Day 202 to 203: Parting thoughts

As we packed our bags for our flight back to London, we felt a little sad that our travels were coming to an end. We'd really enjoyed all the places we visited in the past six and a half months. We still hadn't tired of our nomadic existence, and constantly moving on and discovering new places had become our norm. Since leaving New Zealand in November, the longest time we'd spent in one place was our six night stopover in London. Home was wherever we were sleeping for the night. We were so accustomed to having only our backpacks; it seemed strange to think that we would soon need more belongings.

Still, we'd always known we couldn't travel forever, and we're very pleased to have had the opportunity to take such an amazing trip. We have fantastic memories of the incredible places we've visited. Every country was unique, but if we had to pick our favourites they would be India and Tanzania. We loved India for the people and the awesome food, and Tanzania for the breathtaking beaches on Zanzibar and the stunning animals of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.

After our month in the US, we've mostly adjusted to the prospect of starting "normal" life again. It feels like the right time to be finishing this particular adventure. Thanks for journeying with us through our blog, Facebook status updates and photos.

Day 200 to 202: Take me out to the ball game

Our late train brought us into Chicago in time to enjoy our first live baseball game. Well, the second half of the baseball game at least! We joined in the fun as the Chicago Cubs were roundly defeated by the Houston Astros.

Over the next couple of days, we enjoyed wandering and exploring the different neighbourhoods of Chicago. Here's a few of our favourite experiences:

• A sunny architecture cruise along the river, led by the world's first architectural society
• Visiting the only Threadless retail store in the world - they make an awesome range of T-shirts, and we are big fans
• Dinner with ex-London friends Eric and Sarah Catherine, where we sampled and approved of the famous Chicago deep dish pizza
• Going to the free zoo in the park (though we definitely preferred seeing zebras and lions in their natural habitat)
• Ascending the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower) for stunning vistas of the Chicago skylines. I even stepped onto the slightly scary extension - an enclosed ledge where you can see straight down from the 103rd floor to street level

We finished our time in Chicago with cocktails at the top of the Hancock Building and succulent burgers at Weber Grill. Very fitting to end our American trip with yet more great food!

Day 195 to 200: Road tripping and a Michigan marriage

With Andrew and Angie's car boot stuffed to the limit and their fun friend Michelle on board, we started the long trek to Michigan for Matt and Bethany's wedding. Their wedding was the main reason we came the States at this time. Matt is a good friend from NZ, and we were looking forward to finally meeting Bethany - she's from Michigan, and we were always in the UK when she visited Matt in NZ.

Our road trip made good progress on our first evening; we crossed the New York state border around midnight, after driving through a fantastic thunderstorm. We overnighted in a motel in Syracuse and rose early the next day to make it to Niagara Falls (on the Canadian side) around lunchtime. We had a good spray-soaked walk to view the falls in impressive action, followed by a rather less inspiring lunch at a mostly empty Tony Roma's restaurant. The drive from this point was fairly unexciting - flat, mostly identical scenery, a traffic jam, border crossing back into the USA - coffee and a snack break helped, but we were all pleased to arrive at Angie's parents house just in time for dinner.

Matt and Bethany's wedding weekend was a fun time of getting to know more of their family, hanging out with the newly married couple, and enjoying a really warm welcome at Angie's parents place. The day after the wedding we had a little unexpected excitement when the tornado warning siren sounded while guests and family were hanging out at Bethany's parents' house. All the Kiwi guys stood out on the front lawn watching the clouds swirl above us, and the sky turn grey-green, until they decided to heed Angie's advice to come indoors. We didn't see an actual twister form and later heard that it hit about 50 miles away. Not much damage was caused, but it was enough to seriously delay our train to Chicago the next evening. Angie's parents kindly saved us from having to arrive in Chicago at ~4am - they came and collected us from the station and dropped us back at the station the next day to catch our rescheduled train - an extra 2 hours of driving for them. It was a huge help for us, and they even sent us off with packed lunches - these came in very handy when the rescheduled train still had to go slowly for tornado damage and took a couple of hours longer than normal.

Day 192 to 195: Peaceful times in Boston

We arrived in Boston in good time for a tasty dinner at Legal Seafood, with the great company of our NZ friend Andrew and his awesome wife Angie, a Michigan girl. We took a post-dinner stroll around Harvard, where we saw all the seats arranged for graduation ceremonies. Everything was set up outdoors, because apparently it never rains for Harvard graduation! Over the next couple of days Angie led us on an excellent walking tour of Boston, including delicious fresh canoli in Little Italy, a laid-back afternoon in waterfront Rockport, and plenty of history along the way.

