For packing light....I'm sure collecting a LOT of baggage...

And today, I'm determined to add some more! Murano gorgeous glass, check. Venetian gorgeous mask, tba (to be acquired) first, lunch. For an eating country, they have some odd rules, and it's best you're aware of them, or you'll be caught in the "no food for you" zone, roughly 3-7 as I can figure it. Granted if you've already sat, and you're still eating course number 1,500 it's all good, just don't expect to be able to sit yourself down and get anything beyond a pastry come 3, and no they really don't care if you were on a flight and unfed. Apparently, the FAA needs to abide by the schedule of the server. Knowing this, and having a grump ass pain our first day in Venice, (I asked for bread dude, BREAD, a damn inmate gets that! Ass) anywho, as we slept in after our adventures in traindom today, we decided eating prior to heading to venice and potentially being caught in no foods for you vill, was a muy bueno idea. Drat, too friggin bad this was the first day we did this!! Restaurant was YUM yumyum. Brought out crispy crunchy warm bread, a soft yogurty white cheese, and salami...and that was just the "on the house" starter! We had a bottle of proseco (as did every table that came in after us, don't judge, as they say: when in Rome!! So I say, I'm being polite thank you very much, and doing as the Italians do!) mom had a fungi spaghetti, and I had (off menu!) cabonara, after he checked to see if he had any ham delivered. Oh em frigging gee!!!  It was so fresh, the spagetti had a golden yellow hue,creamy and chunks of ham with a touch of crunch. 

Excuse the pause, I needed a moment to relive the glory of the yumminess. Frick. Bummer we're leaving today. But so so happy to have found you!!! Grab our bags and get into Venice. All the large train stations have a bag check. Smaller ones have lockers....ain't no way our stuff would fit in a locker, but just as an FYI for those who may be Italy bound! Bags safely off my shoulders (yay!) and we're off to buy masks. A word of caution....the cheap street kiosks, are likely mass produced in the same stupid place america exploits (cough China) do yourself, Italy, and child labour a favor, buy elsewhere. Now I'm not saying you must spend a fortune..and believe me, you surely can! However, it's very easy to find a shop where the masks are being painted while you're looking...and they were GORGEOUS!!! On a handle, or not. Made with: feathers, some from wire so delicate it looks like lace. Glitter, crystals, painted paper mache. Each one a piece of wearable art. We wound up with two boxes worth...and were still oogoling after our limoncello break by the canal. The shop keeper was teasing us, saying come back, come in, he had bigger boxes to fill for us. So, now with 2 boxes to add to the ever growing collection of pretty things, we head back to the station, and off to Florence! This time we have assigned seats, air-conditioning and: a bathroom. Florence= mumsie (the art major) dream city. The seat of the birth of the renaissance.
" Getting in touch with your true self must be your first priority." -- Tom Hopkins
"Our lives improve only when we take chances ... and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves." -- Walter Anderson
"Adventure can be an end in itself. Self-discovery is the secret ingredient that fuels daring." -Grace Lichtenstein
 “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” ~ Andre Gide

