Turkey's Aegean Coast

After three wonderful, relaxing days in Selcuk with our Homeros family, we boarded the bus to Bodrum. We couldn't go to Turkey and not experience the coast. Our home for three nights was the Pension Gulec on a narrow side street about two blocks from the sea. We loved the area for its authentic Turkish feel. We ate our breakfasts in the garden of the pension and enjoyed homecooked meals from the restaurants in the neighbourhood. We spent one whole day exploring St. John's castle in the centre of town. It has an amazing display called "the Glass Wreck." It is the reconstruction of a merchant ship that was carrying glass products and recycled glass between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea that sunk about 1500 years ago and was recovered late in the 20th century after being found by sponge divers. It was well worth the extra 5 Turkish Lira it cost to view the display. The season has not started in Bodrum yet, but the anticipation is building and the preparations are underway.

Craig loved being back by the sea in the presence of so many boats and fishermen. As well as the ordinary fishing boats, Bodrum is known for its large, wooden sailing ships which must be worth millions. The marina is buzzing with activity as the ships are being made ready for their upcoming journeys.
We found Bodrum to be very touristic. The surrounding hillsides are covered with villas and new housing developments. The streets are filled with European holiday-makers. There are tons of opportunities for shopping and European hypermarkets (i.e. Metro and Kipa) are popping up all over the place. The bank machines even give you the option of choosing Euros, Pounds or Turkish Lira. An added complication to our lives...our camera finally died. The zoom lens hasn't worked since Australia, but we were hoping it would hang on until the end of our trip. What to do now? We asked at our hotel and Mehmet suggested one place. We knew it would cost us more than at home, but we needed to shop around. Lynda posted our dilemma on Trip Advisor's Bodrum forum and within hours we had the name of four other places to visit. We ended up going back to the first place Mehmet suggested, but at least we had an opportunity to shop around. At that point, we were happy to be in a such a touristic place. We don't know what we would have done if we had been on a tiny, Greek island.
Traveling is a process of exploration and discovery. We are glad we went to Bodrum, but three nights was enough for us. On Sunday morning, we returned to the otogar and hopped on a bus going to Kusadasi, another coastal town. Our original idea had been to take the ferry from Bodrum to Kos and begin our journey through the Greek islands from there, but we abandoned that plan after a little bit of research. Getting to Kos wasn't a problem (providing the weather cooperated), but getting off of Kos and onto the islands we wanted to see was going to be challenging. So we headed to Kusadasi where we could get a ferry to Samos. Once we were on Samos, we would have easy access to Naxos, Santorini and Crete.
We were picked up in Kusadasi by Sezgin, the owner of Sezgin's Hotel and Pension. It is favoured by the Lonely Planet guide book and with good reason. The rooms are large, the showers actually have shower doors and the beds are...oh so comfortable. Lynda could have slept there for a week. Kusadasi is synonymous with cruise ships which also means holiday-makers, but the atmosphere is very different than Bodrum. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the boardwalk was full of people so we meandered along with everyone else.

In Turkey, we had finally reached the point where we felt comfortable enough to talk to shop owners without feeling the pressure to make a purchase. Or so we thought! On our way back to the hotel, Craig began talking with a shop owner (of leather products) who invited us to have some cay with him. We sat for a while and had a very pleasant conversation. Just as we were getting ready to depart, Craig made the mistake of asking him about his leather jackets. The next thing you know, Lynda (how did that happen?) is trying on these beautiful, lamb skin jackets and absolutely loving them. After an hour of indecision and negotiations (it was a phenomenal deal), we walked out of the store without the jacket. "Why?" you ask. Ultimately, Lynda did not want to carry one more thing in her backpack. It's as simple as that. We had a delicious, barbequed fish dinner at Sezgin's that night with mussels for a starter, accompanied by bread, Greek salad, and rice pilaf. Our tablemates were three Canadian girls from the Vancouver area. One of them is currently teaching in Kuwait, one is a student in Istanbul and the other one is on holidays. It was a very pleasant evening and we enjoyed connecting with people from back home.

