Welcome Amazing Race!

We have been expecting you. Come on in and get comfortable.

Kaitlin and I have been through a lot during our twenty years of friendship. Barefoot summers swimming in my backyard, bussing tables every August at All Saints Festival, football games and Homecoming floats, school dances and court, breakups and new loves, graduations and finding out how hard life is on our own. Despite never having a class together after 5th grade and the distance between Universities, every time we are together it is like no time has passed and we turn into those same school girls, carefree and full of giggles.

This past summer we challenged our relationship with a high-pressure trip across the Meditteranean, 17 cities in 24 days. We returned swollen, bruised and broken sputtering sounds combined from six different languages, but 2 days later we were sitting in a bar for happy hour enjoying wings and a few beers with 2 of our best friends glad to be in one anothers presence once more. The only reason we didn't see eachother sooner was because I slept for the first 24 hours we were home.

The Amazing Race is a challenge that not many friends can stand up against, but our relationship has already been through the ringer and we have the drive and strength to push through to the very end and claim our one million dollar prize. Please consider us worthy contenders capable of stealing the hearts of the American public.

And now, on a lighter note, check out a video of our greatest moments from the Mediterranean...

(Insert video here)

Kait and Alli!

Saturday: A long road home

Right now Kaitlin and I are on a Megabus about 2 hours outside of Pittsburgh. Our trip is nearing its end and I cannot wait to be home.

This morning I woke up on the hard airport floor, using my laptop and power cord as a pillow at 530am. Kaitlin was still awake. We caught our plane to Frankfurt and even with the half hour delay we had a four hour layover and it was Kaitlin’s turn to sleep. During this time I ate a beef tartar sandwich (raw ground beef on bread), I couldn’t find the salt though and so I only ate half of it. We then caught our flight to Philadelphia with no problems. Kaitlin and I had synchronized viewings of Jumping the Broom and Midnight in Paris, I enjoyed our movie time on the plane. We filled out our declaration forms on the plane and upon entering the US went through customs and declared nothing. All in all, today has been a long, but easy day of travel.

After the airport we caught a train to the 30^th St. stop in downtown Philadelphia and we were the first in line for the MegaBus, which ensured our front row seats and extra room. That brings us to now. I am too fried and exhausted to reflect upon our trip just yet. I am going to need a few days to digest everything that has happened over the past three weeks.

An interesting game Kaitlin and I have been playing is we pretend like we are the same person, but with a split personality. We are opposites and often extreme and it has been fun to think about how we react and respond in the different situations. As our trip comes to an end I have to question whose life are we going on to live and whose personality will win out. It is possible that I may destroy her before we enter into Pittsburgh, or maybe right now she is plotting against me? Certainly the tug and pull or ying and yang of our relationship balances and heals itself; maybe we will find an equilibrium and before trip’s end quietly slip back into one another, never to remember that a split took place.

Of course that is all fiction, for 20 years now Kaitlin and I have lived separate, very busy lives that could not afford the luxury of a double life, but the thought lingers and brings a smile to my lips as I see my own reflection in the window of the bus. It has been the trip of a lifetime and in 20 years we will do it right, on a cruise, maybe with family and our friends by our sides. Everyone start saving because our 40^th friend anniversary is 2030 and you are all invited. We hope to see you all then, by that time you all will have surpassed the 20 year friendship mark that binds and tethers souls together forever. I hope to have honor of calling Kaitlin and all of you my friends in the year 2030.

Until then,

Alli and Kait.

Thursday in Istanbul

Thursday morning we woke up after a rough night of Raki, hookah, beer and wine, seems our new friends know how to have a good time. It also seems an old friend and I got into a tango last night and I may have walked away with a fractured finger, nothing some ice and Advil can’t help… or at least ease. One day I will triumph over and conquer my towering nemesis, but until then I have to accept my losses and always be on the lookout for the tricks they play.