Venice dia dua

Call me the water bus queen! Got an all day pass, and yes,we put that baby to use! First and likely only time I'll ever see: a boat ambulance or a stop light on a waterway, awesome. Venice has a graveyard that is about the equivalent of San Francisco's Colma, beautifully kept grounds, famous deceased, all walled in on its own island. We went Murano glass shopping today. Yes, I did. Spent a whole afternoon shopping, and actually had fun doing it...so weird. I tell ya, that dormant girly gene is out in full force... I best beware where I travel...somebody warn me if I'm headed to the land of lots of kiddos...no waking that sleeper please...oyi... Though I do hope (and believe) the kiddo place would have a repellent effect...don't know if I wasn't lost enough or a bit too lost, however, though there was a ton of gorgeous glass pieces, the galleries near San Marco's, well (in my opinion, they win) had I known how or where to find the person who made the devil chandelier....yeah, never mind, likely a very good thing I stayed lost. For the inquiring, please note, mucho eruo was spento. We filled an entire hedgehog purse (more on him later) with pretty little glass things -I swear I'm turning into Eddie! (AbFab reference, watch it love it embrace it) got back to the main section of Venice and caught the 1 vaporetto (water bus) and took a tour of the grand canal (technically was just a bus ride...but if ya know what you're looking for {get a walking tour map} very cheap, easy way to get yer culture on!) had a (relative to european terms) earlyish din din. Super cute little cafe outside deck over the grand canal. (I'm on a mission to find the best cabonara in zee land! And if you've ever been to Italy, please tell me your fav!!) We were getting ready to go, and as I was on my way to the ladies room, what do I spy? A man with a hedgehog (purse) in his hand. I convince him (or ya know, perhaps my boobs persuaded him) to let me show it to my mom...(back story here: mumsicle collects hedgies, don't ask why or where this came from, as I have 0 clue. Anyway, thankfully it's a rarely found critter, doesn't cost me as much, glad she's not into cows or some such thing!...so though I personally wouldn't be caught with this silly ass critter, I brought it to my mom) she loved it! I had a procession behind me, as apparently it was a prototype for the winter collection...I swear if this is the new hot item of fall...I'm gonna need some grapa. Happy birthdays to mumsie, she is now the happy proud owner of "hedgie the purse." we head to the train station, frickola, just missed the 10:15pm, 3 more leaving before we're stuck till 6am, still, we checked the bus options as the next train is in +45 from now...too late, they're done hon. Ahem, always always check the digital posts...not sure if 2 of the 3 trains were no shows or on a platform other than what was written on the paper schedule. It's now past midnight, and though the paper schedule states "bus transfer" the train that's about to pull out, has the same destination, so dragging mom behind me, we dash for the closing doors....she wanted to read the whole damn listing, and was insisting this was a bus transfer...um, 2 trains on this stupid thing failed us, it's this or 6am on a bench...argue later: train, NOW! Barely make it through the door, mumsie still grumbling under her breath, both of us getting bleary eye tired, but on the train, headed home (we friggin hope!) So as I'm peering through the darkness at stops that I really don't recall from the prior trips (2 into and this is our 2nd back) I'm doing the "what ifs" in my head: okay, so if we get to the end of the line, and our stop isn't on here, if it's past 4am, might as well sleep on the stupid bench, unless getting back to the hotel via cab (damn i miss magic taxi) is less than €80. If it's 3:30amish, and the cab is +€80, hotel room and train in the am it is...Clearly after 1:30am, we're on a wrong train...shit be our stop, please crap be us...now I'm up, looking out the doors. Nope, and no I don't recall this on the prior trips. Frick frick frick. Sigh of relief, OUR stop!!! And for being such a middle of no where place, sure is a popular station for the last train of the evening...and shit, no cab...now what? Oh thank you kindness of strangers! A guy who was on the train, calls a cab (to no avail) however, the coffee shop/bar/restaurant across the way, though closed, still has employees hanging out. And I had a bira here earlier today, the server, used to work at McCormick's in SF! (sky opening, angels singing..and both mumsie and I peeing!) [me also drinking a celebratory Moretti bira!] long friggin day. Gorgeous, great fun...least now that we're back in the hotel! Oyi vey, time to hit the hay!!!
Quotes:
“I travel light. I think the most important thing is to be in a good mood and enjoy life, wherever you are.” ~ Diane von Furstenberg

I have found my shopping gene..

