Greece & Turkey

After 10 planes, 13 days, and a whole bunch of new memories we are home from our adventure in Greece and Turkey! First off, a HUGE shout out to Mama and Papa Russell for planning and funding the whole trip and graciously allowing us to crash their 32^nd anniversary. Yay marriage! We thoroughly enjoyed every minute and couldn’t be more grateful. It would be impossible to put it all into a blog post, but here's a little glimpse of the journey. 

It all started off with my parents flying to England and meeting up with us here. Although they were exhausted and completely jet lagged, they let us show them around Birmingham and took us out to eat. Troopers.

Athens

The next day we flew to the first of our five destinations, Athens. When we first arrived I must admit I was a little underwhelmed, if that’s even a word? Lots of graffiti and old run-down buildings. When we pulled up to our Airbnb apartment which just happened to be down a dark back alley it was not looking promising… Minus the hot water not working the first day (our error more than anything else) it was all wonderful from then on out! The apartment was beautiful on the inside and the view was epic! We toured the city, the Acropolis, and a few museums. 

View from our balcony of the Acropolis

Temple of Zeus

Parthenon

 Santorini

A quick 45 minute plane ride and we were in Santorini. And what a DREAM it was. We knew the weather would be partly cloudy at best, but we were happy to trade the hundreds of thousands of summer tourists for the more mild weather. We stayed in one of the white cave houses in the famous village of Oia. So beautiful. Also, side note: best greek salads of my life.

Our cave house

Lunch on one of the many black sand beaches

View from our front porch

Red Beach

The hot springs at the volcano & one of the MANY churches

Boat cruise to the hot springs/volcano

Ephesus

Next on the list- Selcuk/Ephesus, Turkey. This place was mind boggling. Thousands of years of history in one place. It was hard to comprehend, but so amazing to witness. It was cool to walk on the same grounds that the apostles are believed to have walked on. The people were very friendly and the food was delightful- the turkey pizza is a must.

Ephesus

NIKE!

Ancient toilets. They all just hung out and chatted while they did their business! So funny!

It was WINDY to say the least

The likely last residence of the Virgin Mary

Original baptismal font at the basilica of St. John

Turkish carpets everywhere

Turkish delight!

Cappadocia

Before we knew it we were off to Cappadocia, Turkey. Cappadocia is known for the majestic landscape with valleys of fairy chimneys.  Here we stayed in a traditional cave house in Goreme. We were supposed to go on a hot air balloon ride to watch the sunrise, but our balloon had issues so we just got to watch the others ride off into the open air. Such a tease. We ending up loving the area though. It reminded me a bit of southern Utah with all of the red rock and gorgeous canyons.

I didn't know I was claustrophobic until descending seven stories underground in a cave

Everyone else's

Ours...

Ice Cream Valley

Cave houses

Istanbul

Last stop! By this time, we had already passed through the Istanbul airport twice in order to get to Ephesus and Cappadocia. It was nice to finally get out in the city! We discovered Istanbul is massive with 14.16 million people! Our apartment here was SWANKY (our favorite word of the trip). We had an epic view of the harbor and the historic part of town. Mama and Papa were not feeling great towards this part of the trip but again, they were troopers and stuck it out. We were in awe of Hagia Sofia and the way the mosque/church/museum blended together thousands of years of history and housed multiple religions. We also did the grand bazaar, the spice market, the palace, and explored various parts of the city.

Inside Hagia Sofia

                            

The Blue Mosque

                              

                               

The Basilica Cistern

View from our balcony

The Spice Bazar

Palace Guards

Stained glass in the Palace

Metro Stops

Last random trip notes:

1) Austin can pass as a native in whatever country we are in. People legitimately thought he was Greek in Greece and Turkish in Turkey. 

2) The Cornilles' are the reigning scum champions. Muahahahaha!

3) There were wild cats and dogs EVERYWHERE. So crazy.

4) Although it may look like we didn't change clothes the entire trip from the pictures, we did. It was just jacket weather the majority of the time. 

THANKS AGAIN MAMA AND POPS! 

I'm Starting a Fashion Blog

Psych. Not happening.

Why do we read those things anyway?! Yes, I said WE. I secretly wish I was a fashion blogger. But then I go look on my instagram feed and see these perfect women with gorgeous bags to match their $85 lipstick they bought in 9 different colors and I'm like NOPE. I don't measure up. 

