26th November 2024: Another Concavenator visit (Alcalá de Henares, Spain)

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I had to run some errands in Alcalá de Henares in the afternoon, so I decided I would get there in the morning, and walk to the Archaeology and Palaeontology museum Museo Arqueológico y Paleontológico de la Comunidad de Madrid, MARPA. The exhibition “Dragon Hunters” Cazadores de Dragones was still running and since it was a random weekday morning, I thought it would be empty.

I was right, it was deserted enough that the security guard looked at me weirdly. Yes, I’ve been there before. Twice. I hope to be back at least once more before the exhibit closes in January 2025. The security guard should not be remembering me, I did nothing weird. Taking a few hundred photographs of a fossil is completely normal.

Why am I so obsessed about the Concavenator? Well, one does not always have such a unique fossil so handy, and for free. Furthermore, the usual home of the Concavenator does not allow pictures. And lastly, I’m a nerd. The species Concavenator corcovatus was described in 2010 by Francisco Ortega, Fernando Escaso, and José Luis Sanz from a single skeleton found at Las Hoyas site in 2003. The specimen was officially catalogued as MCCM-LH 6666. The animal was a medium-sized carcharodontosaurid. Carcharodontosauria, which included the likes of Giganotosaurus, Mapusaurus or Carcharodontosaurus, were a group of large theropods from the Cretaceous period. The skeleton was almost complete, with the tail and neck contorted in rigor mortis. The fossil shows two things that make it special – a hump or sail created by the spines of the back vertebrae, and the fact that some pigments were found on the fossil. Not unique but rare enough findings include impressions of skin and scales, and smaller bones in the belly area, rests of undigested dinner. On the arm bones there are insertions for ligaments similar to those that modern birds have at the insertion of feathers.

Concavenator corcovatus

The Concavenator lived around 125 million years ago, in an area of wetlands. Its teeth, general shape (it walked on its two hindlegs and had small-ish arms), along with the remains of animals that it had eaten, tell us it was a carnivore, and its placement in the carcharodontosaurid family, that it was a predator. However, no large predator is known for rejecting a good scavenging feed. The spikes or hump on its back, above the hips, can be clearly seen on the fossil, but nobody has any idea of what it was for – speculations have been made for communication means, fat deposits and thermoregulation. When alive, the animal would have been around 5 metres long, two metres tall, and 450 kilograms heavy.

Concavenator corcovatus details

All that to end up being dug up and named… Pepito, which is the diminutive of the diminutive of the Spanish version of Joseph. The equivalent of Joseph would be José, nicknamed Pepe, and changing the last “e” into “ito” – the suffix for small – would yield to something like Joey. So this magnificent predator was either named after a mini-mini-Joseph, or a small meat sandwich, which is also referred to as a pepito. Seriously, what happened to the illustrious tradition of Boaty McBoatface? This would have been a glorious Toothy McToothface (“Spanishised” as Dientito Caradientez or something).

Anyway, after the visit I dropped by the museum shop to buy myself some Concavenator-related merchandise. When was there the first time, I bought the exhibition catalogue, but since then they had received some silly cute items – I bought a pin, a badge, and a magnet, just because I could. Maybe as the exhibit draws closer to the end there will be discounts on other things…

I left the museum and decided that since it was way past 14:00, I should grab a bite to eat. As I had parked my car next to a shopping centre, I headed there with the idea of some Asian food. However, there is a burger joint that usually has a long queue and that some friends had told me was really good – as good as fast food can be, I guess. It is called TGB – The Good Burger. It is supposed to serve “NYC style gourmet hamburgers”. The place was empty, so I decided to give it a try.

I ordered a “Cheese Lovers” burger, which consisted of a beef patty, American cheese, goat cheese, Gorgonzola, sautéed onions, arugula and honey mustard sauce. It was… very cheesy. It was nice, but nothing I feel I must try again, especially when there are cheaper options in the shopping centre. And sushi. But at least, I satisfied my curiosity before I went off towards all my dull, grown-up errands which I shall not bore you with…

The Cheese Lovers burger

22nd November 2024: “Wicked” (film) on opening day (Madrid, Spain)

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There was a time when you could mute words on social media to avoid spoilers. Since the algorithms have taken over and you can’t curate what you see any more, I decided that the best way to avoid Wicked spoilers was trying to see it as early as possible, preferably on opening day. Ideally, on the first screening on opening day, an English version.

For a change, “ideally” worked. At least, I found a screening at 15:45 on the day the film came out. It was a cinema with Spanish subtitles but I can live with that. I have seen the musical twice in the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London and I’ve loved it both times. Not only I’m a firm believer in the message of Defying Gravity, I also give regular thought to Dancing Through Life. Sometimes I also listen to No One Mourns the Wicked and get all philosophical…

Anyway, I headed off to Madrid with next-to-no information and no expectations, hoping to enjoy the film. I had been slightly surprised that so many tickets were already booked when I bought my own, but I gave it no more than a couple of seconds’ worth of attention, I just thought I was running late since I made the decision the previous weekend before heading out to see Ha·Ya·To . Since the film was rather early in the afternoon, I had to get to Madrid with time for a bite. One of my options was Yatai Market but in the end I decided to grab brunch at Toby’s Brunch Club, where they run an all-day brunch (here I went, cheating the system again, just like I did at the James Joyce – twice in one week, too). I tried to book online but the system only took reservations for two or more. Since the Internet said that it was usually quite busy, just thought I still had Yatai as a backup plan…

I arrived at Atocha Station and walked towards the brunch place. As I did, I had to walk past Caixa Forum, which is still running the exhibit on Patagonian dinosaurs, and the Patagotitan smiled at me. I, of course, smiled back.

Patagotitan mayorum

The very-busy brunch place was empty – weekday “crowds” I guess. I was the only customer there for the duration. Usually, not being able to book for myself on my own discourages me from a place, but I’ve been wanting a “typical” brunch for a while now. The brunch consisted of a cold drink, coffee or tea and two courses (22€). For my cold drink, I ordered orange juice, and for the hot one a coffee latte. The first course was a basket of breads with butter, jams and tomato paste, and a yoghurt with fresh fruit. As my second course, I ordered eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. Because I really wanted eggs Benedict and I can’t cook them to save my life. Everything was delicious, especially the yoghurt. The eggs were perfect. I think this would kill me before noon though, so glad I used it as lunch.

Toby's breakfast club brunch

After my brunch / lunch I still had some time so I dropped by the art gallery Museo del Prado. I used my museum card Tarjeta de Museos Estatales and the lady at the ticket booth told me she had never seen a card like that before. She took it to the back shop, and when she came back, it turned out that the card had stuck to another card, which explained why she was confused. I finally managed to get in, and spent about an hour there. There was a small exhibit called El Taller de Rubens (Rubens’ workshop) which analysed the master’s works and that of his apprentices which was very interesting.

Afterwards, I walked towards Yelmo Cines Ideal (passing by and waving at the Patagotitan again) to watch Wicked. When I got there, the cinema was still closed, but as soon as I turned away to snoop into a shop across the street, the doors opened. I found my seat and I found myself seated between two groups of high school and university students, who were complaining that their life was very hard, and that they had barely had the time to eat lunch before getting to the cinema. And a few of them were threatening to cry. And they were telling each other not to sing along. I had not realised there was such a big following of Wicked from the younger crowd…

After a few minutes of hearing them babble excitedly, I realised that all of them had listened to the songs on the Internet, or something, but they had never had the chance to seen the musical themselves – it’s debuting in Spain in autumn 2025. It made me realise how lucky I am to be able to jump onto a red-eye flight at a random weekend and go to London, and be there for the 14:30 performance at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.

Wicked film poster

In general, I enjoyed the film. More than I believed I would, because I went with zero expectations and I had managed to avoid any kind of spoiler and previous knowledge, except that Jeff Goldblum was the Wizard. The main cast includes Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Marissa Bode as Nessa (kudos for an actual disabled actor playing a disabled character!), Ethan Slater as Boq, Jeff Goldblum as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; and Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond (voice).

I do not believe what I am going to say – but I thought Goldblum was the weakest character. I mean, he keeps playing himself, and Jeff Goldblum is not the Wizard (I had the same feeling when I watched Jurassic World: Dominion; he played himself, not Ian Malcolm). On the contrary, Michelle Yeoh was fantastic, her sole presence in a take stole the whole screen. I enjoyed seeing the animal characters a lot, as it is the bit of the musical that always feels a bit off. The logistics of landscaping Oz was a bit awkward at points, but I guess that’s theatrics and not… geography.

I found the music decent. As for me the most important thing was for the story to be faithful to the musical – which is more up my alley than the novel – I was rather satisfied. The best song, in my opinion was What is this feeling?, the camerawork was stunning. It was also great to see the cameo of the actors who portrayed Glinda and Elphaba on Broadway for the first time, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel – known worldwide today for Frozen’s anthem Let it go. The library scene and choreography for Dancing through life was also impressive.

What I saw of the subtitles was not a good sign though, because the message of No One Mourns the Wicked loses most of its meaning if you translate it as “she’s finally dead”. However, I am rather good at ignoring subtitles anyway. I am not sold on Glinda being all pink either. Too many Legally Blonde vibes there, I prefer ice-blue.

The film ended at the end of the first act of the musical, with the “main event” of sorts – Defying Gravity. Very showy, okay music-wise. It was more visually impacting than musically, and my mind was dubbing it with Kristin Chenoweth’s version anyway. At this point, half the theatre was sobbing, which I found slightly amusing.

All in all, I enjoyed the day and the film. I am looking forward to the second part, and having affordable Wicked merchandise I don’t have to save for special occasions. After leaving the cinema, I walked back, and since it was cold, I got there in record time – and then I had to wait 40 minutes for the train because of course I did.

18 & 19th November 2024: Apocalyptica Played Metallica in Madrid (Spain), so there I went

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Planning for this short getaway started on the 23rd of February, when I bought my ticket for the Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2 Tour 2024 stop in La Riviera in Madrid (50.50 €). Almost immediately, I headed off to Apocalyptica’s website to buy the VIP Tour 2024 Upgrade (58,90 €). The upgrade consisted on early access, photograph / meet & greet / autograph session (the important part), VIP lanyard, fabric patch, pin and tote bag. Honestly, all that for barely 100 € was a sweet deal. Back in Antwerp for Starset, someone I was queueing with complained that VIP tickets were too expensive for “a broke uni student”, but for me, meeting with the artist, albeit briefly is usually worth it – early entry is a plus, too, because for some concerts I either find a barrier spot or I just have to go to the back. The bundle was dispatched on the 9th of June (according to the email. Do Finnish post offices open on Sunday?) and it arrived on the 18th.

I originally booked a cheap hotel about half an hour’s walk from the venue. Later, I decided that I preferred the more expensive one less than 10 minutes away, so I changed my booking a week before the concert. I did not book there originally because it required prepayment, and my card was playing up..

On Friday the 4th of November I received an email with instructions for the Meet & Greet, which was to start at 18:30, and I should be there at 18:15. All right, I could do that. It was only a matter of waiting.

On Monday, 17th of November, I took a morning train to head out to Madrid with some leeway for time because I needed to do some small item shopping. I had to dodge some guys trying to get people to sign up for an NGO, but at 11:40 I made it to my first stop of the day – the light museum Museo de la Luz. I had been putting this visit off to go with someone who had expressed interest. However, I also waited for another exhibit and I missed my chance as it turned out to be only temporal. Thus, I decided to head to the Light Museum on my own – it was also one of the few exhibitions open on a Monday morning.

The Light Museum is a modest exhibition with interactive artworks that are mainly made out of lamps, lasers and lights. When you come in, you are given covers for your shoes and a key for a locker – all for free. Then you wait until an attendant takes you in and shows you how to interact with the first artwork “The birdcage” (La Pajarera), a box made out of light and metal that you make change colours with the movement of your arms. Once you know how to “play” with the art, you are left on your own to wander for an hour. At first I thought it would be tight, but the place was small – a bit too small for the price, I thought. I was there for around 40 minutes in total.

There were few people and I was able to check out most of the artwork uninterrupted. The next exhibit is made out of a number of old music festival lights – those that gave a lot of heat from the 90s, which are supposed to be a reference to climate change. Then there is a giant kaleidoscope you can walk in – this one became my favourite. Other rooms or works include a wall of lights that follow you as you move or dance, something with lasers (that I think was broken), some light illusions, a room full of hanging lights, a cube of mirrors and light… At the end there is a wall reading “light museum” in differently coloured lights. When I left, the lady at reception gave me a badge for booking with the official website.