It lives in Italy. Apparently every woman does actually have one, who knew? Needless to say. I heart Venice. It's difficult to remember, this is actually a mainland. I feel less like an outsider here, no one stares me down because my leg is showing. I've heard more American English than I have in a month and a half...not sure what to do with myself. The place is amazingly beautiful, and the statues here, all reside in their original settings (the buildings they were built into) not in a museum. And they're complete, not missing a head, arm or nose (for the most part) the buildings are around 5- 10 stories, so walking around is like navigating a maze (much like Mykonos) though here, you dead end into water, there are 177 canals (yes, I looked it up). Venetian masks are everywhere, and they're amazing, gorgeous, beautiful, add the adjective of your choosing, it still will pale in comparison to walking through Venice. Prices range from €5.00 to €1,100. Feathers, lace, leather, crystals..beautiful, and the merchants proudly display "made in Venetia, NOT China" And the glass pieces! We're not even to the island of Morano yet, and they take your breath away. From a chandelier that had devils and fire, to earrings and animals, to giant paint brushes. Another art piece is made of painted wooden eggs that from afar create a giant mural depicting the Madonna, a sultan and other figures. Up close, you see the detail of the decorative eggs and loose the people...gorgeous. Gondolas, water buses, and taxis. Best friggin pasta (here's to walking enough to counter balance the carbs I'll be consuming!) The clock in San Marco's square has moving bronze statues of men who ring the bell....very cool, but frankly, also a bit creepy: big giant green bronze statue that moves, made in the 1500's..yowsers, no animatronics in those! There are 3 palaces (that I've found to date) in San Macros square. I could use the space normally given to a day on the trip just to describe the square, there really is THAT much to see, and yes, it's all gorgeous...pretty sure mom may have filled a gig picture drive today. The purses...well (so far!) we bought 4, in our defense 2 are for other people =]. And we've yet to do more than drool at the other leather wear (shoes, gloves, jackets...) likely a good thing we got here on a Sunday...window shopping was a bit less of a wallet drain, lots of the shops were closed...tomorrow, I smell tr-ou-ble! you need to look in every direction,(up, down, right, left) or you're likely to miss some gorgeous detail. From a dragon light fixture, to a mosaic, or a statue covered in gold. The buildings here are really weather worn, bits of stucco missing and the brick showing through, honestly looks like something we pay for in the states....here it's just happened naturally with time. Given the grander here, and the bits left over from the Greeks, Romans, and Turks....I now have a better appreciation, and sense of awe at how gorgeous the ruins of those times must have been when they were standing....it's mesmerizing. Before it sinks (no really it's a "modern" Atlantis) add it to the must see list. Words fail to describe.
Quotes:
“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”-Ashley Smith
“You are the center of your universe, and you can make anything happen.”- Ashley Smith
“Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it” - Confucius

Slept in today...

Well if you can call getting home at 6am and sleeping till 11am "sleeping in" have breakfast with mom and Ilker...gotta admit glad to have met and made friends with a tour guide, and he's got a day off today...luckiest gal ever! He took us to the cistern which was in the movie "To Russia With Love" side note, adding this to the movies to see list...along with Gallipoli. There are coi swimming around. The columns were brought by the Romans, and were "left overs" so they're a bit of a hodgepodge. Some Ionic, some Hellenistic a few Corinthian. Though the tunnels are a labyrinth beneath the city, the majority of them were walled off. Why? because people are nuts, and felt they needed to swim in the area where the movie was made. There are 2 medusa heads used as pillar bases. One is sideways, the other upside down...which has left plenty of room for speculation, from the pillar was too tall (sideways) to medusa normally looks over a building to protect it and this was underground, so she needed to be upside down to do her job...in the end, no one really knows. After the cistern, mom and I head out to the spice market to pick up a few things (rose oil and saffron) then off to the baths! The one we visit is the oldest in Istanbul. (çemberlitas hamami, built in 1584)  http://www.cemberlitashamami.com.tr/ It's segregated (men and women) and there are multiple options as far as services go, from self service, traditional to multiple add ons. We went with traditional plus a massage. Mine was pretty basic, mom on the other hand got a lady who scrubbed her footies, face, shoulders...she started before me and finished a full 5 minutes after. Happy birthday to her! Had a turkish tea and relaxed a bit before leaving, this a must do for the full experience of a bath...really feel the modern day spa was born of the baths of ancient times. Something that bemused me, the Turks stopped drinking coffee for the same reason Americans started, politics and money. The sultan decided too much money was going to the import of coffee, since the area was better suited to tea, Turkish tea was born! (Boston tea party, conversion to coffee) We were both pretty tired and have an early flight tomorrow, so grabbed a kebab and headed to bed. Tomorrow, Venice!
Quotes:
"God acts in history: that is, God provides ideas, methods, and experiences intended to bring comprehension to man, an understanding heart, a conscious life."- Jacob Needleman  