Day 187 to 192: New England meanderings

From New York, a bus and a rental car journey brought us to Newport, Rhode Island, where we spent a day strolling around the opulent mansions of the Gilded Age. I thought the impressive B&B we stayed at was large enough to be a mansion, with seven bedrooms and an apartment, but the Vanderbilts and their wealthy set built their houses to ridiculous proportions. Newport's coastal setting was perfect for finishing the day with clam chowder, lobster roll, and an enormous dessert at a lively pub.

The next morning we headed up country to New Hampshire. En-route we drove through Providence's pretty 'Mile of History' and wandered around the fascinating Canterbury Shaker Village, where Shakers (an offset of the Quakers) once lived simple lives and produced goods of impeccable quality. As we approached Bethlehem, New Hampshire, we came over a rise to a peaceful lake and thunderous sky. We were treated with a brilliant rainbow and the rare sight of a beaver diligently swimming toward his dam. Moments later a downpour started, and we felt lucky to have come upon the scene at the right moment.

Arriving at our B&B in Bethlehem, the owner Mary came out to our car in the pouring rain with a massive umbrella to help us inside, and we knew we'd come to a good place! We'd booked the smallest (and cheapest) room and she upgraded us to a larger once. Fresh baking and awesome breakfasts went down a treat, and Mary even did all our washing for us; a great help after a couple of weeks on the road! We spent our time leisurely exploring the picturesque New Hampshire landscape, visiting the impressive Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods (where the IMF and the World Bank were created), and headed into neighbouring Vermont, where we drove through the Green Mountain National Park. Sparkling clear mountain streams, quaint villages, covered bridges, and barns that looked just like the typical red toy barn made for a delightful roadtrip. We completed our road tour by taking America's original scenic route, The Mohawk Trail, toward Boston.

Day 172 to 186: Our bite of the Big Apple

What we did with a week in NYC:

• Clocked up a marathon and a half - we explored New York largely on foot and loved wandering in the different neighbourhoods
• Became regulars at Johny's Luncheonette - a bustling countertop eatery serving up cheap and delicious breakfasts...mmm, fresh blueberry pancakes!
• Immersed ourselves in Picasso, Van Gogh and arty design at the Museum of Modern Art, made even more enjoyable by having the $20 entrance fee waived on Friday night
• Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and the entire length of Central Park, including swinging by Strawberry Fields (at my request)
• Savoured southern soul food in Harlem, the best bagels from a Jewish joint and more awesome American BBQ, thanks to excellent recommendations from friends
• Learnt about life as a poor immigrant in the Lower East Side Tenement Museum - an old tenement house that closed in the Depression years and provides a fascinating snapshot of immigrants' lives
• Went up the Empire State Building for fantastic views of....the misty cloud enclosing the viewing platform that day! With bad weather for our last few days in New York, we thought we'd picked a good moment to go up as we could finally see the top of the building from ground level. Alas, it wasn't quite as clear as it appeared! Still, after patiently waiting in the mist, there were moments where the cloud swept away to let us appreciate slivers of New York views.

Day 168 to 171: The Mike and Sara tour of DC

We received a locals' introduction to Washington DC, with Mike and Sara Kruger showing us the best of their city. We'd first met the Krugers in our early days in London and really enjoyed catching up with them five years later on their home turf.

Our DC tour included plenty of interesting history, a visit to local markets, the Peep Show - where fluffy marshmallow bunnies and chickens featured in all sorts of creative scenes, strolling in red-brick Williamstown, mouthwatering BBQ at Hill Country, and the best Red Velvet cupcake we've ever eaten.

When Monday sent Mike and Sara back to work, Michael and I explored the more typical DC sights - the Jefferson Library, the Capitol Building, the National Archives, the Monument Walk along the Mall and the collection of famous planes, rockets and satellites at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Early summer weather encouraged us to walk everywhere and we were left with a favourable impression of DC.

Day 162 to 167: Home and away

Being welcomed back to London after nearly six months away was so friendly and social it felt like one of our visits to New Zealand. We stayed with Caz and Mottie, who put on an impromptu 'welcome back' party for us, with Caz cooking up all sorts of deliciousness in the kitchen.

Beyond being social, our London stopover was a busy time of catching up on life admin and organising our trip to the States. We quickly discovered New York's exorbitant accommodation prices, which was a shock after cheap rooms and plenty of availability in Turkey. Friday morning bright and early we headed to the airport and flew to Washington DC via Charlotte, to start our Stateside trip.

Day 161: It's all over...well, not quite

Boarding our British Air flight to London, our main thoughts were "after all this awesome food will we have a British sandwich to 'look forward' to?" That and how weird it felt to be finally en route to London.

After five and a half months of travel we were still loving the adventure. So much so that we decided to keep up the travelling lifestyle for a little longer. We'll pause in London for several days before heading to the States for a month. We'll travel to Washington DC, New York, Boston, New England, Michigan and Chicago, spending time with US-based friends and attending a good friend's wedding.

