After Kili it was time for some R&R but first we needed to travel 15 hours to include a night on the floor of the Nairobi airport as we waited for our 3:45 AM flight to Istanbul.  We stayed at the Ciragan Palace, now a Kempinski hotel, on the Bosphorus channel which splits Turkey in two continents.  Yep…to the west of the channel is Europe and to the east is Asia.   Turkey is the only country in the world that is split between two continents.  Our first three meals and 24 hours were spent in the hotel room recovering.  Then off to the spa for a dip in the hot tub and heated pool prior to enjoying massages to top off the pampering.  Excited to see Doug and Deena coming in from Miami Beach that evening, we woke up early and made our way via ferry to the Asia side.   It doesn’t take long to feel the electric atmosphere with the streets lined with outdoor markets selling everything from fresh fish, meats, pastry deserts and of course olives.

Olives anyone?

There is a love affair with honey as well; in pastries, caked over the olives with dried figs soaking up what is left.   The people are as friendly as we have experienced and the services in the hotel and restaurants were fit for a Sultan, even though the last Sultan was driven out of Turkey in the 1500’s.  A simple but fitting example is the room service breakfast that was brought up – they delivered a toaster along with the bread so as to avoid serving up stale or soggy toast, genius!  Thankfully the little things in life still make us happy and keep us amused.

After some hugs and kisses to celebrate everyone’s safe arrival we set out via ferry for dinner; this is where we were introduced by our fabulous guide, Deniz, to the local drink called Raki.  Between the electric atmosphere, feeling recharged by our rest after Kili and the arrival of our westerner side kicks, the first night in Istanbul is one for the record books.  The next day Deniz gave us our first history lesson complete with a hand drawn map over a Turkish coffee.  Whatever you do, don’t call the yogurt we all eat “Greek yogurt” because not only was yogurt discovered in Turkey (or should I say the Ottoman Empire) but there seems to be a little friction between the Turkish and Greek people.  Like the Redskins and Cowboys rivalry, deeply rooted in the fan base but basically irrelevant to the big picture now a days.

The main palace was our first stop; an elaborate maze of stone pathways, green grass park like areas and residences where 5,000 people lived during the Ottoman rule.  Surrounded by a stonewall overlooking the Bosphorus the royal family and concubines lived under siege for over 100 years before the final collapse of the empire.  Based on our lesson and trip to the palace we have decided that Turkey needs a much deserved public relations boost.  Why?

– If you believe in evolution then it would be easy to understand how the first up right humans headed north up the Nile river, bared right at the Egyptian temples and took a sharp left at Jerusalem before landing in turkey which is full of all the necessary natural resources and water supplies.

– There is over 2,000 years of history and a newly found structure similar to Stonehenge in England is dating back 13,000 years.  The archeological sites rival those of the Incas, Egypt, Rome, Greece and Jerusalem.

Ancient City Kitty

– The main palace in Istanbul houses, under tight security, the staff of Moses and a footprint of the prophet Muhammad.  Can’t get much closer to the beginning of humankind than that.

– The country has beautiful landscapes and is coastal on three sides to include the Mediterranean.

– They have, for the most part, stayed out of the Middle East conflicts and Arab spring despite being 98% Muslim.

– The food here is healthy and outstanding…as long as you don’t load up on the sweet Turkish Delights sold everywhere.  We already love Mediterranean cuisine and have a better appreciation for the mouth watering locally grown tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and olives from the region.

Deena and I bought over $200 worth of delicious spices, to later learn that you can’t ship spices in to the US. We will find a way! 🙂

– They do whatever America tells them to do.  🙂

Moving to the residential sections of town with mosque filled streets and the call to prayer blasted over loud speakers five times a day, makes sure you never forget it is a Muslim state.  Men line the sidewalks near the mosques facing Mecca kneeling on a prayer rug as we walk by on our way to having some Turkish tea and to smoke a watermelon or apple flavored pipe. Last stop was an amazing underground structure built to capture rain water that would fill the aqueducts back over a thousand years ago.