Today was a whirlwind of epic proportions

Was a bit better prepared for the full burka barrage known in other realms as a "tourist bus" had on capris and a shirt with short sleeves, so think I downgraded from whore of Babylon to slut in training...can someone please explain to me why, when, and how one gender deemed itself more human and somehow more important than the other? What a frigging crock of crap, and yet there are many who still eat from the dung pile with pride...from both genders....we aren't even to the subject of skin tone yet. Last I checked every Holy book out there took judgment out of human hands..ummm, stillllllll waiting. Odd to me, to see the bond shared by the pain of the war, yet  judgment and sheer disgusted loathing still pervades toward all women....the modernization of the world as a whole, is noticeable in the younger generations...on the coastal cities anyway. Made me very grateful to be born an American woman. Back to the bus...we went to: (more on each after) the blue mosque, Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) the hippodrome, lunch, little haga Sophia, the grand bazaar and the palace of Topkapi (and that's the official part of the day, oh yes, there is more) you could spend a day plus at either the bazar or palace alone. Istanbul is an amazing city, full of history. Would strongly advise women to travel with others. Now a bit about the things we saw. The blue mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet I to outshine the Hagia Sophia. The word for gold (altin) and six (alti) are similar in the Turkish language, so instead of getting gold minarets (call to prayer tower) he got 6 towers that matched the mosque. Thankfully the sultan was pleased and the builder (unlike his predecessor) kept his head. The name derives from the +20,000 ceramic tiles that decorate the interior. Blue gold and white in color. All mosques are "mini communities" of sorts, having a kitchen to feed the needy, a school, a shopping area (to support the kitchen/school) and a burial ground. Sultan Ahmet and his family, are on the grounds of the blue mosque. Across the way is the Hagia Sophia, meaning  "Holy Wisdom" in Greek (Aya Sofya in Turkish) was built by Justinian the Great in the Byzantine era to establish (then Constantinople) as the most powerful city, and he as the richest most powerful leader. (sounds a bit familiar, eh?) he was successful. The dome and church remained the largest until St. Peter's basilica was built in Rome (the Vatican) anyone want to lay bets that St. Peter's was built to: a) prove the center of Christianity was now in Rome, and b) double bonus points if it was built smack over and with bits of a temple to Apollo...but sure, religion has nothing to do with politics...right. (King Henry VIII: divorce, Episcopalians...puritans scandalized, America created...) anywho, I'll have the answer (if you're not interested in using the google finger, as the Vatican tickets have been purchased) when the Koran became the holy book oh choice for Turkey, the Sophia was converted to a mosque...least they didn't fully demolish it... I guess. The frescos, statues, and mosaics (many of them blinged out in gold) were covered up, destroyed, or, to put it kindly "repurposed." To end the bickering between the religions, it's now a museum....wonder if this strategy would work with the holy land? Make it like DC, an independent area belonging to no one and everyone...yeah right, who am I kidding, first let's get to a place where boobs are equal to balls. Out the door from the Sophia is the hippodrome coming from the Greek: hippos=horse dromos=path or way (modeled after Circus Maximus in Roma) this was the meeting place of the city, beheadings, horse racing, politics...all at the hippodrome. From here we had a yumalicious Turkish lunch. (salad, humus, kebab, watermelon, and coffee) we then visited the little Hagia Sophia, built as a prototype for the larger building and converted to a mosque that's still in use today. Grand Bazar time....for my haggling friends, this is your dream come true. Much like the Vatican, the bazar operates as it's own entity (minus the status of self governing) there are 27 gates, a police force, mosque, post office, and every trinket you can dream of...I was overwhelmed, my shopping gene still lays dormant. From here we went to the palace of Topkapi, was a bit disconcerting, armed with machine guns guards were everywhere. Sigh of relief when we were told this was due to a large portion of the treasury (including an 86karat diamond, yes, really...and it was once a ring...no I'm not clear on how that worked either..) the place is HUGE, gorgeous, amazing. Each gate becomes more private, once past the 3rd gate as this is where issues of the empire were discussed to work there you must be a mute...if you weren't, and wanted the "privilege" well, let's just say "wish granted" all sultans had to know sign language to communicate with servants. There's much more to describe, and I've not even gotten to our evening, so should you want to know more (you do, I promise) link below! From here, mom and I walked back to the hotel...no CLUE we we were so central, thank you Mamko! Met up with our tour guide Ilker for an amazing dinner. Walked around the new city...they had up Christmas lights, color me amused. Went to a hubbly bubbly bar under the bridge, oh yes, mumsie partook as well! Then off to club reina, gorgeous, on the water, views of the straight and a bridge, no roof. Home as the sun came up.
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul/Sights/index.html

Quotes:
"We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race." -Kofi Annan
"The connection between women's human rights, gender equality, socioeconomic development and peace is increasingly apparent." -Mahnaz Afkhami 
"The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race."- Susan B. Anthony 