We all feed ourselves these lies of perfect hair days and fun fun fun all the time! I look through my instagram feed and wow, my life looks pretty good. I'm feeding the world all the good and never any of the bad. I never post a picture of a bad hair day or that zit that pops up right in the middle of my forehead. (Am I the only one who still gets those?? What am I, 14 again? Im freaking 25, face.) Anyway, so today I'm posting about real life, and what it really looked like - because not everyday is a good one, and that's okay. 

My alarm went off at 7:00 and I didn't get up until 7:30. I rushed to get ready and leave by 8. My hair was a greasy mess. I went to work, it was a crazy day. I left work later than expected. I was supposed to go to the gym but was lazy and said forget it, I'm going home. Came home. The house was a mess. Literally smelled like our garbage that needed to be taken out 2 days ago. Im starving, but we have no food because I hadn't gone grocery shopping. Changed into my sweats. Put my nasty grease ball hair into a bun. Husband had meetings, so made a random dinner for myself with whatever was left in the fridge, ate it. Then proceeded to eat a snickers. Aaaaaaand watched 3 episodes of One Tree Hill. Happy Friday y'all. 

GET THE LOOK: Sweats- Austin's from 9th grade. Shirt- old navy clearance.  Slippers- Costco? 5 years ago.

Hair- don't wash it for a while, then throw it up in a bun.

Evidence

Paris, Barcelona & the BEST Surprise Ever

For our Christmas present this year we treated ourselves to a week in Paris & Barcelona. We did it all! From the Eiffel Tower on NYE to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. We had a blast! I'll let you see for yourself...

 MASSIVE macaroons! 

Side note: I am aware that my attire is completely ridiculous here.... It was COLD. 

 

 Happy New Year!

 Lots of metros and crepes

Locking our love on the Pont des Arts

 The most fancy meal of our lives!

 aww the Louvre...

You could spend days in that place...

 Notre Dame

Next we took the train down to Barcelona!

 La Pedrera

                                                                                                    Sagrada Familia

Antonio Gaudi pretty much owns Barcelona...

Not a phone... touristy audio guide.

Gaudi for the win... again. House of Bones.

A little beach time. 65 degrees will do.

View of Barcelona from Montjuic

 The Magic Fountain & 3 Kings Christmas Parade 

We had an absolute blast. A trip we will never forget!

Now on to the "Best surprise ever" part...

Mr. Austin Cornilles' Birthday.

My birthday was going to be tough to beat. London and Wicked was pretty epic. It just so happened that Austin's dad was going to be doing business in Europe the week of his birthday, AND the Ducks were playing in the national championship game that night (kick off at 1:30am here). It worked out perfectly to have Rob come surprise Austin for his big day and watch the game with him! I sneakily emailed Austin's professor and asked if I could surprise him in his class. It played out wonderfully... I came in and announced his birthday, the class sang, and Rob popped in at the end with balloons. Austin was shocked. It was perfect.

Our First Ever Christmas Letter

Guest post: Mr. Austin Cornilles

2014 has brought adventure and change to our young married life.  We have experienced everything from malaria in Africa and altitude sickness in Japan to swinging on a trapeze in Mexico and walking through German Christmas markets in England.  Wherever we have been in our spectacular world, 2014 has brought Callie and I closer together.  Take a look at some of our most memorable moments during the past year.

During the first four months of the year, Callie continued to sell real estate in Utah.  Yes, she has her own Zillow page and her team was also honored with a regional award at her company’s award banquet.  All her hard work has definitely helped support us in all of my expensive endeavors.

In April, after four years in Provo – six for Callie – I graduated from BYU and was able to celebrate with my family and my in-laws.  A sensible person might imagine starting a reliable 9-5 job in the city where they and their spouse grew up, but I have different plans.  Callie never imagined where life would take her and her future husband while growing up in Portland, Oregon.

In May, we were able to go on vacation to Ixtapa, Mexico with the Russell family.  After a cancelled flight, a night in Mexico City, and lost baggage, we were able to relax on the beach.  Callie enjoyed the trapeze while I enjoyed playing soccer with the resort employees.  We loved spending time with family and seeing Julie dance the night away at the nightly parties.  After all the fun, we couldn’t forget to take a picture with our Rip City gear.