Light Museum Madrid

Light Museum Madrid

I walked out and headed towards the restaurant where I wanted to cheat the system. I crossed the square Puerta del Sol, where they were setting up the Christmas tree – it was about 45% Christmas. On my way, I walked by the underground stop Metro Banco de España which has a tiny door for Little Mouse Pérez – Ratoncito Pérez, the Spanish equivalent to the tooth fairy. I never remember to check it out when I am around, but I made the connection this time.

I finally made it to the James Joyce Pub – which is technically a sports bar. I was not there for the TVs though. I had a while back found the place looking up places which served English breakfasts in Madrid. The James Joyce prides itself in being an Irish pub and offers Irish All-Day Breakfast (12.00 €) – two pork sausages, two rashers of bacon, baked beans, fried egg, sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomato, blood pudding, chips, two half-toasts and butter. No, I would not survive that for breakfast, so I ordered it for lunch (and dinner), thus tricking the system indeed. Unfortunately, it was really good and authentic, so now I’ve got to come back for the sausages and the shepherd’s pie, so at least twice.

James Joyce Irish breakfast

After lunch, I headed out towards the park known as Madrid Río. The park runs along the banks of the river Manzanares. It covers 121 hectares, and it was designed after to cover the space emptied when the belt road M-30 was rebuilt as an underground tunnel. The original project was created by a team of architectural studios and landscapers, with strong ecological consideration – aiming to help the area recover from the degradation and pollution caused by years of road traffic. The project was carried out between 2006 and 2012. In 2015, a second project was carried out to “renaturalise” the river, opening the dams to allow the water to flow freely, which in turn caused the recovery of many plant and animal species (to the detriment of… the local rowing team).

There are also bridges that connect both banks of the river. One of them is the one I crossed – just because I could. It is the pedestrian bridge Puente Monumental de Arganzuela, designed by Dominique Perrault. It is a bridge in two parts – one crosses the river, the other overlooks the park and connects to the urban area, and a total length of 278 metres. It is a tube made out of steel and wood that I’ve been wanting to check out for a while.

Arganzuela bridge

Another important bridge is the completely different Puente de Toledo, a baroque bridge built by Pedro de Ribera. It was erected in granite between 1717 and 1732 as the previous ones had been taken down by torrential floods. This one was made to stay, with nine solid arches opened to allow for the river floods. It was… ready for Christmas.

Madrid Río and bridges

It was weirdly warm for a November afternoon, so when I went to my hotel I opened the window while I had a shower. Around 17:00 I headed out to the venue, where there was a small group of people waiting already. La Riviera is a 1,500 people venue, with really good acoustics – and very dedicated staff. The place was originally a cinema, which was turned into a disco, and then into a music venue and nightclub. It is the same place I saw Epica and Apocalyptica in 2023, and I was surprised how many people came for the M&G considering that last year we were… six. We were around 30 this time around.

At first we were chatting in front of the main door, but soon a queue started forming. A little later, the nice security guy (who last year told me “I looked the part of an Apocalyptica fan”) took us to a secondary door, and the queue was properly organised. Surprisingly, bags were not checked – while last year they even took markers from people.

Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band. It was formed in 1993 as a tribute to Metallica with a classical touch – playing with cellos. Their debut album Apocalyptica plays Metallica by Four Cellos was released in 1993. They slowly moved from covering other bands in a neoclassical style to their very own repertoire. Today, the members are Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen and Perttu Kivilaakso, three classically-trained musicians with a deep love for metal. In 2024, they have gone full circle with the album and tour Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2, performing with drummer Mikko Kaakkuriniemi.

Apocalyptica Tour 24/25

We were ushered into a queue for signatures, and afterwards we would go at the end of the line to wait for photographs. I had brought a print-out of the picture from the previous year, and I told them that whenever they came to Madrid, I would come see them. I got a smile for that. It was an awesome photograph, after all. After everyone had their stuff signed we had the photographs. I asked for “a big metal hug” and got trolled instead. Fun times though!

After the photograph, I found a spot at the barrier. Last time I got on the right, this time I went left. Just a little. I did not want to go dead centre in case anyone decided to moshpit, but I might next time as there was no issue – everyone was too entranced for anything like that, I’d say.

The opening act was the Finnish band Arctis, a baby band who has just debuted with their first CD. They were pretty fun, maybe… a bit… too happy bouncy for metal? I’ve read their act described as metal-pop. It might be. I liked them okay, and they were nice.

Setlist:
 1. I’ll Give You Hell
 2. Remedy
 3. Tell Me Why
 4. WWM
 5. Bimbo (Lambretta Cover)
 6. Fire
 7. Frozen Swan
 8. When The Lights Go Out
 9. Theater of Tragedy

Arctis at La Riviera 2024

Arctis at La Riviera 2024

Apocalyptica came on stage at 21:00 sharp, and the live was glorious. All the songs were Metallica covers, from the new album, the first one, or the remastered version of Plays Metallica released in 2016. Despite that, one would not even have to be a Metallica fan to enjoy the concert, because the three men that compose Apocalyptica have an amazing magnetism. Perttu reminds me of the Duracell Bunny, he just did not stop for a second throughout the whole concert, which lasted a good two hours. Paavo seemed to be in his own little world, as he usually does. Eicca is the one doing most of the talking, and he is hilarious when he delivers his puns with a total deadpan voice and face.

Setlist:
 1. Ride the Lightning
 2. Enter Sandman
 3. Creeping Death
 4. For Whom the Bell Tolls
 5. Battery
 6. The Call of Ktulu
 7. St. Anger
 8. The Four Horsemen
 9. Blackened
 10. Master of Puppets
 11. Nothing Else Matters
 12. Seek & Destroy
 13. One

The audience was mostly moved by Nothing Else Matters, I’d say, judging by how they chorused it. Perttu was all in for that. Personally, I found Seek & Destroy and One, particularly, to be extremely powerful. Also, knowing that they dug up the original bass track from deceased Metallica member Cliff Burton for The Call of Ktulu was half-amazing and half-chilling. All in all, it was a fantastic concert, no matter how one looked at it.

Apocalyptica La Riviera 2024

Eicca Toppinen . Apocalyptica La Riviera 2024

Paavo Lötjönen. Apocalyptica La Riviera 2024

Perttu Kivilaakso. Apocalyptica La Riviera 2024

Apocalyptica La Riviera 2024

Afterwards, Arctis was hanging out by the merch. I got their CD, they signed it, we took a photo. It was fun!

I left the venue and I brought an ice-cream and a sports drink for “dinner” of sorts, because I was thirsty. I had both in the hotel room before my shower – the second of the day – and collapsing onto the king-sized bed. I had to wait for the phone to finish charging before I slept though, so I watched a movie before I zonked out.

I woke up on Tuesday, 18th of November and drank my coffee before I set out. It was freezing out there, with frost on the grass, in spite of the warm afternoon the day before. On my way, I found the ancient walls of the city, remains from the old Moorish fortress alcázar, which stand to the side of the Royal Palace and the Almudena cathedral. I walked towards the centre of Madrid – The Sol Christmas tree was about 60% ready – to meet up with my relative for breakfast at a new place called Kawaii Cafe. Inspired by the Japanese kawaii [可愛い]. Kawaii means pretty, childlike, cute, and the Kawaii Cafe has taken the idea to heart, maybe not not in a complete accurate manner though. Everything is pink, full of fluffy and glitter. The food is not only tasty, also pretty. However, the wait staff is dressed as “maids” [マイド], which I tend to associate more to the… hm… more risqué side of hospitality. When food is brought out, you are offered to chant a spell for it to be even tastier.

I found the place existed by chance, and I was instantly smitten by the rainbow waffles, because they were adorable, and very, very rainbow-like. Thus, I ordered them, along a matcha latte. My relative tried the pancakes with a cocoa. She was ecstatic at the quirkiness of the place.

Kawaii Cafe Madrid order

We stayed for well over an hour, and then headed out to one of the local museums Museo de San Isidro – Museum of Saint Isidore the Labourer. Isidore is the patron saint of Madrid. He is credited with several miracles – multiplying wheat and food, having his oxen plough on their own, and rescuing a child from a well making the waters inside rise. According to tradition, the museum is housed where he used to work, and legend has it that the old well is the one he pulled the child from.

Today the museum hosts some palaeontological and archaeological exhibits, from a mastodon and ancient rhinos to Medieval artefacts, running through the Roman occupation and the Muslim period. The place is a complement to the Museo de Historia de Madrid, or maybe its competition, though I think both belong to the same institution – and both are free. As the building is a historical place, it offers the chance to enjoy its small but beautiful Renaissance courtyard, with sculptures of mythological heroes, and of course St. Isidore and his wife. There is also a tiny Baroque chapel.

San Isidro Museum

San Isidro Museum: chapel, well, and courtyard

Right next to the museum stands the Baroque church of Saint Andrew the Apostle Iglesia de San Andrés Apóstol , which was getting ready for Christmas. The church is one of the oldest in town, though it was rebuilt after its destruction during the Civil War, and it has been recently restored. It hosts a number of religious sculptures and a painted vault above the altar.

Saint Andrew church Madrid

We took the underground at the station Tirso de Molina, which can still be accessed through the historical entrance hall, which is similar to the one that was closed off in Pacífico. It was beautiful, though of course busier than the museum one. Over the entrance to the platform there is a tile mosaic with the old shield of Madrid, dating back from the original station. It was installed in 1921, and it is the oldest artistic item in the underground network.

Access Hall at undeground station Tirso de Molina

From there we commuted to Nuevos Ministerios, where they had just kick-started the Christmas market. It seemed to be the “brands” market, with Lego, Disney, and so on. There was also a food truck by a famous chef selling basically chicken sandwiches at outrageous prices. I had been vaguely curious but not going to break the bank for a chicken sandwich, especially after such a breakfast!

I took a train from there back home, with no incidents whatsoever (because by now I’m desensitised to trains being late…)

17th November 2024: Ha·Ya·To Drum Masters in Guadalajara (Spain)

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A while back, I read on Keita Kanazashi’s Instagram that Ha·Ya·To Project was going to come back to Spain for a small tour with their show Ha·Ya·To: Drum Masters. The most convenient place for me to see them was Teatro Buero Vallejo in Guadalajara. I got tickets as soon as I realised they were out, and still I did not beat the local crowd who buy tickets for any and everything.

Ha·Ya·To Drum Masters promo

Ha·Ya·To: Drum Masters is a Japanese percussion show wadaiko [和太鼓]. While Ha·Ya·To is officially formed by the three Kanazashi brothers, Keita Kanazashi, Ryota Kanazashi, and Yuta Kanazashi, for Drum Masters they are joined by Koji Hada, Takayuki Hashiguchi, Makoto Sekine and Shunichiro Kamiya, along with special guest stars Chieko Kojima (first female wadaiko master) and Masato Shibata (Japanese guitar shamisen world champion).

The show depicts the seasons of the year. It starts in Spring, with flowering cherry blossoms and a slow build up that yields to a super-energetic Summer, full of bouncing and strong beats. Then there comes the break and afterwards there is Autumn, where Chieko Kojima really shines, though the rhythm is a bit lower and more melancholic. Finally, energy picks up again for Winter – because it’s cold and one needs to warm up.

Ha·Ya·To Drum Masters

Ha·Ya·To Drum Masters

Ha·Ya·To Drum Masters

Ha·Ya·To Drum Masters

The show was absolutely fantastic. Afterwards, there was a “collective M&G” with pictures with the musicians. I did not get any autographs, though Ms Kojima did notice that I was carrying the DVD I bought in 2018. That lead to her, Keita and myself talking a little. I also had a photograph with Keita from an event in 2019. Their manager is very strict, and once she decides picture time is over, she really ushers them away. I did manage to sneak a selfie with Makoto Sekine after the rest of the group had left though.

Ha·Ya·To Project

I love taiko. It really energises me, and it was a great way to spend the evening. I could’ve combined it with something else, but I had plans for the next couple of days. I was off to see Apocalyptica the following day.

7th November 2024: The Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute (Madrid, Spain)

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I know you do not believe me when I say I don’t like guided visits, but they are the only way to do some stuff – such as stepping into the Stonehenge circle, or basically anything managed by the Madrid city hall. The Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España IPCE is a governmental organisation whose functions are preservation and conservation of cultural items, research, communication, and safekeeping of the documents in its archive. It can only be visited on certain dates, by appointment, and with a guided visit. I managed to secure a free Thursday visit at noon, so I headed out to Madrid. Surprisingly, neither trains nor underground had issues, so I was over an hour early on site. The IPCE is located in its own building in the area known as “University City” (Ciudad Universitaria), close to the Fine Arts faculty – by design – and the President’s official residence – by chance.