The next morning we were up early and off to the port to get the ferry to Samos. We have had such an amazing time in Turkey and we are sad to be leaving, especially because it has taken us so long to learn some key Turkish words and now we are going to be starting from scratch with Greek.
"Cheers" everyone, or for our Turkish friends "Serafe," and when we figure out the Greek word, we'll let you know.

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Goreme, Turkey

Our destination was Goreme, but because we were intent on avoiding a night bus, we boarded the 9:20 am bus to Konya. We figured that if we could get to a bigger centre, there would be more buses and we could pick the one that suited our timetable. The Lonely Planet guide to Turkey warns people about a scam involving transportation to Cappadocia. You pay for a ticket to Goreme, but then you are dropped off at Nevsehir and you have to pay an additional fee to get to Goreme. Forewarned is forearmed, so off we went.

We arrived at the otogar in Konya a few minutes before 1:00 pm. We had not even been there two minutes and were collecting our backpacks when we were approached by a man who asked us if we were going to Goreme. It seems that he was collecting passengers for a bus that was leaving immediately. Since Craig is always telling Lynda that she needs to be more spontaneous, we followed him to the bus. We told him that we did not have a ticket and in broken English, he told us that we could buy the ticket on the bus. Before boarding, we checked the sign on the front of the bus and Goreme was clearly listed as a stopping point. Also, the bus was full of Turkish people and it seems that we were not the only ones without a ticket. The entire back of the bus was paying cash. Ah, ha! We are sure that none of the money from the cash paying customers is making it into the bus company coffers. The driver and the attendant have figured out a way to supplement their income. The ride was uneventful until we arrived in Nevsehir, at which point in time the attendant informed us that we had to get off the bus and take a shuttle to Goreme. "Here we go!" we thought. The attendant handed us over to a fellow from a local tour company who told us that the shuttle was not coming for 20 minutes, but we could wait in his office. While we were there, he attempted to sell us some tours. We graciously declined, but took his card and promised to call him when we made up our minds. He escorted us to the shuttle. We were a bit anxious when the attendant on this bus came down the aisle checking tickets, but he passed right by us. We made it to Goreme without any major incident and in better time than if we had waited for another bus.
We arrived at the Arch Palace in the late afternoon and although we were not staying in a cave hotel, we were thrilled with our choice. The owner, Mustafa, receives rave reviews on Trip Advisor, but adding to that is the fact that the hotel has been completely renovated. The rooms are very large. The shower in our room (# 202) was huge and it came with a rainforest shower head. What a treat! Mustafa and his family go out of their way to ensure that your stay is enjoyable. Mustafa gave us tips on hiking and day excursions, drove us to a travel agent in Urgup for the price of petrol, and suggested restaurants to try. His wife, Nurtan, did our laundry and provided us with tasty breakfasts(and a couple of dinners) on the terrace. We have no hesitation recommending the Arch Palace to anyone looking for a place to stay in Goreme.
Many people told us that Cappadocia was a must-do in Turkey. Even though it was quite a ways away from the coast, we added it to our itinerary. The draw of Cappadocia is its unique landscape. Commonly called "fairy chimnies," they are simply ancient layers of ash and lava that have been eroded over centuries by wind and water. Underneath the hard layers of lava, nomadic Turkish people have excavated dwellings in the compacted ash. The harder, less eroded lava layers remain as hat-like tops. These excavations vary from simple dwellings to decorated churches and even underground cities. One of the meanings of Cappadocia comes from the Persian word "Katpatuka" which means "the land of beautiful horses." That may well be the case, but we saw very few horses while we were in the area. We saw lots of donkeys working in the fields and pulling carts. Craig worked very hard to photograph this aspect of Turkish life.
We were looking for a low-key exploration on our first day. Mustafa suggested we take the dolmus to Uchisar to explore the castle and the village, then walk back via Pigeon Valley. Since we could see Uchisar from the terrace of our hotel, it all seemed manageable. We enjoyed the view from the sixty-metre high castle and wandered around the village. When it was time to walk back, we headed down into the valley. We found a well-worn trail, but then it became very dicey. It seemed better designed for mountain goats than human being. We explored a few other paths, but we ended up going in the opposite direction. It was a long walk back to the town centre, and by that time, Lynda had lost patience. We returned to the bus stop and hopped on a dolmus back to Goreme. If we had been blessed with more time it would have been great to try to reverse the direction and walk from Goreme to Uchisar.
As many of you know, we are not big fans of organized tours. We decided to take "the Green Tour" because it included the underground city of Derinkuyu, the Ilhara Valley, a tour guide, lunch and all your transportation for 50 Turkish Lira each. At Derinkuyu we went underground to a depth of eight floors, but apparently only one quarter of the original city is open to the public. It was a place of refuge that could maintain life for an extended period of time. We saw stables, wine presses, living areas, churches, a meeting hall and a confessional. This, and other cities, were linked together by nine kilometres of known tunnels. The Ilhara Valley is about one hour's drive from Derinkuyu. We walked three kilometres along the river between high cliffs, passing by churches and villages carved into the rock. After a full-sized meal at a restaurant along the river, we were back in the bus and on our way to the Selime monastery. We climbed up the side of the mountain and explored some more cave dwellings. The fresh air and the big lunch acted like a sedative for the other holiday-makers because as soon as we got back on the bus and started driving, they all fell asleep. We enjoyed the tour. It was a reasonably priced way for us to cover a few sites without renting a car.
Traditionally, Saturday is Market Day in Turkey. This is when the locals do their shopping. We had business at a travel agency in Urgup and only stumbled upon the market by accident. The range of products and the quantities were amazing. Lynda couldn't help herself and bought a kilo of fresh strawberries for two lira.(Icecream and strawberries for dessert that night.) Hopefully, some of Craig's pictures will give everyone a feel of what we experienced.
On our last day in Goreme, we took a dolmus to the Zelve Open Air Museum and spent several hours exploring more churches, cave dwellings and tunnels. Then we started hiking back towards Goreme, through the wine fields and along the ridge line over Pasabaz, and down into the village of Cavusin where we had lunch. After lunch we made our way through the Rose Valley and the Red Valley to Goreme. We met several interesting people, saw varying landscapes and structures, and enjoyed the warm, sunny day. There is so much more to explore in this area, but it is time to move on. We are cheating and taking the short route back to the coast. We have purchased a very reasonable flight from Kayseri to Izmir and are going to stop back in Selcuk at our favourite family pension, Homeros. Our intention is to spend the Easter weekend in Bodrum and then take a ferry from Kusadasi to Samos, Greece. We have loved our time in Turkey and will hopefully be back here next Spring Break.

