Today marks the start of week four of our trip. We are still on Karpathos, where we have been since Sept. 25. We fly from Karpathos to Athens on Oct. 4th, and after a few days in Athens we plan to head north into either Bulgaria or Macedonia. Although there was a stormy two day…
While walking to lunch with Erika and our new friend Catherine in Selçuk, Turkey, there came behind us the sound of honking car horns and music. At first, I thought it was young people garnering attention like I see so often at home, but as the procession came closer, I saw a boy dressed all…
Oh, what a day it has been! After a restful sleep last night we had a relaxing breakfast this morning before getting into the car to drive around the island. We made our way north for a bit, and then turned west to cross the island. What a gorgeous, enchanting, and generally remote place Karpathos…
The last two nights we were in Selcuk, a town similar in size to Ayvalik (yes, I still miss Ayvalik and seem to want to compare everything to Ayvalik). Selcuk is the gateway to the Ephesus (Efes) ruins. We stayed at a great place called Atilla’s Getaway, which is run by Atilla, a Turkish-Australian gentleman who…
We arrived in Ayvalik (EYE-vah-lick) on Wednesday and I have fallen in love with this town and the surrounding area. Yesterday Thomas and I took a long walk from Ayvalik to another town, Alibey Adasi (Alibey Island), which is at the end of a very long peninsula across the water from Ayvalik. After getting rather…
Admittedly, I knew very little about Gallipoli (Gelibolu in Turkish). The United States played a negligible role in that particular theater during World War I, so our history doesn’t pay it much mind. Most of what I know about its significance comes from the popular Australian ballad, And the band played Waltzing Matilda. The song is…
The weather during the first week of our trip has been hot and sunny, with yesterday being the most acutely hot. While touring Gallipoli on a large tour bus with Australian and New Zealanders (we were the only North Americans on the tour), the temperature reached 90 degrees. There were moments when getting off the…
Yesterday we traveled from Istanbul to Canakkale, an oceanside town six hours south of Istanbul. The bus route went along the coast of the Aegean Sea, past many small villages and pasture lands. The highlight of the ride for me was seeing a farmer (Shepard?) with a flock of sheep–so lovely! The final leg of…
No dancing at the Hagia Sophia!
A quick note on technology: Internet access, while ubiquitous, is incredibly slow and connections are spotty. This is both good and bad. On the one hand, it keeps us focused on what we’re doing and seeing. On the other, it prevents us from sharing those same experiences. So, we’ll be doing the best we can to update as we are able.
Much love,
Thomas and Erika