The headquarters building was commissioned in 1965 to architects Fernando Higueras and Antonio Miró. The architects’ original project had to be severely modified, but it became a very different structure. Construction was stalled for years, and the building was not usable until 1985 – when new remodelling was tackled. The building is circular, nicknamed the “Crown of Thorns” (La Corona de Espinas) because at the top there are “spikes” of sorts. Top-view, the structure is divided in 30 sectors, with 56 semi-sectors and four empty ones for the main access staircase and gate. It has four floors and at least one basement. It was built in concrete and glass, with some cork floors, but lacking plaster or any kind of concealment for the structural items. The centre of the building is an open space with a glass dome, and serves as reception. Unlike the original project, this space is covered with a glass vault. The interior has a lot of plants, even three small “gardens” mainly with hanging plants. The building is considered an important cultural asset BIC (Bien de Interés Cultural), and these plants are protected along with the structure.

Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute building

The visit consisted of an introduction to the building and the work which is carried out there. We saw the model of the original project – the only similarity is that it was also vaguely circular. We climbed the stairs to the upper floors to snoop at the rooftop and the “thorns”, and then rode the lifts down to the basements to see some X-rays of paintings and sculptures. Back on the main floor, we were shown into painting restoration workshop – they were working on Maerten de Vos’ Abundance, having repaired the work and erased some extra (puritan) clothing to make the goddess Ceres look less… naked. Finally, we were invited into the library, which is round and has three levels. It has natural light due to its own skylight, a decorative glass dome in the middle of the main open area.

Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute inside

The visit started at noon, and it lasted two hours. Heading out to the centre of Madrid would take around half an hour of walking and underground. Thus, it gave me the opportunity to book a late 15:00 lunch. Since I was lucky with my connections, I was in the Cuzco neighbourhood almost half an hour in advance.

It was the perfect opportunity to go get some groceries at the Chinese supermarket Ibero China Madrid in the street Calle General Margallo. While I needed some items, I was distracted as I walked the “geek” fizzy drink aisle. There is a company called Ocean Bomb which makes sodas – sparking water, yoghurt drinks and bubble milk tea with “creative packaging”. I was aware of them because a friend collects the Sailor Moon ones and we checked for them in London in 2023. Well, now I went and found myself some Saint Seiya sodas – Gemini Saga (grape yoghurt flavour) Aries Mu (apple yoghurt flavour) and Virgo Shaka (peach yoghurt flavour). They were out in 2023, but I had not heard about them, it is the first time I saw them. And of course, I bought them (I have no idea if they are official or not, but the publicity I found afterwards has the Toei stamp on it, so I’m hoping they are).

For lunch, I had a reservation at Comic Planet. Last time I was there, a member of the party was late, so in order to keep the table, we ordered appetizers. They were great, but afterwards there was no stomach-space for dessert. And dammit, I wanted some dessert – particularly, I wanted pancakes. I had been looking at coming back to Comic Planet for a while just to have them, but it never worked out. This was finally my moment. I had a lemonade, some nachos – which were delicious – and I finally got to eat my pancakes – which are green and called Hulkcakes, and come with whipped cream, brownie and shortcake crumbles , and around ¾ of a strawberry. I ended up extremely full, but happy.

Comic Planet lunch

Oh, and I was confused because it was early November but… already Christmas in Comic Planet!

Comic Planet Christmas decoration

I left the restaurant and headed towards the archaeological museum Museo Arqueológico Nacional, which is running a temporal exhibit regarding Nature in Ancient Greece “Between Chaos and Cosmos: Nature in Ancient Greece” Entre Caos y Cosmos. Naturaleza en la Antigua Grecia. It hosts over one hundred pieces of classical Grecian art. Most belong to the museum’s own collection, acquired from the 19th century collector Marquis of Salamanca, and some are national and international loans. Since a large percentage of items were original and not replicas, it was really cool. Then again, I have to admit I have a thing for Grecian vases, especially with mythological motifs.

Entre Caos y Cosmos. Naturaleza en la Antigua Grecia

The exhibition was not big, so later I used my National Museums card Tarjeta de Museos Estatales to go and take a walk around the permanent exhibition. There is a loaned exhibit from the Mont’e Prama archaeological site in Sardinia, Italy. Mont’e Prama was discovered in 1974, unearthing remains from the Nuragic culture (1800 – 700 BC). This Bronze Age civilisation created large sculptures called the Giants if Mont’e Parma (Giganti di Mont’e Prama), depicting wrestlers, archers, warriors and boxers. One of these colossi Il Pugilatore (The Boxer) has been brought to the MAN for display for a few months. Boxers were characterised for having a glove with metal reinforcements on their right hands. Il Pugilatore is the largest sculpture, two metres tall and 300 kilograms heavy – which has been travelling across the world to promote the archaeological site. There was… something imposing about the whole thing, and not even its size. Some kind of… presence there. It made me want to visit Sardinia, to be honest (and it is much, much affordable than Easter Island…), so I guess the promotion… worked?

Il Pugilatore

I took a stroll through the permanent collection afterwards, especially the Iberian and Talayotic areas, because I am fascinated with them these days – and I shall make the most out of my pass for as long as I can. It was getting dark though, and the commute to the IPCE had taken long, so I headed back.

Museo Arqueológico Nacional

23rd October 2024: Brussels & Charleroi Terminal 1 {Belgium October 2024}

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Whilst part of me wanted to stay in Antwerp [Anvers | Antwerpen] and visit the chocolate museum Chocolate Factory, it opened too late for me to be comfortable with the later flight schedule. Beside, I had my Art Nouveau Pass. Thus, I headed off back to Brussels [Bruxelles | Brussel], to visit the Musical Instruments Museum Musée des instruments de musique | Muziekinstrumentenmuseum. The museum is located in the former Old England department store, built by Paul Saintenoy in 1899 in the Art Nouveau style, mostly out of glass and girded steel. The building itself was pretty interesting and I found the idea of an “audioguide” with the sounds of each instrument endearing. I spent longer than I thought I would there.

Musical Instrument Museum building

Musical Instrument Museum Brussels

I then headed off towards the central square Grand-Place | Grote Markt to find the third of the typical Belgian foods I wanted to try – moules frites. This dish comes in two servings: one of Belgian fries and another one of boiled mussels. I chose a restaurant called Brasserie Le Cerf that I had checked online the previous night. Since it was still early, I was alone in the place. The mussels can be prepared with a number of add-ons and sauces, but ordered mine plain. I thought it was adequate for the first time. The mussels came boiled with a little celery and leek, and I really liked them. I passed on the Belgian beer, because I’m not a drinker of alcohol. As an appetiser, the restaurant provided bread and butter and everything was lovely.

Moules frites

I wandered a little around the area and I found the shopping area Galeries Royales Saint Hubert, where I saw some lovely chocolate in a cute little Art Nouveau shop – but way out of my budget. I also saw a giant smurf, and considered a second comic exhibition in Horta Gallery. However, I was weary of the fact that my bus had to go around Brussels at the after work rush, so I decided to give myself a wide berth of time to get to the airport Brussels Charleroi. After all, I had been there before and there were plenty of shops and things to do. Unfortunately, that was Terminal 2. This time around my flight left from Terminal 1, which lacks even decent seating space. Whoops. At least there was a toilet and a fountain to get some water.

Around the Grand Place

The flight was on time, but once again I had been assigned an emergency exit seat. I approached the flight attendant to explain that I have reduced mobility on my right arm, and she found someone to exchange seats with me – the biggest guy on the plane, it seemed. He probably enjoyed the extra room and empty seat next to him, and I did not have to stress. Not that I actually expected anything to go wrong, but just in case…

Since I had no checked luggage, once we landed I was out of the terminal quite quickly. I had to wait for the bus to the parking lot for a while, but I was on my merry way and home without issues and with having had great experiences, talked to great people, and met fun artists. And I’ve got a new guitar pick for my very modest collection of (now three) picks!

22nd October 2024: Antwerp & Starset’s Immersion {Belgium October 2024}

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The weather was clear but crisp in Antwerp [Anvers | Antwerpen] when I left the hotel to grab a coffee at a small supermarket at the station. I walked right up to the Cathedral of Our Lady Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal. The interior was spacious, with a feeling of light and openness, with pointed arches. One of the key features of the cathedral is the art it houses, particularly the four paintings by Peter Paul Rubens (1577 – 1640), the most important Flemish Baroque artist, known for his nude characters, whether mythological or biblical. There are four of his works in the cathedral – The Elevation of the Cross, The Descent from the Cross, The Assumption of the Virgin Mary and The Resurrection of Christ. The cathedral boasts that it contains more “masterpieces”, both classical and contemporary, but they pale in comparison.

The cathedral is 123 metres long, and its tower is 123 metres high, giving it a special proportionality – which would have been even more spectacular if the second tower had ever been completed. The nave has a “secret” skylight that can only be seen if you are standing right underneath – this is supposed to represent the presence of God. The building is considered late Brabant Gothic, with some Baroque decorations. The stained glass windows are mainly Neo-Gothic, since the originals were destroyed. Underneath the nave there is a Medieval crypt.

Antwerp Cathedral interior

Art in Antwerp Cathedral

Afterwards, I headed out for the Plantin-Moretus Museum Plantin-Moretusmuseum, a Unesco Heritage Site. It is a museum on the history of book printing, especially from the 16th century printers Christophe Plantin (founder) and Jan Moretus (heir and son-in-law), located in their former house and workshop. The collection includes original printing presses and typesetter letters, drawings and paintings by Rubens, and hundreds (thousands?) of books printed throughout the centuries, and even some manuscript codexes. There were Bibles, atlases, medicine books… It was absolutely fantastic – though taking pictures was hard due to the lightning (so forgive the strange angles).

Plantin-Moretus Museum

Plantin-Moretus Museum books

I was feeling a bit woozy, probably because I had not eaten anything solid in 24 hours. Thus, I found a supermarket and bought a few items to have lunch, dinner, and breakfast the following day. I was heading back to the hotel, but I became distracted as I walked by the Stadsfeestzaal. Now a shopping centre, it used to be an exhibition hall, built at the end of the 19th century. It burnt down in 2000, and in 2007, it reopened after restoration as a shopping centre… which was celebrating Hallowe’en.

Antwerp festival hall

I ate a sort of pizza bread, warm from the supermarket, on the way, and some sushi when I got to the hotel. It was an unorthodox combination, but it made me feel fine again. I saved a salad for later, and I got some rest and got ready for Starset’s concert Immersion: The Final Chapter. I reached the venue Trix Zaal around 16:20, and I was… second in the VIP queue. The VIP passes were issued around 18:30, with a staff member taking our names and checking IDs. Doors opened at 19:00 and the curtain literally fell at 20:15.

Starset Inmersion poster

I once had to describe Starset and I did it as “weird”. Not in a bad way. They have a futuristic image, with an emphasis on a future rather terrifying technocratic dystopia. The concerts carry out a narrative – the New East is a sort of mental empire that controls everything through a device implanted in your mind. Their music videos are independent though. Their music style is hard rock or alternative metal, I’d say.

When I first saw them in Japan, they were officially four members: Dustin Bates (lead vocals, keyboards, soundboard, guitar), Ron DeChant (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), Brock Richards (guitars, backing vocals) and Adam Gilbert (drums, percussion) – those were the ones I met for the sainkai. They are currently touring with Zuzana Engererova (cello), Siobhán Richards (violin, keyboards), and Cory Juba (guitar, synth). I am very happy to report that the touring members are – at least for the two concerts I’ve attended in Belgium are present for photographs and meet and greets.

I enjoy Starset concerts a lot, I kind of feel the music. Besides, there are a bunch of songs that hit my soul really hard. Out of this concert’s setlist, I particularly love Carnivore and TokSik. However, Trials, Monster and My Demons are the ones that touch me really deep.

The stage was set with a bunch of rotors between the musicians and the audience, and there was a lot of neon and smoke to help with the visuals. The concert took about two hours, with a break in between to take down the rotors (in a matter of minutes). The “final chapter” the tour title refers to turns out to close down the futuristic plot and kickstart a present one with… time travel. And it makes total sense!

Setlist:
  1. Unbecoming
  2. Carnivore
  3. Manifest
  4. Perfect Machine
  5. Frequency
  6. Trials
  7. It Has Begun
  8. Waiting on the Sky to Change (Downplay cover)
  9. Devolution
  10. Infected
  11. Telekinetic
  12. Brave New World
  13. Faultline
  14. Monster
  15. Degenerate
  16. Echo
  17. Die For You
  18. Halo
  19. My Demons
  20. TokSik

Starset concert snapshot

Starset concert snapshot

Starset concert snapshot

Starset concert snapshot

Starset concert snapshot

During the concert, the person who had been first at the VIP queue had a bucket with a glow in the dark message asking for guitar picks. They caught an extra one and gave it to me afterwards! I was extremely grateful! After the encore, VIP pass holders could stay behind to take the official photograph and get some items signed.