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Egirdir, Turkey

How did we end up in this spectacular Turkish town? Just by chance actually. We were looking for a stopover point on our way to Cappadocia and the Rough Guide described it as "an astonishingly beautiful setting." It was only three hours from Pamukkale and eight hours from Goreme so we decided to take a chance. We're glad we did. The atmosphere in the town is very relaxing. There are very few tourists here at the moment, but this probably has more to do with the time of year than anything else. The lake, the mountains, and the sunshine all reminded us of the Okanagan. We stayed at Ali's Pension on the island of Yesilada. Up until the late 1960s you had to access Yesilada by boat. Now there is a bridge and you can just walk down the causeway. It was sunny and warm and we had been sitting on the bus for a few hours so we decided to walk. On your way to Yesilada, you have to walk through a small area called Canada. It is like a little forest and we saw people having picnics in the sunshine. Ali's Pension is run by Birsen and her family. Although they are not officially open for the season, they were happy to accomodate us. Yet again, we were able to enjoy some wonderful Turkish home cooking. We even got to try the Turkish version of cotton candy. It was sweet and sugary without the chemical taste.
The next day we wanted to do some exploring. We had the option of going for a 60 km bike ride, but we didn't want to tie up our whole day so we decided to walk in to town instead. We needed to do some shopping. It seems that Craig has lost another hat and with no natural protection on his head, we needed to find another one quickly. He is thrilled with his stylish, new Turkish cap (sapka) which he got for a mere seven lira (about $4.) We also went in search of a sink plug. It is not an easy task when you have a very limited Turkish vocabulary, but charades work well. We asked at a number of plumbing stores, but sink plugs are a rare commodity over here. Finally, we found a shop and instead of making a sale, they actually gave it to us by stealing it out of a sink drain kit. Another sink in Turkey that will have no plug. Later that morning, we met a friendly, English speaking taxi driver who drove us up the hillside to a village called Akpinar. We walked up the hill a little further, passing by goats and cows and local women working in the fields. There we enjoyed some incredible views of Egirdir and the lake. On our way back down, we met a lady from the village. Not only was she carrying a huge pile of branches on her back, but she was dragging a heavy bag full of branches too. Craig relieved her of the bag and we walked back to the village together. The branches are taken from the orchards, chopped into little pieces and used for firewood. It is very labour intensive and it makes us appreciate the convenience of our gas fireplace at home.