Istanbul, day one: aka June 16

Happy birthday part 2 to mom, she feels since it's still the 15th in California, that means she gets a second birthday...fine by me, id be happy to just get one. Why we keep doing this to ourselves = beyond me....got in past midnight, and it's now 8am, and we're on our way to cruise up the Boospherous, not sure exactly what this will consist of, so I've got my bikini on under my shorts and tank. Get on the bus with the other passengers....and find myself face to face with my first full fledged burka....awesome, not that they didn't think I was a sinning skin showing slut who's headed to hell before...now I'm in shorts and a bikini. Goodie me. Gotta admit, really didn't think a tourist bus would be the first time I ran into a burka (technically there were 3) anyway through a 1/2 sleep haze we're told we're going to the spice market first, then to the boat. Spice market is super cool, and a must see/do for anyone who visits Istanbul. The prices are set here, no haggling...however, this isn't to say one vendor won't have a better price than another. So be sure to check a few shops before you commit. There's also essential oils, lokum (Turkish delight) and it's made with honey, not sugar or  corn syrup like the pre made boxed stuff. They have Turkish saffron for £3 for a huge bag...which gets you in the shop, once you're in, they pull out the good stuff, Spanish, Lebanese, Istanbul...it costs more, but compared to what one pays in the US, it's still very cheap, (I paid roughly $40 for 3oz) and it's so pretty! Beautiful deep red color, great smell. They have huge bins full of every spice and tea you can imagine. The market has been around since 1660, called the Egyptian spice market as this was the meeting place for the spice/silk road...and if you close your eyes, you can almost imagine what it must have been in those days....on the outer edge, a vendor still had medicinal leeches for sale. (yes really). We headed over to the boat, and it began to POUR...ugh bummer, and guess my bathing suit was a non needed item. (boat had a covered portion, and the rain dissipated about 5 minutes after it started) There are palaces on both sides of the bosphorus, and you can really see the influence of the Asian vs European architecture. I've now seen not only a different country while standing on the shore of another (Greece to Turkey) now, I've seen another continent from the shore of another (Asia to Europe). Pretty frigging cool...and now, time for a nap.       

The world through another's eyes..and happy birthday to mom!

It takes 13 hours to get to Turkey (if you fly direct) and I've heard many times "wow that's really far" and being an American is rather an anomaly here..yet it takes an Aussie, or a Kiwi over 20 hours to get here, and there are no direct flights. We've met a ton of them, and no one seems to think it odd they flew all this way to spend a brief time here in . I now know why. The Anzac campaign of 1915 world war one. It lasted eight months and cost 500,000 lives. That is half a million people dead, an entire graduating class of the largest university in Istanbul gone before many of them would have even been old enough to drive today. I'd heard of Brighton beach, I had no idea it was off the coast of Turkey. Th soldiers were supposed to have landed here, but missed. This and many other small "what if's" and "if only's" led to a fruitless battle where the Turks were determined to keep their homeland, and the Allied forces, just wouldn't quit. One solider wrote: "I saw a Turk today, he looks just as human as I, why are we killing them?" they traded cigarette papers for tobacco,  shared water and food, clapped to each others songs by night, and got to the business of shooting each other by day. The trenches were close enough to each other you could easily carry on a conversation, and could even tell by the inflection of the voices if something (an attack) was immanent. This was a battle that has shaped the history of Australia, Turkey, and New Zealand, and was something I had no clue of until today. To see the pain of another countries history, something that has colored the view of their world, yet to be so removed from it...is a very sobering experience. I felt almost like a gawker going by a tragedy on a freeway. Both sides lost so much, and gained nothing..at least nothing at that time. Now through this common pain, the nations have formed a bond, and though they were on opposite sides of the battle lines, the pain is mutual. The sadness shared, and the determination to remember the insanity, the brutality and absurd loss that is war is a lesson all who travel here carry with them. The reality of the pages in the history books becomes a real experience that remains part of your soul. Something you remember forever. Bit of a heavy day for moms birthday! We did have a bit of raki to celebrate. And now, off to Istanbul! And we've been bus-wacked. Farfegnugen. Plus side, we're only going 1 way, everyone else did Istanbul, and back. This is a rather common phenomenon here, somehow the bus driver knows who's going where, who's not coming back, and where we're dropping one person off or picking another up. Sometimes a tourist, other times a local...if you're headed the right direction, people catch a ride! Nother plus, it's a tour bus (no pit stench!) down side...5 hours till we arrive. Blogging time!
Quotes:
"We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace." -William Gladstone
"When my heart is at peace, the world is at peace." -Chinese Proverb
"There never was a good war or bad peace." -Benjamin Franklin
"Peace is always beautiful." -Walt Whitman
"It is no longer good enough to cry peace, we must act peace, live peace, and live in peace." -Shenandoah proverb
Info on Gallipoli campaign:
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/the-gallipoli-campaign/introduction
http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/overview_gf.htm
And there's a movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082432/ (starring Mel Gibson)

The place of legend!

