Hello everyone, my name is David, I am 18 and I am from Liverpool, England. This year is my gap year and I decided to travel around the world. I opened this travel blog page to inform you and share everything I will learn and experience. I have a route in my mind and I hope I can set off as soon as possible, my first stop is France then Spain and Romania and the pearl of east Istanbul, then I will decide where to go. Follow me and support me, please!

    You can follow my journey from my Instagram account:                   

                         @davidsgapyear

 You can see my route below: 

 Dear my followers, 

I was very excited for my journey at the beginning, I went to the Heathrow Airport very early in the morning and waited for the take off time to Paris where is my first destination. But guess what!There was a mistake on my ticket and gate number was 269 but I went to the gate 296. I was sleepy and wasn't very careful and the staff on the gate was very tired and let me get into the plane by mistake. A chance in a million!!!

     Then plane took off and I went to sleep again. I slept around 2 hours more but we were still on the air and I thought Paris is not that far. I asked a steward: when will we land? He said: we have 10 hours left. I was shocked and understood that I was in the wrong plane!!! Yes, Dear followers, In the end I found myself in Argentina and now I am on the way to France back. Not a good start but it was an Unexpected Journey for me:)

After another long flight, I arrived at last at Charles de Gaulle Airport. From the airport I took a train to go to the centre of Paris. I have always dreamt of seeing the Eiffel Tower.

In Paris, I went in the Métro but, OMG, there are 302 stations! I got completely lost and I arrived at “Gare du Nord” station. 

There, I took a train to go to Amiens.

 I wanted to go to Amiens because they are many places to discover like the Perret tower, the cathedral of Amiens….I could have gone to Marseille (a beautiful city in the south of France) for example but I wanted to climb at the top of the cathedral towers. This was one of those dreams…. Did you know that this cathedral is the largest gothic cathedral in the world? It is twice as big the cathedral in Paris! This monument is also very high: it is 48 metres high! There is a great colour show in summer.

Then I started  to get hungry so I decided to go to the famous "Jean Trogneux" store to buy “macarons” and when I left the store, I ate one and I decided to go and buy a box for my family and I went to eat another at Saint Pierre park.

In Saint Pierre Park, there was a medieval fest. At the fest  they were many knights and many noble ladies. There was a boy named Auguste who was disguised as a princess!  I tasted the medieval soup.

There, I met a group of pupils from a school nearby. They were really nice. They invited me to join them. I took the bus to go back to their school. I talked with them. I had a great time. One of the boys, Tristan, invited me to his house. His family was lovely. I ate a cheese fondue, it was delicious. We watched Netflix and ate popcorn. I went to bed early because my flight was at 7:30am!

 NEXT STOP: BARCELONA, SPAIN

BARCELONA, SPAIN

 After having spent some great days in France, it was time to leave and go to Spain! This time, I had the pleasure to visit the city of Barcelona.

The first thing I did there, was going to the great Sagrada Família, the gigantic church built by Antoni Gaudí. I loved it very much! After, I went for a walk in the Ramblas of Barcelona, a beautiful and long street that ends up next to the Mediterranean sea. 

Before arriving to the seaside, I stopped at the Boqueria, a famous and lively market full of fruits, vegetables, seeds and other interesting types of food. At midday, I had paella for lunch in a restaurant in front of La Barceloneta, a beautiful beach where you can enjoy amazing views and the smell of the sea.

Soon after, I went to Passeig de Gracia, one of the most beautiful streets in Barcelona. I really wanted to enjoy Gaudí’s architecture again so I stopped at La Casa Batlló, another house designed by the architect. I really recommend you to visit it!

In the afternoon, I enjoyed a relaxing walk in the colourful Güell Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where you can see the beautiful views of Barcelona. The next day, I went to Tibidabo, a great theme park located in the highest spot of Barcelona. I really wanted to get some adrenaline, so the plan was so exciting!

 The night before leaving the city, I decided to buy tickets to go to Camp Nou, the Barça football stadium, to enjoy a Barcelona Vs. Real Madrid match. It was very entertaining and Barça won the match, of course!