I had brought a printed copy from my photograph from the VIP event at the previous concert. Whilst last year the VIP experience was a pre-concert acoustic, this time around it was afterwards, and it consisted on “hanging out with the band”. I had heard about it before, but I could not imagine how that went. First, we lined up for the official photograph. They built up a backdrop for the. After the picture was taken you got a signed poster and the QR to download it, and off you went back to the floor. I was talking to the people I had queued with when I suddenly looked up and saw Cory within the crowd. How can these guys be so tall and at the same time so sneaky? Because I swear, Dustin is 2.5 times me and I never saw him coming.

I asked each member to find themselves in the photograph and they signed it for me. Some asked when it was from, and I explain the one from the previous year. Though technically they could sign two things, I forewent the CD I had because the photograph was easier to hold on its own. I praised Zuzana on the girl-power vibe she and Siobhán had going on for the tour and she was happy “someone noticed”. Trust me, it is very noticeable. It was extremely weird and fun to be chatting with all the members like that. I am not sure it makes sense, but I am a bit intimidated by the interactions with Japanese stars – I would blame it in Japanese being my third language, but both Miyavi and Yoshiki are fluent in English. I could blame it on all rules being broken after the stint on the floor of the Royal Albert Hall, I guess. Or maybe it is just different with American artists, since I had the same feeling with Misha Collins – “approachable and human”.

Though the manager had said “no selfies”, towards the end, when he was the last around and a bunch of people had left already, Dustin (vocals) took a few with the fans who remained. I was one of the lucky ones. Then we ran into Andy (drums) at the bar and we were chatting for a while longer. We also took a selfie, yay us.

Afterwards, I undid the way towards the hotel. I walked because it was actually shorter than taking public transport. It was after 23:00, and the streets were mainly deserted as it was cold, but I had no incidents. I had to walk fast to keep myself warm, so that helped reduce the time out. I was also glad I had bought myself dinner, as I thus I did not have to look for a fast food place open at the time and I could head directly into the shower.

All in all, the whole experience was fantastic and I had a blast, or two. Thank you, Starset, for such an awesome event, and all the nice fans who had zero issues with switching to English whenever I was around, and especially to the person who gave me the pick.

21st October 2024: Bruges & Antwerp {Belgium October 2024}

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It was raining in Bruges [Bruges | Brugge] when I woke up, but it was supposed to stop by the time the monuments started opening. I asked reception to take care of my bag and I left around 9:30. I thought I would retrace my steps from the previous day, but when I got to the Church of Our Lady, it was not open yet, thus I took a small detour and explored its surroundings. I walked around the area taking in the scenery, and crossed Boniface Bridge Bonifaciusbrug, one of the iconic bridges overlooking traditional wooden and brick houses which face the canal. In front of the church stands the hospital-turned-museum Apotheek Sint-Janshospitaal. It was closed because it was a Monday, but the building was pretty.

Bonifacebridge

The Church of Our Lady Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk opened at 10:00 and I wanted to at least see the free area. The church is famous for having a statue by Michelangelo, but that was in the museum area, which I did not visit. The church also displayed original frescos and a small Via Crucis.

Church of our Lady Bruges

I then walked towards the city centre and Saint Salvator’s Cathedral Sint-Salvatorskathedraal. The cathedral is made mainly out of brick, along with tuff and limestone. The oldest bricks date from the 14th century, made outside the city and brought via the waterways. It was not originally built as a cathedral, but took over the role when the actual one one was destroyed in the 18th century. Instead of rebuilding it, the city made Saint Salvator the next cathedral in the 19th century. Unfortunately, shortly afterwards, there was a fire and the roof collapsed. English architect Robert Chantrell was in charge of the restoration, and he chose to build the neo-Romanesque tower that looks something like a Lego set. Later, a peak was added to the tower which makes it even more… Lego-like.

Saint Salvator Cathedral Bruges

The cathedral has an organ originally built in the 18th century, and has been expanded thrice since then. The altar is surrounded by Flemish tapestries. Underneath the nave, there is a crypt where you can see the oldest bricks and a number of 14th century tombs, decorated with paintings in the fresco technique. They feature angels, Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint John. There is a small building adjacent to the cathedral with a closed off cloister which holds the treasure, full of works of art.

Saint Salvator Cathedral 14th century tombs

Afterwards, I headed off back towards Market Square Grote Markt. It was raining on and off, so I decided that maybe I could check out the Belfry of Bruges Belfort van Brugge – it turns out that the museum is… climbing the belfry. The belfry was originally built in 1240, though it burnt down and it was rebuilt forty years later. It has an octagonal end cap which was added in the late 1480s. After a few built and destroyed wooden spires, a stone neo-Gothic parapet was added in 1822. The tower is 83 meters high (366 steps, yes, I counted, I got 364) and contains a carillon with 23 bells (27 tons, no, I did not weigh them), and a total of 47 bells. Believe it or not, I was up there when the carillon stroke noon. That was awfully cool. There were also great views of the city.

Bruges Belfry

Bruges from the Belfry

There was a clearing in the clouds and very low chance of rain for the next hour or so, and thus I decided to find one of the official providers of boat tours on the canals. These are sanctioned by the town hall and all of them have the same price and the same route, so any one would do. The one I found first was De Meulemeester Boat Tours Rondvaarten De Meulemeester. The tour departed and arrived from Dock no. 5 (Wollestraat 34). We sailed to Jan van Eyckplein (Jan van Eyck Square) and the edge of the Lake of Love Minnewater. On the way we did not only see the most important monuments facing the water, we also came across Bruges’ famous swans. In the 15th century, keeping swans was a symbol of status, and they were added to the city as part of its image as a flourishing trade point. Today they’re still maintained by the city, which has actually taken them off from the canals for quarantines before. There were quite a few tours going on at the same time, and the boat captains seemed to know each other – or at least have enough familiarity for some banter.

The canals of Bruges

After the boat ride, I found the Gothic Bruges city hall Stadhuis van Brugge, one of the oldest city halls in the historical region. It was built in a late Gothic style between 1376 and 1421, but it has been modified and renewed a few times – and since at this time I had decided that Bruges was a city to come back on a non-Monday, I decided to leave it for the next time, hoping that Antwerp would have better weather – a bit less cold at least.

Next to the town hall stands the Basilica of the Holy Blood Basiliek van het Heilig Bloed, which is supposed to hold a Relic of the Blood of Jesus Christ. I only visited the Romanesque chapel underneath, because I had just seen two huge groups of people go in.

It was then around 13:45, and I had decided to take the 14:25 train to Antwerp to try and make it to the last entry to Chocolate Nation. At the station, however, I decided to get a Belgian waffle with dark chocolate and strawberries. The waffle shop was out of strawberries, so I got a berry mix instead. That killed all my appetite, to be honest, but it was delightful. I even got a little Belgian flag on it – and good thing that I did not order whipped cream, because it was so filling that I was not able to eat anything else throughout the whole day. I regret nothing.

Belgian waffle

The train was on time and off I went to Antwerp [Anvers | Antwerpen]. I reached the stunning Antwerpen-Centraal railway station Gare d’Anvers-Central | Station Antwerpen-Centraal. The weather was not much nicer than in Bruges though, and it was still raining. I dropped my luggage off at the hotel, and went back to the station to take some pictures – I like hotels near travel hubs. Afterwards, I headed off to Chinatown / Van Wesenbekestraat, but the only interesting thing there was the pagoda gate.

Antwerp Central station

I headed towards the historical centre and stopped by the Cathedral Cathedral of Our Lady Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, which belongs to the Unesco World Heritage Site Belfries of Belgium and France. It is credited to architects Jan Appelmans and his son Pieter Appelmans. Both of them are honoured in a metal monument within the wall of the cathedral, which was erected in the Gothic style. The cathedral was never completed to its original concept, and only one of the two projected towers was ever finished. The church was damaged in several scuffles with time – as recently as WWI – and it was completely restored between 1965 and 1993. It had already closed, but I was counting on that.

Antwerp cathedral by day

I continued off to Main Square Grote Markt, which was almost empty due to the weather. There stands the Antwerp City Hall Stadhuis Antwerpen, a few guild houses, and Brabo Fountain Brabofontein, which represents a legend – a giant who cut off the hands of boatmen received the same fate by hero Silvius Brabo.

Antwerp Grote Markt by day

Then, I continued off towards the edge of river Scheldt, on whose banks Het Steen, a Medieval fortress dating back to the early 13th century. It is what one could call the Antwerp Castle from Wagner’s’ operas, and it was built as a way to control the river. It is currently used as a visitor centre.

Het Steen

It was getting dark already and none of the monuments were lit, so I decided to get back, as it was raining rather hard. The second I saw reached the station though, the illumination was turned on. I decided to go to the hotel and wait the rain out, as it was supposed to clear out in about an hour. It did, so I retraced all my steps back towards the Cathedral of Our Lady Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal and the Main Square Grote Markt. I even reachedHet Steen, but it was not lit.

Antwerp cathedral by night

Antwerp Grote Markt by night

Though it was cold, it had fortunately stopped raining for the time being, and I could take my walk leisurely. I turned in for the day afterwards.

20th October 2024: Heroes Comic Con & Art Nouveau in Brussels and the Medieval Centre of Bruges {Belgium October 2024}

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Just before going to bed to grab a couple of hours’ sleep on the 19th, I did a last check that I had everything ready, and I realised that my parking reservation at the airport had not been processed. It is a good thing that being an Aena member, the price had not gone up outrageously from when I had done it the first time a few months back. I have no idea why it did not work the first time, but I am glad I caught it before I left, because non-reserved parking is three times as much.

I did sleep for a few hours and the alarm clock went off around 3:00 for my 6:20 flight. The drive was uneventful, I found an awesome parking spot, and I had the bus just for myself after a minute of waiting. Security was fast, and it was weird to be in the Schengen side of the terminal for a Ryanair flight. I got on the plane and got some sleep. We landed in Brussels [Bruxelles (French) | Brussel (Dutch)], Belgium [Belgique | België] early, but deplaning took a while. Once outside, I followed the signs for the train and there was one there already. I settled until I got to Brussels Central station, where I bought a coffee, a drink, and a sandwich. I then walked towards the underground station – the coffee was gone even before I was there.

I knew I was in the correct underground line when I started seeing cosplayers and kiddos with superhero merchandise along with their resigned parents. My backpack was not heavy, but I was glad to have a seat both on the train and the underground. I reached the area of Brussels Expo a few minutes before the convention Heroes Comic Con opened for general admission. There was a queue, but instead of getting in line, I walked up to the nearby Atomium.

The Atomium was built as the centrepiece of the Brussels Expo’58. It is credited to architects André Polak and Jean Polak from a project by civil engineer André Waterkeyn. It was designed as a homage to scientific advance, especially nuclear physics, and thus resembles an atom or a molecule. It is 102 metres high, and it comprises nine spheres with a diameter of 18 metres each, joined by tubes and escalators. The Atomium was not designed to survive the Expo it was built for, though. In the mid 2000s, it had to be renovated, and a lot of the original aluminium was replaced by stainless steel.

Brussels Atomium

I contemplated going up the building. However, when I looked at the time, I realised that if I went in, I would be able to get into the first of Misha Collin’s photo shoots. When I decided to buy the tickets, I only bought one picture in the afternoon, because I was not sure what time I would make it to the convention, considering the plane, the train and the underground. But I was there on time so I used my phone to buy an extra ticket for the photo shoot in which Collins would be wearing the outfit from Supernatural’s character Castiel. This also gave me the chance to get the photograph signed during the time between photo shoots. Furthermore, I was still within budget – because I had decided to indulge myself with the money I had originally set aside for a balloon ride in Cappadocia.

I walked into Brussels Expo. The exhibit was huge, but I had a map downloaded on the phone. I was a bit confused when doing my original research, because it turns out that there were actually three conventions going on at the same time – Heroes Comic Con, Made In Asia and Gameforce. However, once there, it was easy to get around. Heroes Comic Con is “a big feast dedicated to pop culture”, so basically a one-size-fits-all big merchandise fair with graphic artists, cosplayers, the whole nine yards, nothing too different from Paris Fan Festival. Heroes Comic Con’s biggest selling point, however, was having invited a number of popular actors – along Misha Collins (real name Dmitri Tippens Krushnic, for the record), other guests were Bob Morley, Eliza Taylor, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley. Some of them… rang a bell. I might even have seen a few of them somewhere – I must have, because I did watch the newer Star Trek. However, I find it great that they had a large following and there were queues for them.

