Turkey Video

Here is a slide show I put together of the Turkey part of my trip

http://vimeo.com/25889358

It is 35 minutes long, but moves along well.  It is better to look at it in full screen.

Pledgin in Turkey = Again it's baggy pants

The Race - Part 2 Rick's Point of View

Here is the Race from Rick's point of view - The race is towards the end of this video.

Click to view The race part 2

The Race.

Rick Steves blog about the trip

June 2nd Images

Just a collection of photos from June 2

Good Morning and Goodbye Eruope

As I enjoy my real last breakfast of the freshest breads, the most natural tasting Tang, farm fresh eggs and coffee that could wake up a hibernating grizzly.  I reflect upon yesterday.  I did a lot, the best Archilogical museum ever, Hadrian's library, the Roman Agora, musical instrument museum  the central market with more version and stages of butchered animals than I have ever seen. (out of consideration to my vegetarian friends I will not post it and I rode around on busses, trams and metros to far flung places and blindly explored them.

I past a lone old guy  sitting on a corner out side of a teashop. Before him was a cup of tea, a backgammon board and an empty chair.  He had the come sit down play a game or two look on his face.  I kept walking.
that image haunted me all day.  What kept me from sitting with him? Simon and Garfunkle's song “Old Friends” (or is it called bookends? It is on bookends and begins with the bookends theme) ran thru my mind.
That evening as I hopped from neighborhood to neighborhood I watch people that were alone,  they never having as much fun as those that were with people. So it seemed.

Last Breakfast

Technically my second to last breakfast, but tomorrow I get up go to the airport and begin my trek home.

As I munch on stale breads and look up at the Acropolis from my fifth floor breakfast perch, I think of all the breakfasts I have had on the trip. I really miss cucumber, tomato, olive, hot hard boiled eggs.

My body is feeling tired today — I did a lot yesterday 13.5 miles of hiking up and down through trough Athens.

Back to missing cucumbers. Do I miss them because they are really good for breakfast or do the just remind me of an earlier time when the trip was young and not on it last breaths?  I trust the true answer is both. Of course the word on the news is that Spanish cucumbers can kill you –  so much for being philosophical.

Looking around Athens from this vantage point, looking at temples, the Pantheon, old markets I still struggle to grasp that Western  Civilization began here. That the citizens of ancient Athens had fun.  Real lives –  people going to work, going to concerts, plays, shopping , playing sports.  In reality I sometimes have the same problem with modern civilizations that I don't understand.  Travel helps me connect those dots.

I wonder if I ever left home.

austerity measures

In translation austerity measures means disregard anything your guidebook tells you about price and time.The Archeological museum closed 4 hours earlier than the book said it would and the cheap $4 cab ride was more like $8.  But on the other hand  the cheap worry beads are only 2 euro here.

Leaving Hydra

I am off for Athens in a couple of hours, at breakfast at a little taverna close to my hotel. 

My impressions of Hydra are cats, donkeys and a slow lifestyle that is sometimes hard for me to process.  I think I did not spend enough time to settle in – 

I cant imagine how expensive it must be to live here – Water, electricity must be quite high. On the other hand, transportation is quite cheap unless need to leave the island on a daily basis

 I measure much of my travel by my ability to connect with the people there or at least fellow travelers, that did not seem to happen here. Not sure why.

I worry that I have not better developed these adaptive skills so far along in the trip. Maybe the worry beads are the answer.

Don't get me wrong, my time here has been good, just slow and it is pretty tough to follow up on the intensity of Turkey.

Worrying about worry beads or how Rick Steves made me a worry bead snob

I must say that I have never really thought much about worry beads until recently.  But it seems that every old Greek guy I pass is getting his inner peace mojo going by stroking his worry beads.  Without thought they walk around fiddling their way to joy. It is a sort of contentment that I always am looking for and if I can find it through beads all the more power to me. I need to get some -- luckily for me they are just 5 euro -wow- I don't know what my co-pay might be on a counseling session is but I know it is more than 5 Euro.

