8 - Europe Meets Asia: Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey

 

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Europe Meets Asia Backpacking - Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey

The route

Recap:

The final travel segment is upon me! Four months ahead, landing just outside of Schengen in Romania, overland across Turkey through Bulgaria, into the Caucasus countries of Georgia & Armenia, a quick ten day stint into the Gulf countries of Oman, UAE & Qatar (re routing away from Israel) and two months to cap thing off in Africa. The gift of time continues, on the longest and final travel segment of the tour! 

The only changes to my small 45L backpack were the addition of an extra warm layer for fall in Eastern Europe and swapping a pair of shorts for pants. Also decided to ditch the satellite phone - we’ll see if I regret that while exploring the African bush. 

In another (more peaceful) world, Russia would’ve undoubtedly made it on my itinerary. I still desired to get a feel for Soviet culture, immerse myself in the history and feel the impacts of the Ukraine war on the surrounding region, so I added former areas of the USSR: Georgia & Armenia and former satellite states: Romania & Bulgaria to the plan. The mountainous region of the Caucasus was also highly recommended to me, and ofcourse it made sense to sandwich two weeks in Turkey in between it all.

The Israel Palestine war erupted a week into this travel segment. I sat with Israelis crying at a hostel hearing the news of the attack, and a few days later I had dinner with two guys from Jordan whose parents are Palestinian. My first hand learning was rich, and my perspective shifted incessantly the more folks I encountered as the crisis unfolded. Yes, it was THE taboo topic, but so many travelers couldn’t hold in their emotions and perspective. Every city in Turkey I would inadvertently run into pro Palestine demonstrations, and then I’d catch up with friends from NYC whose Jewish co-workers had to go inside the school to pick their own children up for safety. All Turkish flags were flown at half mast. Witnessing sad, conflict-ridden history of Israel & Palestine unfolding in an Muslim dominated region was eye opening, to say the least.

Romania

Home of Dracula and inside the Eastern Bloc, Romania would be my first taste of true Eastern Europe. 

But I didn’t arrive without an absurd 14 hour layover in Munich to catch the final day of Oktoberfest, officially German Unity Day. It’s one of the bigger days of Oktoberfest for the locals. Before I learned it was a public holiday I was shocked at all the middle schoolers in their steins with their parents heading to the festivities. 

Good ole social media allowed me to catch a few old high school friends in the Haufbrau haus. Nothing like drinking steins all day straight after a economy class red-eye. My memory came back that day when the flight attendant on the plane from Munich -> Bucharest started shaking my shoulder saying “sir, you need to respond to me and buckle your seat belt”. Odds were pretty high that I fell asleep in the Munich airport.  

Romania & Bulgaria were on my Dad’s original itinerary, slated for the fall of ‘89, but they never made it. On my walking tour the first day in Romania I could guess why. The revolution to abolish communism in Romania started that same fall, and they officially kicked out the communist regime in December of 1989. Safe to say they were avoiding the violent revolution. 

So here we were waking up at noon in Bucharest. Previously, Budapest was the furthest east I’d ventured into the Iron Curtain. Now I was outside of Schengen, just hundreds of miles from Ukraine, in the land of Vlad Dracula and former Ottoman Empire in the youngest country I’ve ever traveled. 

A first observation was that it was nice to be back in a place I blended in more. No more stares like I experienced in India & China and I could shop in grocery stores! Have to admit I made a stupid mistake of grocery store sushi, which caused an insane three day bedridden food poisoning. The bout dade for quite a slow and battle-testing start for the trip after enjoying in all the creature comforts in the US the past couple of months. 

Wherever you go in Romania, you will find history in every corner, despite the country as we know it being only 100 years old. Here are insanely random facts I learned:

• In WWII Romania was bombed by both the Americans and Germans after switching sides
• 30,000 Romanian gypsies died in holocaust 
• Dracula is a fictional character named after Ottoman-era ruler Vlad Dracula, who was famous for impaling his suspects on stakes

Neo-Romanesque Architecture

Quaint Romanian lady in traditional dress reading in the park

Romanian “city hall”. Remains of Soviet Era massive architecture. Only slightly smaller than the Pentagon

Bulgaria

I didn’t write or record much while in Bulgaria as it was a brief three days in the coastal town of Varna on my way to Turkey. Needing a bit of socialization after days bedridden in Romania, I spent most of the time hanging with fellow travelers, so will share pics instead!

