Now We’re Talkin Turkey and Greece

  Sept 18 Mykonos   Today after taking the Sea Taxi from the cruise ship to Mykonos, we enjoyed the island known for its stunning coastline of  soft sandy  beaches and rugged rock landscape. We saw no soft sandy beaches, just rocks. What we did see was a beautiful pink pelican. Mykonos is fictionally known as the island of the winds.  No fiction about it. It was extremely windy. Mykonos is home to the 16th century windmills. We were disappointed that they didn’t have their sails up.  Randy felt under the weather so we returned to the boat, and he rested while I hit the gym. We got lunch on the boat and spent an hour in and out of the steam room and an hour resting on the mosaic heated lounges….Devine! Headed for the Sea Taxi Our Cruise Boat The white buildings of Mykonos Windmills A Pink Pelican View from the Water Taxi All the seaside houses

  Santorini and its surrounding islet are formed from volcanic actions that originally erupted in about 1628 BC.   As we entered the caldera or volcanic crater of Santorini we experienced wonderful panoramic views. We were transported from our ship to Santorini by a smaller boat. We then   took a cable car ride up the mountainside to see whitewashed towers and blue dome churches. We walked the hills, visited museums and shopped. Our lunch stop had a wonderful view of the blue water that surrounded us.   In the middle of a volcano Whitewashed houses A ride up the Cable Car  Wonderful Museums A beautiful Church that we weren’t supposed to to in  I got pictures before we were kicked out "This is not a museum", the caretaker shouted This was a favorite Art Gallery Our Lunch spot with spectacular views Greek Salad in Greece doen’t have lettuce Santorini at Night

  We are now in Greece on the island of Crete, specially Heraklion, the capital of Crete. My picture downloads have stopped loading. so I will just record what we did and add pics manually. Argh!!  After breakfast we boarded a Hop on Hop off bus and went to the Archeological Museum which was magnificent. We saw the ruins of the Minoan, an ancient civilization of Crete.   The clear turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea Amazing artifacts found in the Minoan civilization. From pottery  to facades and sculptures, all were artistically  done. Hair for a wooden Statue Reconstructed facades  The decoration on the potterywas so well done Models for building structures  Unique figurative pieces Did I say all the pottery was amazing We stopped for a while and had a snack. A gelato for me! Then a little shopping. I bought a cool ring that fit my swollen ring finger, but found it too painful to wear. It looks great on my right hand. Newly purchased ring

 Kasanasi, Ephesus, Kusadasi Today we went on a guided tour of Ephesus one of the best preserves cities in the world with marble streets. We also visited the site of the temple of Artemis one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Visit Sirinca. After a great lunch we were walking along the cobblestones and I fell from a huge hole in the road. I thought I hurt my hand, but it was just my pride. Getting on the cruse ship was awful. lots of waiting and I was sore and tired. As we went to dinner we found that everything has an up charge, a big up-charge that begs the question "is this free" to most everything we ask for. Randy and I have to share the internet and none of my pictures are loading to my photos. The Three sisters

  Pamukale to Kusadasi  This morning we journied to the magnificent travertines of Pamukkale where the brilliant white calcium terraces create a cereal landscape. In the afternoon we enjoyed a special demonstration of locally crafted leather. We continued our journey to Kusadasi, a beautiful coastal town where we settle in for the evening.

The meaning of Capidocia is the land of beautiful horses. We saw caves, rock formations and beautiful scenery. My stomach wasn’t happy today and I was happy to have WC’s close by.  The original settlers were living in the caves which were made of a soft rock and could have rooms carved out of the mountains. They were replaced by Christians who were persecuted for their beliefs. We went to a jewelry store followed by  a light lunch. The necklace I liked cost $5000. Much too much for my budget.  Then to a fortress and more cave structures Horses and pigeons were considered important animals. Pigeons were used for communication and in lean times they ate them.  Meet for Turkish nightlife at 8:15. With lots of Belly dancing and drinking. Auzzies can really put the liquor away.

A bit of history  Sultanhani Caravanserai  Women weaving rugs.   Today we had a 10 hour bus ride from Capidocia on the highway version of the Silk Road toward Pammukkale. We stopped at a newly restored Sultanhani Caravanserai where the traders were protected from looters on their route. They were allowed to stay one night for fee. There was a hot spa at the hotel that we  enjoyed after missing our hot tub at home.    

 Today we flew from Istanbul to Cappadocia. We stop along the way to see how rugs were made and even purchased a runner for the entry hall.  Cappadocia is full of rock formations and charming streets. Our hotel here is actually under the rock formations in a cave structure—very cozy. For dinner we had clay pot lamb cooked 4hrs in pottery made by the people in the town. Turkish rug superiority Vickie tried out the loom finished silkworm Our room was quite quaint Clay pot had to be tappped to open

 We learned that the number of spires was indicative of both the size and prosperity through parishioners' donations to the mosque. Originally, the minarets were a place to call for prayer. This has now been replaced with loud speakers.  The mosques are in constant renovation Amazing Architecture  The women’s heads had to be covered This is what you wore if you forgot your head covering like I did. Hagia Sophia Mosque Our group did a better job of bringing head covering The Blue Mosque is named for it’s interior blue tiles. A German Fountain Supported by 4 main columns Beautiful Views from the boat. A dinner Cruise with eyes! We lost one of the members of the group going back to the bus causing a bit of excitement. We finally left finding that he had safely walked back to the hotel. Whew!