Dear followers, I had so much fun in Spain, but sadly I had to leave to Romania. However, some new adventures were waiting for me there!

 Romania/Timisoare

After a nice journey, I went to Timisoare, Romania. Firstly; I visited

The Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral, an impressive work drawn up by the architect Ion Traianescu. Its architecture represents a successful combination between the Byzantine style and the elements characteristic of the Moldavian churches. Then I went to the museum in the Cathedral and saw its exhibits. After that I went to Opera House and National Theatre. It was spectacular. Later, local people told me about Victory Square with historical buildings. It was amazing.                                                                      My next stop was The Huniade Castle

The Huniade Castle, founded by Iancu of Hunedoara is considered to be Timişoara’s oldest monument and houses Banat Museum.

 Later, I went to Union Square, also known as Dome Square, is the oldest square in Timișoara. I was tired and hungry so I ate Sarmale (Cabbage Rolls) and Papanaşi at a local restaurant. The chief said that "when you come to Romania, our traditional cuisine is something well worth exploring as it brings together a mix of ingredients and it is varied, filling and very savory."

 Edirne, Turkey

Hi again from a different country. Roads took me to this nice city, Edirne, in Turkey. I really wonder about it because I like historical places. I want to get to know Edirne asap but I feel really tired because I could't sleep well last night. Unfortunately, I must have a rest for a while. It's time to find a clean hotel with  reasonable price.

I easily found what I want! I am going to stay at Ottoman Palace Hotel. It took the name of Ottoman Empire. 

Ottoman Empire was a state that controlled much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa between the 14th and early 20th centuries. Edirne was the capital city of Ottoman Empire between 1365-1453( until Mehmet the Conqueror conquered İstanbul. So, the city is very important in Turkish history. 

 I took a nap for an hour and now I feel energetic enought to wander around the city!  But, I feel hungry and don't know what to eat. Somebody should advise me  something. As far as I know, Turkish cuisine is delicious. Let me check it. 

 I asked the receptionist girl  what to taste in Edirne and she strongly suggested me to eat fried liver(tava ciğeri) which is Edirne famous for and she also advised me a wellknown restaurant. 

 I easily got there because Edirne isn't a complicated city and I like simple cities. :) My first point: a nice city .

 I tried fried liver and fell in love with it:) What a delicious meal!! I will never forget its taste. Never and ever. 

 After the meal, I wanted to drink Turkish tea in Emirgan Tea Cafe by Meriç River. It has a wonderful view.  There are lots to see and take photos. Follow me!

 Tea and view was wonderful. Everybody should see here. ! The city smells history. Now comes the history paarrtt...

My next stop is a majestic mosque.I am talking about the Selimiye Mosque built by Sinan the Architect.  Have you ever heard it before? 

 Its wonderful architecture caught me as soon as I saw it. It's very important for Muslims and it is always full of people.  I was amazed by the atmosphere of the Selimiye Mosque. 

 Now, it's time to sleep; too much for today. See you tomorrow in İstanbul, another capital city of the Ottoman Empire.

 

 Istanbul/Turkey

    Hello my dear followers,

At last I am in Istanbul! Pearl of east, the only city that located on two continents and which has a strait in it.A magical city, old capital city of Eastern Roman Empire and Byzantians and then Ottoman Empire.And Bonus!Hagia Sophia is here! I am very excited to see it.

 I will try to visit every historical places and good places to eat.You know Turkish cuisine is very famous in Europe and Britain.I am sure you all know pizza is Italian and Doner is Turkish:) By the way,is there anyone who hasn't tried Doner yet? You should, folks!

    I will write a complete critic of the city soon,wait for it!

 MY CRITIC ABOUT ISTANBUL

     Hello guys as I promised you before I wanted to write an objective critic about my dream city,Istanbul.