After breakfast we wished our Raki/hookah/beer friends good luck in China, more adventures in Austria and safe trips back to Australia. Then we went out, crippled as I was, to see some of the sites near to the hostel. We paid 20TL each to enter Hagia Sophia, the dwelling of the weeping pillar. It is said that when Saint Gregory rested his head on the column, now known as the weeping pillar, that he was instantly healed. Now people flock to this pillar with hopes of a healing touch from its divine power. I went first, my finger is still swollen, bruised and slightly crooked and the hangover isn’t letting up any either. Kaitlin also touched the column (we followed the touristic ritual by sticking our thumb into the divet and rotating our wrist in a circle); no miracle cure for Kaitlin either. Since it was 20TL each we decided to walk around and take some pictures… click click… click click… Hagia Sophia was beautiful, but we were hoping for a miracle. Assuming we did it wrong the first time we went back again to the weeping column. This time Kaitlin stuck her head up to the opening…. No miracles on this ordinary Thrusday in Istanbul.

After Hagria Sophia we went over to the Blue Mosque and got our very own tour complete with secret entrance so we didn’t have to wait in the tourist line. We are pretty sure the tour started out as a rouse to make a few Turkish liras, but by the end we had won him over with our amazingly subdued, quiet American ways (I.e. hungover) and rather than ask for money he asked if he could take us to lunch. We politely declined and went about our afternoon. We probably should have accepted lunch and then politely excused ourselves because we ended up eating the worst gyros of our collective 53 years of life… man, we are old.

Dissapointed with our first gyros and the creepy wait staff we went in search of a spit we saw the previous day; mixed in the with gyro meat was carrots, peppers and onions all rotating and roasting to perfection. Without much trouble (every now and then we get a break) we located the restaurant and enjoyed a truly delectable gyro.

A note on gyros: In Nice we had the best gyros of our life, the meat was fatty and crisped and melted on your tongue, served on a pita with a garlic mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and fries. In Italy the gyros were either chicken or beef (sometimes lamb) on a pita with a creamy sour cream like sauce, hot sauce, French fries, coleslaw, lettuce, tomatoes and onions. In Greece the meat came on a pita with French fries, tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and onions. In Turkey the meat came on a tortilla with lettuce, tomato, onion and no sauce, although we were offered ketchup and mayo.

After lunch #2 we meandered through the shops and bought all of our last minute gifts then went back to the hostel for a mid-afternoon nap. After napping we had some dinner at the hostel, Kaitlin ordered the lamb kebab and I got a traditional dish of beef and onions, carrots and peppers served in cast iron dish with rice. It was delicious. Then back out to the streets to explore Sultanahmet Square by night. Parents and worriers, please note that there were plenty of people out and about and we were quite safe. Through a smaller bazaar, then up to the blue mosque at night and the water fountain. After ice cream from a trickster we headed back to our hostel.

Kaitlin discovered a beautiful view from the roof of our hostel that morning and we headed up to relax for a little while. After lounging we hung out in our room and had Kait and Alli bonding time before bed. Tomorrow starts our long trip home.

Friday.... The beginning of the end

Friday 9/9 Leaving Istanbul... Heading slowly back home.


We woke up in time for breakfast! How exciting. I was not a big fan of the selection but Alli was loving the olives, fresh tomato and feta cheese. We had already secured the shuttle from the hostel to the airport, so we sat outside the hostel enjoying our last moments in Turkey. When the shuttle arrived I thought, "wow all this space just for two people... Cool" After all we had just as big of a van pick us up days ago. .. What did we know. Flash forward an hour or so, and the people were stacked on top of each other, weaving and backing up through narrow streets. Alli and I became very nervous about us actually catching this flight.

