Turkey!

One and a half days into our time in Turkey and already we love it. The people are so friendly, the food is wonderful, and there are so many interesting things to see and experience.

Tomorrow we take a bus to a town called Canakkale.

C'mon people, I am thirsty for some Twins news....

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Library Photo

Oops, forgot this.
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Selcuk and Ephesus and Rugs

Hey kids! We have had a full day so far and it is only 3 o'clock! We woke up early for a Turkish breakfast of tomatos, cucumber, olives, cheese, watermelon, hard-boiled eggs, bread, coffee and tea. We then headed to nearby Ephesus for a four hour session with a private guide. He helped the ruined city come to life as we snapped hundreds of photos. My favorite part was the Library of Celsus (see photo) which is not that old (AD 114-117). The library had a double-layered walls to keep some of the humidity away from the scrolls and books. The public toilets and the theaters were also very interesting. We stopped for lunch at a place that makes giant crepe-like thingies. We had one with feta and spinach and also one with sesame tahini and honey--yum! Then we went to a carpet dealer and learned a great deal about Turkish rugs. They were gorgeous and very high quality. If they had given us wine instead of tea I most certainly would have come home with one of them. Now we are having a short siesta before we visit a few more sites :)
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Kitty

This little one-eyed kitty really wants to come to the US and be Wampus's little sister! She loves Christian and it is hard to leave her on Samos...
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G'bye Greece!

Tomorrow we head for Turkey and while we have enjoyed Greece, we are excited about going to a new country. While we are still in Greece, the island we're on is only 3 kilometers from Turkey. Already we can see and feel changes from the previous places we have been. Turkey and Greece have had a rocky history and I am eager to look for the similarities and differences.

I hope everyone is well.
Thanks for all the blog entries.

p.s. Ouzo is gross.
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Kouros!

Hi everyone.
Yeah, so I guess it is my turn to 'blog'. Thanks to Jen for all the reminders...just kidding.
Today was perhaps the most fun and interesting days we have had in Greece. We decided to rent a car with our Australian friends Bob and Gaye and spent the day exploring Naxos. One incredible discovery was a 6th century B.C. Pagan temple that was later converted into a church. We also found some ancient 'Kouros'. They were beautiful marble sculptures that were begun while still in the mountain but damaged while being moved down the hill. Looking at them we could almost hear the ancient craftsman exclaim 'oh sh*t' when they broke. Another stop was at the shop of a 4th generation potter. He gave us a little tour of his studio - the same space used by his Great Grandfather - and threw a pot for us as well. We just finished dinner and will be boarding an overnight ferry to the island of Samos.
Attatched is a picture of us wishing everyone a happy 4th of July.
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Portara on Naxos

Christian says that since he is documenting our trip in "journal" format, I have to blog for him tonight. This photo was taken at the Portara Gateway which was intended to be the entrance to a temple to Apollo. They started building it in 530BC but never completed it--oops! Today was sooooooo hot but we managed to visit: this site, a very nice archaeological museum, a Venetian Museum, the ice cream shop, the beach, and a cheap but good taverna for dinner. This place has an interesting combination of Greek, Byzantine, Venetian, Cycladic and some crusader artifacts and history. Tomorrow is the 4th and the Australian couple we are with are challenging us to provide an American celebration for all. The only "American" thing we have managed to spot is watermelon. So the party may be a bit boring...Happy 4th everyone!
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Naxos

Naxos is bigger and more laid back than the other islands we have visited. We had a lovely dinner with everyone (Christian had squid) and then sampled the Citron liquor which is a specialty of the island. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Another sunny day on the Aegean I suppose. In this photo I am accompanied by Roxanne from Montreal, a future art teacher! Naxos is very famous for its marble. There are some unfinished Kouri that still lie in the quarries from approximately 500 BC. We may go see them on Saturday.

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Wednesday

It has been a week since we left and I can't tell if the time is going slow or fast? I guess there was a large earthquake on Crete this morning, but we felt nothing and actually have not even heard mention of it except from Ann B. (Thanks for looking out for us Ann!!!) We watched the sunset in Oia on Santorini this evening. Quite a beautiful sight. The island makes me want to run home and watch Mama Mia and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. White houses piled on top of one another, blue domes, sparkling aqua water. We did hear on CNN that we finally have a second senator--yay! Goodnight everyone!
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Some Greek animals for the Chameleon Room

I don't know if you can see the donkey because it is dark under his little shelter. But I bet you can see the skinny cat taking her afternoon nap! I also saw a tiny lizard today but he was too fast for me!
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