Our taxi driver suggested we stop by the local restaurant in the afternoon for some gozleme (Turkish crepes.) It seems that all we do is eat, but since we intended to walk back down the hillside we thought we should get some substinence. We ate gozleme with cheese and drank some cay and enjoyed the view from the terrace. By the time we walked back to our pension, the day was done.
Egirdir is one of those hidden gems you only hope to find when you are traveling. It would be an ideal place to spend some time, especially a little later in the spring when the temperature is consistently warmer. There are so many possible activities that you can do: hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, water skiing, fishing, etc. yet it is not overly touristy. We would highly recommend this beautiful spot and we are hopeful that we can make it back one day!

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Pamukkale, Turkey

Our trip to Pamukkale began with a new phenomenon - shopping for a bus company. Unlike Canada where Greyhound is your only option, Turkey has dozens of companies all vying for your business. As soon as you enter the otogar you are besieged with offers. You can go around to each company wicket and ask for the times, prices, bus configuration, transfer information etc. but you aren't really sure what you are going to get, especially on the shorter routes, until the bus actually shows up.

When we bought our tickets for Pamukkale, we were assured by the agent that we would not have to transfer buses. In the end we did, but it was a short ride and we weren't the ones who had to stand because there weren't enough seats for everyone. Granted the buses are cheap and there are plenty of employees there to make sure you get on and off the right bus, but buying a bus ticket is as stressful as buying a carpet in Istanbul.

We arrived in Pamukkale in the early afternoon and made our way to the Kervansaray Pension. Apparently, the season has not really started yet so there aren't very many overnight tourists around. In fact, there were two rooms booked the first night and only our room on the second night. Having enjoyed our Turkish meals at Homeros so much we asked our host if his restaurant served dinner. Mevlut was happy to accomodate our request so on both nights we were treated to enormous and delicious meals, courtesy of his wife. We can't believe how much we ate while we were there!
Pamukkale is known around the world for its white, travertine pools and terraces, and its hot springs. We saw pictures of them several years ago and were astounded by the beauty of the place. The reality is that we should have been in Pamukkale twenty five years ago. In their attempts to accomodate the tourists, the powers that be have taken away its natural beauty with their manipulations. During our visit we had to listen to the sound of a jack hammer up on the cliff, and were disappointed to find that the majority of the pools had been drained of water. Nevertheless it was a beautiful, sunny day and we enjoyed the uniqueness of our surroundings. We spent the day touring around the Roman and Byzantine ruins of Hierapolis and viewing ancient artifacts in the museum. People have been drawn to this place for thousands of years with good reason. We were up there on a Sunday afternoon and not only were there loads of tour buses, but there were lots of Turkish families having a day out. Although Pamukkale may never be restored to its former glory, it was worth a day trip.

We are now heading to Egirdir which, according to the Rough Guide, is a pretty, little lakeside town. It is a convenient place to stop for a couple of nights on our way to Cappadocia.