I followed my map towards the photo booths, where they checked my ticket and gave me a bright-coloured chip – they give you a chip per ticket, as you can have two people in one photograph. I was on my own, so no problems there. I actually got two photographs out of the first shoot – so I’ve got three though I paid for two, yay me. I had brought a customised jacket with a pair of angel wings, and the goal was to have them in the photographs, so I would be facing Misha but looking over my shoulder. The first photograph did work out too well, so Misha called me back for a re-shoot. He was very friendly, and much more approachable than my usual Japanese artists. Either that or I was less strung up. The pictures were printed on-site, so I took mine to the autographs area to wait. I had bought an official book beforehand – the lightest thing I had found, to be honest – in case I could not get a photograph signed, but since I this had worked out so well, I had our recent picture – and in the character outfit – to be signed.

Since I had been towards the end of the photograph queue, I did not have to wait long for Misha to come. A staff took my name on a post-it note and attached it to the photograph. When it was your turn, you paid for the autograph (I decided not to get a selfie, because I still had another photograph bought), and I told him about the pure chance I was there. He was “glad I could make it”. As I said, nice and approachable.

By the time I was out of the autograph area it was around 11:40. I decided to wander around. I gravitated towards Made in Asia, and was very strong reminding myself I wanted to keep my luggage light and not pay for any extra. Thus, I managed not to buy anything despite finding a bunch of Saint Seiya merchandise – which I now regret, but that’s FOMO speaking. I had a chuckle or two out of young people complaining about the official good stuff being “too expensive” when I found the shops cheaper than the stands I see in the Spanish counterparts.

Brussels Hero Comic Con

I returned to the photo booth for the second photograph, and I thanked Misha for the chance – I look silly in the picture, but that’s okay. It was great. There was a Q&A with Collins an hour or so later, but I decided to forego that and leave the convention. If I stayed, I would have no time to do anything in Brussels that day. I also wanted to keep on the move because else my body would remember how little slept it had gotten, and I would crash. Thus, I bought an online Art Nouveau pass, and I left the convention.

Brussels’ Art Nouveau Pass is 20 € and it covers entry to three museums, historical places, or exhibitions in a long list, all of them related to – obviously – Art Nouveau. The pass can be value for money even if you only visit two of the “big ones”. Since the pass is valid for nine months, I might be able to use it for a third time in the near future. The original idea was to buy one from the beginning and hit the Comic Museum, the Horta Museum and the Solvay House – things I had not had the time to visit the previous time because in the end I spent a lot of time walking to different spots (read: the Natural History Museum). However, the Solvay House was under renovation, and the Horta Museum was a bit out of the way, so I ended up being flexible

I rode back to Central Station and walked out towards the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathédrale des Saints Michel et Gudule | Kathedraal van Sint-Michiel en Sint-Goedele, which was beautiful in the flurry of autumn leaves. It was cold, so I hastened towards the Comics Art Museum Musée de la Bande Dessinée | Stripmuseum (Belgian Comic Strip Center). The museum is located in the former textile store Magasins Waucquez, an early 1900s commercial building designed by architect Victor Horta. Horta is considered one of the founders Art Nouveau, with his use of curved forms and use of steel, skylights and open floor plans with abundant decoration.

Brussels cathedral

After the department store closed in the 1970s, the building was listed as a historical site, and it was bought by the Belgian Government to be used in the promotion of comic strips. The museum itself was founded in 1984 as a non-profit, and it opened in 1989. It runs a new permanent exhibition on the history of comics in Belgium and Europe (free from the American Comics Code Authority and censorship – I mention this because I had tickets for a Marvel exhibition the following month, and the CCA had a lot of impact in the development of American comics). The person at reception told me to watch out for a very first-print Tintin which had been recently added to the exhibit. There are items and print issues related to most of the great Belgian comic artists – there were a lot of things I had never even heard about. I found a big lack of Morris’ Lucky Luke though.

Comics Art Museum Brussels

Comics Art Museum Brussels

Something I had decided to do in this trip was trying the typical foods, so once out of the museum I headed towards the central square Grand-Place | Grote Markt and Manneken Pis, which was not wearing any costume this time around, even if Brussels is still under a lot of construction (when I saw it in 2023, it was wearing a reflective jacket). I remembered that there were a lot of places that sold local street food – I don’t tend to be much of a foodie, especially with street food or fish. I figured out that Belgium could be a safe place to experiment without risking an upset stomach.

Brussels Grand Place

Manekken Pis

Thus I got some frites, Belgian fries, at a chain called La Friterie. I had seen a few of the establishments with queues outside, so when this one was almost empty, I jumped at the chance. Belgian fries are sourced from local potatoes and cooked in two goes, traditionally in beef fat. I got them with just salt, and they were really good. And warm. That was a great point.

Belgian Frites

It was around 17:00 by this time, and things had started to close down. I headed off towards the station to take a train to Bruges [Bruges | Brugge], in the north west area of West Flanders. The historic city centre is a Unesco World Heritage Site – Historic Centre of Brugge – and it is criss-crossed with canals. The area has been inhabited since Prehistory, but its importance peaked during the Middle Ages, between the 12th and 15th centuries. It became a commercial hub due to its strategic location between Flanders and France, though it later opened to other countries, like the Portuguese. The first stock exchange in the world probably opened there in 1309.

The Medieval architecture and brick Gothic constructions are exceptionally well preserved, including the pattern of streets intertwined with waterways. I was curious about northern Europe canals, which was one of the reasons why I chose the city. The other one was that it is a city to walk and see from the outside, which was great for a Monday morning. Unless it’s raining and about 7 ºC colder than cool – I had prepared for 13 – 17 ºC and drizzle, and got 9 – 13 ºC and rain. Whoops.

I bought some snacks at the station and went down to the platform. The train was late. I knew it was late, and I knew when it was expected, because the board told me. It was refreshing, considering the uncertainty around Madrid’s trains this last couple of years. I had booked a hotel close to the railway station, and I got there around 19:00. It was quite a basic place, with a toilet, and a shower closed off, and a washbasin column in the middle to separate the wet area from the bed area. Functional, and all right. The heating worked and they spoke English, so all good.

I did not rest for long. I ate the snacks, grabbed my umbrella and an extra layer of clothing, and headed out. It was dark outside already, and I hoped to get to see the city centre lit up for the night. My first stop was the Church of Our Lady Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk. Mostly built between the 13th and the 15th centuries, it is one of the highest Gothic brick structures in the world.

Our Lady, Bruges

Then I headed towards Saint Salvator’s Cathedral Sint-Salvatorskathedraal, a curious mixture of neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic, with a bell tower that looks more like a defence tower than anything religious. This tower, however, was the result of a 19th-century modification of the original tower. Of course, both churches were closed at this time, but they would open the next morning.

Bruges cathedral

I continued towards the Market Square Grote Markt, featuring the Gothic Provincial Court Provinciaal Hof, the Historium, and the Belfry of Bruges Belfort van Brugge. The Medieval bell tower is doubly World Heritage – it belongs to the Historical Centre Unesco site, but it is also key in the Unesco Belfries of Belgium and France serial property. And while it is not part of the Manual bell ringing intangible Cultural Heritage, Bruges takes a lot of pride in its carillon and its bell ringing. At the centre of the square stands the statue of Pieter de Coninck and Jan Breydel Pieter de Coninck en Jan Breydel, who participated in the Flemish resistance against the French King in 1302.

Bruges Grotemarkt

I also wanted to explore a large park I had seen on my way. It turned out to be two of them, Poertorenpark and Minnewaterpark – which later I found means “Lake of Love Park” – before it was too late in the evening. There I found the Gunpowder Tower Poertoren – built between 1398 and 1401 by Jan Van Oudenaarde, and used as gunpowder store for almost five centuries. Beyond it, the Lake of Love itself Minnewater, the Lovers’ Bridge Minnewaterbrug, “very romantic” stone bridge. I noticed the part about it being stone. It also yielded to a beautiful night view.

Bruges Love Lake park at night

I did not want to stay out too late. Thus, I crossed the Barge bridge Bargebrug to get back to the busy street area. Bargebrug is a modern construction, barely 20 years old, in bold red curves. On the other side there was a “reception area” in the same style, apparently a sort of bus station, and then there was the main road. Afterwards, I just headed back to the hotel and turned in for the day. I watched some TV, but to be honest, I had woken up before 3:00 am, so I zonked out rather quickly.

Bruges Love Lake park at night

20th – 23rd October 2024: Three Cities in Belgium {Belgium October 2024}

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I got to first see Starset when they collaborated with Hyde in 2018, and then D****e talked me into attending their concert in Antwerp in 2023. I decided I liked them, so when they announced a European tour with another stop in Belgium, I resolved to go attend that concert. To be honest, I had bought flights for this trip before fitting the Türkiye circuit, I never expected two multi-day trips so close to each other when I planned for this.

The concert was on Tuesday the 22nd of October, at Trix, the same venue in Antwerp it had been in 2023. That was awesome, because Trix is in a sort of community centre, with cafeteria, toilets and a roof over your head, great for the Belgian weather. My first idea was getting a flight on Monday the 21st, but it turned out that flying on Sunday the 20th was much cheaper, even considering an extra overnight stay.

I drew a plan. On the 22nd, I would arrive in Brussels via Brussels Airport in a red-eye flight. There, I would visit a bunch of places I missed last time, most related to Art Nouveau. When everything closed, I would take a train to Bruges and have a walk to see the lit monuments. The next morning, I would see Bruges, then head off to Antwerp, where I would stay the other two nights. In the early morning of the 23rd, I was to take a train back to Brussels, and in the early evening leave though Brussels South Charleroi Airport. It mostly worked out, in the end, despite the weather not agreeing and me catching a really bad cold. Oh, and changing a whole day’s worth of my plans a couple of days beforehand.

I bought a bunch of online train tickets for the itinerary – Airport to Brussels, Brussels to Bruges, Bruges to Antwerp, and Antwerp to Bruges, which were conveniently stored in my phone. I also got the bus ticket from Brussels to Charleroi. I checked the train lines, the underground, and made all my planning decisions. I booked my parking – or so I thought, there was a problem with it, but I got it sorted before leaving. I was all set, the only thing left was the Art Nouveau pass, but I did not want to do that until I was there, so I could make reservations for the sites according to how long it took me to visit them, and how the underground connections were.

And then, a couple of days before leaving – Wednesday the 16th I think – I was rewatching the fantasy series Supernatural. Despite its… questionable writing after season five, it’s a comfort thing. Back during the pandemic, I was following a lot of the actors in it, but as Twitter became X, I kind of stopped paying attention. One of the characters in Supernatural is the angel Castiel, played by actor Misha Collins. Castiel might be one of my favourite characters, not only of this show, but from television in general (again, despite questionable writing decisions). He has a heavy plot line in season 6, and after finishing an episode, I thought something along “Oh I wonder what Misha’s doing now,” and I went to on social media to check. And I found that he… was going to something called Hero Comic Con in Brussels, the 19th and 20th of October.

And then I decided to attend Heroes Comic Con, rearrange all my plans, because if destiny is pulling such a stunt, who am I to ignore the stars aligning?

16th October 2024: San Francisco Ballet’s Swan Lake at Teatro Real (Madrid, Spain)

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While heavy metal and hard rock concerts are my form of meditation, there is something magical about ballet in general and Swan Lake in particular. Also, in my defence, I’ve loved Swan Lake since before I first saw Yoshiki play part of it on piano. Swan Lake is a three-act ballet written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1876. The story is widely known – Evil sorcerer Von Rothbart curses princess Odette to live as a swan during the day and only return to her human self at night. Nearby, prince Siegfried is trying to avoid all his obligations, and goes hunting. The two meet and fall in love, and Siegfried invites Odette to a ball where he will propose and both will live happily ever after since obviously love is stronger than black magic. Except, at the ball Von Rothbart shows up with another lady, Odile, the black swan, who seduces Siegfried, and he proposes to her, thinking she is Odette. Drama ensues. Siegfried realises that he has the wrong girl, and runs to the lake where he first met Odette.

Now, depending on the version, after Siegfried and Rothbart fight, the ending can go several ways, and I’ve seen a few. There is a standard happy ending – true love conquers all, Von Rothbart is defeated, and Siegfried and Odette get their happily ever after. In another version, Odette commits suicide as Siegfried’s mistake has made the curse unbreakable. Another option is that she dies of heartbreak. Her death yields to a very epic ending image of Siegfried lifting Odette’s body into the air, and Von Rothbart is defeated by Siegfried’s grief and true love. Finally, there is the option of both Odette and Siegfried dying, and the power of their loving sacrifice defeats Von Rothbart. Note how the evil sorcerer “loses” every time. However, in the original script – which I’ve actually never seen on stage – both Siegfried and Odette drown in the lake and Von Rothbart sort of wins. I’ve always found that interesting. 