We exited the van and dashed inside the airport. Security check right there, of course Alli got stopped.... Everyone is baffled by her harmonica. Then we buzzed around, found information.... Tried the e-ticket, once, twice, three times... By the fourth go we knew this wouldn't work. We ran to the check in counter and took a number.... 20 numbers were ahead.... There is no way we will make this flight with less then 45 minutes to go. Alli had the idea to go to the baggage check in.. The man kept saying, "you are late, you have no time" and we babbled that we knew, but he checked us in. With a couple more worlds of run... We sprinted to where he said, (might I mention that I chugged several things of water at this point... So I was uncomfortable for sprinting)

We dashed through the airport and saw a huge winding line for passport check. Omg! We are not going to make this flight! We went to a security personal and he sent us further down the corridor. We ran, and found ourselves at a second long winding line... This line looked to take over an hour to wait in! At this point I bust out in tears. Alli went to the police and the one guard on duty sent us to business class line which only had about 7 to 10 people in it. With a sigh of relief we entered this line... But an attendant looked at out ticket and kicked us out... More waterworks, and the police and the attendant were yelling at each other in Turkish, but in the end the police woman won and we reentered the business class line.

My discomfort-level was rising, but we started to have hope that we would make it. Alli got through first and told me our plane was in "final boarding, we HAVE to run!"... We took off down the corridor, tears starting to well up in my eyes. By the look of the signs we were 18 gates away, and this airport was HUGE! Panting and slightly sobbing, clerks shouted as I passed," why so upset miss, I will help". But I could not hear them, I was trying to keep what little of my vision I had left on Alli's backpack and hat.

By the time we made it to gate 204 I broke down entirely, trembling and now openly weeping as I handed my passport to the guard. He asked me what was wrong and all I could get out was, "(sniff)....I.....(sniff) I"m..... (sniff) laaaaaate!" He said don't worry go ahead. We threw out bags through security again. Not without the next personal asking me what was wrong, and honestly that just made it worse. How having completely emotionally and physically drained myself...(and honestly Alli wasn't in much better of a state) we boarded the plane. I threw my backpack at Alli in the seat and marched to the back of the cabin towards the restroom and splashed water on my face. oh my sweet Lord, I thought, You let us make it! And started to laugh to myself.

It took a while for the plane to take off, and by the time we were taxiing the shock of it all had worn off and we couldn't believe we made it. "Kait, honestly, why does everything have to be so hard for us!"' Alli said. We played cards, enjoyed the in-flight movie "Jump the Broom", and seriously enjoyed the meal. As the stewardesses handed us pony bottles of red wine, we could not stop giggling... We felt as if the earlier part of the day wasn't real... Like it never happened.

We arrived in Madrid determined not to let that happen again. We checked our baggage into some lockers at "left luggage" and with our prior madrid skills quickly bought passes for the metro and headed towards Tribunal. Weeks ago felt like years, but we knew we found solace there once... Why not again. As we exited the station we quickly regained our footing and headed towards our favorite street. There was a candy store there, where we were excited to buy Spanish candy for friends and family. One of the employees, Mexican by birth but working on his Masters in Spain, helped us grab the most authentic of Spanish candy. Being so grateful for tips on candy and where to hang out this evening we departed.

Down the road a bit was the square we ate in last time, we decided to go the opposite way and found €1,50 sandwiches and €7 cocktails. Deciding, "We deserve this", we plopped down. We tallied 6 sandwiches, 2 mohito's, 1 margarita, 1 bloody marry, and 2 caffe de leche's. Considerably happier we remarked at the dogs playing in the square, the copious amount of children, and the gaggle of people gathered around police men... Who ended up just checking lose ceiling tiles of a local building.

A stroll around the area just made us happier... What nice way to end out trip. This day has honestly and whole heartedly improved! After a duck into a dollar store, we found ourselves attracted to a small bar. We found our seats and looked at our menu....1€beers and 1,50 wine....there has to be a mistake.... But 2 waters a beer and a wine later we knew the the prices were right. We hunkered down at a table and played cards for hours... Keeping the wines and beers coming. The bar tender gave us things to munch on as well. We have noticed it is a custom to feed your customers at bars... What a concept!

