It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Needs An Eyepatch - A Dec TR Complete 8/31

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Our last full day in WDW arrived and there was only one park left that we hadn't visited on the trip, Hollywood Studios! We were all fairly tired due to our late night at the party so we did not prioritze getting up early. This meant sacrificing getting to ride on Toy Story twice. We were happy to settle for our one fastpass ride.

Mom also decided to take it easy that day and told us that she would not be joining us in the park until the late afternoon.

My feet were really bothering me from wearing flip flops all week so I opted to wear my running shoes, that meant no dress that day which meant pants. Boy did I regret that as it turned into a blistering hot day! I am definitely part of the "I hate pants" club that @Elevationist and her followers often talk about.

I don't remember what time the boys and I left for the park but it was probably somewhere around 9. We opted to take the bus as we had heard about and seen personally the terrible congestion and parking issues that were going on at DHS related to the enormous crowds wanting to see the Osbourne Lights for the last time. I really did not want to deal with driving in that so bus it was!

When we arrived we stopped for a photopass photo in front of the tree but we were in shadow due to the position of the sun.



We wandered down Hollywood Boulevard with no real destination in mind. If we had been planning better we would have gone to Tower of Terror and RNR but Erich doesn't ride those so we did not think to go down there. We never did make it on them.

We stopped for photos and the photopass photographer apologized to me saying that he didn't think I would get a "normal photo from those two". I told him that was fine and I was used to it.







It was a bit strange not seeing the big hat as the centrepiece of the park. I know the theatre was supposed to be the centrepiece but you can't even really see it due to the stage that they have set up.



Proving our lack of drive or planning for that morning we did not go to one of the rides or big shows. Instead, we went and saw "Luke's Path" which was basically a trailer for The Force Awakens so was a waste of time.

The stand-by line for Star Tours was short so we went on that. All the scenes were from the new movie which we enjoyed. Sadly none of us were picked to be the rebel spy.

We had about an hour to kill after that before our ADR so we wandered down the Streets of America and visited the big Star Wars shop that is set up back there. I saw a shirt that I really liked but did not buy it. I regretted that later as I could not find it anywhere else.

Leaving the shop we walked by the Monster Inc meet and Sully was there all alone. We couldn't let him be lonely so we went in for a picture.







We still had time before our ADR so I suggested that we go see Santa Goofy. we had seen him at Animal Kingdom but he has a better backdrop at DHS.

The line was really short so the boys agreed.

It was another hilarious character meet. Erich listed off for Santa all of the outlandish things he wanted for Christmas including having his name written in the stars. Santa Goofy nodded his head to each insane request and then put his hand on Erich's shoulder and indicated he would do his best.





Write my name in the stars














After that it was time for lunch! Hurray! I was starving!

This ADR was one of Erich's few requests for the trip, it was the Sci-Fi Dine In. I had eaten here before as had Erich but Alek never had.

We all ordered burgers and milkshakes and it was all delicious!

 

[Steppesister]

My favorite of all the bunch. We just watch this the other night, and every time I do, his character really grows on me.

Hilarious character meet with Santa Goofy! I'm so glad he played along and was sport!

Sci -Fi was a nice duck out of the blistering hot sun. Cool and dark and perfect for just relaxing a bit. Great start to your last day.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[Lifelong_Dreamer]

My favorite of all the bunch. We just watch this the other night, and every time I do, his character really grows on me.

I adore Monsters Inc, such a sweet and funny movie. Monsters University I could take it or leave it but the original is a keeper for sure.

Sci -Fi was a nice duck out of the blistering hot sun. Cool and dark and perfect for just relaxing a bit. Great start to your last day.

Yes, it was a nice break from the sun. I needed it too as I was starting to get a headache so I took the opportunity to rehydrate as that is often the cause of my headaches.

Haha - your late start of 9 is still earlier than my regular start!

Only on vacation do I consider 9 a late start. In my day to day life I would sleep until noon if you let me.

I'm never the rebel spy either. I have no idea how they pick it either.

Not sure how they are picked either. On our previous trip we got picked a few times but no idea how???

OK, they are just awesome. I'm not even extroverted enough to do this in photos, never mind real life.

I would definitely pose like that for a photo but I am just not creative enough to come up with anything interesting to do in character photos.

Mmmmm, I'd love a shake right now... I'll take chocolate.

I would usually be right there with you but I have had enough ice cream in the past few days to last me a lifetime. Ice Cream from Cows Creamery was a must every day of our trip on PEI.