Anyway, I really enjoy watching Swan Lake and trying to anticipate which ending the choreographer has chosen. I have to admit that I’m personally partial to the ending where Odette dies of heartbreak, because while I love the ballet – and the black swan – Siegfried is an idiot and with this ending he gets to live with the knowledge that he proposed to the wrong girl.

Back in March I read that the San Francisco Ballet was taking their version of Swan Lake to Madrid. I asked my parents if they wanted to tag along and since I had not received an answer by August, I checked for tickets. Whilst Teatro Real tends to be a bit on the expensive side, it is rather easy to find an unoccupied single seat in a good location just searching a bit. I could not really afford floor seats but there was a very nice single seat on the first row of the third floor that I soon got my clutches on.

I had planned to take the train to Madrid to be there around 16:00. I wanted to go see an exhibition in the manor Palacio de Longoria, since that is the only way to enter it and last time I could not climb any of the stairs to get a good look at the skylight. Unfortunately, there were issues with the previous train, which got stuck in Atocha. My own train could not enter the station, and we were just a few metres away. It is illegal to walk on the tracks, so the train driver, of course, would not open the doors. We were stopped there for over an hour. I was sitting in the first carriage, and some people lost their nerves – they started banging on the driver’s door, and one of them even grabbed the emergency hammer and tried to break the glass on the doors. Thus, I decided to just get off the train when we finally reached Atocha and walk towards the theatre.

Swan Lake promo

I had arranged to meet with a friend for a quick coffee around 18:00 near the theatre. There is a Starbucks within the same building, and it is easy to find a sitting space. At 19:15, we said goodbyes and I entered the theatre Teatro Real and found my seat. What I was not able to find was a brochure.

San Francisco Ballet artists:
  Orchestra director: Martin West
  Odette / Odile: Wona Park
  Prince Siegfried: Wei Wang
  Von Rothbart: Jakub Groot
  Choreography: Helgi Tomasson
  Artistic Director: Tamara Rojo

The show was fantastic. Wei Wang as Siegfried had a lot of weight in the first act – sometimes a lot of his work is given to another character. In this ballet, the ballerina dances two different roles, which sometimes feel like three – First-act Odette, who is nice and falling in love with Siegfried, Odile in the second act, the Black Swan seductress, and the Last-act Odette, who is dying… Wona Park did a fantastic job with her body language in order to show both Odette and Odile.

The corps de ballet was so numerous that I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen so many swans on stage. The set-up was beautiful and the coordination was incredible. At some point there were 32 swan-dancers there. It was fantastic, and I enjoyed every second of it. The ballet lasted 2 hours 40 minutes with a twenty-five minute intermission.

During the break, I went off to find a brochure – not because I did not know the plot, but because I wanted the names of the artists. I thought that one day I needed to try the intermission dinner at Teatro Real, but since they have the “to share” dishes, I don’t think they’ll take bookings for one.

Main dancers accepting the ovation

Swan dancers accepting the ovation

Dancers accepting the ovation and musical director accepting the ovation

The show was over before 22:00, and the waters had calmed down on the train front. They were still running late, but there were no aggressively frustrated passengers on the platform nor the train. I made it home just before midnight.

13th October 2024: Mercado Cervantino de Alcalá de Henares (Spain)

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Alcalá de Henares was the birthplace of writer Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, one if not the most important novel in the Spanish speaking world – often considered the first modern novel in Western literature. Thus, a lot of the town activities are presented in relation to Cervantes, one way or another.

Renaissance Fairs are getting popular in the centre of Spain, and Alcalá has dubbed its own “Cervantine Market” Mercado Cervantino as part of a week-long celebration of Cervantes’ christening Semana Cervantina. I missed most of it since I was in Türkiye, but on the last day I was able to drop for a couple of hours with my sibling.

Mercado Cervantino

We reached the market around 11:30, too late to hear the cannons. It being a Sunday, everything was packed. We got to see Don Quixote and his sidekick Sancho, a horde of orcs, and a falconry exhibition by Francisco Miranda and his Harris’ hawk.

Don Quixote

An orc

Falconer

Harry's eagle mid-flight

Afterwards, I talked my sibling into dropping by the nearby Archaeology and Palaeontology museum Museo Arqueológico y Paleontológico de la Comunidad de Madrid, MARPA. The exhibition Cazadores de Dragones – Dragon Hunters – is still on, and I was not going to waste the chance to see the Concavenator (Concavenator corcovatus). I realised they had brought some extra merch for the exhibition, and I decided to drop by in the near future.

Concavenator Skull

We went off for a late lunch afterwards, and later I just drove off.

11th October 2024: Istanbul Airport {Türkiye, October 2024}

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Since I had woken up early the previous day, I had also woken up early today, and I was caffeinated and ready about one hour before pick-up time. Considering that they were picking me up at 8:30 for a 13:45 flight, I decided to go for a walk in Istanbul | İstanbul before I got stuck at the airport. The Aqueduct of Valens was close to my hotel, and to get there I had to walk in front of the building of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality T.C. İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi Başkanlığı. In the town hall yard there is a fountain with a glass case and several figures inside, reaching for the water. It is the July 15 Sarachane Monument Saraçhane 15 Temmuz Anıtı, which recreates a picture taken on the 15th of July 2016 during a coup attempt. It is supposed to represent a group of civilians Muslim men performing ritual ablution before facing off the rebel military forces at the call of President Erdogan. I was not sure if taking pictures of it was a security risk, but there were no guards around…

July 15 Sarachane Monument

I continued on towards Bozdoğan Kemeri (Aqueduct of the Grey Falcon), the part of the Aqueduct of Valens Valens Su Kemeri that can be driven and walked underneath. I stepped through the arches, and then turned towards Sarachane Park Saraçhane Parkı, which was empty except for a few cats and hooded crows (Corvus cornix) which expected me too feed them…

Aqueduct of Valens

cats and crows from istanbul

I went back to the hotel, gathered my things and came down to reception – both my driver and I were there at the same time, around 8:20. I guess we managed to avoid all traffic jams, because we reached the airport about 9:30. Upon entering the terminal, there was a first security control which X-rayed all the luggage, then I could access the check-in counters. I had done my check in online, but I printed my boarding pass in the kiosks anyway, and dropped off my luggage. The employee at check-in, holding my passport and boarding pass in her hand, asked me if I had a boarding pass. Obviously, she was not having the best of days, either.

I then went to passport control to clear immigration, which took about half an hour, and then the standard airport security check, which was fast because I found a “no need to take your electronics out” queue. Everything was extremely expensive in the airport. I did buy a bottle of water, but the prices put me off an ice cream, so I munched on some crisps that I had not eaten for dinner the previous night and I had packed exactly for this.

Truth is that Istanbul airport has a museum, but entrance was 13 € (note, not Turkish lira – 13 €). And at that point I decided that I was done feeling like a cash cow and introducing euro into the economy. I spent my remaining lira in the duty free shop, and found a copy of The Little Prince in Turkish for my and my parent’s collection.

We boarded around 13:00, and the process was not as efficient as the way in, but it was easy. We got lunch on the plane – happy to report I have finally internalised that pasta on planes tends to have peppers in the sauce and that upsets my stomach, too. I watched a movie and a half, and spent the rest of the time with one I had watched before as I would not have time to finish it.

Landing was smooth, but it took 61 minutes exactly from touchdown to getting out of the arrivals lounge, what with waiting for the luggage and so. And that was the end of the trip.

Maybe the bad project I mentioned at the beginning of the report was cursed, and thus the circuit was doomed, but it has been honestly one of the most disappointing trips I’ve taken – rushed, with bad information, and horrible customer service. I complained to my travel agent, who was horrified. It has really, really put me off anything organised for a while, and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Of course, there have been good times, and awesome places, so it was not a complete disaster. Just not what I wanted, or what I thought I was buying when I chose it.

Would I come back to make up for it? I don’t know. As I was writing, I did wish I could go back to Cappadocia and Pamukkale to satisfy the geology nerd in me. Istanbul was not a city that made me feel particularly welcome, so I could skip that. Maybe in 20 years or so, if Türkiye is still a somewhat laic place, I might consider it. But the world is big, and there are many other places to explore… And the Turkish guide kept complaining that “all the good stuff was taken to Germany” so… that might be an option.

10th October 2024: The Trojan Horse & Bursa {Türkiye, October 2024}

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We had to leave by 5:30 to go see the Trojan Horse. The reason why I had chosen this particular circuit was because it included “Troy”. The only thing I got to see of Troy was the Truva Heykeli Trojan Statue, – the horse which was used by Warner’s Bros to film the movie Troy in 2004. Not a damn ruin, not a damn rock, let alone be near the archaeological site. Damn it, did I choose the circuit badly or what? I do wonder what people thought of us taking structures of the stupid thing at 6:40 in the morning. As we drove north, we saw the Galipoli Peninsula, place of a huge battle between the Ottoman Empire and New Zealand and Australia regiments belonging as part of the British troups.

Çanakkale Trojan horse

We continued towards the city of Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, and another of the World Heritage Sites – Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire. It started off as a settlement around 5,200 BCE, which evolved into a Greek city. Under the Byzantine reign, it was a city known for its garrisons and its silk manufacturing centre. It is considered the origin of the Ottoman Empire, and throughout the period, it flourished through its local silk production. Following the foundation of modern Türkiye, it became an industrial city.

Our first stop was the Grand Mosque of Bursa Bursa Ulu Cami. Its first stone was set in 1399 an important building in the early Ottoman architecture as it found its own style. It is a rectangular building with a fountain from the 19th century at the centre – originally this area was open but it is now closed with glass, forming a skylight. It has two minarets. The interior is mostly white, but at the same time, quite decorated with calligraphy, medallions and vegetal themes.

Interior of the Great Mosque Bursa

Then we drove to the Green Mosque Yeşil Camii complex. It was commissioned in 1412 by Sultan Mehmed I Çelebi, who is buried in the adjacent Green Tomb Yeşil Türbe – along with his children and their caretakers. Both the mosque and the mausoleum have beautiful decoration in blue-green tiles with gold inserts, which create the motifs and calligraphic inscriptions.

Mihrab of the Green Mosque Bursa

Bursa Green Tomb

Next to the mosque stands a building which calls itself a Silk House, but is just a huge souvenir shop, nothing even close to the actual Silk Bazaar. Afterwards, we went for lunch, lentil soup and a traditional Bursa kebap İskender kebap, making this another sort-of actual Turkish meal. It uses meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie (döner kebap) on pita bread, with tomato sauce, yoghurt and sheep’s milk butter – which was poured at the table. Dessert was a honey pastry.

İskender kebap

Then we continued off back to Istanbul | İstanbul. We got there around 16:00 and I was considering maybe heading out to a church-turned-mosque to see some of the most important museums but… at that point it felt more like a self-imposed obligation that something I really wanted to do because I would enjoy it? It was more of a feeling of “you should do it because you are not going to come back to this country”. But the truth was that I really did not want to do it. I was disappointed in the whole trip experience, and in a way, I did not… I don’t know… care anymore? No balloon over Cappadocia, not enough time for Pamukkale travertines, no Troy. Whatever.

The nice group from the trip invited me to hang out with them for a walk. Together, we walked to the Grand Bazaar Kapalı Çarşı. Then we continued towards Sultanahmet Square Sultanahmet Meydanı, from where we crossed Gülhane Park Gülhane Parkı until we reached the coastline İBB Sarayburnu Parkı, the point in which the Golden Horn and Bosphorous Strait come together. On our way back, we stopped around Sultanahmet Square Sultanahmet Meydanı to take some pictures.

Gülhane Park at night

Bosphorous at night

Sultanahmed square at night

Finally, I headed back to my hotel – Hotel Bi·setun, the same as the first two nights – to order dinner, have a shower and get ready for the return trip.

9th October 2024: The Asclepieion & the beach {Türkiye, October 2024}

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We left around 8:00 towards Pergamon Ancient City Pergamon Antik Kenti, another of Türkiye’s World Heritage sites – Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape, still in the city of Izmir | İzmir (in Türkiye, “city” and “province” are interchangeable, apparently). The origin of the city dates back to the 8th century BCE – though there were legends about a mythological foundation by the son of Heracles. Pergamon flourished and became the capital of its own kingdom, until it eventually fell in Roman’s hands. The most important archaeological area is the acropolis – though the Great Altar, which is currently located in the Pergamon Museum of Berlin, in Germany. I had had a tired / silly moment the night before and packed the camera battery charger with the battery still in it, and I almost had a heart attack when the camera would not work. Fortunately, it made a lot of sense after I opened the battery receptacle.

