The Whirling Dervishes - Post Dervish Therapy

The Whirling Dervishes - Post Dervish Therapy

(Jumping ahead a few days)

It was hard finding out that our balloon ride in Cappadocia was canceled. It was one of the main reasons we came to visit the area. Every day hundreds of balloons take flight through the Rose Valley at sunrise. The result is a beautiful skyline dotted with beautiful colors over a golden rose landscape. However, for us that picture would not come true. Our flight had been cancelled due to wind. Many travels were in the same boat.

After the tour we came back to the cave hotel (yes we got to sleep in a cave) and decided we would relax and get caught up on some much needed sleep. Speaking with the front desk he suggested an alternative to bed, the famous Whirling Dervish Show. This show however would be better than any other one offered in Turkey because it was performed in an old caravanserai (trading market during the Silk Road time period) and was the most authentic.

Excited we booked the tickets and decided to enjoy our evening with a new plan! The taxi took us about 25 minutes outside of the city and pulled up to the building. Nothing else was around. The caravanserai was a beautiful stone building that reminded me of those I saw all over Uzbekistan. We walked in to our seats. It turns out it would be a very intimate performance with only 7 others enjoying the show.

The lights went out and the show began. Eight men walked in dressed in all black with light brown tall hats sitting upon their heads (Symbolic of tombstones for their egos). Silence. One began to chant a soothing and mystical song that echoed off the tall caravanserai ceilings. At first the song he sang was comforting and beautiful. That changed as the song continued on for more than 20 minutes and began to resemble more of a wailing Child. I would be lying if I said we didn't doze off a little.

I decided to use this time to read the brochure explaining what Whirling Dervishes were. In my mind they were a performance act that performed a dance in older times, a sort of show. Boy was I wrong! It turns out The Whirling Dervishes were much more symbolic and spiritual. This was a ceremony we were watching, not a show. To sum it up they connect the fact that life is a constant revolution and use it to cleanse themselves. Everything revolves and in turn they revolve in a sort of ritual as well with a hand upwards to receive gifts from God and the other hand down to the earth. They always revolve in the same directions tilted slightly over their heart.

The ceremony continued passing through different stages such as flute playing, the dervishes being reborn, a master reciting parts of the Quran, and some other things I still can't wrap my head around. I suggest doing a nice little Google search to read more and see some videos.

When the ceremony was over I looked towards my mom. She tried to stifle her laughter as she expressed her opinion on the show. Trying to be respectful she whispered her opinion while I recorded her and tears of laughter snuck out. It may have been the lack of sleep for days that caused the reaction or the fact we went into the ceremony thinking it was an entertaining show. Either way it was definitely a night we will never forget. Even writing about the "what in the world did we just watch" show has me cracking up once more.

Arriving back at the town we went out to eat and bought a local bottle of wine to commemorate our "special" evening. Let's just say we had a fun night shopping after that. My mom referred to the dinner and shopping as Post Dervish Therapy.

Ooh La La

Ooh la la

Oh Paris! After visiting Paris in 2010 with friends and again that fall with my mom and sister I knew one thing for sure... That I would return one day. Recent years of traveling has found me pretty far away from the developed European cities. I've been drawn to finding more uncommon vacation spots. However, there is something about the cobblestone streets, beautiful architecture, and sitting at a bistro that brings me back. Paris to me truly resembles that of a fairytale that although constantly played and used never gets old or cheesy to me.  *Remember I stick to the build up tourist areas and I am sure one could pose a reasonable argument stating opposite of my thoughts.

Arriving in Paris we wasted no time at all! Since both of us had already seen the major sights we did not feel the need to rush around to every single monument but rather start at the beginning and just wonder through the streets for two day. Our hotel was located a block away from the Eiffel Tower and spent much of the morning admiring it.

Built in 1889 as an entrance for the World's Fair, the Eiffel Tower stands at a whopping 320 meters and was the tallest building in the world for 41 years before the Chrysler Building surpassed it.

The Eiffel Tower weighs over 10,100 tons and takes 60 tons of paint every seven years.

Although the Eiffel Tower receives millions of visitors annually it recently had its first encounter with a T Rex (yes that is me)!

It took me awhile to get comfortable putting the costume on and being in public again. I find that after not traveling for a few months I get nervous again. My mom pushed me to come out from the tree and stand right in the main field.

The rest of our two days were spent walking, eating, walking, shopping, and more walking. I can truthfully say my mom may have been able to out walk me. More Han 20 miles in two days we explored all of the side street cafes, admired museums, and enjoyed the architecture.

The first evenings was filled with excitement in every restaurant and bar in the city. The World Cup semi final match was on and France was playing. People crowded in o eat and drink while others gathered outside cheering on the game.

It was a fun treat to see France win the semi finals. We went to celebrate with wine, bread, and cheese outside the Eiffel Tower while hordes of people danced and chanted the win. Car horns honked non stop all night long. After enjoying the twinkle lights we headed back and watched the massive crowd celebrating on television.

Before departing we took one more walk to eat escargot and shopping to find some special wedding clothing. This is Paris after all! Ooh La La

Sadly it was time to go and we headed to the airport. Everything was going smoothly until we got to passport control. Quickly he checked my passport and stamped me out. Then he took my mom's passport and looked it over a while. We nervously looked at each other and back at him. He held up the passport and shook his head no. Uh oh! When he turned the passport around we saw that he had stuck a picture of himself in a judges outfit where my mom's photo once was. Immediately we burst out laughing. Passport control officers are usually so serious but this guy made our day! Take note security of the world... It is ok to laugh!

Bonjour Paris and Hello Istanbul!

That Time Again

I can not even begin to state how fast this past year has been going by. Wedding plans easily consumed much of this past year! In the spring I moved into a dream artsy apartment downtown with Tyler and couldn't be happier. With all of the excitement it seemed surreal that summer was already here and it was time to travel again.

This summer had a lot of twists and turns when planning. First I was going to Iran. Plans quickly changed from day to day before finally making and booking a plan right before the start of summer and new destinations. This year I did something a bit different. Believe it or not I actually went on 3 vacations in the United States. Shocker right?! I spent almost a month of what would typically be a backpacker vacation laying on a beach with Tyler's family in the Keys, a week with my family in Ocean City, and then a crazy camping trip at Electric Forest with my best friends. But I will leave those for another part!

So here I am writing to you already a few days in. I will spare you the travel story of the plan rides and sum it up quickly. WOW air is not comfortable even if you pay for the upgrade big seats. Pittsburgh to Keflavik, Iceland was met with a restless night on the plane. Luckily, Keflavik to Paris, France brought a nice 3 hour nap. As per usual the flights were all delayed. For once no luggage was lost, no flights cancelled, and no major mishaps. I can't believe I just typed that. Let's hope the rest of the trip continues this way!

First Stop: Paris!