Some of the happiest reflection and communication and many many hands of cards later. We decided since it was now after midnight, we should head back before the metro stopped running. The square we entered into after exiting the bar was packed with young people, sitting and drinking and taking. Now we had seen a couple of people in here when we passed before, but now people were spilling out into the streets, it was overwhelming. In no time flat we had hit the metro, and made our way back to the airport and retrieved our luggage. 2am.... 4 hours until the flight, and 2 hours until early check in.... We hunkered down in a corner... We are Not rushing around anymore!

<3
Kait and Alli

Wednesday in Istanbul 9/7

Istanbul not Constantinople


For the third day in a row we have missed breakfast. It happens when your days are long and full of so much. I was awoken halfway through the night by the call to prayer that reverberates through out the city. I remember waking with a jolt, and not understanding what the sound was. After Alli's groggy assurance I had fallen back to sleep until our now usual 11am.


We promptly dress and went downstairs to the restaurant attached to the hostel. Alli had her grape leaves and coffee and I had myself some fruit. We collected ourselves for the day ahead and decided that the Grand Bizarre would be an excellent idea. But of course we can't just go, we had to make phone calls to credit card/bank companies that have all blocked us since we are in turkey. Then we had to try to find an ATM, a feat that was becoming harder and harder to do each city. Then find the actual bizarre itself.


This took several hours, many questions, frustration, and sweat... But eventually we were on the right track. We stopped for some food, which always seems to lighten the mood.after some coaxing by the seller in the front Alli had rice with some sort of chicken in a bread, where as I seemed to have a very similar meal but instead of the bread I got potatoes. We topped our meal off with a yogurt drink that Alli had been yearning to try. I decided to try it as well, since it was something foreign... It was as thick as you can get while still being runny, taste....bland yogurt... I believe it is best suited for eating spicy things. I'll leave it at that, unless Alli wants to post her feelings on it.


The Grand Bizzare is in it's simplest form... rows and rows of sellers. It's probably one of the worlds oldest versions of the mall. Lesson one, never except the price given. Alli and I were quite impressed with our haggling skills, and secured quite a handful of gifts for friends and family. It's easy to get turned about in a place like this, and when every third corner is selling the same things, it gets overwhelming. After our money bags were considerably lighter, arms laden with bags, and knowledge that we cannot buy EVERYTHING for Amanda...we took an exit. We reasoned that all we had to do was leave the area and then follow the wall to the beginning.


And yes, dear readers, by this point you know how reasoned thought in Kait and Alli world goes. We got pushed down a long road packed with shoppers 13 wide. It was overwhelming. Our brains were already on overload from all the colors and venders, and the hunger began to creep in. This never bodes well for us. But somehow we have become accustomed to this stress. We stopped and asked for directions, and discerned what the answer was. We actually made some great purchases like new power converters, since I happened to leave our power strip and converter in our hostel in Greece, : ( , Alli also purchased some sandals which was a nice change from her falling apart ones she has been waking into the ground. Eventually we found our way back, which felt like forever. We settled down in different areas to read and charge.


Because one of the only working outlets was in the cushioned lounge area near the hookas, I plopped myself down. Soon enough I was talking with the people around me, since the lounge atmosphere is very conducive for such a thing. We met Kendra, who is originally from the states but has been teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) so has been traveling all around the world. Her experiences in Ecuador and Southern Turkey were so interesting, and I wish her well on her way to china! We also were surrounded by Australians. This group of guys were very welcoming, and shared their hooka with us.


My hooka experience was very nice, it was like a peace pipe where everyone is included as part of the family. The smell is not of thick smoke but more of wafting incense. Apple is the preferred flavor of turkey, and we all were given individually wrapped "hollow golf tees", at least that's what it looked like, and used them to share the mouth piece. It's a tasty smoke, and I enjoyed it over hours, Paulluk tended out "fire" turning coals and replacing them when needed. The atmosphere was relaxed, the conversation was friendly, and honestly I was quite content. Alli and I ate at some point, but mostly just enjoyed the company, the commandeered power outlet, and (dare I say it) relaxed.

It was another late late night... But on the whole....we had a successful day.