    Some cities are so famous and we expect so much from them that when we finally arrive, after the initial moment of joy, the other, less pleasant phase of disappointment comes over us. Yes, the monuments are stunning, the food is tasty, the weather is perfect, but there is something missing. And it's hard to explain what. . Istanbul  was the place I had always dreamed of visiting and in the end, although I enjoyed it, I felt that thing that there's something missing. You will surely find the photos in this post absolutely stunning and you might think that what I say is silly. But I'll try my best to explain my point of view below.

 Why Istanbul turned out to be disappointing

 I had always wanted to visit Turkey - its famous landscapes, oriental touch and superb cuisine are undoubtedly attractions on a global scale. 

Istanbul (formerly known as Constantinople - the capital of the Byzantine Empire) is a place of enormous historical importance. But nowadays, its great past is hardly ever present. While seated on the train from Edirne to the center I was observing the city and its surroundings - it seemed very bleak and unoriginal - filled with concrete blocks, it reminded more of a post-Soviet town rather than the super famous tourist attraction. It was a surprise for me because I'd heard so many great things about Istanbul from my friends. I thought that in the historical center, it must be way better.

 when I arrived at the Sultan Ahmet Park right in the heart of the city, the feeling of disappointment didn't disappear. Apart from the beautiful and most famous Istanbul's sites - The Blue Mosque and The Hagia Sophia, the city center was still quite grey, full of heavy blocks and, with the exception of a few streets, lacking the typical for the region, beautiful houses with balconies . I had expected so much more from such a famous and massively advertised city.

    I'm not trying to say that Istanbul is ugly or not worth visiting, it definitely is, and, if you haven't traveled much or if it's enough for you to take a selfie of one of the famous places, you'll probably love it. 

 But if you prefer the charming towns which have the real, local soul and if you have traveled around the Europe and visited the cities in France, Spain and Romania even Edirne, you'll understand why Istanbul left me disappointed. Yes, it has the bazaar, the Blue Mosque and other beautiful landmarks, but it all seems hidden in the jungle of the ordinary concrete buildings - and visiting a city shouldn't only be about its most famous monuments - it's about the ordinary streets too and their atmosphere - at least for me.

    I will try my chance in Bursa, another very important and historical city and one of the old capital cities of Turks.I learned that Osman's (Founder of Ottoman Empire) shrine is there.I hope I can find something authentic there!Wish me luck...

 Bursa

Taking a relaxing ferry ride across the Sea of Marmara , I arrived  Bursa. It  was so easy to trip from İstanbul . A  one-way journey was only about three hours. As I said before,Bursa’s history goes way back, as it was the first capital of the Ottoman empire,  many historical buildings are still standing today. Firstly, I went to old city center to visit Grand Mosque, which was built between 1396 and 1399. The largest mosque in Bursa, it is considered a landmark of early Ottoman architecture.

Near it, of course I visited  Bursa’s Grand Bazaar which is one of the city’s best spots for shopping. The city was known for producing high-quality silk goods during the Ottoman period, and  ipek, or silk, can be found at 40 shops in the top level of the bazaar’s Koza Han. I bought nice souvenirs here. Yeah I felt hungry while walking around and I found the original Iskender Kebap Restaurant, is named after its founder, Iskender Efendi, whose signature dish is also called Iskender Kebap.It was really delicious.  

Then,I visited Osman Gazi and Orhan Gazi tombs who are founders of Ottoman Empire.I saw the intricate mosaics and beautiful architecture inside.Btw, It is too late now,  see you tomorrow my dear followers.  

    Hi again,Today was great. In the morning, I went to İnkaya (Grand) Plane tree .Oh my God! It was the biggest tree I’ve ever seen .As I searched, it is 1000 square meter with a height of approx. 30 meters. It is believed that the tree is at least 600 years old. It is the largest and the oldest one in Turkey. Under this giant tree, drinking turkish tea was undescribable.

