My time is up.

Well, it seems that my travels, for the moment, have come to a halt. Its always a sad and pensive time for me when I return from my travel adventure and join everyone else in living a normal, same-thing-daily, existance.
I realize that taking off for 3 months to hop-scotch the globe is an exciting and unique thing to do and for the powers that helped make that happen, I am grateful. I am also thrilled that I have had these extrodinary experiences to add to my collection. Some people's aspiration in life is to be accomplished and successful- I think mine is about exceptional experiences and connecting with people, which hopefully, in a small, profound way, will affect me and others in turn.

Wishing you a future travel adventure, soon!
xox liz

Online Photo Album:
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=lizym&x=12&y=13
(PictureTrail.com. LizyM)

The land of the Greek gods

'What, no toilet paper in the toilet allowed'. I hear Holly replying. It seems that I forgot to tell everyone about the TP policy in Greece. Apparently the sewage pipes are too narrow for such luxuries. Ahh, I remember, thats right, even in Athens, the major city, we weren't able to dispose of TP in the proper place, but had to throw the paper in a bin, next to the toilet. Don't let this minor inconvenence diswade you from visting this magnificient country.
After the initial shock subsided, we realized what a wonderful island Rhodes was. Our pension was mounted on the highest peak in the old city of Rhodes with a view from the terrace to die for. People..., its all about the views. Always seek to discover the best views in any destination and it'll be the snapshots that you remember the longest.
Our 3-night stay in the medevil, perfectly perserved walled city of Rhodes began with a ferry from Bodrum Turkey. This is where both Paul and John, resided for a short time. There are 2 main gates in/out of this city thus few cars are allowed b/c of the narrow streets and even fewer parking spots. The annoying scooters, however, had no problem squeezing in and were in abundance. I was thrilled to be here, after spending 4-nights at oceanside resorts, as this was exactly the type of city, saturated in anceint history and archetecture, that I love being in.
Our group had dramatically changed, as Paul C left our group and 2 gals, Camille & Cara joined us. Poor Rick, now accountable for 4 girls and no 'guy buddies' to share the responsibilities with. Fortunately, he's a man of many talents, so even though his patience was tested - many times over, he managed to get us all home safely and still remain friends :-)
Our next stop was the picturesque, cliffside Is. of Santorini. This is probably the most scenic of all the islands as the contrast of the volcanic earth and white washed, blue lined building are unbelieveable stunning. It one of these places you simply can't fully describe using the english language it needs to be witnessed and experienced. I had been to this island before so it was a treat to see the 'ahh, ohh, wow' expressed with my travel companions.
When we stepped into our cliffside villa, the ordeal of lugging all the suitcases down the 20 steps, became a forgotten memory. As we ran from room to room, discovering the villa's interior, (which used to be a wine cellar), the excitement was uncontainable. The view from the public terrace was worth the 'extra' cost. You did good, Rick. (as he was solely responsible for picking the accommodations...and nearly everything else)
The island is a continuously fiju film moment - good thing we have digital cameras as the amount of photos taken on this island, in the old days, would have totaled the plane ticket over here. Everyone was snapping away. It was actually a bit disappointing as there was no sense of 'discovery' here....every photo was a Conde Nast contestant and there was simply no 'grit' to contrast the beauty with. Of course we enjoyed it (and our glimmering blue lined pool, just the same)

Our last stop was Athens. I was here in the 90's and though it was a very tramatic time for me here (my polish friend who came with me was deported when we got to the airport = no visa) I remember it as a chaotic place to be. Well, I have to say this was not the 2006 Athens I witnessed those year ago. The 2004 Olympics must have done wonders to spruce up/clean up this cradle of society. Streets were cleaner and public transport, such as trams, have been added.
We stayed in the old 'Plaka' district which is where you'll find the Acropolis, narrow cobble stoned streets and over priced restaurants/shops.It seemed like every local, when not obstructed by buildings, had a glimpse of the Acropolis, which was always a treat esp. at night when it was flooded with lights. Walking up to the Acropolis was the culmination of the ultimate 'workout' for the 3 of us. Two weeks of conquering hills, (some of mountain proportion), was a proud moment for us. Sometimes I envision my donor's family calling me and asking 'how are those lungs treating me and have I been using them much'. They served me well...my legs, however, are a different story.