Tuesday: Athens to Istanbul

An easy flight to Istanbul

We woke up, skipped breakfast, our newest SOP, and checked out. We were waiting for a second confirmation email for the flight we booked the previous night, but at 11am (for a 2pm) flight, none had been sent. The email said “Do not make other reservations or go to the airport without a second email”. I tried calling several times, three different numbers, the only number that worked was busy and the machine said to call back later and then hung up. We also tried emailing, but never received a response. By 1130 we decided just to go to the airport and we headed out to the Metro. While we were purchasing our tickets we noticed a sign that said Metro line to airport is closed. We decided what the Hell and took the Metro anyway. Sure enough a few stops before the airport the conductor announced last stop and we were told to exit. We followed the suitcases to another track and waited. Eventually a train to the airport arrived and we shoved ourselves into the cars.

The train

I pushed myself all the way to the front of the train, piled my bags up in front of the conductor’s door and rested my head while Kaitlin was trapped in the pack by the door. As soon as I rested my eyes a man towered over me shouting and banging on the conductor’s door. I looked around at the faces of the other passengers to try to determine the seriousness of what was happening, but their reactions were mixed. An older Greek gentleman sitting cattycorner to me looked unphased so I decided we were okay. A few minutes later almost the same exact scene was played out with a different man, only a little less dramatic, I looked to the Greek man and relaxed. I then kindly moved my bag and body. Upon exiting the train I learned the first guy used Kaitlin’s bag as a stepstool to quickly get to the front of the train, according to the others, the men had been pick pocketed at the last stop.

The airport

We arrived, at last, at the airport with less than an hour until departure and no tickets. We beelined (I don’t think bees move in a straight line, we certainly did not) to the internet stand, still no email. Information pointed us in the direction of Aegean Airlines and we stood in a long line, staring at the screen as our flight changed from no notation to gate opened to boarding. About 10minutes into boarding we were finally at the counter and the receptionist called to the terminal to hold the plane for us. Yes, finally, we made it, despite everything against us… never mind, it’s too late. So what time is the next flight to Istanbul we asked, tomorrow she answered. This might be a very long day. We thanked her went in search of Turkish Airlines.

Once again Information pointed us in the right direction and after waiting 10 minutes at an empty counter we were finally told that all seats to Istanbul were sold out. Do you ever get that feeling you aren’t supposed to make it somewhere? We were getting that vibe, but we didn’t care. Information was kind enough to direct us to another airline that had a flight that night and seats available. Now only 5 hours until the plane leaves. We got some food and sat around until the gate opened around 4pm. Once we passed through security we realized there was nothing to do on the other side so we read. The flight was wonderful, they gave us candy and a meal with wine, Kaitlin chatted up the older gentleman next to us and we were in Istanbul before we knew it.

Istanbul Airport

We stood in line for half an hour to pass through security and when we reached the front we were told we had to go stand in another line to get our Visa; then get back in line here. A good 40minutes later we made it through security and got our luggage. The hostel was supposed to send a shuttle to pick us up, but we did not see any signs for us and at this point, although we made it to Istanbul, we were defeated. A kind, young Turk saw our distressed faces and said he would help us in exchange for 5 English words. Kaitlin was on a mission and I was happy to have a friend to help. He called our hostel, apparently the shuttle picked up the wrong person, according to Can, that was a common lie drivers tell. An hour later we made it to the hostel, but when we went to check in they had no reservation for us, apparently we had booked for the wrong days. (This was a very trying day). Fortunately they had rooms available and it wasn’t a problem. After relaxing and showering we went down to the hostel bar and enjoyed the smell of hookah and taste of a Turkish beer and wine.

Home Sweet Home

We slept in our queen sized bed with the windows open and at 230am we awoke to a bugle-like sound announcing the call to worship. The light sea breeze danced with curtains and the bugle warmed my soul and I felt at home.  I am glad to be here.

