I
have come to the end of this adventure. My 2 months are over and I am returning
to Azerbaijan. At the end of 1 month, I shared a blog and shared with you about
what happened to me in the first month. Now I have come to the end of the
second month. The second month seemed to go faster for me because it was a
month with more travel and different project.
So I want to start from the beginning. I
gave a spoiler in my last blog that we are going to Istanbul
nd Izmir. My
second month started with this trip, it was a very tiring but enjoyable trip. I
met new places and new people. Although I haven't traveled much, I still think
Istanbul is a very fascinating city. The magnificence is truly dazzling. On the
first day, we went to Pierre Loti hill in the evening and had the chance to see
Istanbul from afar, the lights of Istanbul and the Bosphorus passing through it
were simply magnificent. Then we tried to go to all the famous places in
Istanbul and we managed to go to most of them. Of course, we knew that we could
not visit the whole of Istanbul in 3 days, but at least we managed to go to
many places we planned by sticking to the plan. As a recommendation to those
who are thinking of going to Istanbul, I would definitely say that you should
not neglect to eat fish and bread in Eminönü and go on a Bosphorus tour.
Especially the Bosphorus tour, I think joining the tour was one of the best
decisions I've made in my life. I saw Istanbul from afar on Pierre Loti hill, I
felt like I was looking at Istanbul from inside Istanbul on the Bosphorus tour
and it was a very impressive sight.
Then, after an 8-hour hard bus journey, we
arrived in Izmir. Izmir also had its own unique atmosphere. Unfortunately, we
could not visit much because the places to visit in Izmir are far from the
center. We could only go to Foça and it was very peaceful there. It was one of
the most peaceful places I have ever seen. In Foça, an attempt was made to
preserve and hide antiquity. So on the one hand, the old and cute buildings, on
the other hand, the sea and the fishing boats or the people fishing - it was
simply a very peaceful place.
Then, as I approached the end of my
volunteering, I did not want to leave without seeing another city, so I went on
a tour of Cappadocia, famous for its Fairy Chimneys, which attracted my
attention. Like the other two cities, Cappadocia was also very magnificent.
There are fairy chimneys and caves in Cappadocia, so I felt like I had traveled
back in time. But Turkey is a country that truly embraces all its values and
tries to preserve the beauty created by nature, not destroying it in its
natural state. On the day I went, it snowed in Cappadocia and I saw the first
snow of this year in Turkey. I guess you can imagine how happy I am as someone
who loves snowy weather.
Apart from travel, another reason why this
month went by so fast for me was the Youth Exchange program. Within the scope
of this program, approximately 35 young people from different countries came to
Turkey. It was fun helping them, answering their questions as best we could,
and attending events with them. Apart from that, they spent their only free
days with us and we took them to Anıtkabir and Ankara Castle, which are
must-see places in Ankara. Then we took them to a good restaurant we know so
that they could get to know Turkish cuisine. Then we took them to a cafe close
to the castle, which we think is the best coffee shop in Ankara so that they
can taste the original Turkish coffee. I had such a fun day with them.
And so I came to the end of 2 months. For
me, this volunteering has been an experience I will always
remember. I had one
of the best experiences of my life so far and I will remember the memories I
have saved here for the rest of my life. And I will always have a smile on my face
when I remember :)
Finally, I would like to say, Istanbul for
traveling, Izmir for living, and Cappadocia for regaining the excitement you
lost are the most magnificent places.
Take
care of yourself! Goodbye!
