Over the long weekend John and I visited Turkey, Crete, Patmos and Santorini. I'll try to do my best to recap...
Turkey - port of Kusadasi.
Never in my life have I been at a spot with pushier merchants. They really do not take no for an answer. It is all done in good fun, and bartering is a way of life here. The people, while pushy, are also VERY friendly. John and I started our day having coffee and walking through the fort of Kusadasi.
We then spent the next hour participating in the national pasttime - shopping. There were many deals to be had, and we spent more then we should have. We barterred our way through shoes stores, clothing stores and other odd shops.
A highlight was watching a demonstration on a woman making a Persian rug. I was amazed on what a long, time consuming process this is. The rugs are very intricate, and made with an assortment of materials. John and I were able to walk away without buying a rug, so it looks like I will have enough money to make it home.
Patmos - a quiet town. I made this journey alone as John was relaxing on the boat. Patmos is a cute sleepy town aboutt 50 km from Kusadasi. There is a beach in the center of town where many people went swimming. I have enough sun for a year, so I decided to enjoy a cappachino at a cafe. Nothing quite like a lazy afternoon, having coffee in an outside cafe in Greece.
Crete - Our morning in Crete was also very laid back. It was a Sunday morning, so most of the town was dead when we arrived. We walked past, and ducked into the main church. The church is both simple and ornate at the same time. The outside architecture a beautiful mixture of straight lines and curved ceilings. Inside the church, a very ornate alter. Interesting service, or which I did not understand a word (sorry, It's all Greek to me). We hten sauntered down to a cafe to have a great late breakfast. The pictures of the fishing boats are from this port. While fishing is a pretty dead business in the Aegean, it makes one think back to their way of life for the past 3000 years.
Santorini - One of the most magical places on Earth. The current landscape of Santorini was created by a volcano that ripped apart the town about almost 4000 years ago. It is the basis for Plato's writing about the lost continent of Atlantis. The cliffs soar out of the sea. Cliffs of marble and lava great you as you sail into this magical place. Resting on the tops of these huge cliffs sits a town of beautiful white and blue buildings. ( by the way, move to Greece and you only need 2 colors - all the houses are white and blue)
There are a few ways to ascend the cliffs. The most modern is the tram that takes you up. The oldest way would be climbing the 4000+ steps. The most interesting way is to take a donkey. More on the donkey later. John and I took the tram on the way up. Once you get to the top, the view is stunning. An interesting meteorological event takes place here. We had not seen a cloud for 7 days, but in Santorini, when the water meats the cliffs clouds are formed and come from below and rise up over the town. You literally look down at the clouds and see them coming back up at you.
After walking though the town and some light shopping, we found a great place for dinner. We ate a great meal of mussels, Greek salad, Kabobs and Mousaka. I will really miss the great food, and friendly and boisterous people.
After dinner I decided to ride the donkey down the mountain. It was a bit harrowing as my donkey likes to walk on the edge of the path with me looking down cliffs that fell 500 feet or so. The last picture is kind of dark, but you can decide who is the biggest ass in the shot.
John and returned to the boat and packed up. We had a wonderful 3 weeks together and now I'm back to traveling solo.
Enjoy the pictures, some of them are a amazing.
Turkey - port of Kusadasi.
Never in my life have I been at a spot with pushier merchants. They really do not take no for an answer. It is all done in good fun, and bartering is a way of life here. The people, while pushy, are also VERY friendly. John and I started our day having coffee and walking through the fort of Kusadasi.
We then spent the next hour participating in the national pasttime - shopping. There were many deals to be had, and we spent more then we should have. We barterred our way through shoes stores, clothing stores and other odd shops.
A highlight was watching a demonstration on a woman making a Persian rug. I was amazed on what a long, time consuming process this is. The rugs are very intricate, and made with an assortment of materials. John and I were able to walk away without buying a rug, so it looks like I will have enough money to make it home.
Patmos - a quiet town. I made this journey alone as John was relaxing on the boat. Patmos is a cute sleepy town aboutt 50 km from Kusadasi. There is a beach in the center of town where many people went swimming. I have enough sun for a year, so I decided to enjoy a cappachino at a cafe. Nothing quite like a lazy afternoon, having coffee in an outside cafe in Greece.
Crete - Our morning in Crete was also very laid back. It was a Sunday morning, so most of the town was dead when we arrived. We walked past, and ducked into the main church. The church is both simple and ornate at the same time. The outside architecture a beautiful mixture of straight lines and curved ceilings. Inside the church, a very ornate alter. Interesting service, or which I did not understand a word (sorry, It's all Greek to me). We hten sauntered down to a cafe to have a great late breakfast. The pictures of the fishing boats are from this port. While fishing is a pretty dead business in the Aegean, it makes one think back to their way of life for the past 3000 years.
Santorini - One of the most magical places on Earth. The current landscape of Santorini was created by a volcano that ripped apart the town about almost 4000 years ago. It is the basis for Plato's writing about the lost continent of Atlantis. The cliffs soar out of the sea. Cliffs of marble and lava great you as you sail into this magical place. Resting on the tops of these huge cliffs sits a town of beautiful white and blue buildings. ( by the way, move to Greece and you only need 2 colors - all the houses are white and blue)
There are a few ways to ascend the cliffs. The most modern is the tram that takes you up. The oldest way would be climbing the 4000+ steps. The most interesting way is to take a donkey. More on the donkey later. John and I took the tram on the way up. Once you get to the top, the view is stunning. An interesting meteorological event takes place here. We had not seen a cloud for 7 days, but in Santorini, when the water meats the cliffs clouds are formed and come from below and rise up over the town. You literally look down at the clouds and see them coming back up at you.
After walking though the town and some light shopping, we found a great place for dinner. We ate a great meal of mussels, Greek salad, Kabobs and Mousaka. I will really miss the great food, and friendly and boisterous people.
After dinner I decided to ride the donkey down the mountain. It was a bit harrowing as my donkey likes to walk on the edge of the path with me looking down cliffs that fell 500 feet or so. The last picture is kind of dark, but you can decide who is the biggest ass in the shot.
John and returned to the boat and packed up. We had a wonderful 3 weeks together and now I'm back to traveling solo.
Enjoy the pictures, some of them are a amazing.
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