Early June will see us back in London to resume life as normal, but until then we'll keep blogging about our extended travels. (And British Airways surprised us with a hot meal that didn't even need salt added - unfortunately they were out of Pimms so we couldn't celebrate!)

Day 159 to 160: Baklava and bazaars

Last days for all things Turkish....back in Istanbul we hit the shops - haggling in the bazaars, finding good deals on fresh Turkish delight and enjoying melt-in-your-mouth baklava. We visited the last of our 'must see' sights - the beautifully lit underground Basilica Cistern and the incredibly ornate Dolmabahçe Palace, the first Turkish palace built in a Western style, but still with the all important harem area. On this last stop in Istanbul we stayed near Istiklal Caddesi, the main shopping street where all the trendy people go. Being in the heart of the action was a fun way to farewell Istanbul and conclude our time in Turkey.

Day 156 to 158: Reclining in an Ottoman

Amasya was our 'off the beaten track' stop near the Black Sea, before returning to Istanbul. Restored Ottoman houses line Amasya's river, and rock mountains tower alongside with tombs carved into the rockfaces. The river is still dotted with a few old waterwheels, giving Amasya even more of a quaint feel. The city is popular with Turkish tourists, but most other travellers don't make it to Amasya, so it feels more local than Turkey's 'must see' destinations.

Staying in one of the Ottoman houses along the river was a fantastic way to appreciate Amasya's rich history. We enjoyed a friendly welcome and a delicious home-cooked dinner at our B&B. Our room had big wooden windows that opened onto the river and a retro-fitted bathroom tucked into a closet, as the rooms were not originally built with bathrooms. In Amasya we relaxed and wandered along the picturesque riverfront and climbed up to the tombs.

Leaving Amasya for Istanbul is an ~11 hour bus journey, so we found a cheap Turkish Air flight to save some time. We'd thought the airport was nearby, but in Amasya we learnt it was about 40km further than we thought and there wasn't a direct bus connection. So we caught a local 'leave when it's full' bus to Merzifon, the closest town to the airport, and had a great time enjoying incredibly cheap kebaps and cakes in a town completely untouched by tourism. We'd been advised by our bus driver to take a taxi to the airport and we amusingly arrived at the terminal at the same time as the local aiport bus from Merzifon and the Turkish Air shuttle from Amasya. Although those would have been easier options if we'd known about them, we were glad for our fun detour to Merzifon.

Day 151 to 155: Sugar plum fairy chimneys

We headed for the magical landscape of Cappadocia, with an overnight stay in Konya to break up the journey. We'd chosen what was supposed to be the express four hour bus to Konya, rather than the slower six hour services that travelled around a large lake. As our bus pulled into a rest stop near the four hour mark, still 90km from Konya, we realised we'd been duped! The awesome scenery compensated for the longer than expected journey time, with snowy Swiss-looking mountains and wintry trees growing from slate-grey hillsides. In Konya we visited the Mevlana Tomb, where Sufi dervishes once whirled, and a couple of small museums in beautiful old medrese buildings (Koranic seminaries).

Arriving in Cappodocia on an evening bus, we found that the hotel we'd booked was full for the last night of our stay, despite accepting our Hostelbookers reservation. Our stay fell over a Saturday and a national holiday, so a last minute search for accommodation wasn't the warmest welcome. After an increasingly frustrating discussion with the hotel owner, we eventually used their wifi to book another place for half the price and Michael walked to the new hotel to ensure this booking was reliable. We had a very friendly welcome to our new hotel and from this point our time in Cappadocia greatly improved. Our highlights include:

• Walking in the beautiful Red and Rose Valley, where we met only a handful of other walkers
• Appreciating the stunningly unusual surrounds - knobbly rock "fairy chimneys" spread as far as we could see, creating an almost lunar landscape
• Cafe Şafak, which quickly became our favourite spot to chill with a coffee or tasty Turkish food. We randomly met our English friends from Antalya (Matt and Lawrence) and enjoyed a couple of dinners together

Day 145 to 150: Coast to coast

From Çannakale, we made our way down the Aegean Coast to the Mediterranean in Antalya. We stayed three nights in the small town of Selçuk, where we walked out to the awesomely preserved ruins of Ephesus. We'd been warned that food onsite was very pricey, so we came armed with a picnic and enjoyed the novelty of laying out our lunch on the base of a Roman pillar in the midst of the ruins. From Selçuk we visited the ruined cities of Prienne, Miletus and Didyma, which were lovely to wander, but a little overshadowed by Ephesus from the day before.

Around Selçuk we walked to the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. These days just one huge pillar remains and ducks paddle in a pond that was once the temple floor. We enjoyed the slower pace of a small town and lovely hospitality from the family pension we stayed in. Four generations lived in the same house and we were

welcomed into their front room for breakfast by the stove on a particularly cold morning.

