Greece October 2010
Before I forget 2/3rds of what happened on our trip, I want to recount what I remember, and am forwarding it to you for correction and editing. It would be good if any of you would also like to write down your feelings, expectations, remembrances, etc.
I was called by Sherrill in August, asking if I would be interested in another overseas adventure with Michael, herself, Anna Marie, and Clarlyn and David Morris. The three siblings were preparing to take a trip to Turkey and Greece in October to celebrate Anna Marie's 70th birthday, and just to be together before everyone became too old, too weak, too lame, too deaf, etc. etc. Since Anna Marie had a spare bunk in her cabin, would I like to join? Always being ready to take a trip, I agreed, even though Roger and I had recently returned from Italy, in June, and Mexico in August. The Morrises are usually fun to be around, unless you get on their dark side! That last statement was made in jest, they don't have a dark side, or at least none that I am aware of.
The tickets were purchased, passports checked, and October 14th rolled around before we knew it. Roger had planned to take me to the airport, but, being Roger, he had forgotten about a class he had to teach to some Chinese scholars on that very day between 9am-12 noon. I quickly called a very gracious neighbor, who drove me to the airport shuttle nearby, and that was the start of the adventure to the land of flying carpets, whirling dervishes and Turkish coffee. The next 24 hours were spent sitting in airports or on two different planes. Nothing but boring and tedious, as I had purposely left my books on Turkey and Greece in the family room, due to weight issues. Stupid me! Nothing to read during the four hour wait at Charles De Gaulle airport, or on the long flight to Istanbul. Next time I will know better.
Having arrived at Istanbul around 2:30 pm on Friday,I had another 1.5 hours to wait till the Morrises arrived. We got our Visas right at the airport, changed a few dollars into Turkish liras, and found our ride,(3 taxis), waiting to transport us to the Imperial Ottoman Palace Hotel, right in the heart of Istanbul, and next door to all the famous sights and the Grand Bazaar. The hotel is a 5-star hotel, therefore no complaints, except for having to walk down three flights of stairs to our rooms. Of course the stairs were marble, which made us feel like royalty. It was now around 5pm, so we took a quick rest and got ready to find a place for dinner. Walking along the cobbled streets were several shops selling leather goods, silk scarves, shawls, and beautiful ceramic bowls. They were all inviting us to come in, which we did, and Clarlyn found a red leather cap which fit her perfectly, and made her look like she should get on a horse and ride into the sunset while brandishing a sword. In other words, she looked quite dashing! I am so glad that she made that one purchase, because she is not a shopper, and no one else could persuade her to open her wallet!
Walking down the street, we were ushered into a restaurant that promised to serve delicious food and we would have the honor of seeing a Whirling Dervish show. Just what Sherrill wanted to do, and we all agreed to feast and be entertained. We sat at tables around a small square open area where the show would be held, not on cushions on the floor as I had anticipated. It's a good thing, because our arthritic hips and knees would have screamed at us in a few minutes if we had done so. The food was excellent, and the excitement began. We were ordered not to applaud, as this would distract the concentration of the four young men who would be whirling around in a trance. It is also of religious significance, and applauding would be inappropriate. First there was the music played on a reed flute and a lute, and a drum, along with a singer who was chanting. It sounded melancholy, maybe it was like the Muslim call to prayer. Four young men in white robes and tall cone like wool hats came in; there was a lot of bowing to the instrumentalists, to a couple of prayer rugs(?). White powder was applied to the floor and the dervishes swung around to the music and spread the powder around the square.
The whirling around with eyes closed most of the time lasted for close to 40 minutes. They were all sweating profusely at the end of the rituals, and they appeared to be in a trance. All very interesting, and I have no idea how they kept twirling and whirling without falling over. It made me dizzy just to watch! Also it made my food cold as they were just inches from our table. I needed to eat faster! Back to the hotel along with a couple more stops in the shops. A good night's rest in a bed is what each of us needed.
Anna Marie thought she had set her alarm for the next morning, Saturday, but Sherrill awakened us. We had 10 minutes to get ready before the scheduled guided tour of Istanbul. Not much time for breakfast, so we grabbed some juice and an apple. The guide, a young woman of around 26, took us to several sites: the Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia, and the Sultanahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. We also stopped at the Hippodrome where chariot races were held. It was completed in 325 AD by Constantine 1st, and held 100,000 spectators in 40 rows. Just a few columns are left now. Topkapi Palace has a large collection of jewelled swords and armor, the Topkapi dagger, the Spoonmaker's diamond, a ceremonial throne of solid gold, gardens, and the harem chambers for the Sultan's wives and mistresses. What a life! Not such a good life for the women, but better than being out in the street. At least you were fed, and had some pretty decent lodging, and maybe a visit from the sultan every so often. The Topkapi Palace became a museum in 1924, and has undergone a number of restorations since then. This is where our first fall/injury occurred. Anna Marie was a trooper, considering how hard she fell and hit her leg. We wondered how she could continue walking, but after a short rest she was ready to go like nothing had happened. Bravo, Anna Marie! You can read about Sophia Hagia and the Blue Mosque on the internet. My descriptions would be unworthy of their beauty. We did get a chuckle when the guide said that Cristo (Christ), had a throne on his head in a painting, instead of a crown, (in the Hagia Sophia), but her English was certainly better than our Turkish. Off to a delicious Turkish Lunch, and a marvelous rest stop for our weary legs. Then on to a rug shop stop, where I tried to buy a rug, but my credit card did not work, fortunately. I had not informed Mastercard that I would be traveling in distant places, and they were questioning why a large purchase was coming in from Istanbul. Good for them! The group was not happy that so much time was spent in a rug shop. It took some of our time away from the very interesting Grand Bazaar, and our guide ended up spending 2 extra hours with us as a result. Sorry, gang. Not totally my fault, but I do accept some responsibility for this misadventure. I was almost left behind at the Grand Bazaar, but fortunately someone remembered that Shopping Sue was not at the bus, and Michael rushed back,( he knew where I was), and rescued me from yet another purchase. Roger thanks you, Michael!
Saturday evening after we were dropped off at out hotel, we found another restaurant which promised us that they would accept our credit cards, (since we had long since run out of liras), but then when it came time to pay, the credit card was not accepted, either because it was a Saturday, and the banks had closed, or some such ridiculous reason. Anyway, some of us were a bit aggravated, and Mike, being as big as he is, scared the dickens out of the waiter and his boss. They were apologetic, and Mike got over it, and ClarLyn got a free bottle of water! The next day we had some free time before boarding the MV Cristal. A marathon right outside our hotel started around 7 or 8 am. We cheered on the runners, and ClarLyns explosive whistling egged them on even further, while it blew the rest of us away! Where did you learn to do that, ClarLyn?!
We visited the Underground cisterns which had been built during the reign of Constantine I, (306-337), and restored and extended by Justinian(527-565). We saw large fish swimming in this dark cistern, but could not identify most of them, except for some large catfish. The cistern is 141ms. in length, and 73ms. in width. 12 rows of columns support the superstructure, each with 28 columns, a total of 336. Columns are 8ms. in height; the cistern was renowned for the coldness of the water, and we were all quite impressed by this engineering feat of the Romans.
Okay, Sherrill, now it is your turn. You can take it from here and talk about the cruise part of our trip. Or anyone else?? We actually spent another 4hours or so in Istanbul before getting on the ship. Remember the cats everywhere? Taking the suitcases down the cobbled street to the bus, or taxi?
Anyway, I'm through for now!
Susan