Monday in Greece

So yea, I'm finally behind on this blog... It was bound to happen. We have gotten to the point of being so caught up in everything around us that all the days are blurring together. Monday in Greece. We made the executive decision that instead of boarding an 18 or so hour bus ride, we are leaving Tuesday for turkey by airplane. We slept in of course, waking up at that bright and early hour of noon. Staying up late to try to connect to people, and looking up flights wears one out after a while. We awoke and went back to the computers to secure what we thought would be our flight. After a while the hunger took over, so we set out to find food. Wandering while hot, dehydrated and hungry seems to be a theme of this trip... But eventually we found something to eat.. After losing patience with each other (go figure... We are sisters... Honestly). After eating something small we went back to the room to lounged in the air conditioned room, it was so hot out, and we needed to regain our heads... Well me mostly. I know that when I don't know what I am going to eat next, and am so far out of my comfort zone I panic.. After I put myself in time out, and then apologized to Alli we decided to hit the markets again. We found fun things for cheep, and most excitingly we found an open air market. Alli was positively giddy at the amount of olives. We made friends with the olive seller, and he allowed us to sample different kinds. After Alli asked for his favorite, he secured her a large bag full of the olives, all for 1€. Alli was positively beaming and snacked as we continued. Further down the line another seller whistled us over and have us sample bunches of grapes. these were them most delicious I have ever tasted. Yes they had pits in them but the warm juice was like perfume hitting my senses. For .70€ I got a huge bag, and washed them off with my water and snacked on them throughout the streets. We found a cool junk shop/flea market to wander in,but were immediately overwhelmed. After taking one or two daylight pics of the acropolis we decided we needed Greek gyros and then a lay down in the air conditioning. We were taking Greece in short spurts, the heat was a bit much. After another lay down and some music and a wonderful shower (and yes a couple cocktails from the hostel bar) we headed out towards the sister hostel of ours, there it was rumored was a beautiful view of the acropolis and a rooftop bar. So we sped, racing the sun set through our ummm short cut, ha. We made it there and climbed the 5 or so floors to the roof. The view was stunning. The leverage of Hightower from a rooftop but the acropolis in direct view. (Alli please post your picture of the two of us please!) Alli ordered her new favorite, a Greek beer that was cheep, and I got my new fav, bicardi watermelon breezer (I love the word breezer) the bartender brought us over free shot. Now we are not sure if it is customary to receive a free shot, but this was the third free shot we had received in two days. Alli was lovin' it. While up there we sat with a British girl on holiday who had just traveled from Istanbul, and we got the scoop of what are must sees from her. Its always nice to get another travelers opinion. Deciding we had out fill of staring at the acropolis, and not wanting to return to our hostel too late because of the area... We headed back. On our way I saw the poet shoemakers shop that Marci had sent me an article on! I snapped a pic, and then alli and I knew we would never make it home without food in our bellies. We stopped in a charmingly lit little square and sat down to eat. While there I accidentally locked myself in the restroom, and had to be rescued by the cook. While we ate a cat came up to the table and sat down politely looking at us both. Alli said, I know you want to feed him, but don't you dare. I sighed a bit, but obeyed. But the cat didn't move, he decided to sit with us our entire meal, even laying down and giving us happy eye blinks. When Alli turned her head I snuck him the last small piece of my meat. Alli promptly yelled tame, exasperated. But the cat didn't eat the meat. Maybe he is a vegetarian? I thought...when we got up to leave the cat finally noticed the food, and I smiled. Alli said, Kaitlin you cannot feed the strays, just like I cannot squeeze all the dogs I see.I knew she was right, but I missed my kitties... Back at the hostel we settled in with our computers and music at the hostel bar. I was determined to try to upload as many pictures as I could. I was so far behind, the last pictures I was able to download was Barcelona.... And we had come so far. Another late night ensued, of just mildly connecting to the Internet and trying to let people know how we were doing, and in return hearing about how things were going at home. Greece is nice, but we know if we are to return we need to go to the Islands, everyone keeps telling us that THAT is the place to be. But in true Kait and Alli fashion, we just roll into town, sample and get a feel, and roll back out again. That is what we do. <3 Kait and Alli