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Selcuk, Turkey

And they're off....again! We got up way too early and were meeting Sandra and Andreas at the port in order to catch the 7:00 am ferry to Bandirma. Our final destination was Selcuk (near Ephesus), but in order to get there we had to take a two hour ferry ride and a four and a half hour train journey. This would only get us to Izmir, at which point in time Sandra and Andreas would head off to Denizli and we would continue on to Selcuk. It was all smooth sailing until we got to Izmir. It seems that the otogar (main bus station) where we needed to go is eight kilometres on the other side of town. We weren't sure how we were going to get there. We hurried off the train, kept repeating the word "otogar" and were directed to a nearby bus stop. Within minutes, a dolmus (mini van) arrived and we jumped on, packs and all. Take note: there is no such thing as a full dolmus. It was standing room only and as we raced across town, we held on for dear life. Eventually we all got seated, except for Craig who was braced against the backpacks to ensure that they did not topple into the aisle. It took us at least 45 minutes to get to the otogar. When we did arrive, we said a hasty good-bye to Sandra and Andreas and went in search of the bus to Selcuk. We easily found it and within ten minutes, we were on the road again. We have to say that traveling in Turkey is very reasonable. For the entire journey from Istanbul to Selcuk (ferry, train, dolmus, bus) we paid 47 Turkish Lira. That is about $31 Canadian dollars. Hard to believe, isn't it?

Our home for the next two nights was the Homeros Pension. It had great reviews on Trip Advisor and we were attracted to the free shuttle to Ephesus, the laundry service and the mention of Mama's home cooking. We had such a good time and met such lovely people that we extended our stay by three nights. It is like staying with family, but we didn't have to do anything. And Mama's cooking? Absolutely delicious. In fact, Craig was even invited to cook dinner with Mama the night before we left.

So what is there to do in Selcuk? We have explored the town, including the Basilica of St. John, the Ephesus Museum and the Artemision, which was once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Unfortunately, all that is left of the temple is one lone pillar and some foundation blocks. Not to worry, the tour buses continue to roll in and out of there all day long. Everyone, including us, wants to see what is left of it. Along with James, a young British backpacker and history enthusiast from our pension, we spent another day at Ephesus. It is reportedly the most visited tourist attraction in Turkey and the best preserved ancient city in the Mediterranean. Our knowledge in this area is seriously limited, but we were keen to learn so we broke down and hired an official Turkish guide. For 60 Turkish Lira, Vulcan spent two hours sharing his knowledge and expertise with us. It was money well spent. After Vulcan's tour, we spent another two hours exploring the site and visiting the terraced houses. The reconstruction process is slow, but the work that has been done on the terraced houses is incredible. The marble mosaic floors alone are worth the extra admission fee. Another day we took a dolmus up to a small village in the hills called Sirince, wandered around and enjoyed the views. One morning we borrowed mountain bikes from Homeros and rode out to the beach 8 km away. The sun was shining, but it was too early for swimming so we had a cay and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

It is time to go again, but we are happy and relaxed and loving Turkey. Our destination is Pamukkale and the travertine pools. Stay tuned for more adventures.

