Author Archives: sarabutton

Istanbul in the Snow: A Photo Essay

11 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in Photo of My Day

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

,

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes, they’re right.

Instead of going on and on about how I’ve never experienced a real winter in my life, I’ll spare you all my thoughts on how magical everything looks in the snow and instead give you a glimpse of the images I captured the other day on our walk around our neighborhood in Istanbul, Sariyer, which has a fishing village feel along the Bosphorus.
The view from the end of an alleyway.
Just look how snow transforms everyday objects like scaffolding into something pretty and poetic! Zounds!
Roses in the snow.
The mosque near our apartment.
Looks like a few folks still wanted to play on the playground in the bad weather.
The fishermen are there selling their fresh wares come rain or come shine.
These boats aren’t goin’ anywhere today.
Neither are these, I reckon…
All the stray doggies like looking pensive in the snow.
Ataturk looking stately in front of the Turkish flag.
Yes, that is our neighborhood Burger King in the background…
Side-by-side footprints in the snow.

 

4 Ways To Save Money in Istanbul

05 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by in Destinations, Travel Musings

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Istanbul is one of those cities that is surrounded by some sort of mystery. Enchantment, some might call it. And enchanting it is. Just walk along the pier and watch the fishermen, meander through the bazaar, or soak in the minaret-studded skyline at dusk and you’ll know it is somewhere special.

The view from our (super cheap) ferry ride.


Like any other big tourist hub, though, Istanbul is certainly a place where–if you’re not careful–your money will slip through your fingers. So how to avoid it? Here are 5 tips to keep your pocketbook balanced and your wanderlust sated!
Continue reading →

Trip Update: What’s Up for 2013

01 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Destinations, Travel Musings

≈ 1 Comment

Right now, I’m based in Istanbul, Turkey until the first week of February. I’m working on writing projects, graduate school applications (only one left!) and spending quality time with my darling, as well as exploring one of the most mystical cities on the planet.

But what’s next on the docket, Miss Button? 

After struggling with where we’d go for the week-long vacation from work my boyfriend has, (we did toy with Morocco, but in the end the flight prices were too much for my current pocketbook) we are heading to a country I’ve been pumped to see for months: Croatia! Our itinerary isn’t set yet, but we are flying into Zagreb, and I think we will stay north (we only have about 5 full days there anyway, and we’d rather see more of the country than spend too much time getting from one place to the next). I’d like to hit up some places in Istria, especially Rovinj.

Then what? After a whirlwind tour of Croatia, we’ll have to part ways again and I’ll continue north to Slovenia. I’m going to hang out in Ljubljana, and also do a day trip to Lake Bled.

Pretty, huh? Source

After that, I’m going to FINALLY visit Prague, which literally every single person I’ve ever talked to who has been there says is one of the most wonderful cities ever. I hope it hasn’t been built up too much…

And if it has, I’ll roll on to Dresden, then chug on to Berlin.

Big news: On February 28th, I’ll head stateside. I’m landing in one of my favorite cities of ALL TIME: New York City. I’m planning on spending time there with friends and family, and then will take a cheap bus up to Boston & its surroundings again to see family & friends. I’ll be back in Tucson for St. Patty’s Day.

But wait, isn’t that shorter than your original trip idea? What about SE Asia? Australia? 

Never fear! I still have some wonderful adventures for 2013 in the works, many of which will involve more bumbling! Plus, I’ll continue blogging about all the wonderful things to do, places to eat and sights to see on the East Coast, back in my beautiful hometown, and wherever else I go!

Where do you want to adventure in 2013?

8 Important Things of 2012

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by in Travel Musings

≈ 4 Comments

 I didn’t start 2012 with the expectation that I would leave my job and travel. Evidence: I signed on to a two-year cell phone plan and “invested” in my first smart phone, since, after all, I’d have the job and the time to pay for it and use it all the time.

I love window seats. This is why.

As 2013 approaches, along with another birthday (what up, Capricorns!), I look back on 2012 and realize it was probably one of the best years of my life. While there are big things and small that make it so, here are a few important things I want to share with you about the things I’ve learned and what I’m glad I did in the past year, in no particular order of importance.

Continue reading →

A White (Istanbul) Christmas

26 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Travel Musings

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

2012 marked my first year away from family for Christmas. Thanksgivings I’ve done, 4th of Julys, New Year’s Eve, but Christmas and, now that I think about it, my birthday, have always been spent in the raucous company of my beloved family.
Admittedly, I was apprehensive about this. I am very close with my family, and I”m a sucker for tradition, so I wasn’t sure how well I’d adjust to being away from Tucson for this holiday. I expected to cry a lot over Skype.
I’m glad that’s not what happened. 
Belgrad Forest
 