 

[hokieinpa]

A later morning is a nice after a party night! I agree that the new stage blocks the nice view of the theater. I'm guessing it will stay until the new Star Wars Land is open.

Fun meets with Sulley and Santa Goofy! And I love Sci Fi. Really, really good burgers!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[KathyM2]

Love Sci-Fi!! Also so funny about requesting outlandish things from Santa Goofy lol...I don't think I'd have the guts but love that he did lol

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

OMG - yes!! I'll take a scoop of Don Cherry to go with my Chocolate! They have a shop in Banff too

Yes, I will have to strongarm my Dad into going into Banff town next time we are our hiking. Apparently there is also one in Niagara-on-the-lake.

Love Sci-Fi!! Also so funny about requesting outlandish things from Santa Goofy lol...I don't think I'd have the guts but love that he did lol

It was so funny. I bet the characters like it when people do/say out of the ordinary things. Probably makes their day more interesting as a break from the usual meet and greets.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Turkey Trip Report

Istanbul - April 15th

Another beautiful day in Istanbul. After enjoying breakfast in the hotel courtyard we walked the short distance to the Hagia Sophia which is one of the landmarks of Istanbul. The Hagia Sophia was built as a Greek Orthodox church by the Byzantine Empire in 537 AD. It was turned into a mosque when the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453. In 1931 it was secularized and turned into a museum. It is a masterpiece of architecture and art. Many of the old Christian mosaics have been uncovered and are on display and are magnificent. When we visited there was a lot of restoration work occurring so you will see some scaffolding in the pictures.



This sweetheart is the Hagia Sophia cat and she lives in the church/mosque/museum.









This section of the church is where the Byzantine Emperor was crowned. Each of the marble circles represents where a different official would stand during the ceremony. The larger the circle the more important the official.



This view is from the second floor where the Empress had her throne.





All of the impressive mosaics are on the second floor of the building in the section that was reserved for the use of the emperor.





These next two mosaics show two different sets of emperors and empresses with the Virgin Mary and Christ.





Here is a short video I took inside the Hagia Sophia. it might give you a better idea what it was like inside this impressive building.

After that we exited the building and walked past the ornate fountain that was built when the church was made into a mosque.





We went back to the hotel after that to drop off the guide book on the Hagia Sophia. Had to get some pictures first though!

Dad and I being all matchy matchy in front of the Hagia Sophia. We had not planned to match that day and neither of us felt like changing when we saw we did match. I thought it was rather funny. Alek had packed a shirt that was similar and wanted to know if he should change to match us! I thought that would be a little too over the top.






Had to take a picture of the Blue Mosque as well.



We then began our walk out to the old city walls (Theodosian Walls) and the Chora Church. This was about a 6km walk one way and was very enjoyable. It took us out of the touristic district and into "real" Istanbul. Most people probably would have taken the bus or a taxi but we are a family of walkers and I am glad that we walked as we would have missed a lot if we had taken the fast/easy route.

Video as we walk through the hippodrome with live music playing in the area. I felt like I was in a travel video as I never expected to hear music like that actually playing while walking around the city.

Istanbul University



Random Street Scene. We liked the building.



We then came across a park with a view of the Aqueduct of Valens. This is a Byzantine aqueduct that is still standing today. A major street runs under it and on either side there are parks. One of our favourite places that day.

The park was next to a mosque and the Call to Prayer was occurring as we walked up to the aqueduct so I took a video of the walk through the park with the call to prayer.

It was a common site in Istanbul to see everyday people taking naps in the parks. In North America you don't tend to see that unless the person is homeless.

Also in the park was public exercise equipment. None of it would give you a serious workout but it is better than nothing. We saw this equipment all over Turkey.







Continued in next post

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

We then crossed the busy street and watched the traffic flow under the aqueduct.



At the park on the other side we saw a group of young boys playing a game of soccer in the shadow of the ancient aqueduct. I don't know why but I just absolutely loved this scene.



We continued our walk and we were now in a busy shopping district. Stores lined both sides of the street. We saw about ten million wedding shops it seemed with a wide range of fashions on display.





We all passed many regular clothing stores as well.



At one point we spotted an old Byzantine column down a side street so we went to check it out and I popped into a corner store for a drink as it was a very warm day and I was feeling rather thirsty. Despite my lack of Turkish and the owners lack of English I managed to get a drink with no problem. It was delicious, some type of flavoured iced tea.