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Istanbul, Turkey

We set off from Loughborough to London on the 11:40 am train. Luckily, the Gods were with us and we arrived at Heathrow with a couple of hours to spare. As we walked to our gate we were passed by a man running through the airport (reminiscent of OJ Simpson in the 1970s Hertz commercials.) Lynda swears it was Brad Pitt. A search of the current gossip web sites failed to confirm nor deny his presence at Heathrow airport on March 10, 2010. Either way, it is exciting to think that it could have been him. After a very comfortable (and short) flight on British Airways we arrived at Ataturk airport. The process for entering Turkey is very simple. You walk up to the Visa station at the airport, pay your 90 Euros and the Immigration officer places a sticker in your passport. You leave his booth and go to see a Customs official. He examines your passport for a visa sticker, stamps it and you are on your way. No words, other than thank you, were spoken. We pre-arranged a pick-up with the hotel and by 11:30 pm we were in our room getting ready for bed.
Istanbul is definitely the most exotic place we have been so far on our journey. Here are some of the delightful highlights:
The Pension
The Sebnem Hotel is located in Sultanahmet, near the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya. We were conscious of the 5 am call to prayer, which seemed much louder on the first day, but we had no trouble rolling over and going back to sleep. The hotel serves a lovely breakfast on the roof-top terrace. Some of the tasty treats include: yoghurt, fruit, cheese, deli meat, boiled egg, cucumber, tomato, rolls and a HUGE selection of fresh pastries. We must not forget to mention the freshly squeezed pitcher of apple, orange and pomegranate juice. Along with the coffee, it was a wonderful way to start the day. We cannot say enough good things about the staff at the Sebnem. They were hard-working, conscientious and always willing to provide help when it was needed.
New Friends:
Over the last six months, we have discovered it is the people you meet who make a big impact on your impression of a place. In Istanbul, we were blessed. Firstly, in the morning on day one, Lynda had been doing some research on Trip Advisor. She read a rave review about a Canadian woman who had a shop in the Arasta Bazaar. Later that afternoon as we were walking around, we stumbled upon the Arasta bazaar and were making our way through it when we were stopped by a Turkish man who saw the Canadian flag on Lynda's backpack. This is not unusual because it seems that every store, restaurant, and tea shop has a salesmen out front trying to hustle you in. They all have a friend or relative in Canada that they want to start talking to you about. Anyway, this man told us we had to go in because the shop was run by a Canadian woman. Lynda instantly knew this was the woman she had been reading about and before we knew it the door opened and out walked Jennifer Gaudet, former resident of Edmonton, Alberta. Even though she was busy serving customers, we had our first taste of Turkish hospitality - "Come on in. Would you like some cay (chai)?" Jennifer became an excellent resource for us in Istanbul. Secondly, on the evening of day one, we went for a simple dinner at a restaurant called Doy Doy which Jennifer had recommended. While we were there we met Sandra and Andreas, a German couple, who were just starting a year long trip along the old Silk Road route. A conversation ensued and we became dinner companions for the next few days.
Tourism:
We must confess that we did not spend a lot of time visiting tourist attractions. One stop was the Topkapi Palace, a symbolic and political centre of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four centuries. We spent several hours wandering through the courtyards, the harem and the Treasury. We were awestruck by the collection of treasures on display, from the jewels to the weapons to the thrones. Another morning we walked across town, across the bridge, over the Golden Horn and up the Galata Tower. From there, you have 360 degree views of Istanbul. Our walk took us through four or five market districts, where several city blocks are dedicated to a specific trade such as suit tailoring, tools, socks, underwear, the Spice Market, and the Galata Bridge itself where everybody seemed to be fishing for a living.
Shopping:
We had heard about the shopping in Turkey, but we were only planning on looking because we still had several months of traveling left and no room to carry anything. After spending a few hours in Jennifer's Hamam shop and looking at the towels and the silk scarves, Lynda weakened first. However, we did not rush in to making a purchase, as we were trying to figure out how we could manage to buy the towels and not pay a fortune to ship them home. On every corner in Istanbul, there is a carpet store. Every time you walk by one, the pressure from the salesmen is immense. We were interested in learning about Turkish carpets, but we had no interest in buying one. Jennifer offered to take us to the store of a friend and after some consideration, we agreed. The next morning Jennifer, Craig and Lynda went to meet Murat. After the introductions, we all sat down and Turkish coffee and/or tea were ordered. We chatted for about fifteen minutes before Murat got down to business. He gave us a rundown of the history of the carpets, kilims, camel blankets and the styles that were available. Then the samples started to be placed on the floor. The carpets are amazingly beautiful and it was not difficult to see the difference in the quality and workmanship. Somehow along the way our disinterest turned to interest and we began to visualize them in our house. We narrowed it down to three carpets, but we were not confident that the sale was going to happen because we had started the negotiation process. Bartering is such a foreign concept for North Americans. We are not used to negotiating the price of purchases. To make a long story short, we are now the proud owners of a Turkish carpet which we will take delivery of when we return home in June. The benefit of this purchase is that shipping is included in the price and there is room in the container for any other purchases we make. After that we purchased the towels and some Turkish pillow covers. We are very pleased with our purchases and are looking forward to seeing them in our house.
Hamam:
We heard there were several touristy hamams around town, but we were keen to have a true Turkish bath experience. Jennifer directed us to her neighbourhood hamam so off we went on our last afternoon in town. Craig's experience was quite different from Lynda's. Lynda was alone with the two Turkish ladies who were working there. Neither of them spoke English so other than some hand gesturing it was quiet and relaxing. On the men's side there was Craig and nine other Turkish men. None of them spoke English either, but the mood was loud and boisterous and authentically Turkish. For about $15 we were steamed, bathed, scrubbed down, lathered up, massaged and rinsed off in rooms full of marble. The whole process took about two hours. We can easily see how it could become a weekly ritual.
Cats:
After months of being surrounded by dogs in England and kangaroos in Australia, Lynda was thrilled to find a cat friendly country. The Turkish streets are filled with stray cats. Some are straggly and forlorn and others are healthy and well-groomed. They are also suprisingly friendly. While we were the Topkapi Palace, we saw a tabby cat sitting on a stone wall. Lynda went over to the wall and sat down. The cat immediately crawled into her lap and settled in. At the Arasta Bazaar there was a mama cat with six adorable kittens who were a month old. Every other street, lane or park area has a resident cat or two. Good thing we don't live here because Lynda would be rounding them up and opening an cat shelter.
We cannot believe our time in Istanbul is over. We have barely scratched the surface of things to do. The weather has been perfect - sunny and cool. We know that we will definitely come back and it will be at a time when we are heading directly back to Canada so that Lynda can do more shopping!