Bulgaria backpacker crew. Daniel from Australia, Pilpet from Israel, David from Germany and Jana from Germany

Abandoned Soviet Bulgarian Friendship Monument. On its right wing, four Soviet soldiers all face towards Moscow.

Found on Atlas Obscura. Click link if curious to read more!

Joys of slow land border crossings. This one from Bulgaria into Turkey. get to immigration, walk through with bags, wait on bus driver to smoke three cigarettes and enjoy tea for a half hour before reboarding

Turkey (or recently respelled/named Türkiye)

Stops: Istanbul, Izmir, Konya, Ankara, Trabzon

East meets West in Turkey, both culturally and literally, as the country sits in a unique geographic position in both Europe and Asia. As the fourth most visited country in the world,Turkey has a robust tourist and transportation environment. As such a large country, I wanted to give it at least a couple weeks and continue traveling overland to the Caucasus’ from there. Turkey became a highlight of the year because of its unique history, geopolitical position, natural wonders and the ethnically diverse population. 

A vast country spanning different climates, cultures and large cities, I found it hard to get a true feel of the identity of Turkey. People from the East say its Western, and visa versa. But a few things are consistent in Turkey: a laid back pace of life (nothing runs on time), their love for animals (residents feed strays constantly), they still smoke a ton of cigarettes, they will speak to you in Turkish even if they know you cannot speak Turkish, and their citizens embody a sense of strong nationalism. Nearly every public place has a picture or monument of Atatürk, the first president who brought democracy to Turkey. 

As 95%+ of its population identifies as Muslim, mostly following Sunni Islam; it was only the second Arab country I’d traveled to. No surprise that apart from cosmopolitan Istanbul, it made the country feel very conservative: alcohol was limited outside of the major cities, traditional dress everywhere, and hotel floors were separated by sex sometimes. 

Istanbul

I’d consider the former capital of the Ottomans a must-visit destination, particularly for any traveler looking to dip their toe into an Islamic country. The modernity of the city with its preserved old quarter and home to some of the most famous mosques in the world make the country a sight to see. And no surprise there were tourists from every continent visiting Istanbul. 

During my visit the city was a madhouse. Due to the Israeli Palestine conflict, people redirected their itineraries to Turkey and even three large cruise ships that were destined for the eastern Mediterranean Sea had to stay at port in Istanbul. Its economy relies heavily on tourism dollars, so no surprise Turkey was able to handle the crows of the big city without flaw.

Highlights of my time in Istanbul were the free walking tour, sitting in the grand mosques observing prayer, the nightlife vibe that felt at home, and trekking 

As mentioned above, I started watching Rise of Empires: Ottoman in Turkey while in Turkey. The first few episodes kickoff the battle over Constantinople (modern day Istanbul), with overviews of the city layout and narration by historians. It certainly got me re-educated and amazed while touring the historical city, appropriately setting the context & scene while exploring the famous city.

Turkish flags and Atatürk everywhere

Peaceful demonstrations outside Hagia Sofia in Istanbul

Also outside Hagia Sofia, holding a Turkish &  Palestinian flag

Favorite Turkish meal: Karniyarik (eggplant with minced beef)

Couldn’t help but to snipe a pic of one of the hundreds of people I saw getting hair transplants or nose jobs in Turkey

Izmir

My time in Izmir, a large city on Turkey’s Aegean coast was amazing thanks to wonderful group of travelers that ventured together to Ephesus, a renown Greek archeological site an hour south of Izmir. 

Other than the fabulous ruins, I took a particular interest in Ephesus after reverse image searching this below pic of my Dad which returned Ephesus as the site of the ‘89 photo. I captured the image of him by taking a photo of the projector image from on a 90’s Kodak carousel slide projector at my family’s house while home this summer. I guess we’ll never know the accuracy of reverse image result, as I looked around the entire day at Ephesus for the site of the shot, to no avail! Felt like one of those moments when life reminds you that no matter the efforts, you’re sometimes still not quite sure what you’re really searching for. 