 In the afternoon, I went to the traditional Ottoman villages ; Cumalikizik and Gölyazı date back more than 700 years to the foundation of the Ottoman Empire. Even if the people didn’t know English ,they tried talking and offering some drinks and food. They were so hospitable and friendly here.Actually, it’s no surprise why this city is often called Yeşil Bursa (Green Bursa) , it’s full of parks and gardens, big and small.Bursa, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. No matter what kind of traveller you are: a shopper, a food enthusiast, or a history buff, this beautiful city is sure to have something for you.

 Manisa/Turkey

        After seeing a lot of beautiful historical monuments of Ottomans in Bursa, I decided to see and learn more about early stages of Ottoman Turks and I learned that I should visit Manisa.I decided to hitchhike from Bursa to Manisa because it is relatively close and I hope I can meet with new people and have good memories on the way.

    Good morning dear followers! I arrived in Manisa yesterday evening and found a park and set my camp tent there at night.People were puzzled when they saw me in their small park and asked me a lot of questions!

    But they were speaking Turkish and I didn't understand most of them.When they understood that I am a foreigner, they cheered up and said ''welcoooome, how are youuuu, nice to meet youuu!''People are great but we couldn't have a proper dialogue in English:) It is time to learn some Turkish!

    I will start touring around city and share my ideas ASAP!

    In ancient times, Manisa was known as Magnesia and Sipylum and was a strategically important city. It prospered during the Byzantine period but reached its apogee under the Ottomans, when it became the place where the şehzades (crown princes) were trained for their imperial destinies.

 Many of the buildings in the historic centre date from the nine-year period when Süleyman the Magnificent and his mother Ayşe Hafsa Sultan lived here. The main reasons to visit are to see the exquisite Muradiye Mosque and attend the annual Mesir Macunu Festivalı, which is inscribed on Unesco's list of intangible cultural heritage.I couldn't join Mesir Festival because it was a month ago but I found a local shop and bought some Mesir paste.Some says it is a medicine and you should consume it regularly.It is made of 41 herbs and spices,unbelievable! I will leave some links below,if you want more information, you can click on them!

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesir_macunu

https://www.goturkeytourism.com/things-to-do/mesir-paste-festival-unesco-turkey.htmlu

     Manisa is a small city and all historical sites are very close to each other.I visited all historical monuments in a day!You can see the photos I took on my Instagram and here, in my blog page.I also should add that there is a huge mountain named Spil here.And I heard that some wild horses are living on it.I will try to go up to the mountain tomorrow and if I can take some photos of those wild horses,I will share.Wait for it!

    I hitchhiked to top of the mountain yesterday and took some photos, some good people got me in their car and helped me to find wild horses.Photos are on the next pages with other photos from Manisa.By the way I decided to go to a city called Isparta because I heard that there is a festival there and I can't miss a festival dedicated to ROSES:)

 Isparta/Turkey

 After Manisa my next station was Isparta. I was there on time to see beautiful roses. I visited rose gardens and take photos of them. Everywhere was pink and smelled roses. It was wonderful. I heard people saying there were also lavender gardens in Isparta so I decided to visit there as well.

I went to Keçiborlu in Isparta to see the famous lavender gardens. Everywhere was purple there. There were many tourists all over the world taking photos in the lavender gardens. It was a great scnerery at sunset so I took a photo to remember it.

I couldn't leave Isparta without visiting Turkey's one of the biggest lakes Eğirdir lake. It was very beautiful with different shades of blue. Some people were swimming in the lake. There were resataurants serving fish near the lake but I wanted to go up the hill and eat gözleme in the Yoruk Tent. The yoruk tent was on the top of the hill looking at the lake. You could see the whole lake and the tiny island in it clearly from there. Eating gözleme with tea while loooking at the lake was a great experience!

 Mersin/Turkey

Hello dear followers, today I am on my way to Mersin.Some followers wrote me on the instagram that ''We are waiting for Antalya!''.Now I am very close to Antalya,the second most visited tourist destination in Turkey but I already visited Antalya with my family two years ago.So,I will skip Antalya and go to Mersin.I know most of you have not heard this mediterranean city's name before but I have read an article about that city and it was comparing it with Marseille!This caught my attention a lot and I turned the rudder there.