One of our favourite aspects of staying in Selçuk was experiencing the Saturday market. As we ate breakfast on the pension porch, crates of lettuce were piled high and the road was transformed into stall after stall of fresh produce. Despite the proximity of Ephesus, Selçuk's economy remains primarily agricultural, and Saturday was clearly a big day for local growers. I bought half a kilo of fresh peas for 50p and enjoyed munching my way through them - something that's far too expensive to do in London!

While in Selçuk, we succumbed to spring colds, so our pace since then became a little slower and snufflier. We next headed to Pammukale, where we climbed calcium-covered hillsides for views over the travertines: natural white pools layered onto hillsides, that were once filled with bright blue water but have now largely dried up. They still made a stunning landscape and we spent several hours admiring the views and wandering amongst hilltop Hierapolis ruins.

Our final coastal stop was Antalya on the turqouise coast. By this time our colds had well and truly settled in, so we took things easy and recuperated. We strolled around the quaint old town and chilled out with drinks and panoramic harbour vistas at a clifftop cafe. We went to the beach and stumbled upon a couple of friendly English guys who had been our seatmates on the bus journey to Antalya and spent a couple of hours appreciating Antalya's stunning museum, with statues laid out in elegant rooms, helping us to imagine them as they once were. On our departure day, heavy rain set in, further encuraging us to hibernate at our pension before making the uninviting journey to the Otogar (central bus station) for our onward journey towards Cappadocia.

Day 143 to 144: Grecian horses and royal tours

Public bus was our method for getting around Turkey; chosen more from necessity than preference. We'd originally planned to use the convenient 'hop on, hop off' Fez Bus, which friends and family had recommended. However, after a fair amount of research, we found that the long-established hop-on hop-off service had stopped operating as of 2011, so it was time for Plan B.

Getting to grips with Turkey's bus system initially seemed daunting - bus company websites were all in Turkish and online reservation systems sounded less than reliable. We wanted to travel from Istanbul to Çannakale to start with, so Mıchael phoned a bus company to make a reservatıon. The person he spoke with had limited English, and after receiving some confusing instructions on where and when to pick up our tickets, we decided to head to the bus station and hope it all worked out.

Arriving at the bus station, our overwhelming feeling was: "it's all going to be fine." There were tons of bus companies, with good prices and from that point we booked our onwards bus as we arrived in each new place. The Turkish bus network is extensive and our first bus ride was a treat - the most luxurious model of bus, with huge reclining seats, seatback TVs with English movies, free snacks and drinks and even free WiFi.

We had a pleasant stay in the harbour city of Çannakale, our base for visiting Troy and Gallipoli. We'd booked a hotel and arrived to find they'd upgraded us to their newer, fancier hotel nearby, which was a nice surprise. We spent a morning wandering the ruins of Troy and learning about its history, followed by an outstanding tour of Gallipoli. Rather than a standard tour guide, our guide happened to be Turkey's leading expert on Gallipoli, Kenan Çelik. The first in his family to go to school, he became a University lecturer in Literature and has led Gallipoli tours for over 25 years. In that time he has guided Prince Charles, Prime Ministers, Presidents, and anybody rich or famous who fancies a helicopter tour of Gallipoli with an expert guide. We were given a fantastic overview of the origins of WWI - we were essentially standing on the Gallipoli beaches receiving a University-quality lecture, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We found it particularly interesting hearing the Turkish perspective on Gallipoli - it was the Turkish Army's first victory in many years, though they incurred heavy losses, like the ANZAC forces. Striking it lucky with Kenan as our guide was a huge highlight of our time in Çannakale.

Day 141 to 142: Sunday scrabble - is üeek a word?

A couple of days hanging in Istanbul with Tom and Caitlin was excellent. We visited the huge Blue Mosque and Aya Sophia, a massive church-turned-mosque with impressive Byzantine mosaics. We'd planned to follow up these star attractions with Topkapi Palace, but rain drove us indoors for lahmuçan (Turkish pizza) and kebaps in warm, dry surrounds.

Keeping to indoor pursuits, we wandered the lively and colourful spice market, venturing out once the rain had cleared in time to see Sunday afternoon fishing in full swing on the city's Galata Bridge. Walking uphill towards Taksim Square, the smell of fresh coffee from a cosy cafe proved too tempting and we all decided it was time for a break. Great coffee and a creative game of English/Turkish scrabble was enjoyed, with lots of low scoring 'k' tiles and an abundance of 'i's making things challenging.

The next day we explored Topkapi Palace, admiring stunning tilework in the harem and one of the world's largest diamonds, among other ridiculously ornate royal items. That evening was our last night before leaving Istanbul, so we had a delicious fish meal with Tom and Caitlin before heading our separate ways.