We kept walking and we were now in a residential area it appeared. On our right was a large soccer field which had an old Byzantine wall incorporated into its stands and it was surrounded by apartments. A real sense of the old combined with the new.

We finally arrived at the Chora Church and I was very happy as it was so hot!

The Chora Church is one of the few Byzantine churches that never got converted into a mosque. It is known for having the best Byzantine mosaics outside of Ravenna in Italy.

Here are a few pictures from inside the church.















Here is a video from inside the church

After the church we made the short walk up to the old city walls. These are still largely intact, some areas more so than others. We did not walk the entire length of the walls as that would have taken forever.





While taking in the walls I was approached by a local woman dressed in the traditional black dress and hijab and pushing a baby carriage. She asked if we were tourists and said "You are awesome". I assume this comment was based on the fact that most tourists are too afraid to travel to Turkey. Anyways, I thought it was rather neat that this lady out walking her baby took the time to express her delight that we decided to visit her country.

We were also approached by a local man who started pointing out where certain things were such as the metro station and telling us some history about the walls. This was unsolicited but we thanked him for his information. He was carrying a shoe shine kit so Alek gave him some spare lira to thank him for his information. He then tried to convince Alek that he needed his running shoes buffed! We thanked him but said no and continued on.





We started our walk back after that. It was mid afternoon and we were a little hungry so we stopped in a little bakery and picked up some baklava and bottled water. It was dirt cheap compared to what we were paying down in the tourist district. This was another location where no English was spoken so we had to rely on our limited Turkish and hand gestures to communicate and it all worked out wonderfully. I'm sure that bakery very rarely sees tourists, they were probably wondering what the heck we were doing all the way out there.

We carried our snack with us back to the aqueduct park and found a bench there where we sat and relaxed. I could have stayed in that park for the rest of the day as it was so picturesque.

Instead of going back the same way that we came I directed us down to the water and we walked along the Golden Horn until we reached the area of the Spice Market. The streets around the spice Market were absolutely jam packed with people.





Once in the actual Spice Market the crowds thinned out slightly but it was still pretty busy. It was neat walking through all the lanes here taking in the goods for sale. There were, of course, spices on display but also sweets such as turkish delight and tea. Also household items, hand made soaps, scarves, etc. I liked the Spice Market (Egyptian bazaar) much more than the Grand Bazaar.











After the Spice Market we made our way back up to the Hippodrome and Blue Mosque on our way to the Great Palace Mosaic Museum.

These lovely bird? ladies on stilts were in the Hippodrome.







The Great Palace Mosaic Museum is located in the Arasta Bazar which is right next to the Blue Mosque. These mosaics are all that remain of the old Byzantine Palace.

Some of the mosaics featured pastoral scenes and others featured some rather bloody scenes with animals.















We had dinner that night at one of the restaurants next to our hotel. The food was mediocre but the service was friendly and they gave us several cups of complimentary tea. Most likely it was because they wanted to keep us at the table to draw in more customers. We were joined for dinner that night by our favourite Istanbul cat Sultana.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[tazdev3225]

Caught up. Love the pics of your brothers again. I have 4 brothers and am the only girl so I am quite used to the odd humor.

Nova Scotia is on my bucket list for one day, although next year I am hoping to get as far north as Toronto. It's still in the planning stages.

The pictures from Turkey are awesome. I love old churches and history so I really appreciate the artwork depicted. I'm headed to Scotland in about 6 weeks or so with my mom. I'm really hoping to get some great pics on the trip of castles and churches along with scenery.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Never have I wanted to be a cat more! Really a shame how we don't make more of an effort for beautifying our own buildings in Canada. I guess you'd have complaints either way - too expensive to decorate, versus boring.

I think the taxpayers would have a fit if the government were throwing up marble and gold inlaid buildings. Must have been nice being emperor/sultan and having all that money at your disposal to build such grand buildings and not have to worry about getting re-elected!

Nova Scotia is on my bucket list for one day, although next year I am hoping to get as far north as Toronto. It's still in the planning stages.

I hope you get out to the east coast someday, it is beautiful!

I'm headed to Scotland in about 6 weeks or so with my mom. I'm really hoping to get some great pics on the trip of castles and churches along with scenery.

Lovely! I would love to visit Scotland someday!

 

[KathyM2]

Love your Istanbul report...looks like such a beautiful place!!