So friggin excited!!! Before we get to Troy...a bit about the travel to get here. As previously mentioned, We were caught in a bit of a rain storm yesterday (people must really think I'm a loon, as I was laughing jubilantly at the whole affair) saw a couple of girls on a mo-ped, the one on the back was holding the umbrella open, awesome....but priceless goes to the guy speed walking down the street with a hand clutched desperately over his breast pocket to protect his ciggys...no hat mind you and he was getting soaked, but he could smoke! (when he got where he was going I presume) the day started out quite lovely, so as we were headed to the bathes, and then to shop, I was wearing shorts, a shirt, and had my sweatshirt in my smaller backpack for the plane...I had originally intended to change into my capris prior to getting to the airport...however, though I found the rain fun(ny) to watch, had about 0 intention of walking the 15 minutes (each way) up the hill and back to get my change of clothes...yeah, traveling inland in a Muslim country in shorts (in high sing song voice again) awwwkkkward. And not high on my "recommended" list. Plus, it's cold, planes are always cold, and these were no exception. Nothing too dramatic, just a few more intense (I refer to them as "whore of babylon") stares than normal..and believe me, being stared at, picked up on, and borderline harassed, is par for the course. (and men wonder why women are bitchy: you passed complimentary, and into obnoxious about 70 fuckin' "no thank you's" earlier) travel tip numero UNO: get yourself a wedding band, or a burka, or both. The no flights out of Chanakkale until 2 days post when we intend to leave is all coming together now, as is the no direct flight (getting here started with a car ride at 6pm, and we got to the hotel past midnight.) this airport qualifies as one of the smallest I've ever seen, (perspective, I've been my share of municple airports) Another early morning, thankfully though the tour's done by noon(ish). Sadly, Troy was discovered by a treasure hunter, not an archeologist, so the majority of what was discovered was knocked down, dug out and pillaged, and as of WWII, the jewelry etc, is now in Russia (and they refuse to date to return it, lame) there are actually 9 versions of Troy, the one of Homers poem (the horse, Achilles, Helen etc) is believed to be that of 6 &7. Six is of the correct time period, has a well thought out city pan, and seems to have dwellings outside the city walls. 7, is a hodgepodge and everyone is now in the city walls. Lots of very large amphora (clay storage containers) are found in the floors of this city, as if the residents were prepared for (or going through) a siege. The area's prone to earthquakes, hence the multiple cities built on each other. Every 100 years or so, an earthquake decimates the area. It's abandoned (sometimes the inhabitants die during the quake. The buildings are covered by soil...and then a new group decides to build again (long pauses between city building here, we're talking hills covering the previous dwellings...not always the case as some of the walls are built atop the prior foundation, but in many cases, 100s of years passed between 1 city being built to the next.  So many years and cities in fact, that the area is now a hill. It was once a harbor town. The water has receded, the earth is still very furtive, and the river described in Homers poems are still of the same name and flowing as described. Though the story of Helen sounds romantic,  let's face it...this thing went on for a decade...I'm sure a dudes attention would have been dissuaded in this time. As are all wars, this was about power and position. Troy was in a veer strategical point of the Dardanelles, and as during this time period, sailors needed to wait for the right winds, he who controlled the area, controlled the money. So the Turks had it, and the Greeks wanted it...(sounds a bit familiar,hey?) according to the archeologists who now are exploring the cite, there's easily 125 years worth of excavations to be done....hopefully we take care of ourselves and the planet long enough to get to it all...in the mean time, the actual horse remains a mystery. No one is really sure if it was created as a battering ram, a device to trick the Turks (as described) some other type of war tool, or is simply a thing of myth and legend. We do know, the city itself was very real. The walls were in fact very decorative, and it seems the war did happen. The rest....
Quotes:
"Time! the corrector when our judgments err."  ~Lord Byron
"Time is the coin of your life.  It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent.  Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."  ~Carl Sandburg
"Time is a figure eight, at its center the city of Deja Vu."  ~Robert Brault

Turkish bath!!! And, umm that was hail..