Our 2-night stay in Athens, ended quickly as we boarded a bus at 300am in the morning to catch our flights backs to Michigan (who booked the flights again?) It was catch a bus for $4 or pay $90 for taxis. This was the one drawback of traveling with a group of 5 - everything needs to be doubled - rooms, taxi's, etc. We did make it home and now we have plenty of memories of our warm, scenic days in Turkey & Greece to hold us over for the long Michigan winter to come.

Turkish Delights

Walking the streets, discovering the volumes of specialty shops and delights that wait inside, is one of the highlights of this city/country. In the markets, one finds shops filled to the brim with just deserts (the specialty are baklava and type of small cakes lathered w/ honey along with a quadzillion types of Turkish delights), spices, scarfs, hookas, and so on.
The unique observation made was that men and women do not keep company together, unless they are dating or married. (and one never sees the daters kiss or hug) You will not see single women congregating with men. A 'dolmus' bus packed with both sexes, which bear the ride in close quarters, but when disembarking, the genders split. The other interesting observation, which was quickly noticed by all of us, is that all our servers - whether it be our maids, waitstaff, drivers, shopkeepers, etc.....are all men. I have yet to find an explanation for this. but such is the landscape. The only place you'll find females working is in the public sector.
The one difficulty (albeit slight) was that few people actually speak English - so directions, when lost, are not the easiest to acquire. There seems to be a lot of handmotion on our part, (paul's become an expert) in substitution for the lack in vocabulary knowledge. In the whole week here, we probably mastered but 2 words - as the language is not the easiest to sound out.
After trying to conquer the major/massive city of Istanbul (which is the only one to straddle two continents) we took a short flight south to Izmir, the 3rd largest city. After picking up our car, we headed to the site of Ephesus - a major port (at one time) and one of the 7 church's listed in Revelation. (unfortunately, it was here that Rick's c.c, at the admission counter, was stolen and his number used to purchase $1400 worth of goods) It was an Africa hot day to say the least and the Epes site is open air, with a few shrubs for shade. Upon entering the gate, we hired on a local tour guide to take us thru. 5 min. into the guide, we all realized this was a big mistake since we had committed ourselves to a verbal presentation & wander which would last 2 hrs. The heat only took 10 min. to get to us and we trudged along, half listening, the other half trying to find an excuse to cut and run. The history of this place was way too long for our short attention span this hot, medditerian day. Finally about 1hr 15 into the tour, rick told the guide 'the girls' were getting heat stroke and he had to accompany us to the car. End of tour for the 3 of us - Paul kept on. Here is where the full facial sunburn, materialized for me - and for the next week, I was one, slightly disfigured face fried American blond - all photographs of me, were strickly prohibited.
That evening we drove to Cesme, after deciding that Rick's fine selection of hotel (which took him apprx 2 mon. to find) was not suitable for our 'lifestyle' (though it was a lovely 4 star all incl). By the 'stop, see, ask' system (which is not recommended for more than 1 party of the car, as wills become stronger, and clash of wills is bound to happen). Alas, we happened upon a perfect, 5-star, breakie/dinner inclusive resort, which was more than acceptable to all. The 180 view from the chicks room was simply too breathtaking for our basic human language to express. and since this was low season (for the resort areas) the price tag = very affordable. The beach, was one which could easily be showcased in Conde Nast Mag. The buffet dinners tables, were fancifully positioned around the reflective pool and included 2, tiny, crazy bats that kept the bugs away. The buffet selection put ear to ear grins on everyone's face.
Two nights was enough to regain some of the energy, we expended walking up all those hills in Istanbul. Holly, was a first timer in Europe - though all the walking may prove to be an obstacle for reg. Americans (as we are only used to walking too/from our cars you know) she was a real trooper and kept good pace with us. Rick is a real task master when it comes to the European walking thing :-), so anyone that travels with us in the future - plan to hoof it.
The food, you ask..., well it was far tastier and the collection of choices, more appealing than I predicted it would be. The breakfast spread was kingly (my fav. meal) and the best part, for our group of 4, was that pork was never on the menu. Since we don't eat it, having to always inquire whether this or that has pork, is a nuisance. We even had beef pepperoni. The deserts and hot drinks (which despite the weather, is a fav. beverage for all Turks) were quite satisfying to me - though not agreeable to all.
Our next stop was a drive to Bodrum, an international Aegean seaside resort. The Cesme resort was for the locals yet here we would find accents from around the globe and prices to match. Fortunately, again, we had a fabulous resort, (selected by the one and only Rick) which tickled us pink when we finally saw our room view and the buffet dinner spread, which faces the open, ocean. Again, the rates were low season - WhoYaa! Our days here consisted of shopping (to go with the major theme of this trip:-), driving while trying to manage to not knick a scooter, pedestrian, cat or ancient piece of garbage, sun tanning, eating (lots of that) and reading. Though this is far more, beach-hopping than I normally do on my European vacations - as I am attracted to the history and crowds of people which only the city can satisfy - these 4 days were overwhemingly satisfying and relaxing. We now had about 5 more days, in the Greek islands to look forward too.
Our trip in Turkey, ended too soon (only 7-day stay). Turkey is an extraordinary country, that requires only the smallest sacrifice to enjoy. The people, sights, foods, shopping, all add up to a favorable and authentically memorable experience. Its unfortunate that the news makes this country out to be exactly the opposite of what it actually. I give this place my highest recommendation - so think about including it in your next European/Asian itinerary!
Till we meet in Greece!...