For our last night in Istanbul we went to Sunset Grille, overlooking the Bosphorus. It was a hip trendy restaurant turned club late night.  We ate dinner late and with a departure at 4:30AM Doug suggested we stay up and power through until leaving for the airport.  So we did, and by now I am sure we all know how this story ends.  Bad decisions make great stories!  We were hurting on the plane but it was only an hour to the south of Turkey where we hopped on a gullet, a Turkish style sailboat.  By the time we boarded the boat we realized that a backpack was left in the hotel room, so what would John Wayne do? Perhaps, ride off into the sunset on his horse to collect his goods? Fortunately for us we don’t ride horses and from time to time don’t mind throwing money at a problem.   By the time we woke up, due to Deniz’s handy work, someone had flown back to Istanbul to retrieve the backpack.  Then, one of our shipmates had taken the dinghy to a local port to meet the bag.   Mission accomplished!  Phew!

I have always dreamed of sailing on the Mediterranean.  Island hoping on a traditional sailboat is also on our bucket list, so we made the most of the experience.  We first meandered slowly up a river flanked by tall reeds and mountain ranges that house ancient ruins.   The sites were spectacular and the weather was the cherry on the sundae.  We made a quick stop at a beach before lunch, where we pulled up next to a fishing boat and grabbed a plate of freshly steamed blue crabs.  The crabs looked the same as Maryland crabs, but had a tad bit more of a fishy taste.  Later that afternoon we dropped anchor in our first cove where we enjoyed some white wine, more olives, tomatoes and cucumbers before taking our first dip in the Med.  The water was chilly, but we couldn’t pass up this opportunity.   The water was so clear that we could see the bottom of the sea about 40 feet down.   Many fun stories being told on the stern couch made the day pass too quickly; before we knew it we had our fourth sit down meal of the day.  As the rest of Turkey goes, so did the boat…excellent service and food.  As the sun set, we decided that it was only fitting to switch to red wine.  An early night and a great sleep had the four of us primed for our pre-planned day hike the following morning.

Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go, actually to the other side of the island, where the boat will pick us up.   A few hours later, with not a single cloud in the sky, we land at our second bay.  I can save my fingers and your eyes and just hit the repeat button.  We were very focused on soaking up the views and we all spoke about how fortunate we are to have this experience.  We then enjoyed another day of over analyzing life while sipping on some white wine.  Another cove, with one more beautiful than the next, followed by a tour of the ghost town of Kayakoy wrapped up our third day on the gullet.  After WWI the Greeks and Turks fought a war resulting in the government attempting to organize a citizen exchange (in 1923) of 200,000 people living on the wrong side of the new borders.  This is one of the towns that was deserted by citizens when the government forced them to live here.  A real testament to the will of humans and the terrible mistakes that happen when governments step too far in to citizens’ lives.

Fit for a sultan or king or, someone who wants to be a sultan or king, the meal ended with a surprise belly dancing show.  After dancing lessons for the four of us we took turns DJ’ing and then headed off to bed around 9pm.

Cha Cha??

Well rested, but sad about leaving the boat, we jumped in the car and headed to Ephesus which is an ancient city with magnificent ruins dating back thousands of years to the Ottoman Empire and Greek rule.  It is one of the largest restoration projects in the world.  It was even Home to Alexander the Great for a few years.   Walking on the same stones on the same streets as some of the greatest people in our history from thousands of years ago reminds us how large our world is and how much there is to learn about life.  On a very tiny stage in comparison, it’s like walking on the field of your favorite sports team, you get to dream a little bit.

Turkey is very high on our list of favorite places and is also a great travel hub for Europe, Asia and Africa.  What a great detour when last minute travel changes were needed after canceling our volunteering in Nairobi.  On our last day in Turkey we received confirmation that the indestructible soccer balls we sent to the Nairobi school had arrived.  We are looking forward to re-booking our volunteering in Nairobi and want to also let our Nairobi friends know that we are so very sorry about the horrible tragedy they had to endure.  Living outside of DC, we are no stranger to terrorist attacks, so we can certainly commiserate.  Our thoughts are with our Nairobi friends.

Thanks for the idea Kim! And thank you Deena for organizing the shipping!

Twenty-one hours of travel and another nap on the floor of the Nairobi airport makes us realize how fortunate we are to have travel options in the US.  No big deal because it’s time to see some big cats.  With any luck we will get a glimpse of the great Serengeti migration.

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman

PHOTOS: TURKEY

– Istanbul and Coast

This photo has nothing to do with anything, but had to include it.  It gives new meaning to bad hair day.  Why is only MY hair standing on end!  Say what?!?!? Scary

What is wrong with this picture????????

Enjoy!