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Zooming around the U.K.

York

On this journey, we found ourselves traveling in a way that is contrary to our preference - we were on a schedule and a pretty tight one at that. Our first stop was York, a city that has been around since 71 AD. Unfortunately, we could only spend an afternoon in this mecca of history. York has it all: Roman, Saxon, Norman, Viking, Medieval etc. It was Lynda's third visit to York, but there is a lot to see and she was keen to share it with Craig. After checking in to our farm stay bed and breakfast in Shipton by Beningbrough, we drove five minutes to the nearby Park and Ride where we hopped on a local bus for the six mile journey into the city. Parking in York's hodge podge streets is known for being difficult to find and expensive.The bus allowed us to maximize our sightseeing.
We started by walking around the portion of the city wall that is located beside the York Minster cathedral. Then we headed inside the Minster for a closer look. The Minster is an impressive building that was built between 1200 and 1472. It is possible to attend services for free, but if you are just a tourist, there are a couple of different options and fee schedules. We elected to walk the 275 steps to the top of the central tower where we passed by pinnacles and gargoyles and had a bird's eye view of the city. We also enjoyed wandering through the pedestrian-only streets and window shopping. Then we ventured down Mad Alice Lane to view a 12th century church. Holy Trinity is unique in that the church is filled with family pews or boxes.Then there was The Sambles, an area that gets its name from the word,"Samel" meaning bench or stall where butchers would display and sell their wares. Craig seemed to think the meaning referred to the construction technique used. Obviously in the 1400's the level hadn't been invented yet.
The day passed by very quickly and as the sun began to set, we started to feel the cold. We retrieved our vehicle and headed back to Shipton by Beningbrough where we had a delightful roast dinner at the cozy Dawnay Arms. We were back at Wood Farm in time for the Olympic hockey final between Canada and the USA. Luckily, there were no other guests to be disturbed by our hooting and hollering (and groaning.) It was a proud moment for all Canadians when Sidney Crosby finally scored in overtime and Canada secured the gold medal.
Many thanks to Helen at Wood Farm for her hospitality. Not only does she run the bed and breakfast with her daughter, Claire, but they are the operators of this 100+ head working cattle ranch. We were lulled to sleep and awoken in the morning by the mooing of the cows. It was the perfect place for us to stay near York.
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Scotland

