Marathon Certificate

     

    I had a lot of fun at the marathon and enjoyed the challenge. There were times where I felt like giving up. I remember praying throughout the race that I would have the strength to finish.

    I can honestly say that I plan to keep on running. I may not always enjoy the training, but the end result is definitely worth it. I think this race will encourage me in future situations, both athletic and not.

    Philippians 3:12–14.

    You can search my name on the Istanbul Marathon results page to see my time splits and stats!

     

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    Ireland Part 5: Kilkenny and Dublin

    After a night in Cork, we headed back east. We made a stop in Kilkenny and saw the castle. (Photography was not allowed inside.) Much of the Kilkenny Castle had been restored. I don’t watch the show, but our friend said it was very Downton Abbey. The art gallery was especially impressive.

     

    Kilkenny Castle entrance

     

    Kilkenny Castle

     

    There was a beautiful rose garden in back:

     

     

    Kilkenny Rose Garden

     

    Roses

     

    After touring through the castle, we grabbed a quick lunch at the farmers market then headed back to Dublin. We had two nights left of our trip. We didn’t do much the first night, and we all had different places in Dublin we wanted to see on Friday.

    Friday ended up being our only rain day, which made it perfect for checking out museums. David and I tried to go to the National Decorative Arts and History museum, but we found out we were on the wrong side of town. We stopped into the National Museum of Archeology instead. Entrance was free, which was great. We saw artifacts from 7000BC and learned about the bog areas of Ireland. They had several petrified bodies that were found in the bogs – creepy!

     

    Dublin Archeology Musem

     

    After the museum, we met up with our friends at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. St. Patrick’s was rebuilt in the early thirteenth century:

     

    St. Patrick Cathedral

     

    It was huge and incredible and beautiful. There was so much to see inside.

     

    St. Patrick Cathedral stained glass

     

    Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels, is buried there:

     

    Jonathan Swift grave

     

    We stayed  to hear the Choral Evensong and I’m so glad we did. The voices and acoustics were just beautiful. It was a nice time to sit and pray and praise God.

    The cathedral is a magnificent work of architecture and I can’t imagine the time and labor that was required to build it. It’s interesting how these beautiful structures were created to be houses of God. And while I think workmanship and reverence can please God, what a joy it is to know that He cannot be housed by anything created by man! Church is not a structure, but the people. He is anywhere that two or three gather and his Spirit is with His people.

    So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” –2 Corinthians 4:18

     

    stainedglass

     

    We had one more night in Dublin and returned to Ankara the next day. We had such a wonderful time in Ireland and are so thankful for the opportunities we have to travel!

     

    » Ireland Part 1: Dublin
    » Ireland Part 2: Driving in the Countryside
    » Ireland Part 3: The Cliffs of Moher
    » Ireland Part 4: Blarney Castle

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    Ireland Part 4: Blarney Castle

    After a night in Galway, we drove south to Cork to visit the Blarney Castle. We were blown away by the beauty of the castle’s grounds.

     

    Blarney Castle stream

     

    Blarney Castle grounds

     

    Blarney Castle grounds

     

    The castle was originally built around the year 1210 and was later rebuilt by Cormac MacCarthy in 1446.

     

    Blarney Castle

     

    Blarney Castle grounds

     

    People have been visiting the castle for hundreds of years! Check out this graffiti from 1899 and 1897. I was amazed at how beautifully these serif letters were carved into stone:

     

    Old graffiti

     

    We followed a steep and narrow staircase to get to the top:

     

    Blarney Castle stairs

     

    Inside the Blarney Castle

     

    It’s said that if you kiss the Blarney Stone, you gain the gift of eloquence (aka the gift of gab). There were signs around the castle that told about the history and legends of the place.

     

    All blarney

     

    I had no idea what it took to kiss the Blarney Stone. Once we got to the top, there was a man who offered to help us. For someone short like me, I really needed the help! You have to lie on your back, hold onto the supports, and bend over backwards to reach the stone. I can’t imagine trying to do it without the metal supports! They used to just hold people by their ankles. (Apparently there was a Sherlock movie where someone tried to kiss the stone and fell to their death.) We joined the ranks of people like Winston Churchill who have kissed the stone! Did you know that kissing the Blarney Stone is on the Discovery Travel Channel’s lists of 99 things to do before you die?

     

    David kissing the Blarney Stone

     

    Leah kissing the Blarney Stone

     

    The view from the top of the castle was incredible:

     

    Top of the Blarney Castle view

     

    View from the Blarney Castle

     

    After the castle, we enjoyed walking around the rest of the property and the beautiful gardens. There were some really unique trees:

     

    Large tree with low branches

     

    There were a few fall colors:

     

    Leah next to fall leaves

     

    The Rock Close garden had some peculiar points of interest. It was a little creepy at times!

     

    Dolmen

     

    Brittany walking up the wishing steps

     

    We were at Blarney Castle for several hours and could have stayed even longer, but it started to get dark.

     

    Blarney Castle at night

     

    We didn’t pay close attention to the signs of how long the place was open. (Afterwards, we found out admission closed at 6pm or dusk.) By the time we made it out to our car, we were the only ones in the parking lot and everything was locked up. We were worried because they had put up the guard rail at the entrance and we thought our car might be trapped there for the night. Fortunately, we found a back entrance!

