I meant to take some pictures today at our Fiesta but was too busy enjoying myself.......It is always so much fun to see people who have gone on previous trips again. A car load from South Carolina made the 2 hour trek to come. I love the reminiscing, and having people from different parts of my life meet. Somehow, we all mesh and enjoy. The chicken mole (mole is an unsweetened chocolate based sauce) got good reviews as did the chiliquiles which is tortillas baked with a tomatillo sauce and queso fresco and Mexican cream. The margaritas were a hit too.
I'm always amazed at just how many books and magazines on the Maya I have accumulated over the years. I gathered them up and put them and picture albums of the various trips around the house. Now with technology, we can have the slide shows on the big TV of the more recent trips. The first trip that I used a digital camera was 2006. But when Charles went on the Guatemala trip in 2001, he used a digital camera. We enjoyed seeing those pictures. I have been doing the trips long enough now (since 1998) that there are pictures of several people who have died. When I see those pictures, I'm so glad that we had the fun together and I carry those precious memories with me. Life is to live. Viva!

Fiesta!

Come and share stories, pictures, hear about future trips, dream, enjoy some Mexican fare and music.
When: Sunday, October 23 at 1:00
Where: My house (contact me for directions)

Yucatan in January

I'm excited about adding an extra trip this year. The first week of January, we will escape the Winter cold in Merida, Yucatan. It will be a nice variety of Mayan ruins, colonial history, nature at the bio-reserve and just plain relaxing. Hope you can join us or at least follow our adventures here. Here are some pictures from previous trips to this area. The top one is the main square in Merida. We will be staying about 2 blocks from the square so it will be a comfortable place to spend some time and do some people watching. The one below is the monastery in Izamal. Most of the buildings in town are painted this same yellow which makes it all very photogenic. There is a pyramid from the 900's a few blocks from the monastery. The pace of Izamal is relaxed with men sitting in cafes enjoying the camaraderie. The last one is some of the fine carvings at the ruins of Ek Balam. You do have to climb some steps to get this view but that makes them all the more special.

Pamukkale, Kusadasi and Ephesus

Our next hop is to the hot springs of Pamukkale. We take a public bus from Antalya. The buses are clean, comfortable and timely. When we got on the bus, the attendant gives each of us a cup of ice cream! Then along the way, comes along with an offering of drinks and snacks! Each seat has it's own video screen for watching movies or a live cam from the front of the bus to see the scenery! The bus stations seem more like airports with nice restaurants, shops and comfortable seating.
We are greeted by our driver for the next couple of days. He takes us to our hotel in Pamukkale town. The hotel is nice but seems like it is past its heyday. We are the only ones there and it all seems a bit weird. We enjoy the large pool, the hot baths, take a walk, pick black berries from the balcony of our room, watch as a sheep herder coaxes his flock of about 10 sheep from across the street to next to the hotel. Definitely a dara, dara afternoon. The next day, our driver comes back with our guide and we go up to the hot springs. There are small ones in one of the villages that leave red deposits since it is higher in iron. The main springs leave white calcium deposits. The entire mountain is white with deposits. There are Greek and Roman ruins at the top as well. This is a popular place for tourists to come to soak in the baths. People watching is incredible. Many young people with beautiful bodies posing for photos, others wearing bikinis who don't add to the beauty of the scenery at all. The area where people can walk is limited so not to destroy the natural formation. Even then, one must take off their shoes.
After soaking up some sun and splashing a little in the healing waters, we continued on our way to Kusadasi, on the Western coast of Turkey. It was about a 4 hour bus ride with a rest stop in the middle. Our hotel is across the street from a walk way along the water. The view from our balconies and the roof are great. We are right in the area where the cruise ships dock. In the morning, we discover 3 large ships at the dock. But in the evening, the ships are gone and we enjoy watching the sun set on the Agean. We have dinner at a restaurant overlooking the water and happen upon an outdoor acrobatic show on our way back to the hotel.
The next morning, our guide meets us and we go to the ruins of Ephesus. This is the first time since Istanbul that we have really been in the heart of heavy tourist traffic. Even though there are lots of people, the site is large and can absorb many people. It also gave it a bit of a busy hum like I'm sure existed in its heyday. We start at the top of Ephesus (Efes in Turkish, which is also the name of the national beer) Even though the city started as Greek, most of the current ruins are Roman. Efes is unusual in that it has 2 agoras or arenas. The smaller one is used for politics and the larger for commerce. There is a temple to Isis so the Egyptian traders would have a place at the end of their route. It was built with granite from Egypt. The main street was marble and lined with columns and statues. The heads could be exchanged when a new merchant or dignitary came to town and was to be honored. Hadrian's fountain had beautiful freizes. The most dramatic and beautiful is the library which was next to the market. We finished the tour with the largest of the theaters. It held up to 25,000! The stage area was white marble.
From Efes, we continued to what is believed to be the last home of the Virgin Mary. It is believed that when Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians he brought Mary with him. The house is high on a hill and easy to hide.
Our guide took us to a leather outlet where they, of course, gave us tea and a runway fashion show of their products. We were a hard sell and really not interested. Andy got out the easiest with saying that he was looking for an Indiana Jones type of jacket and since they didn't have one of those, he wasn't interested. Since we had time to kill before going to the airport, it was at least a comfortable, air conditioned place.
From the leather outlet, we went back in time to the ruins of the Temple of Artemis which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. At one time it was on an island but now it is in a marsh. Only one of the 127 original columns remains and that one has a nest of storks resting on the top. A gaggle of intimidating ducks guard the path. At least it is off the tourist path and we can imagine the grandeur in peace.
There is still several hours before we need to be at the airport to go back to Istanbul. So, our guide takes us to another rug place. This time, Melodie isn't as successful at resisting the rug temptation. She buys a beautiful small one. Still more time so we go to one of the pottery co-ops. This is more our style and we end up doing quite a bit of last minute shopping.

