Archangelos Village Kokkari

... locals did their weekly shopping was refreshing. But even when we started looking for clothing there were calls from the shops and pushy sales tactics.

Here's looking forward to moving away and seeing some 'real' Turkey again.

We had a great time going through the museum and seeing some interesting sites. As well, the food's still amazing here and we've had the chance to sample many different dishes and even try some raki!

After a beautiful, restful evening, we were up early to eat out on deck and watch our entrance into the port of Izmir, Turkey. Izmir is the third largest port in Turkey and has four million people. The port seems huge, once again all sorts of sea vessels, and cargo ships. The weather was a cool 53f but clear and no wind. At 0800 we boarded our tour buses. We were required to pick up tourist passes for the port and return them when we came back to the port. (Turkish ...

... I arranged a
moped rental from one of the numerous shops on the main road. Surprisingly, they accepted my automobile license despite being asked numerous times if I had a motorcycle license. After singing some curious forms, I asked the salesman a very logical question, "Do you have a map of the area?" He looked at me like I had asked him to sacrifice his first born. After feigning to rummage for a map, he informed me that he ...

... He spoke all through the tour about the extensive history of the place with pride and passion.

The ruins are buried under layers of earth and this process whereby a thriving community gets lost over centuries by being interred is a mystery to us really. The quality of the stonework at Ephesus mirrored that we had seen in Greece and the expertise of the stone workers astonished us. Also the extent of the complex with its way down to what used to be the Aegean Sea until ...

Had an amazing nights sleep although Ian was snoring again but have shutters on the windows so that no light comes in got up and decided to go to the harbour and have some breakfast had bacon and eggs fresh bread, coffee and orange juice it was delicious. Then went to sunbathe on the beach for the morning Ian put sun cream on me but missed a big strip down my back so I now have one stripe of sun burn lol my first in ...

... is your first "men's room". Basically you would sit next to some random guy while you did your business in front of everyone! Geez we've come a long way! Also public baths were excavated and the plumbing system in this place was pretty advanced! We also saw the senate area which was a smaller amphitheater style area but it was believed to have been roofed over rather than open air. Several interesting aspects about life were seen here. An area ...

... about lentils. I am such a bad vegetarian! I am very tired tonight - I probably ended up with a bit too much sun today. Tomorrow is to be overcast with a slight chance for rain. We will be in the car most of the day as well - we are headed to Dalyan. We will be there for three nights. Hopefully our pace will continue to slow down and that we will truly relax these last 8 days of our vacation. We wish to all our family and friends a blessed and peaceful Easter.

... the new one is nicer.......but if you dont actually start from the new one, and everyone still uses the old one anyway........... Needless to say, we made our way to Izmir (2 hrs), only to board another bus to get to Selcuk (1 hr). This bus driver was kind enough to drop us off directly at our hotel! Really nice place! Big room, balcony overlooking the citadel, modern bathroom.........unfortunate that its not warmer- in the summer they have a garden, a ...

... After that, my toes were clipped and painted. No peeling, scrubbing, foot massage, or anything, and they ended up charging me 25YTL. I could have easily painted my nails, and it wouldn't have cost me anything! While we were in Bodrum the temperatures were usually 45 degrees during the day, and would cool down to around 39 degrees in the evening. With the weather so hot, it's hard to get motivated to do anything, and Helen and I got in to the habit of having a nice cold beer every ...

... the front of the bus when the driver must have made a quick brake. I also didn't realize that somehow it must have been open when this happened. Once I exited the bus, just before I was to walk away to find my next bus, I got a tap on the shoulder. It was the steward from my bus, handing me my wallet! I had NO idea that I didn't even have it on me! I was sooo thankful as he gave it to me, and decided to do a quick check to make sure all was still in there ...