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Ride on a hot air balloon - Hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, Turkey
October 17, 2011
in Cappadocia, Europe, Life List, Round the World, travel, Turkey

Life List #12: Ride on a hot air balloon.

On Thursday morning I woke up dark and early at 5am to get picked up for my hot air balloon ride. Really, it's the thing to do in Cappadocia. I waited with two others from my hostel until the bus driver came to whisk us...

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Cappadocia, Turkey
October 15, 2011
in Cappadocia, Europe, Round the World, travel, Turkey

Cappadocia, Turkey

1. The bus ride from Istanbul to Cappadocia, Turkey, (more specifically, Göreme) took approximately 14 hours. But, surprisingly, I slept pretty decently the whole way. The bus had wifi which made me happy. Actually, way more happy than it should have.   2. I am sick....

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Spice Market in Istanbul, Turkey
October 14, 2011
in Europe, Istanbul, Round the World, travel, Turkey

Nobody’s business but the Turks. (Things to do in Istanbul, Turkey.)

While I spent my nights having fun around Istanbul, I spent my mornings touring some of the bigger attractions. Like the Spice Market where I could have bought anything from nuts to candy to scarves to natural viagra. And the Galata Bridge, where men spent their day...

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Not quite traditional Turkish dancer for a birthday party in Istanbul.
October 12, 2011
in Europe, Istanbul, Round the World, travel, Turkey

This was not what I expected when I was told there would be dancing…

In Turkey, when a woman turns 40, from what I can tell, she celebrates with a very traditional meal, very traditional dancing, and very traditional music…...

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Taksim at Night - Istanbul, Turkey
October 11, 2011
in Europe, Istanbul, Round the World, travel, Turkey

Sparkling lights. (Taksim, Istanbul, Turkey)

I met up with Gulender and Murat again on Friday night in Istanbul. We decided to head to another area of the city called Taksim. It was a nice area, full of people and restaurants and pretty sparkling lights, and a far cry from Sultanahmet...

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Turkish Coffee in Istanbul, Turkey
October 10, 2011
in Europe, Istanbul, Round the World, travel, Turkey

Fortune in a cup.

On my second full day in Istanbul I spent the morning wandering the Grand Bazaar, where I dodged carpet sellers and lamp sellers and scarf sellers and trinket sellers all spouting out "Where you from?" "You speak English?" "You want to be my friend?" and...

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Mosaics and tile work in Topkapi Sarayi in Istanbul, Turkey.
October 9, 2011
in Europe, Istanbul, Round the World, travel, Turkey

Topkapi Sarayi in mosaics.

I spent a morning at Topkapi Sarayi, one of the palaces in Istanbul. It was big and beautiful, though my favorite part was all of the mosaics and interesting tile work around the property...

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All the cats in Istanbul want my doner kebab...
October 8, 2011
in Cats, Europe, food, Istanbul, Round the World, travel, Turkey

Why you can’t eat your doner on a park bench in Istanbul…

I'm eating a lot of doner kebabs in Istanbul. It's a good meal, cheap, and can be eaten on the street, which is a plus for a solo female traveler like me. But you can't eat your doner on a park bench in Istanbul. It's just...

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Blue Mosque and the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey.
October 7, 2011
in Europe, Istanbul, Round the World, travel, Turkey

This is certainly not Constantinople… (Istanbul, Turkey)

After arriving at my Istanbul hostel around midnight, a time when the rooftop bar was closed and the two other occupied beds in my room had sound sleepers, I had really nothing better to do than go to bed myself. I wasn't really tired though,...

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Hi, I’m Val. I spent most of my 20s in a standstill, unable to pick which path in life I wanted to take. I wanted the nomadic life of a traveler but also wanted the husband, the condo, and the teal couch. Unable to decide which life I wanted more, I did nothing. I lived my life in limbo. When I turned 30 I’d had enough of putting my life on hold and decided to start “choosing my figs.” So, I quit my job and bought a one-way ticket to Europe. After 3 years on the road I’m back in Chicago, exploring the city, learning guitar, decorating my apartment in too much teal, cuddling my cats, and planning my next adventures.

            

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2006 –

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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR LIFE?


Feeling stuck? Sick of living your life in limbo? Want to finally do all those things you always say you're going to do? Sign up for the Choosing Figs newsletter now to get a FREE e-book with tips on starting your own life list, inspiration for things to do in life, and worksheets to get your life goals out of your head and into action!


Your information will be used to send you our Life List e-book and subscribe you to our bi-monthly newsletter. View our full Privacy Policy.



            


MEOW | Is Val in Chicago?