A few days after returning home from Mexico, Callie and I got on a plane for the longest traveling experience of our lives.  After spending a night in Dubai, we finally arrived in Accra, Ghana.  There, we worked for a company that trains small businesses in developing markets.  We experienced what rain is like in Africa, long tro tro rides through bumpy, dusty roads, the largest market in West Africa, sketchy currency exchanges, mosquitos, USA vs Ghana in the World Cup, our second anniversary, and cold showers.  Through it all, we met amazingly faithful and hard working people.  It would be an understatement to say we were inspired over and over again.

After returning home from Ghana in July, we were back on the airplane heading to Japan with the Cornilles Family.  My brother, Brennan just returned home from his mission in Taiwan, so this was our catching up time.  My dad got to see a man from his mission and my parents showed us where they used to live.  We climbed Mt. Fuji, swam in the Sea of Japan, visited historical sights, and took selfies with wild deer.  It was amazing to experience Japanese culture and spend time with family.

In September, Callie and I stuffed our lives into our suitcases and moved to Birmingham, England so I could attend graduate school.  Callie and I have made some great friends and feel at home in our new ward at church.  Callie is serving the young children in the primary and I am serving the young men.  We love learning new meanings behind British words and meeting people from all over the world.  Living in a big city with old architecture is something we thought you only saw in movies!

Callie and I feel extremely blessed to have been able to make so many new friends and travel to so many places this last year.  We are grateful to our Heavenly Father for everything we have experienced and look forward to the adventures 2015 will bring!

Merry Christmas!

With love, 
The Cornilles'

England vs. America

People say not to compare, but I just had to do it. There are so many great things about England, and a few things we miss from the US. I'm a born and bred, hamburger eating, red white and blue American- so there are a few biases there. England is brilliant though, and we've only just begun here.

Let the battle begin!

Chocolate- Maybe it is because we are in Europe, but even the chocolate you buy at the local gas station is better than American chocolate.
Winner: ENGLAND

Cheese- I have no idea why it's better here. It just is.
Winner: ENGLAND

Toilets- This one is weird and probably TMI...apologies in advance. The water level in the toilets here are consistently quite a bit lower than in the states. Which is great for two reasons,
1) they use less water & 2) the diminished splash factor. Need I say more?
Winner: ENGLAND

Customer Service- Hands down, America. We are very conscious about customer service in the States. Sometimes it can even be excessive or annoying, but not here. People just don't care as much. Lose a customer? eh... whatever. Call me spoiled but I am just used to a quality of service at shops, restaurants, etc, that people just don't provide here.
Winner: AMERICA

Public Transportation- Trains, tubes, buses, undergrounds, flying cars, teleportation... okay fine, not the last two. But honestly, you can get anywhere in Europe on public transport. It is amazing and efficient. Don't get we wrong, I miss having a car, but the PT is second to none.
Winner: ENGLAND

Winter- Son of a nutcracker, it is cold here. It's a wet cold and you feel it right down to your bones. Geographically, Americans just have more options for weather conditions. It's a huge country. Go to Arizona or Florida and have a nice warm Christmas. England is an isolated winter island. I'm told it's only going to get worse come January. Eeek.
Winner: AMERICA

Variety/Choices- Since America is a melting pot of different people and backgrounds, we have tons of variety. We can go to the grocery store and have literally 30 different options for everything. You just have less to choose from here. I was beginning to enjoy the simplicity, until I couldn't find root beer.
Winner: AMERICA

Vocabulary- Numerous times since we've been here I have heard mothers asking their young children to behave by using the phrase, "Can you please be sensible?" I didn't even know the word sensible until at least middle school.
Winner: ENGLAND

Time- Every second counts in America. We work from sun up to sun down. No stopping. No breaks. No fun. Too far? The english way of life is much more relaxed. It's lovely.
Winner: ENGLAND

Location- A couple hours to Paris on the tube. Also, a short/cheap flight cheap to anywhere in Europe. England is prime location.
Winner: ENGLAND

Sports- There is no contest. The two sports I miss watching the most are basketball and football. NBA, NFL, College Basketball, College Football. They only thing they have on us is soccer... aka: football. And I can't deny they REALLY have us there, but nothing beats a packed Moda Center in April. Am I right? Rrrrrrrrrrripp Cittyyyyy!
Winner: AMERICA

Side note. Our friends here were nice enough to lend us a mini tree!

Merry Christmas!