We had an enjoyable drive from York to Edinburgh along the coast road. We were able to make it in about five hours (including stops) and were very thankful for the GPS once we arrived in the city. Between the construction, the narrow roads and the traffic, it would be so easy to get lost. As it was, the GPS took us directly to our destination.
Our hosts for three nights were Craig's cousin, Bob Hislop, and his wife Marlene. We are especially grateful to them because we had never met them before and had only emailed them four days prior to our arrival. They very generously opened up their house to us and showed us around the city.
After a "cuppa" and a quick bite to eat, we went for a walk with Marlene to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Although it is a bit early for spring flowers, the snowdrops were out in full force, as were the squirrels. It is not hard to imagine what a lovely oasis the Gardens would be in the Spring and Summer. We were impressed with the memorial garden built in honour of the Queen Mother which was opened in 2006. It is divided into four hemispheres and each one is filled with plants from a different continent (North America, Asia, Europe and the Southern hemisphere.) There is also a stone pavilion that is uniquely decorated. The walls are covered with seashells and the ceiling is covered with different types of pinecones. By the time we returned home Bob was back from his outing. That evening we had dinner with their neighbours, Elsie and Archie, and helped to celebrate Archie's birthday.
Bob and Marlene's house is in a fantastic location in Edinburgh. A quick ten minute walk and you are on Princes Street. The next morning, it was beautiful and sunny. We all wandered down Princes Street and headed up to the castle. We enjoyed viewing the royal apartments, seeing the Scottish Crown jewels and touring the prison. Craig was just thrilled to be in a place where he could finally learn about his heritage. After a few hours and lunch, Bob and Marlene headed home and we went on the Scotch Whisky Experience tour just outside the castle walls. Always looking for an educational experience, we were keen to learn about the process of making Scotch Whisky. Part of the tour includes viewing the world's largest collection of Scotch Whisky which belongs to a Brazilian named Claive Vidiz. He owns over 3500 bottles of unopened bottles. Wow! We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering down The Royal Mile. Before long it was dark and we were tired, so we headed home.
On Wednesday mornings, Bob walks with his friend Donald. Marlene and Craig and I decided to tag along and see some more of the city. We left their house and headed west along the old coal line railway bed. We even passed by J.K. Rowling's house, but don't ask us to tell you where it is because we have no idea. After about five miles of walking and a stop for coffee and squares, we reached Cramond at the Firth of Forth. We happily boarded a bus and returned to Bob and Marlene's house. Our time in Edinburgh went far too quickly. Since we had never planned to go there in the first place, we were just happy to have made it. There is no doubt that we will definitely be going back.
We were heading south, but before we could leave Scotland, we had one more stop to make. Peebles is a town about an hour outside of Edinburgh. It is the former home of one set of Craig's great, great grandparents on his mother's side. We were shocked by the amount of snow and fog on the way to Peebles, but by the time we got there, it was sunny and the ground was clear. The countryside in this area is just spectacular. We drove to the town cemetary and as you can imagine, it was much larger than we anticipated. It took us about twenty minutes to find the gravestone of Adam Watson. We were then directed to the Town Council offices and the County Registrar's office and with the help of some very kind people, we were able to gather some new information for the family tree. This included a former residence on Old Town which is still there although it is in the process of being re-developed. Our short stop turned into a four hour venture. It wasn't until 2:30 that we were back on the road and heading to Liverpool to see Lynda's cousin. We finally arrived at Syl's in Crosby at 6:45 pm. We enjoyed visiting with her and her two dogs, Holly and Misty. Unfortunately, we were unable to see the rest of the Liverpool relatives. The illness of a Great Aunt and the impending birth of a cousin's baby meant that people were unavailable. We are happy to report that Auntie Mary (aged 96) is on the mend, and Colette and Andrew are the proud parents of a baby girl named Poppy. We will catch up with all of them next time.
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Wales

On Friday morning we left Liverpool and headed to Wales. We were meeting Kevin, Lara, Jaiden, Kai and the dogs for a weekend in the country. For all you travelers out there, Wales is hugely underrated. It is a beautiful country and if you like the outdoors, there is plenty to do.
Lara had booked the Blacksmith's House on Ynysclydach farm (Don't ask - it's a wake up call for our impending trip to Turkey) just outside the village of Sennybridge. The house dates back to the 1600s and has been lovingly restored by the owners Vera and Ian who also live on the property with their dog, three sheep and a chicken.
Many thanks to Kevin and Lara for clearing their schedules. It was great to get them away from the demands of everyday life. We all enjoyed the good food, the sunny weather and the walks through the countryside. We headed back to Loughborough late on Sunday afternoon. Kudos to Craig for getting us back safely. Driving on the motorways in this country is like being in the Indy 500. I now know why my aunt always kept a bag of candied ginger in the glove box. Lynda would have been very grateful for some on this journey.
Our time in the U.K. has quickly come to an end. We are off to Turkey today and are going to spend three months touring around in places that are a lot warmer than the UK.
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