    We headed into Cork for the night (a crazy place to drive), then worked our way back to Dublin the next day.

     

    » Ireland Part 1: Dublin
    » Ireland Part 2: Driving in the Countryside
    » Ireland Part 3: The Cliffs of Moher
    » Ireland Part 5: Kilkenny and Dublin

     

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    Ireland Part 3: The Cliffs of Moher

    When we first started researching things to do in Ireland, we knew we had to see the Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs are located in County Clare and are Ireland’s most visited natural attraction. After spending the day driving through the countryside, we finally arrived at our destination. It was a breezy and cool day. We bundled up and eagerly headed to see the cliffs. (Since we got there a little later than we had originally planned, we opted out of browsing the exhibit in the visitor center.)

     

    Cliffs of Moher sign

     

    The first view was breathtaking. I had seen pictures of the cliffs before, but they did not do justice to the amazing landscape.

     

    Cliffs of Moher

     

    Leah and David at the Cliffs of Moher

     

    We hopped over the "safe walking route" barrier and started down a trail that ran along the very edge of the cliffs. I was a little nervous at first, especially with strangers passing by on either side. The highest point on the cliffs is 702 feet! But the view was definitely worth it. It was awesome to peek over the edge and get a look at rocks and waves below.

     

    Brittany at the Cliffs of Moher

     

    Leah surprised me by climbing up on this rock to get a picture. I decided to join her for a Titanic-esque picture, which turned out to be more of an awkward pic because we were afraid to move.

     

    David and Leah at the Cliffs of Moher

     

    Bo took advantage of the opportunity to point towards home...

     

    Bo looking over the Cliffs of Moher

     

    Everything was so green in Ireland, which added a whole other dimension to the cliffs. The moss and grass covering rocks was beautiful. We said many times during our trip that the country is comically green. It's hard to believe the depths of green covering everything.

     

    Cliffs of Moher

     

    I slipped...

     

    David falling off the Cliffs of Moher

     

    ...Just kidding. But there were several awesome dips near the edge that allowed for some fun pictures. Bo and I had fun goofing off.

     

    Cliffs of Moher Boys

     

    Cliffs of Moher

     

    Another thing that intrigued me about Ireland is that there are old buildings everywhere. And by old, I mean centuries old. I think I annoyed Leah and our friends by pointing out every single old building I saw. We walked along the cliffs to O'Brien's Tower. The tower was built in 1835 to promote tourism in the area. Although it's not quite as old as some of the other buildings we saw, it was still fun to walk around it. And the view was great!

     

    Cliffs of Moher Castle

     

    The land surrounding the cliffs was covered by lush green pasture.

     

    Cliffs of Moher pastures

     

    Leah said these cows must be the happiest on the planet, getting to eat this grass everyday.

     

    Cliffs of Moher cows

     

    Cliffs of Moher cows

     

    I wanted to stay for the sunset, but the girls got too cold, so we headed onward to Galway. We highly recommend the hostel we stayed at called Snoozles. We only had a night in Galway, then we drove to Cork!

     

    » Ireland Part 1: Dublin
    » Ireland Part 2: Driving in the Countryside
    » Ireland Part 4: Blarney Castle
    »
    Ireland Part 5: Kilkenny and Dublin

     

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    Ireland Part 2: Driving in the Countryside

    While we were planning our Ireland trip, we knew we wanted to see some specific sites. David did some research and found it was cheaper for us to rent a car than to purchase bus and train tickets. We started in Dublin, then traveled to Galway, Cork, Kilkenny, and back to Dublin. Fun fact: Ireland is about the size of Indiana.

     

    Our Ireland Road Trip

     

    We loved the freedom of having a car… Even though it was a little terrifying at times. David drove on the opposite side of the car on the opposite side of the road! The car was a manual, so he had to shift gears with his left hand. He did great! We were all very impressed. It may be hard to see from this picture, but some of the roads outside the city were very narrow!

     

    Driving in Ireland

     

    I loved traveling through the Irish countryside! Everything was so picturesque. We marveled at how green everything was. Ireland definitely earns the title of the Emerald Isle. We stopped several times to take photos.

     

    Irish country side

     

    Ireland country side

     

    Here’s our little rental car:

     

    Our Rental Car

     

    We found an incredible spot on our way to Galway. We walked across a rocky area to the calmest, clearest lake. It was so beautiful and peaceful. It was a really cool place to explore.

     

    Ireland Lake

     

    Leah standing by the lake

     

    A clear lake

     

    Exploring an Ireland lake

     

    Our friend brought her GPS, but it didn’t have our location, so the boys navigated old school style with a map. We did get very lost at one point in the middle of nowhere, but the Irish that we talked to were kind and helped us with directions. (It was super nice to travel in a country where everyone spoke English!)

    After many long, winding, and narrow roads, we finally made it to the Cliffs of Moher. David will tell you about that next!

     

    » Ireland Part 1: Dublin
    » Ireland Part 3: The Cliffs of Moher
    » Ireland Part 4: Blarney Castle
    » Ireland Part 5: Kilkenny and Dublin

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