We did not get to go to the Upper or Lower Acropolis, but we could see the theatre, one of the steepest theatres in the world – built in the 3rd century BCE with capacity for about 10,000 people. We stayed down at the foot of the acropolis, in the Sanctuary of Asclepius Asclepieion [Ἀσκληπιεῖον] – a healing temple dedicated to the demigod Asclepius, the demigod who learnt the art of medicine from the centaur Chiron and became the first doctor in “history”.

The Asclepieion worked with a holistic approach to patient care, giving thought to tranquillity, water, and activities such an art and theatre performances. The theatre is one of the best-preserved structures in the Asclepieion of Pergamon, though there are many others – such as 70 metre long cryptoporticus a tunnel that connected the baths, sacred pools – with a healthy population of frogs and tortoises – and fountains. I also found a lizard chilling out – or baking out, considering the temperature (remember, I had packed for… autumn, not for almost 30 ºC at noon every day…). Some famous ruins include

Pergamon Asclepieion ruins

Pergamon Asclepieion tortoises and lizard

Pergamon Asclepieion theatre

I wandered around for as long as I could, but again here was no time to explore everything – though this time I came pretty close. We left at around 12:30. This was the only visit we had on the day, as we were directly driven to the hotel in Çanakkale. On the way, we saw the Red Basilica Kızıl Avlu just before leaving Izmir, and glimpsed the island of Lesbos from the bus.

Iris Hotel was in the middle of a residential area – to the point that the bus barely passed through some of the streets. There was nothing interesting around to see in kilometres, so to… compensate, I guess, the hotel had a small mini zoo of deer and fowl.

Sunset at Çanakkale beach

Behind the hotel there was a private beach with a stunning sunset, but nothing around to explore or do. Çanakkale is located to the west of Türkiye, at the end of the Dardanelles Çanakkale Boğazı, the natural straight that joins the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara, just south of Istanbul. The sea was warm, but I only got in up to my knees. At night, I watched a monster movie in Turkish. That… was an experience.

8th October 2024: Ephesus {Türkiye, October 2024}

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It is not paranoia if they are really after you. And I am paranoid enough not to set a foot onto a bus before I make sure my suitcase is on board with me. So, guess who had to wrangle their suitcase down the stairs, since the hotel staff did not do it? Yep, I did. At least down is easier than up. Anyway, we were our merry way by 9:00, and continued until noon, when we were ushered into a “typical fur-working centre” which was… I don’t know how describe it, to be honest. But neither typical nor traditional are words I would use.

First, we were taken into a room with a catwalk and given notepaper to write down the numbers of items we liked. For about an hour, four or five models showed off anything but typical leather items, a lot of them reversible. Then, we stepped into the shop. I touched some of the items – they were extremely thin and weightless, which was weird. The prices were extremely high, too, even taking into account “the 70% discount because we were special”. I am happy to report I was at no point approached by any salesperson – again, maybe I do not look targetable to Turkish people?

Lunch was okay, it had some nice dips and a soup, then another sad-meat main dish – albeit with your very own pita bread! Dessert was the only one I liked – a churros family treat called tulumba.

Lunch at Ephesus

Afterwards, we continued onto our way to Ephesus, which belongs to the current settlement of Izmir | İzmir, and is an archaeological site considered World Heritage. Coincidently, it was more than warm. It was scorching. We were there for two hours and a half, from 14:30 to 17:00. Again, leaving way before closing time to reach the hotel around 17:30, and yet this was the archaeological site where we spent the longest!

Ephesus was a city in ancient Greece – which back then included several areas of what is now Türkiye. Ephesus was founded around the 10th century BCE, and it became home to one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, the Temple of Artemis, which was built around 550 BCE. It was controlled by the Romans between 129 BCE and 395 CE, and during this period, it became an important site in Christianity starting the year 50 CE or so – with the apostle Paul of Tarsus living there, and reportedly being home of “the seven churches of the Apocalypse”. The city suffered attacks from the Goths, and was damaged by earthquakes before being finally abandoned in the 15th century.

Some of the ruins in Ephesus, including Trajan's fountain and the entrance to the therms

Though the temple of Artemis was off-site and it has been destroyed, many monuments from different periods still stand or have been restored. There are two theatres, a small odeon, and a larger one – with the large one being probably the greatest in the ancient world, seating 25,00 people. There were two agoras, one for commercial meetings and the other one for business. During the Roman times, the Gate of August was built to honour the Emperor.

Since the temple is long gone, the most important building remaining is the Library of Celsus, rebuilt from the pieces left. Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus was one of the Ancient Greek governors of Roman Asia, who paid for the library himself around the year 125 CE, and is actually buried underneath. The library once held up to 12,000 scrolls in 180 square metres.

Celsus library Ephesus

Ephesus theatre

The guide kept hurrying us up, saying that he had a surprise for us – which turned out to be an immersive show about the history of the city, and after that we had to leave. The film was okay, but I would have much preferred to have more time to wander and see the real thing. The only item that was real – I hope, though it was probably a copy – was the final statue of Artemis.

Statue of Artemis Ephesus

We left afterwards. We did not get to stop by the place where the temple used to stand. We did not see one of the most famous sites outside the city either – the so-called house of the Virgin Mary because, according to the guide, “it was a recycled myth”, it was probably the house of Artemis’ priestesses. Which in my view made it even more interesting, but oh well…

Ephesus Hitit Hotel had an outdoor swimming pool that I dipped into, but it was too cold to stay for a long time. I also tried to go out of the hotel to find something to see, but the street did not seem safe. To the point that our bus driver actually saw me going out and came to ask me if I was all right…

7th October 2024: Pamukkale {Türkiye, October 2024}

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Upset as I was, it took a long time to fall asleep, and I nearly had a heart attack when the hotel’s automatic wake-up call made the landline ring at 4:20 – half an hour before my alarm clock was set. We left around 5:40, and it was cold at that time, though it would get really hot during the day. Around sunrise, we reached our first destination – a caravanserai (kervansaray in Turkish, کاروانسرای, kārvānsarāy], in original Persian). Between the 2nd century BCE and the 15th century CE, Europe and China were communicated through the Silk Road, a network of trade routes frequented by caravans. Caravanserai were roadside inns built alongside those trade routes. They were fortified inns which protected the traders from bandits and weather, providing food and water. In Turkish, they are also called han.

Öresin Han (also called Tepesi Delik Han, “the han with a hole on the roof”) is a restored caravanserai / han. It was built in 1188, according to a plate that was recovered during restoration. The works lasted between 2007 and 2010, saving the building from literal ruins (and the aforementioned hole on the roof). Nowadays, it is a shop and inn for tourists. It has thick walls and a vaulted interior to withstand the weather and possible attacks.

Cansaverai

We continued on the road for hours until an early lunch at noon, then drove to the World Heritage Site Hierapolis-Pamukkale, a combination of historical site and geothermal activity. First and foremost, there is the travertine formation. Travertine is a sedimentary rock made out of calcium carbonate which precipitates from fresh water – basically, the material stalactites are made of. Sometimes, in thermal areas, they deposit in cascade form with lakes and waterfalls.

The Pamukkale travertine formation Pamukkale travertenlerinde is a terrace formation around 2,700 metres long, 600 metres wide and 160 metres high. The local thermal water oozes onto the surface at a temperature between 35 and 100 ºC and saturated with calcium carbonate. At the surface, carbon dioxide degasses and the calcium carbonate precipitates into a gel that will crystallise into travertine. Unfortunately, the waterfalls have been mostly drained now to feed pools at the hotels.

Even from the Classical era, the travertines have attracted visitors to the point that a thermal spa was founded around the 2nd century BCE, which eventually became the town of Hierapolis. In the year 133 BCE, Hierapolis was incorporated into the Roman Empire.

We had some time to wander around the place, but way too short to actually see even a quarter of what was on display, which was frustrating – but this would again happen at every archaeological site. Along one of the nice ladies from my group, I saw the Roman baths, then basilica, now museum, which contains the smaller items unearthed – sculptures, friezes, sarcophagi. We then climbed up to the Temple of Apollo Apolion and the Temple of Pluto Ploutonion – which are closed off as the cave underneath them emits asphyxiant carbon dioxide due to the geothermal processes.

Hierapolis museum

Hierapolis theatre

There is also a swimming pool on site, and after hiking up to the theatre it might have even been inviting, if not for the fact that you could actually step onto an area of the travertines to experience them first-hand. I of course took the chance, and was surprised at how… non smelly it was, used to sulphur thermal waters in Japan.

Pamukkale travertines

Travertines Pamukkale

I did not understand why we had to leave so early, because then we just ended up at another hotel with nothing around – thinking back, I have reached the conclusion that the guide was overworked, and he kept a schedule of going to sleep early and getting up early too, that is why we were at all the hotels at 18:00 at the latest; not an excuse, but an explanation. We were at Colossae Thermal & Spa Hotel around that time. The hotel did not have a lift, and most of our rooms were on the first floor. The hotel staff brought the luggage up, and we were reassured it would be taken down again the following morning. I… had a feeling it would not.

In accordance to the thermal and spring water reputation of the region, the hotel had a thermal centre. It comprised a swimming pool, a warm pool and a jacuzzi inside. Outside, there was an actual thermal water / mud pool – which was great for relaxing, but at 33 ºC, I could not stay for long (and I tried not to feel guilty as I knew the water is deviated from the travertines). By this time in the trip, too, I had inserted myself into a group of nice people, and made acquaintances with a nice couple, which was good because it’s always useful to have someone telling you that you’re about to get into the shower with your glasses on…

6th October 2024: Cappadocia {Türkiye, October 2024}

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I had made a thing out of two coffees for breakfast, and today was no exception. The whole group was now in the hotel so we were ready to go see the sights. The bus had barely hit the road when our guide gave us a huge grin and decalred “I’m the first Turkish face you meet during this trip. Trust me. We’re going on the balloon is too expensive, so we’re not gonna do it here. We’re going to do it somewhere else”.

I was crushed at these words. Had he said this the previous day, I would have arranged to go onto the balloon on my own – today. Now, with a 5:00 departure time the following day, it was impossible. I don’t have words to write how I felt – devastated, cheated, furious. The option to ride a balloon in Cappadocia was in the documentation, and I had budgeted for it. And this guy had plain and simply… robbed me from it, because he did not want to wake up early after picking the other half of the group from the airport. Looking back, I should have tried to do it myself, hiring the flight on the hotel for today – and knowing that does not make it any better, because I could not do this one activity, which was important for me, not because of the weather or any actual problem. Just because the guide did not want to do his job. I did try to get him to reconsider, but he was like “no can do”.

Thus, I reached the conclusion that the travel agency, Oxin Travel and the guide himself sucked. Through the day (and the rest of the trip), I would build evidence on this – such as hearing explanations that did not make sense, or just contradicted what was written on the panels. I’m surprised it did not cross my mind to leave the trip at that time, because I was seething and heartbroken. In the past, I have tried to leave unsavoury experiences out of JBinnacle, but this would not be an honest trip report without all the emotions that coursed through me during that day – and to be honest, this was just the beginning of the problems. I wrote an email to the distributor that very same day, told the guide, and have complained formally to my travel agent. I have no hope for any solution, but at least I made it known that I was not happy with the services provided. And this trip was not cheap, at all.

I had to try to get over the disappointment in order to at least see what I could of the region. It was hard, I felt a cloud over my head ruining the mood. I almost did not care about anything else, but I knew I had to make do with what I had, or let my whole trip be ruined. Thus, I tried to get myself into the right mindframe to enjoy the World Heritage Site Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia as much as I could.

Around 9:00, we reached Christian Keşlik Monastery Keşlik Manastırı outside the town of Ürgüp, which is a cave monastery. Human history in Cappadocia is tied to its geology. Tuff is easy to carve, and a lot of civilisations have made their dwellings into the earth instead of on it. First, it was the cavemen, and much, much later the Christians. The first buildings from the monastery date back from the 3rd century CE. Between the 1st and the end of the 4th centuries CE, Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, coming into conflict with the established religion, which deified the Emperor. As Christianity forbade idolatry, their refusal to adore the Emperor as a god made them a target of persecution, accused of treason. In some Roma cities, the Christians took to the catacombs. In Cappadocia, they dug cave monasteries.

Within the tuff structures, ancient Christians created all the items that one would find in a regular monastery – a church, two actually, St. Michael and St. Stephen, a refectory, a winery, dwellings, a baptistery created from a sacred spring… The monks could perform their rituals and protect themselves from any possible attack. It was a functioning Orthodox church well into the 20th century.