London Checklist

24 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by in Destinations

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,


Last summer I had the tremendous pleasure of traveling to Londonwith my dear friend, Lauren. I’ve raved about it before, and I knew we had only scratched the surface of London’s bajillion cultural offerings. So it was with a smile that I landed in London for a 5-day stay with a friend.
Along the river and by important buildings. You know, like Parliament.
A few things were on my to-do list this time around.
1.       Go dancing. All the lindy and blues I’d been doing in Ireland invigorated and inspired me to keep it up, and London has one of the most vibrant dance scenes in Europe. How could I pass up some chances to dance with some of the world’s best?
2.      See more free stuff! London is an expensive city, there’s no getting around that. That being said, though, there are a number of ways to save your dough while there. Last year, Lauren & I had done a lot of touristy things that required payment. This year, I wanted to hit up some of the museums that didn’t.
3.       Do Madame Tussaud’s. I’m a huge dork. I have no idea why, but since I was a little girl I’ve wanted to see the famous wax figures of Madame Tussaud’s. Last summer both in Amsterdam and London I suggested it as an activity, but it’s pricey and, honestly, kind of a waste of money. Since it was just me this time, though, I wouldn’t feel guilty about wasting my own cash.
4.      See more Shakespeare! The production of Much Ado About Nothing that we saw last year at The Globe was the best play I’ve ever seen. Hands down. The acting and direction were impeccable, the experience was extraordinary for so many reasons. To experience that again in the form of a different production would be yet another wonder-filled 3 hours I would never forget.
I know you’re dying to find out: did I check all these things off my list? Heck yes, I did!

I went dancing twice; once, to Blues in my Shoes, where the class was a fun gender-bender (where the normal follows lead and leads follow, always a great exercise to improve your dancing), and the fantastic live music during the social dancing made the night great. Then, later in the week I attended another Swing Patrol event, where there were dancers from literally all over the globe swinging out. Super!
As for seeing more free stuff, I headed to the Natural HistoryMuseum for the first time. I thought I’d be able to do that and the Science Museum in one day, and man was I wrong! The NHM had so much to see: dinosaurs, the “treasures” collection, which displays some of the most valuable relics the museum owns (like a skeleton of a dodo bird, and an original copy of On the Origin of Species), exhibits on human memory, what it’s like to be in an earthquake, and so much more! And it’s all free! I also hit up the National Gallery—also free—which houses incredible paintings by the Impressionists, the Baroque painters of Spain, and hundreds of other artists.
I did Madame Tussaud’s. Was it worth it? Well. Yes, I suppose it was, if a total rip-off, pricewise. The one thing I learned, though, is that sometimes silly touristy activities like that are worth doing with friends. It got tiresome having to ask strangers to take my ridiculous photo one after the next doing stupid things with wax figures of Robert Downey, Jr. and Brad Pitt…
Clearly I have no problem embarrassing myself in front of strangers. But hopefully you’ve figured that out by now…Click to make it larger and see me with the Royals, Audrey Hepburn, The King of Pop and more!
And, oh, the Shakespeare! For Christmas, my parents gifted me a ticket to see Twelfth Night, starring Mark Rylance as Lady Olivia and Stephen Fry as Malvolio. See, ten years ago The Globe did an all-male production of the play, just like they would have in Shakespeare’s day (called an “original practices production”.) It was freakin’ amazing. Originally running at the Globe, the play—along with Richard III, also starring Rylance—is now at the Apollo Theatre in West End. Walking in, they truly stick to what we would have seen as audience members in Shakespeare’s day. The actors were getting ready onstage; make-up being done, they were warming up their voices, having costumes adjusted, the whole lot, and what I loved seeing in that time was how they visibly shifted into character, especially Rylance. As his costumer was doing some finishing touches, I noticed his posture straighten, his face begin to grow more serious, his hands calm, all of which befit the character of a mourning, beautiful Olivia. The whole cast did a fabulous job, with a lovely Viola done by a youthful Johnny Flynn and Stephen Fry’s return to the boards after a 10+ year hiatus from stage acting. Stellar.
 
What else did I do in London? I checked out the fantastically curated Pre-Raphaelites exhibit at the Tate Britain, got drinks at a very hip pub in Tooting (haha) in the borough of Wandsworth, South London, got a mini-tour of one of the British Museum’s conservation labs where my friend works, watched Die Hard for the first time (Merry Christmas!), and took a walk along the Thames to the Christmas stalls on the South Bank.
We got candied apples and listened to Christmas carolers along the Thames!
All in all, it was a pretty great stay and certainly not the last one. Cheers, London, and cheerio for now!

Have you been to London? What do you like to see when you go?

What I Did Wrong in Belfast (And Some Things I Got Right)

23 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in Destinations, Travel Musings

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,


 
I did Northern Ireland all wrong. Really, I did. I had thought it would be worthwhile—although brief—to head north for my flight to London rather than bussing to an airport like Shannon or even Dublin to fly. After all, I hadn’t seen any of Northern Ireland and had seen astounding photos from the Giant’s Causeway. I wanted to go there, at least.
So with that in mind, I booked a bus from Galway to Belfast (a 5 or so hour trip with a connection in Dublin) and another Paddywagon Tourof the Giant’s Causeway, the famous Rope Bridge of Carrick-a-Rede and the surrounding countryside. I had such a good experience with them for the Ring of Kerry trip I took out of Cork that I figured it would be a sure thing. I also reserved a bed at the highest-rated hostel in Belfast, and hoped that my 2 night, 1 day stay would suffice.
Continue reading →