New adventures in Istanbul Turkey

Although the title of website doesnt apply anymore İ thought İ'd keep this site running for my current trip to Turkey & Greece. So if you can spare a few min - sıt back and enjoy the scene.

İ left Michigan along with Holly C, Paul C, & Rick for my most adventurous escape yet. Turkey is on the cusp of dıscovery, and has been for the last few decades, unfortunately it cant get out from under the shadow of the assumption that its located in the violent middle east and therefore is shunned by many travelers. Hopefully that will change sooner rather than later as it enters a new phase of its history and becomes a contender for the EU.
İstanbul has definately dispelled my predictions. I thought it was be chaotıc, rude and crımerıdden. As it turns out, İ feel safer here wıth my possesions than İ dıd in İtaly and the people are respectful of each other and foreigners (esp. women) They are also very kind. The first evening a hotel staff invited us to the terrace of our hotel so he could proudly show us the view and point out where we should go. We were grateful for that the next evening as he showed us the perfect pedestrian thoroughfare where the locals go to eat, shop, stroll and disco. İt was one of those lively streets you want to return to again and again.
Although one sees a lot of religious burkas, this city isnt as religious as it once was. It was declared a secular society in the 20's by the now, well regarded leader, Atatuck. The mosques were lovely though not as conservative as I'd have expected. I'm told that although the prayer prayer call is broadcast 5x a day throughout the city (starting at about 5am) but few attend the mosques to pray. Burkas of varing proportions are the norm, with the full cover, black look being rare.
The people here are exceptionally kınd and generous. I had an horrible experience while writing this blog. I connected the camera to upload some photos and thought İ knew what İ was doing (though all words were in turkish) and ended up erasing ALL my photos off the camera. İn panic İ asked the owner to see if he could find the photos on the computer, though he didnt speak english. No problem, he called up a friend who called up one of the workers in the downstairs shop who translated for me. They saw my nervous and upset state of being and offered tea to calm me down - the owner stressing me "not to worryé The photos were found on the computer and transferred.
There is so many varried sights, sounds, smells and noises here, that İstanbul deserves a good 5 days stay to experience them all. the Grand Bazaar, with over 4000 shops would take 2 days alone. İn one day, we raced thru 2 mosques, 1 palace (which contaıns partial skull and hand bone of John the Baptist), a cistern, and a few meals along with what is now my favorite - turkish apple tea.
Unfortunately with so much motion in play, its been hard to sit in one spot and write this blog. Tomorrow we travel by ferry to Rhodes, Greece and spend our remaining week simply relaxing and soaking in the searing sun and clear blue skies of the Greek islands.

There are so many unique observations to be shared that I wıll have to continue this portion later, when İ have more time. So stay tune..