The most important cave-building in the rock is the Church of Saint Michael. Its ceilings are decorated with black backgrounds and colourful figures, although many were damaged by iconoclast movements. There were also tomb-like structures where the monks meditated. Underneath the church, there is a baptistery, and next to it the refectory, with a long table and seats carved out of rock. Outside, you can wander around the dwellings, halfway between caves and houses, which served as rooms for the monks.

Keslik Monastery Church of St Michael

Keslik Monastery - chambers inside the rock and panoramic

Afterwards, we headed out to the Underground City of Mazi Mazı Yeraltı Şehri, known in the past as Mataza. There are between 150 and 200 known “underground cities” in Cappadocia. They were initially carved between the 8th and 7th century BCE by the tribes which dwelt in the area. Turf is easy to carve and there is no water in the soil, which made it easy for the tribes to dig “caves” under their houses. These caves became “rooms” which ended up connected to one another through tunnels. As time passed, the cities became more and more complex, with decoy tunnels and booby-traps that the locals could use to hide, safeguard their resources, and protect themselves from raids.

The cities were layered, and the levels were used for different activities – upper floors were for stables, underneath which stood the wineries and ovens… They had wells and ventilation systems that could not be tampered with by the enemies, and even a communication system to talk to people who were in other rooms. Mazi itself had eight stories, four different concealed entrances, and rounded rocks that could be used to close off the corridors. About 6,000 people could survive in its tunnels for up to a month. We did not have much time to explore as we had to move as a group, but it looked really cool.

Mazi subterranean city

We went back onto the bus to head to Guvercinlik Vadisi, Pigeon valley – so called because the geological formations were excavated into dovecotes, since pigeons were used for food and their droppings as fertiliser. As we had 20 minutes there, I could hike down into the valley for a bit and even step into one of the dovecotes. Since it has become a tourist spot, locals have decorated trees with Turkish amulets – evil eye charms – to create photo spots they can request a tip if you get your picture taken there.

Cappadocia Guvercinlik valley

Back on the bus, the guide “graciously” and “secretly” stopped at Üçhisar, a town which has turned a lot of its fairy chimneys into hotels and cafeterias. It is dominated by Üçhisar Kalesi, Üçhisar “castle”, the only natural castle in the world, built in a tuff hill.

Natural castle of Uchisar Cappadocia

Then we were taken for lunch, a rather nondescript buffet which ran out cacik (Turkish tzatziki) way too fast, and afterwards to a “jewellery atelier”. The rocks they showed us were pretty, but the jewellery was rather tacky – and their star product? A pendant made of the local semi-precious stone sultanite inside a balloon, so we were not amused. I was not the only one angry about the whole debacle.

During the bus ride the guide had pitched several optional activities, and I decided to take a so-called jeep safari, run by locals, which takes you in a kind of luxury jeep up and close with the geology of the area. I got that one because it was external and better than nothing, but I did not sign up for the “traditional Turkish night of alcohol and dancing” – I don’t drink alcohol and I was not in the mood for dancing.

The jeep safari drivers picked us up from the jewellery shop around 16:00, whilst the rest of the group went back to the hotel. I felt so cheated – six hours in Cappadocia to go back to the hotel at 16:00 is disgraceful. But then again, I was not in my best disposition. Good that I still had the chance to drive right into the heart of the valleys, at least.

It was a pity that the drivers spoke zero English or Spanish, because it made it impossible to determine where exactly he was taking us. However, we got close to the rock-houses, saw the valleys, the castle, and finally, finally, finally got close to a fairy chimney! We even caught a glimpse of one of the volcanoes responsible for the landscape. It was hard having to go back to the hotel at sunset, but I had a lot of fun – I shared the car with a couple, and the poor lady was terrified by the driver’s antics. I was honestly more worried about the times on the road than the bouncing through the trails.

Cavemen dwellings in Cappadocia

Cappadocia volcanic valley

Cappadocia volcanic valley

Cappadocia Fairy Chimmneys

However, back in Suhan Cappadocia Hotel & Spa before 18:00 made the sadness hit – and no internet in the rooms did not help for any kind of distraction. I tried to walk around the village to try to see something, but I did not find a way, and it was getting dark. I packed for the next day as we were leaving the area. After dinner, I wrote to the travel agents’ in Spain to complain, with zero hope for a solution as it was a Sunday, but I wanted it out of my system. I spent a really bad night, and it was stupidly short because I could not fall asleep…

5th October 2024: From Istanbul To Cappadocia {Türkiye, October 2024}

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The alarm clock went off at 5:40 and I was ready for pick up in 15 minutes. The guide had changed my pick-up time from 6:25 to 6:00, but apparently was the only one who had been informed about the rescheduling. The travellers in the rest of the hotels in the area had no idea, which made it absolutely pointless because we had to wait for them anyway.. For this leg of the trip we were 16 people, and the description of the day said we would “visit the Atatürk mausoleum in Ankara and see the Salt Lake” on our way to Cappadocia. A quick calculation yields to about 733 km of trip from Istambul to Avanos.

We left Istanbul and went on the road. We took a couple of breaks on the way, and around 12:30 we reached Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s mausoleum Anıtkabir in Ankara. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is often called “the founding father of modern Türkiye”, and served as the first president of the Republic, between 1923 and 1938. The Ottoman Empire had participated in World War I, and after its defeat, the Allied powers wanted to divide the country among themselves. Atatürk spearheaded the Turkish War of Independence, and upon victory, he abolished the Sultanate and proclaimed the Turkish Republic. He made a lot of changes – primary education became free and compulsory, the Latin alphabet replaced the Ottoman writing, women obtained equal rights, the country became secular and started industrialisation, the language was strengthened, and surnames were adopted.

Upon Atatürk’s death, it was decided to build a mausoleum in Ankara – Anıtkabir. There was a design competition which was won by Emin Onat and Orhan Arda, though modifications were added later on. It is a massive complex with a courtyard, stairs, the tomb hall, and exhibition rooms. The theoretical entrance to the area is an avenue lined with lions and trees, though due to security, you enter from the opposite side. The Hall of Honour holds a symbolic sarcophagus, and the actual tom is located 12 metres underneath. On the corners, there are small ethnographic exhibits. The whole complex is made out of reinforced concrete and is decorated with marble, travertine, reliefs, frescoes, carvings… Everything looks golden. Around 13:15, we saw the changing of the guard in the ceremonial courtyard.

Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Change of the guard at theMausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Then we headed off for lunch, a bowl of lentil soup and a plate of flattened “meatballs” and rice, and continued on our way. Around 17:00 we “saw” the Salt Lake indeed – we guessed its existence from a service station a few kilometres away. We reached the Suhan Cappadocia Hotel & Spa in Avanos, in the region of Cappadocia. We would be using that as base for two days. One of the things to do in Cappadocia is seeing sunrise from above. However, since the group was not complete, the guide did not offer the possibility for sunrise the next day, he just gave us the Wi-Fi password (which only worked in the lobby), and the dinner / breakfast / day trip for the morning, and left.

Riding a balloon in Cappadocia is the thing to do. It allows you to see the structures called “fairy chimneys” from above as the sun rises, and since the landscape is so unique, I was really excited. Geologically, Cappadocia is a very interesting place – some thirty million years ago, volcanoes Erciyes, Hasan and Melendiz erupted repeatedly. Over thousands of years, ash rained on the ground, creating an elevated plateau of around 17,671 square kilometres. The ash hardened into tuff (a porous rock that I have seen in Neapolitan architecture) before it was covered by a layer of basalt. Both types of rock weathered, but tuff erodes faster than the upper basalt – creating sort of mushroom-like rock formations. As you can imagine, being the geology geek I am, visiting all these was one of the things I was looking forward the most. I had even put aside a budget “just for the balloon”, as it can get quite expensive, and I wanted to remain reasonable.

I dropped off the luggage and decided to go get something to eat before I hopped into the shower – else I would not get any food at all. Dinner was a buffet, and it was overrun. The food was weird… there was a huge dessert buffet, and a lot of breads, but nothing that really grabbed my attention but a few dollops of cacik (Turkish tzatziki). Back in the room, I tried to find a TV channel with something I could understand – and was not related to Israel bombing or being bombed. I did not even find the BBC…

4th October 2024: Istanbul, day 2 – Bosphorus Istanbul (plus, again) {Türkiye, October 2024}

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It was warm in Istanbul | İstanbul when the sounds of the town woke me up. Since I was up early, I decided to find the Bozdoğan Kemeri (Aqueduct of the Grey Falcon), part of the Aqueduct of Valens Valens Su Kemeri. It was built using brick and stone in the 4th century in order to bring water to Constantinople. Construction started under the reign of Constantine II and finished during the reign of Valens, and the structure was in use under the Ottoman period. The Bozdoğan Kemeri bridge is 971 metres long, and its maximum height is around 30 metres. Today, it stands over a busy road, with cars running underneath.

I went back to the hotel for pick-up, which today happened on time. I had signed up to the other day trip offered to me at the airport Estambul Bósforo (55 €). My hopes were not too high, but at least I met with the nice ladies from the day before. This time around, the group was bigger, so everything was a bit more chaotic. Our first stop was Süleymaniye Mosque Süleymaniye Camii, an Ottoman imperial mosque commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent to his imperial architect Mimar Sinan around 1550. The mosque has four minarets with a total of ten balconies. The interior is decorated with medallions, writings, geometrical decorations, and beautiful stained-glass windows. Outside, there is a cemetery with the mausoleum of Sultan Suleiman and his wife Roxelana.

Süleymaniye Mosque

After the mosque complex, the bus headed out towards the Asian side of Istanbul for a panoramic viewpoint up Çamlica Hill Çamlıca Tepesi, which implied getting stuck in traffic for a long time again and driving past a lot of interesting buildings – visiting any of those would have been a better use of our time.

View of Istanbul from Çamlica Hill

We went back to the bus for the boat ride, which despite being advertised as a Bosphorus trip, was only up and down the Golden Horn Altın Boynuz for about an hour. At first, I tried to pay attention to the guide as he explained things, but I got bored pretty quickly. This was not a good sign, considering this one guide was the one who was to take me onto the tour around the country…

Bosphoros boat ride

For lunch, we had been asked to choose either bream or chicken. I had ordered the chicken because I had a feeling I could not trust a random restaurant in Istanbul… I was right. The bream turned out to be sea bass. Again, food was nothing remarkable. Then, we walked towards the New Mosque Yeni Cami, which was the next visit, but we did not get to go into that one for reasons that escape me. Instead, we were taken into the Spice Bazaar or Egyptian Bazaar Mısır Çarşısı, for a demonstration inside a particular shop. I do wonder how many and how much commissions go into decisions like that.

New Mosque Istanbul

Egyptian bazaar Istanbul

This was the end of the day trip, around 17:00, since the guide had once again stated that “your hotels are close, no need for the bus”. I said goodbye to the nice ladies, and headed out towards the Grand Bazaar Kapalı Çarşı, described as a “network of indoor souks and market streets”. It is actually one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, and it has thousands of shops – literally. It dates back from 1455, just after the Fall of Constantinople into the hands of the Ottomans. It was an interesting structure, but I only found trinkets and souvenirs, and it was packed with people.

Grand Bazaar

Thus, after crossing out the Grand Bazaar from the list, I headed towards the university İstanbul Üniversitesi, my reference for the metro stop Veznecıler. From there, I could take a train towards Taksim Square Taksim Meydanı, the gateway to Independence Avenue İstiklal Caddesi, on the other side of the Golden Horn but still in the European side. The area is a tourist hub with shops, fast food places, and ice cream vendors who play around before they serve you the ice cream cones. One of the highlights of the avenue is the “nostalgic tramway” İstanbul nostaljik tramvayı, a revival or heritage tramline with tiny cars, built from memories and photographies. It is not a novelty thing for tourists, but an actual working system that goes up and down the avenue, line T2. I was happy to be able to see it, the car was packed – mostly by tourists though…

Taksim square

At the end of İstiklal Caddesi, stands Galata Tower Galata Kulesi, a former watchtower, now a museum with an observation deck. The origin of the tower dates back from 1204 though the original tower was destroyed and rebuilt in the Romanesque style in 1350. At that point, it was the highest building in the city. At the moment, it is almost 63 metres high, with nine floors, and a renewed roof.

Nostalgic tram and Galata Tower

Afterwards, I caught the underground at the nearest stop – though I was a little bit tempted by the nostalgic tram – and I headed back to the hotel. I settled the bill for the water bottles I had bought and went up to my room, where I decided to order the same dinner as the evening before – kebap and yoghurt. I then had a shower and packed, because pick-up was at 6:00 the next morning. Good thing that I had found a vending machine in the underground system that sold canned coffee, even if it was “almond flavoured”.