Aeolian Village Lésbos

... that followed I was tryıng to get the goat back on ıts leadto the place where ıt should be the other goat kept tryıng to mount ıt and me and then ıt kept eatıng all the flowers ıt was too funny ın the end luckıly the man came back and they had a comedy half hour tryıng to get them back ın there own sheds.

Ian was talkıng to the men ın the bar from the nıght ...

... and our frıend londıs jumped over the fence and joıned us brıngıng us coffee! Its so nıce to be wıth the locals and see how they lead there lıves he told us tomorrow that I could mılk the goat so awaıt pıcs of that and he ıs goıng to take us on hıs boat to rabbıt ısland ıf he gets back from Izmır ın tıme as hıs mother ın law has cancer and he has to take her for chemo tomorrow.

After another multi-vehicle trip involving a minibus, ferry, minibus, ferry, bus and finally another minibus we arrived in Ayvalik - a lovely harbour town backed by old Greek stone houses built into the steep hills.

This time the climb to find a room was worth it as we tracked down a lovely guesthouse right at the top of a narrow alley with fabulous views down to the mosque and waterfront. Many an hour was spent on the roof terrace over the ...

... time conquering the previous inhabitants. Hot. Did I mention that? Hot. Walked back through town, but every shop was closed for siesta.

... executing all the adult males. Though the edit was voted down before any action was taken, the idea of Lesvos with only female inhabitants was born -- hence the term "lesbian".

This was a charming Greek island with a rich history. Lesvos was considered the very center of Greek culture and society. At one time Lesvos had many famous residents such as Aristotle and Aesop.

... little resort made up entirely of overly elaborate hotels and restaurants but ************e there. We found an idyllic campsite overlooking Lesbos with it's own jetty. We spent the evening in town enjoying a few cold Efes and generally soaking it all in. All in all a pretty good find.

Spring Break arrived and we decided to take a quick 50 minute flight to Izmir on the Aegean Coast... rent a car and drive up the coastline to Troy... enjoying a few sights along the way. As I have mentioned so many times before, Turkey is endowed with massive historical sights protruding throughout the country's landscape... A land that has been tread and transformed by many historical "Giants"... The stretch of the country that we took in is ...

... we continue along the shore...the road runs right next to waves slapping the island...it's still windy and once again, I'm wishing there were a few guardrails... A really pleasant day...followed by a scrumptious dinner...the waiter again keeps bringing unordered food...starting with a shot of some strong alcohol and ending with a sweet yogurt and honey plate. We're tempted to stick around in Lesvos but there's the boat situation we have to work ...

... The first market has no shopkeeper but a neighbor runs over to help and sells us items although he obviously doesn't know the prices. We have our usual pantomime conversation and exchange names - or at least we thought he wanted names. He seemed really to be telling us his age as he wrote "71" on our receipt. So we exchanged ages. 5)But at least it was a conversation. We explored side streets on foot ...

At nine at night, we took a shuttle through the crowded streets of Istanbul and arrived at the airport-like bus station by ten. Erin and I sat together and Josh sat alone until a large Muslim woman came down the aisle. Looking at her ticket and the empty seat beside him, she turned and said something under her breath. She walked to the conductor speaking in long sentences. He walked down the aisle, and then speaking in Turkish said something to Josh, then to us and ...