 

[Elevationist]

My feet were really bothering me from wearing flip flops all week so I opted to wear my running shoes, that meant no dress that day which meant pants. Boy did I regret that as it turned into a blistering hot day! I am definitely part of the "I hate pants" club that @Elevationist and her followers often talk about.

PANTS ARE THE WORST THING EVER AND I HATE THAT I AM AT WORK AND WEARING THEM RIGHT NOW!!!

Also, your Turkey photos are GORGEOUS.

 

[hokieinpa]

Another great update. I was a History major (and teacher before staying at home) so reading your updates brings back lots of information about the Byzantine Empire that I haven't thought about in quite some time! And I love that you explored the city. It's nice to see the "real" city versus the tourist hot spots.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Love your Istanbul report...looks like such a beautiful place!!

It is a beautiful city and I look forward to returning there someday.

PANTS ARE THE WORST THING EVER AND I HATE THAT I AM AT WORK AND WEARING THEM RIGHT NOW!!!

I don't mind the scrub pants that I wear at work because they are as comfy as pj's but I absolutely hated when I had to dress "business casual" in the past. So glad that I don't work in an office.

Another great update. I was a History major (and teacher before staying at home) so reading your updates brings back lots of information about the Byzantine Empire that I haven't thought about in quite some time! And I love that you explored the city. It's nice to see the "real" city versus the tourist hot spots.

Another history lover! Yes, it was nice to get out of the touristic center and see some of the city. If we had had more time I would have loved to take a boat across the Bosphorus to the Asian side of the city. That would have been a true immersive experience.

 

[Elevationist]

I don't mind the scrub pants that I wear at work because they are as comfy as pj's but I absolutely hated when I had to dress "business casual" in the past. So glad that I don't work in an office.

In my ongoing quest for pants that I don't hate, I actually just a couple days ago ordered some khaki-colored scrub pants without the cargo pockets, and am going to see if I can get away with passing them off as regular relaxed-fit khaki pants at work next week! Wish me luck!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

After lunch at Sci-Fi we decided to go see the Indiana Jones show. We have seen it many times in the past but who knows if it will still be around by the time we next visit so we had to make time for it!

They were already picking the audience volunteers when we arrived so we hurried into our seats at the very far left side of the theatre. Despite getting some of the last seats we still had a good view!

Whenever I see this show I think about the WDW episodes from Full House.





After the show we stopped for a photopass photo and I was really starting to feel the heat, stupid pants!





In order to escape the heat we decided to go over to the old Animation Building to check out the new Star Wars stuff. Photopass photo first though!





We opted to watch the movie at the beginning. It was all about the making of the new movie. It was interesting to watch and we thought it was really funny that they talked a lot about the original trilogy and pretty much ignored the prequels.

Once inside there were exhibits with models and other displays but, of course, the main draw here is the character meet. There are two lines, one for the dark side and one for the light side.

We decided to go to the Dark Side first as the boys had never gotten their picture with Darth Vader.

Erich was wearing his Storm Trooper Academy shirt so he presented himself to Darth Vader as a new recruit.

Alek was looking intimidated.





After Erich was accepted by Darth Vader as a new recruit we made our exit. Alek, as a representative of the Light Side, took Erich as prisoner and presented him to Chewie. One of the character attendants totally did not get the prisoner gag reference to Episode IV. I think it must be odd to work at WDW at a character meet and not know some basic references pertaining to that character/movie.









Chewie decided that Erich was just pretending to be on the Dark Side and so released him.











I got some attention from Chewie as well.






We all had a good laugh over the character interactions. Darth and Chewie both took a good amount of time with us. There was no rushing through here as happens at some meets.

We then ran into a Jawa and conducted a trade.







The Jawa was just wandering around so there is no line, you just have to approach one if you want an interaction.

Outside again in the blistering heat we saw some Storm Troopers trying to recruit park guests to join their ranks. This lady was not a fan and told the Storm Troopers off for being on the wrong side.



It was hilarious.



What was Mom up to while we were having fun in the parks?

Back at the hotel she was lounging around the pool and doing some shopping in the gift shop and having surprise Dismeets with @Elevationist

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

In my ongoing quest for pants that I don't hate, I actually just a couple days ago ordered some khaki-colored scrub pants without the cargo pockets, and am going to see if I can get away with passing them off as regular relaxed-fit khaki pants at work next week! Wish me luck!

Good luck! I will be interested to see how that goes for you.