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Saturday, April 21, 2012
Gulet fishing boat experience - Sunday through Thursday, April 22 - 26
Leaving city of Izmir this morning for all day trip to Gocek where we board two 14 passenger gulet fishing boat replica's our home for next four nights. We expect not to have wifi again until Friday. Will update then with pix of our continuing adventures. Great trip that seems to be getting even better.
History up close and personal - Thursday/Friday/Saturday, April 19, 20 & 21.
Three days on a luxurious motor coach traveling from Istanbul to Izmir. After short visit to WWI memorial, took ferry across Dardanelles and stayed in a neat, very small hotel in fishing village of Assos. Friday visited Pergamum once richest small kingdom in then Asia Minor (Turkey today) ending up in Izmir for the night. Saturday spent all day in and around Ephesus - considered to be the world's best-preserved ancient city which once had a population of 250,000. Spent second night at Izmir Swisshotel and had a great dinner along the waterfront with our close college friends Mary and Dick Loyer.
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Istanbul Where World Meets - Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, April 16, 17 & 18
Sorry that hotel wifi challenges delayed this update. Rest assured we are fine and having a very intense introduction to Turkey and the history we both missed or forgot years ago.
Monday, flight from Singapore was packed but on time at 6am. Walked around busy city near hotel, tasty McDonalds lunch and then great dinner with Mary and Dick Loyer at a super fish restaurant on the water of The Golden Horn looking up at old Istanbul as the sun set and lights went on.
Tuesday the UM group assembled with Odessey tour director Ali Dolgan. Spent morning walking through Grand Bazaar with 4000 shops and Spice Market with many native Turkey food related small shops. Lunch was baked potato stuffed with everything imaginable. Afternoon highlight was a boat ride on the Bosphorus Strait.- the narrow waterway dividing Europe and Asia and cutting Istanbul Into two parts. Tuesday nights UM tour welcoming dinner introduced us to many Turkish foods in a small family restaurant.
Wednesday was an intense introduction to Turkish history, religion, etc. AM spent in the Palace of Ibrahim Pasha housing Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art dating back the 8th century. In the PM we visited both the Hagia Sophia once the world's greatest cathedral built in 537CE which was turned into a mosque in the 15th century, and the immense Blue Mosque where we took off our shoes and walked among many sitting on the floor admiring a huge overhead dome with 260 blue stained glass windows. The highlight of our lunch was a sudden wind storm of over 60 mph that ripped flags, blew anything loose off roofs, burned up a boat on The Bosphorus, and killed several in outlying areas. Shades of our Tokyo mini-typhon. After our last of three nights in the Central Palace Hotel we left very early Thursday.
Monday, flight from Singapore was packed but on time at 6am. Walked around busy city near hotel, tasty McDonalds lunch and then great dinner with Mary and Dick Loyer at a super fish restaurant on the water of The Golden Horn looking up at old Istanbul as the sun set and lights went on.
Tuesday the UM group assembled with Odessey tour director Ali Dolgan. Spent morning walking through Grand Bazaar with 4000 shops and Spice Market with many native Turkey food related small shops. Lunch was baked potato stuffed with everything imaginable. Afternoon highlight was a boat ride on the Bosphorus Strait.- the narrow waterway dividing Europe and Asia and cutting Istanbul Into two parts. Tuesday nights UM tour welcoming dinner introduced us to many Turkish foods in a small family restaurant.
Wednesday was an intense introduction to Turkish history, religion, etc. AM spent in the Palace of Ibrahim Pasha housing Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art dating back the 8th century. In the PM we visited both the Hagia Sophia once the world's greatest cathedral built in 537CE which was turned into a mosque in the 15th century, and the immense Blue Mosque where we took off our shoes and walked among many sitting on the floor admiring a huge overhead dome with 260 blue stained glass windows. The highlight of our lunch was a sudden wind storm of over 60 mph that ripped flags, blew anything loose off roofs, burned up a boat on The Bosphorus, and killed several in outlying areas. Shades of our Tokyo mini-typhon. After our last of three nights in the Central Palace Hotel we left very early Thursday.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Swinging in Singapore - Wed. April 11 through Sun. April 15
Arrival lunch of Dim Sum at Din Tai Fung, rated Top 10 in world by NY Times. Earthquake greeting wasn't even felt. Dinner at Imperial Treasure for Peking Duck - best in the world also. :) Thursday National Art Center/Esplanade national symphony, art collection at Ritz, walk by Merlion, etc. Thursday Lunch at another world's best Burger King. Dinner @ Shiraz iranian restaurant with owner Amin and new wife Marie. We both belly danced after dinner to earn our keep. Friday morning walk through beautiful Botanical Garden, attended loud Rotary lunch in Grand Hyatt, and Eva & George hosted us at Long Beach sea food extravaganza dinner with Clark Read & Laurin, sisters Kelly & Colleen, and Amin & Marie. Saturday trip to top of Marina Bay Sands casino, Chinese lunch of Dim Sum and Andy Warhol exhibit in a very high end mall/casino. Finally, world's best steak dinner prepared by Chez Eva at home! Sunday at St Regis Eva and Georges surprised us with 50th Anniversary truffle cake. Best Sunday brunch in Singapore lasting three hours. With washing complete we head to airport for midnight "red eye" to Istanbul always remembering a great time with Eva and George's which started in 1981 when she came to live with us for a year. After 10 years including a Canadian education at Carlton & Queens, and business introduction in Toronto and Vancouver, she left to return to Asia where she leads IDC's Asia Pacific business. We are proud of her and her script writer husband Georges.
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