      My first stop in Mersin is Anamur and guess what! Anamur is famous for its banana plantations!I always thought banana can be grown in distant islands or deep inside Africa:)) But here in Turkey,in Anamur,everywhere is full of bananas and I love bananaS:)I also visited a castle named Mamure Castle.It was beautiful but I am coming from Great Britain man, no castle can impress me easily!!That's all from Anamur.Time to go to another district of Mersin, Silifke.

    Silifke is an interesting place.I learned that there are 10 ancient cities in the borders of this district.Maybe I can add some of their photos.

    I visited some caves around here.I haven't visited any deep caves before and that was an amazing experience for me.

The name of the cave was Aynalıgöl(Gilindire) cave.I have seen one of the miracles of the mother nature there.If I can come to Turkey again,I definetly visit that cave once more:)

    Another day in Silifke and I can say that everywhere is full of small,clean and not very crowded bays and beaches.I will visit Astım cave and another cave couple named Cennet and Cehennem.You can't guess the meaning of those names.Heaven and Hell!!!I am really excited to visit them.First, I visited Astım cave(a place where asthma patients feel relief) then I saw Heaven and Hell on Earth;)

Joking aside! Hell was a huge hole on the ground without any fire and Heaven was like a big cave and only there was a small ruined church in it.I didn't get the logic why they are so famous!Because of their names, I think!Everyone wonders the places we will go after death:(

    I said that before ''No castle can impress me'' but I was wrong!I understood that when I saw Maiden's Castle in Mersin.It reminded me Mont Saint-Michel (Le Mont-Saint-Michel) in Normandy,France.Of course Maiden's Castle is not as impressive as Mont Saint-Michel,when you put the photos side by side,you will get the idea:)

     Today, I am in Mersin's city center and I can say that I love it because it has an endless coastline. Also there is a building with 52 floors. It can be seen everywhere in Mersin. Mersin's famous food is tantuni, a kind of meat in a special bread.Nothing special but it is tasty and I loved it.Turks know how to cook meat.By the way have you ever heard Nusret the saltbae guy?Nowadays I am following his instagram account, that man has a problem with meat,maan!:)

        I loved Mersin a lot and am very happy that I decided to visit this city.Sometimes, as a traveller you should change the course from famous tourist destinations to unknown places.

Mersin Part 2

   The next day, I woke up very early and had breakfast in my tent. I decided to stay in Mersin one more day because I wanted to see the other beauties and popular dishes of this fascinating city. I looked at my map and wondered about the Cleopatra's Gate. So, I picked up my tent and headed for Cleopatra's Gate. I walked for long hours non-stop. Suddenly, a red car stopped and the man in the car asked me where I was going. I was lucky because the man was going the same way as me. We arrived at the Cleopatra's Gate, and I thanked the man. I was amazed bacause it was a nice, historical place. I took lots of gorgeous photos and enjoyed the fabulous weather.

   However, I was very hungry and tired, but I didn't know what to eat. Suddenly, I saw a huge food fair. It was full of very different traditional meals. I asked the names of the food, they had really interesting names such as Batırık, Keşkek, Cezerye, Kerebiç. I tasted all of them, but I liked Kerebiç most.Then, I felt energetic and happy again. I started to walk through the streets and I heard a music. I went closer to it and I saw a poster. "Batman Tour" was written on the poster. I thought for a moment : " is it the Batman that our super hero?" I got very excited because Batman was my dream childhood character. So I bought a ticket and got on the "Batman Tour" bus.