We are met at the Istanbul airport by our original driver. It is nice to see a familiar face and recognize things as we drive to our hotel. Our last night in Turkey, we have another wonderful, relaxing dinner at the restaurant on the roof of our hotel. Enjoy some Raki, the anise flavored Turkish liquor and then back to pack up our bags.

A wonderful trip with the family. Memories that we will all treasure.

Antalya, Turkey

From Cappadocia we flew to Antalya taking 2 little hops each about an hour long. Turkish Air insists on serving meals even on short flights so we had a meal on each stint. Certainly not the way it is done on American based carriers!
Our hotel, Mediterra Arte, is in the old section of the city. We can easily walk to the harbor, Hadrian's gate, interesting restaurants. The streets are narrow, and meandering with lots of character. The first afternoon, we enjoy the harbor, people watching, exploring.
The second day we have a guide to take us to the ruins of Termessos. We start on the coast but the ruins are at about 3000 feet so lots of switch backs and beautiful scenery to get to the site. Since it is still about a 45 minute hike up to the ruins from the parking lot, it is passed over by most tourists. We only run into 4 other people the entire time we are there. Termosess was one of the few cities that Alexander the Great never was able to conquer. The guide explains the water retention system and we see the remnants of the cisterns. Most of the city is not restored but enough is there to discern the magnitude and majesty. The inner and outer city walls,bath house, gymnasium or school, grave of Alcetas, and multiple sarcophigi are the main points of interest. Many people came to Termessos to die or be buried. Since it was so high, it was believed that you were closer to the gods and had a better chance of joining them. The gem of the site is the theater which sat 4500. The setting is spectacular with sheer drops behind the stage area and some of the seating and craggy mountain tops poking over the sides.
A favorite site for everyone.
After lunch, we visited the Dudden waterfalls. They are just outside the city and are in an easy to access park. It is restful and calm. Many Turkish families are relaxing and enjoying the park. We happily join them, appreciate the beauty and a cup of tea. (Almost everywhere you go, you stop for tea. Being a tea drinker, I love it!)

The next day is our river rafting trip. It was about a 1 1/2 drive to our put in point. There are people from all over the world joining us on the adventure. Luckily, English was the common language that everyone understood for directions. We shared our raft with a family from Lithuania. On the bus with us were people from Romania, Germany and Spain. In the group there were also Japanese and Russians. Most people thought we were European. I guess not many Americans go there. The first half of the raft trip (8 km), our guide was very playful and we all got totally soaked. We fully understood why we were told not to bring cameras, or anything with us. We stopped for a great lunch of grilled chicken kebobs, bulgar wheat, salad, pasta, fresh bread. Then back to the river for another 8 km. The second half was a little more relaxed. A break to swim and another break where we all played a game with our paddles. Randy was the last one standing (out of about 60 people) so he was awarded an oleander branch. The day was fun with lots of laughs.

The third day we opted to have a dara-dara day. We learned from Andy that is what the Japanese call a relaxing, down day. Melodie and I did some wandering around the streets, poking in to several shops. Of course, we were offered tea at many of them and accepted at most of them. Shopping is a relaxed, social affair. In the afternoon, Nick and I went down to the harbor. A boat was just getting ready to leave and had room for more passengers so they gave us a 2 for the price of one deal. I don't know how it happened but I didn't have my camera with me. The boat had Turkish rugs on the floor, benches along the sides with low tables. We were served drinks as we pulled out of the harbor into the blue, blue water of the Gulf of Antalya. We putted along the coast for about an hour enjoying the scenery of white hotels sitting atop the cliffs, small waterfalls joining the sea and the occasional cave that had been hollowed out by the waves.
Dinner that night was at an old residence, turned restaurant. A band played traditional Turkish music. A large Turkish group (50 or so people) gathered for what appeared to be an anniversary party. We occasionally bonded while all clapping with the music.
Most evenings, we indulged in baklava, turkish delights and or a hooka bar. Mmmmmmmmmm.