As close as I would get

Ephesus Great Theatre (Colosseum) on film

Ephesus Library of Celsius

Luxurious overnight train from Izmir to Konya (at least to me, compared to India)

Konya

Regarded as the most religiously conservative city in Turkey, Konya is located in the center-south of the country. It’s also home to the Mevlevi Sufi Order founded by Rumi, a famous poet and Muslim “saint”. 

I had a fascinating visit as the city is a bit off the tourist track within Turkey, which meant locals took much more of interest in me and were very excited to show me their culture and customs. Headscarves were everywhere, and at night, you couldn’t miss the absence of local women on the streets.  

The highlight of the visit was attending a religious performance held at the Mevlana Cultural Center of the Sufi whirling dervishes. Ten men took the stage, bowing to the lead, and performed the customary meditation practice of spinning for what seemed like ten minutes (and to them must’ve felt even longer) several times, which is intended to bring them in greater connection with Allah. I thought I was being respectful paying attention and only taking pictures when others were, until I was told (via google translate) by the lady next to me to uncross my legs when the Quran was being read! Nonetheless, it was a truly unique experience witnessing a historical tradition. 

Whirling Dervishes of Sufi Islam religious celebration in Konya, Turkey

Found at a another pro Palestine demonstration Friday afternoon in Konya.
Sign says “I want to become a volunteer in the Turkish Armed Forces to defend Al Aqsa” (a mosque in Jerusalem where it is believed prophet Mohammad (PBUH) ascended into heaven). Other images are of the current situation in Gaza. 

Trabzon

I took a $22 flight from Ankara, the capital of Turkey to Trabzon for two reasons: to see the famous cliffside Sümela Monastery and because the city made for an easy overland access point via bus into Georgia. Trabzon, a Black Sea port city was once part of the grand Silk Road trade route through Turkey. 

Rare to find such a well preserved Christian place of worship in Turkey, Sümela Monastery was carved out of the cliffside by 4th century monks who had a vision from Mother Mary to build a remote place of worship. Interestingly, the Ottomans expanded the monastery in the 15th century. Although it closed in 1923, the monastery recently went through restorations and is a must visit if in the area. 

Trabzon, Turkey, on the Black Sea and former Silk Road route

Sumela Monastery film shot

Main chapel, beautifully preserved murals

Proof I was there

Small village ski town outside of Trabzon in Turkey’s NE region. Resort sits on the former Silk Road

The old town had one meal: Lamb

And didn’t take long to find out why…Here is a uniquely focused film shot on the sheep herders on the road out of the ski resort

• Next Post: The Caucasus 

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Recommendations for Istanbul I typed up and want to preserve…

A few things and restaurants I’d recommend in Istanbul, in addition to the standard track (Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Galata Tower )and a free walking tour.

• I enjoyed the half-day I spent going to the slightly less popular (which made it my favorite) Suleymaniye mosque & then walking through the Grand Bazar, haggling over Turkish carpets

• Highly recommend grabbing lunch at Şahin Lokantası when nearby Galata tower / in Taksim. Ask for the “Karniyarik and rice” (whole eggplant baked in tomato sauce with minced meat) It’s fabulous and truly a locals spot, no tourists here. Recommend by my former coworker who grew up in Istanbul. 

• Two other dinner spots recommended by him for a fancy modern Turkish dinner is here , Yeni Lokanta. “Amazing food and wood fired oven”  or Balıkçı Abdullah on the Asian side, can take a boat tour of the Bosporus to here. Seafood worth a try too. 

• I enjoyed a day trip to Asian side, taking ferry over and walking through Kadikoy. Seeing the city from the ferry is amazing. If you go there, the pizza at Borsam Taşfırın Bahariye was great for a walk up spot or even better, Çiya Sofrası was featured in chefs table 

• Find a Kizilkayalar chain restaurant. Get only a late night Turkish cheeseburger soaked in this amazing sauce 

• If I had another day I would’ve gone to Balat, a smaller neighborhood known for having the best preserved Ottoman buildings