So where does Mr. Steves fall into this equation?  He of course has a page dedicated to it in his Athens book (see below).  Did you know there are a lot of differences in worry beads and you really have to find the one that feels right and I learned that there will be little satisfaction in the 5 Euro variety.  They need to be made out of stone or bone- and amber is especially nice.   So then I feel for the 25 euro Jade and onyx ones (most likley the amount of my co-pay) - but I am a fickle man once I found the 180 euro ones I was lost forever.
Nope I did not buy any of them and now  I am really worried.

25 Euro

180 Euro variety

5 Euro

What Rick Says.

Breakfast in Hydra

How odd it is not to have cucumbers for breakfast.  I am at the Tassos Cafe on the harbor.  Hydra is a lot more interesting on on a Monday morning, than a Sunday afternoon.  People are working ,the non tourist shops are open, hardware store etc.  The donkeys are hauling products today, not oversized  luggage from oversized tourists.

Today was the first day on the trip that I did not set the alarm - unfortunately I had set it the day before and did not turn it off and the church bells start ringing at 6:00 anyway, making the alarm clock redundant anyways.

My lodging is at  Botsis guest house  a block off the main square, comfortable, clothesline, balcony with sea view, WiFi, AC, no breakfast(that is why I am here) just 45 euro a night. Nice people working there, when you see them. 

I AM GOING TO DO MY BEST TO RELAX, but that always seems like a waste of time on a trip. I am off on a hike.

Holy cats and a few ants in Hydra

Hydra's community cats are the healthiest I have seen on the trip yet.

There are at least nine cats in this picture

that black streak of ants just right of center goes on for at least 50 feet

Hydra

Port of Athens

I am at the port of Athens waiting for my ferry to Hydra (pronounced ee-dra).  I will spend two nights there and then come back to Athens for 3 nights before going home.
This is a huge port –  perhaps the largest I have ever been in.  I have my ticket for the 1:00 ferry.  Not sure how long it will take there –  a couple hours I guess. So far today I have walked, cabbed, flew, bussed and will ferry and maybe donkey yet.

At the Samos airport.

I am sitting in the Samos airport. I arrived way too early, paid too much for a cab, coffee and croissant.
Yesterday was interesting. The tour portion ended and I said goodbye to Turkey. Yesterday as I tried to type “I left Turkey today” I began to cry. I am not sure why but it was really uncontrollable. Was it saying good bye to new friends? Was it I missed Turkey? was it that I planned long and hard for that part of the trip and it was over? was I using it and planning for it as a mask to cover other pains I feel and when it ended they were uncovered? or maybe I was just tired?
It was a fairly relaxing day. After an hour and a half ferry ride we (Laura, Mary Clare (2 tour friends) and I walked around town, went the the archeological museum visited a couple of churches – then joined some other friends for drinks.
After the drinks the three of us took a cab to the other side of the island to hotel Natafino (sp), a nice hotel – outside of town with a nice view of the sea.
I went for a cup of coffee on the patio and had my little breakdown (I am doing fine now)
At 7:00 we took the shuttle to the very delightful seaside town of Pxxxxx for drinks and dinner. A had a craving for pasta which was fulfilled.
The 3 of us had a long talk about happiness, conflict and fun – the talk had all three of those.
Back at the hotel I said goodbye to more new friends

Antalya happy hour.

I am on the Mediterranean -- in Antalya, enjoying an Efes  beer.  Enough said.

Ballooning

Ballooning  -- It was far more impressive than these few images can convey.  Your sense of height and movement are so subtle -   The pilot was wonderful, funny and good -- We landed a the on the balloons trailer.  There are normally 12 passengers plus the pilot - 3 in each of the four sections -- Our side was a little light (we had a little boy on our side.

It was so exhilarating once we left the ground, but that did not even compare to later in the flight.  Ok - stop blabbing and show us the pictures.  The down side for the photos is that it was a bit grey outside.

good morning

Technical Issues

Between slow internet and really busy it has been hard to update.  Simply put, I am having a fantastic time.


I have shrunk down some random pictures - with out context of course - but maybe they will upload.