Cappadocia

We had three delightful days in Cappadocia which is in the Eastern part of Turkey. Due to ancient volcanic activity and erosion, the landscape is unique. This is the area where early Christians hid from persecution. Our guide and driver were friendly and knowledgeable. The Cappadocia equivalent of Juan. Our driver invited us to his house for lunch the second day. His wife and daughters prepared a delicious traditional meal. We took off our shoes when we entered his house and ate lunch at a low table while sitting on the floor on the lovely carpets. His wife showed us the carpet that she made as a dowry presentation.
Each valley was slightly different but all had churches and living quarters carved out of the soft stone of the hillsides. It was easy to imagine how the early Christians lived and defended themselves. The cave churches were first painted directly on the rock and later plastered over with more sophisticated paintings. The paintings were used to teach the bible.
We stayed in a delightful cave hotel. One night the owner's wife cooked us a traditional home made dinner. Wonderful. We had a great view of the valley from the hotel terraces.

I always wanted to take a hot air balloon ride and they are very popular in this area. Seemed like the perfect time. We got up early so we could see the sun rise from the balloon. All beautiful, slow and peaceful.

One of the days we hiked into one of the valley canyons and walked along the stream at the bottom. More cave churches in the canyon with slightly different styles. At the end of the hike, we had lunch at a quaint little place that had shelters built over the stream.

Cappadocia is known for their rugs. We visited a coop where we learned about the different styles and qualities. They were all so beautiful and ended up buying one and having it sent home. Now it is in the Living Room and I love it!

Our last night, we went to a "Turkish Night" extravaganza. Roasted lamb, good dancing and fun show. We were sitting in the front row so both Nick and Ben were picked for audience participation. It was a touristy thing but there were also many Turkish families there celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

Home again

Back from a wonderful adventure in Turkey. I had computer difficulties after just a couple of days so depended upon Melodie's fine blog http://emmpath.blogspot.com
Highlights:
After settling in at our hotel in the historic area of Istanbul, we took a leisurely walk to get oriented. We walked in the gardens of the Topkapi palace, having tea overlooking the Bosphorus, sampled Turkish delight candies, enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of men playing backgammon while sitting at little tables on the sidewalk
We had dinner on the roof of our hotel with a view of the Bosphorus and the Hagia Sophia. Not only was the setting outstanding but the food was delicious and the waiters delightful.

The next day we had a personal guide to help us understand all the wonderful sites we were seeing. Highlights were the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, New Mosque, spice market, cruise on the Bosphorus.

Our last day in Istanbul, we went to the Archaeology museum and the Topkapi Palace where the Ottoman Sultans resided and met with world leaders. The views of the Bosphorus and opulence of the palace were breath taking.

Museum of archaeology

Photos from Museum of archaeology

Museum of Archeology in Istanbul

We were pleasantly surprised at the quality and volumn of work in the museum. We spent the entire morning there and could have easily spent the entire day. We started with the exhibit of sarcophagui from about 2000BC on through about 400AD. The carvings were elaborate and finely done. Any one of them would have been a major draw for any exhibit in the States and there were rooms and rooms of them.
Then the exhibit of Roman statues. Again, any one of them would have been great but there were rooms of them.
Saw cuniform writing from 2300 BC. one of the first love poems written in 1800BC.
There were many art students drawing various sculptures. it gave the museum a modern relevance.
The exhibit of Istanbul through the ages was impressive as well. No pictures were allowed in that section.
Then there was the outdoor section where all of the spare parts and statues were left.
Another entire building of Mesopotamian art. Hmmmm actually, I think that is where the cuniform writing was.
Another smaller building of tile work. Mostly the blue tiles. Inspiring for quilt designs.

Turkish Delight!

We're here! We've been here for a couple of days and are actually leaving Istanbul in the morning. So, I'm already behind in the blog scene. some of it is my low techno IQ and part is that I've been having too much fun to stop to blog. (It's mostly that one)

Sunday, June 5, 2011
The adventure began early in the morning. Steven and Jarred picked us up to take us to the airport to catch our 9am flight. Luckily, we allowed lots of time. We put suitcases in the 2 cars and the 6 of us pilled in too. Not necessarily, the car with our suitcase. As we were exciting I-285 to the airport, I jokingly asked if we all had our passports. Nick thought I was pulling his leg because he thought I had his passport. Oh NO!!!! Turn around! We told the guys to go ahead and check in and go to the gate. Somehow, we made it home and back to the airport in an hour! We made the plane! After comparing notes with the guys, found out that the security guys look at Andy a little strangely, when they checked his suitcase, which was actually mine and it had women's clothes in it!

The flight to La Guardia was uneventful and an easy transfer in 2 taxis to JFK. We had plenty of time before our flight on Turkish Air so we all had Korean barBQ hot dogs for lunch. Really yummy!
When we boarded the plane, we each got a little makeup looking bag that had footies, tooth brush, tooth paste, lip balm and a few other goodies. Quite a nice start to the long trip.

Oh dear. It's time for our dinner on the roof, overlooking the bosphorus, the Hagia Sophia. We ate there the first night too. Really great food and view
More later.

Changing gears from school to the TURKEY TRIP!
Melodie is coming this afternoon and we leave early in the morning. The plan is that Steven and Jarrad will take us to the airport, then house sit with Miss Penny.
More later as the excitment begins.