 Batman/Turkey

     When our tour bus came in Batman, I had a look at out of the window and I asked the tour guide "Where can we see Batman?" He said that "Here is Batman. Are you joking me? I asked again: "Isn't there someone with superhero costume here?" He laughed out loud and made fun of me. Then he said that "Batman is not a superhero here, in Evliya Çelebi's Seyahatname, the name of the Batman comes from a nearby stream named Batman. I was disappointed, but anyway I wanted to find out Batman. When I got off the bus, I saw a logo and asked the tour guide about the meaning of it. In the logo there was something that I had never seen before. He told "This is a horsehead petrol pump. It brings crude petroleum up and this petroleum is processed and made ready to use in other machines." I said that "So, all the people in Batman use petrol very cheaply :) But he said that "Yes, petrol flows from the fountains at houses. Come oooon! The price of petrol in Batman is the same with other cities. You must be kidding :) I said "of course I am joking :)

     Then we started our Batman Tour. Firstly, we went to Malabadi Bridge. It was a very ancient and historical bridge. Our tour guide told us about it. In fact is is between Diyarbakır province and Batman. Malabadi takes its name from Bad, who built the bridge, when the girl she loved drowned in the water. Later, the bridge is called 'Malabadi' by combining the Kurdish name 'mal' (house) and Bad.

   Then we went to Hasankeyf and saw 12 thousand years old caves. Oh my God! This city smells of history! Then we saw Zeynel Bey Mausoleum. The tour guide said that a dam was built here and the government carried this 1100 ton Mauseloum on land for 2 kilometers so that it would not be submerged. I was so surprised. Our Batman tour was for 1 day so our tour bus was going to return to  Mersin. Then I decided to stay in Batman and explore its other beauties.

 Batman Part 2

    I have seen so much so far. What a different city! Batman. I have talked with local people. and they recommended me to taste Kebab in XaloHeyran. I went there last night and guess what? I was poisoned due to Kebab. Bad luck. After wandering around, I saw Umbrella Street. The umbrellas had been flown due to storm once but I can take a selfie now.

   My next destination in Batman was Hasankeyf again. New Hasankeyf, it is like York and New York. Shire and New Shire. The city has changed drastically. You can see...

   As I love extreme sports, ı wanted to go freediving in Hasankeyf. Guess what? I had a cramp inside water. I was really afraid to be drown. Luckily I am on the surface now...I must say Batman will be unforgettable for me.

 Ganja/Azerbaijan

Hi Friends. I'm here in Ganja. My being in this city can wonder you : "How did I come here? Why?"

        While walking in the Umbrella Street in Batman I saw some guys sitting on the bench and watching something very attentively. I came up to them and told that they attracted my attention. "Could I ask what you are watching?" They said : "yes, of course, come and watch with us. These are videos of poems from our project friends from Ganja city."

        I watched together with them and really liked their performances. Their videos evoke a deep interest in me to see the city of these talented students.

I was told that because of Covid restrictions I could visit Ganja only by plane. Though I had lived through unpleasant flight when I started my journey I encouraged myself again to travel by plane and got my tickets.

My plane landed in Ganja in the morning. So I decided first to have a nice breakfast. I asked what I could eat and where. Some friendly and hospitable citizens invited me to their houses to have breakfast and even stay. But I thanked them and set out. At the local cafe I ordered breakfast. The beauty of breakfast table and unimaginably smell and taste of food were amazing. I had famous Ganja "Kaymak"(kind of cream) with honey and "Tendir chorek" (bread baked in tandir)

 Food in Ganja

My first destination in this city was the mouseleum of great poet Nizami Ganjavi whose poems were told by students. That was a wonderful building  with statues around that were the heroes of his world famous work of literature "Leyli and Majnun", " Treasure of Mysteries" etc

        From there I went to see the most extraordinary building of the city, "Butulkalı ev" ("Bottle house")This house was built in the city centre in 1966 by architect Ibrahim on the honour of his brother who was lost during World War II. he hoped one day his brother would hear the fame of this house and come back. He built this magnificent building during a year and used 48 thousand bottles of different shape and size. I really admired that building.

        I stayed in this wonderful city for 2 days. But it wasn't  enough to see everything. I hope to come to this city again one day.

       I'm happy that my Gap Year Journey was so full. I had chance to see so many interesting cities, was met warmly by their friendly people.