So here we are in the part of Turkey that looks like Greece and rightly so. We can see part of Greece form here. The 2 countries have a long and at times painful intertwined history. Some years ago in a very difficult and wrenching swap, Christians from Turkey were sent to Greece and Muslims in Greece were sent to Turkey.
We had thought we might take the short boat trip to the Greek isle of Kos - about a 30 minute ferry ride but the wind is blowing very hard today and the ferry doesn't run under such conditions.
So we are lazing in this beautiful place. Yesterday while Norbert worked out in the gym, I delighted in a good sauna, "scrub" in the Turkish bath, followed by a delicious oil massage. Later in the day we took a taxi into Bodrum for dinner. Because it is the off season many places are closed. One advantage is that our hotel is quiet and we have no neighbors on either side of our porch/lanai.
We had thought we might take the short boat trip to the Greek isle of Kos - about a 30 minute ferry ride but the wind is blowing very hard today and the ferry doesn't run under such conditions.
So we are lazing in this beautiful place. Yesterday while Norbert worked out in the gym, I delighted in a good sauna, "scrub" in the Turkish bath, followed by a delicious oil massage. Later in the day we took a taxi into Bodrum for dinner. Because it is the off season many places are closed. One advantage is that our hotel is quiet and we have no neighbors on either side of our porch/lanai.
Breakfast at our hotel. The pool is closed for the season and the windows to it closed.
The second outdoor pool also closed
Porch of room next door, just like ours. No one there on either side .
Some of the resident cats.
Bodrum Harbor from our hotel
Dinner at an outdoor porch in Bodrum. Sweater worked fine.
I had this lamb , pepper, tomato, and cheese dish and the usual good bread with various things to dip it in. I love the yogurt combinations.
Norbert likes "Turkish pizza" It is oval shaped.
Our lanai at night. It was so beautiful I actually thought I would sleep out there under the open sky. That lasted about 45 minutes as the wind picked up.
Tomorrow we fly back to Istanbul where we will be until we fly out Tuesday afternoon. We hope Monday we may take a boat trip on the "Golden Horn" which divides old and new Istanbul if the weather is nice as expected.
Of all the places this time, I think I would have loved to have stayed longer in the Sufi hotel. Did you by any chance get to see Sufi worship? One of my theology professors (Catholic) had a brother who became a Sufi. I have been intrigued by this part of Islam for awhile. The children are beautiful the world over. I still like my orange polka dot cat on your first days...I hope she has all nine lives. Beautiful pictures, Janis. You do a great job telling the story and illustrating it. The other part of your journey that captured me was your conversaton with a Syrian. My - I feel so sad about what we have done to so many. Pat
ReplyDeleteDear Pat - So good to hear from you. I look forward to catching up on things in TN when I get back. We did not go to the Sema (Sufi ritual) in Konya as we were not there on a Sat night. We did attend it last time and some years ago it was also done at Harvard's Sanders theater as part of a World Religions series. Konya has my heart. The Hich Hotel was so unusually spiritual without dogma. People really cared about their guests.
DeleteThis looks so beautiful and restful, Janis...
ReplyDeleteYou create a fantastic travelog...
Many thanks xoxo
Claire - I love your coming along. There is a map of the countries of visitors to the blog and France being colored makes me smile . I know Manressa is coming soon. prayers and hugs.
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