Because the trek to Pumakkale was a 12 hour endeavor, we opted to stay another night in Kusadasi, and head up to Canakkale (where Troy is) on Tuesday. Ate breakfast, showered, packed, put our bags downstairs and headed toward he center to see Mamko the travel agent from Tayf tours  (www.tayftours.com)who (in our opinion) totally rocks! They've got offices in Athens, Istanbul, Canada and the US, and he listens to what you're asking for, and his prices were equal to what I was finding on booking.com and such...minus all the work (umm YAY!) much rather give a live person a booking fee than some faceless nameless corporation. We got our tickets for our flight, gave him a few more things to look into and were off to experience our first (oh yes e will be more!) Turkish bath. Side rant, okay here people, you have about a millennia on us dumb ass europeans who seemed to think not bathing was some type of badge of honor (I'm so healthy I only needed one bath -nasty! Also why there were June weddings, that was the bathing month...) would a little deode-eo really hurt so damn bad today? And since it seems to, kindly keep your arm pit out of my face...again, thank you ferry system, don't think the bus system, winding roads, and au du heat wave would have made for a fun combo...anywho...back to the baths! The place is gorgeous. The reception area has a little fountain and some benches around it. (there's also a tv in the corner to remind you this is still the 20th century) you check in and can opt to purchase some upgrades (a mud mask, and/or oil massage) mud mask was needed for me (sunscreen + heat + hormones = breakout, boo) but wasn't anything special, so unless your face is an unruly mess, it can be skipped. The oil massage on the other hand, go for the longest one they offer, umm AWESOME (said in frilly sing song voice) after check in you get a locker key, head upstairs and change into your bathing suit (this was a coed bath) come back downstairs go through the reception area, a second waiting room, and on into the wash area. There's a huge tiled slab here. It's a huge hexagon that's heated from the center out. You lay on it (along with the others) and sweat. Around the edge of the room there is a ledge for sitting with faucets and basins placed about 2 body widths apart. If you get too hot, or want to sweat more, you go to a basin, dip the bowl in the water and pour it on yourself. Around 15 minutes after you arrive, the guys who work there come in and start splashing everyone with water. To prevent the water from getting in my eyes, I had them closed...which led to me getting a nice cold bowl full dumped on my belly. (squeak!) one by one each person is asked to sit up (there are 2 different guys doing this station) and you get loofaed.  (I was asked if this was my first time bathing as I had a LOT of dry skin, hee hee) from here you go to get your soap massage. The guy takes what looks like a pillow case out of the water blows air into it, and then squeezes from the top down, and wahla, your soaped up! Your massaged with a wash cloth, then asked to flip over...by this time I was so slippery, he slid me 1/2 way across the platform (the platform is easily 4.5 meters) fro here they direct you to one of the basins (not yet in use) and wash you off. You stay there and continue to cool down, and can splash yourself as much as you'd like while you wait. In groups of about 4 you then head out to the 2nd waiting area you passed through on the way in. Your wrapped in a sarong, and the towel is fanned around your shoulders before being wrapped. Ougb it didn't feel cool on your way into e bath...the anti room, now feels chilly, nice, not too cold, but a definite downgrade in temperature. After cooling off a bit more back to the main waiting area, a cup of tea, and then massage time! And it is melt on the table, can I please pay for more time awesome. Mom was a bit oily after...my skin was so dry it soaked all the oil up. Travel funk be gone! Too bad I'm still in the same clothes, oh well. We head back to the center, grab some lunch, and were going to do a bit of shopping as well as look for a place to mail out the postcards. Mother nature had other plans. The outside cafe ended up huddled under a few umbrellas while the main road turned to an impromptu river..and it HAILED, only for about 20 seconds, but still!! (you're welcome California, yes the weather here went nuts too...for a few hours) so, instead of shopping, made friends with the waiter and a German gentleman who is in real estate. Had an early birthday cake for mom, and headed to the airport. Tomorrow: Troy! (yes, "that one" that Hollywood had staring Brad Pitt...the Iliad and Odyssey: Troy) doesn't get much more legendary than this! So amazing. Yay
Quotes: "Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence." -Buddha
"In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true." -Buddha
"Every man dies. Not every man really lives." -William Wallace 
"Everything has been figured out, except how to live." -Jean-Paul Sartre   

I have seen where the end was written, and now know where to get to Hades- beware!

But first, let's back up a bit... Recall how I mentioned when someone tells you "it can't be done" say thank you so much, and ask someone else? Case in point. Today is election day (yep on a Sunday, weird to an American view point) our hotel told us they called 4 travel companies and no one was going to Pumakkale today...we walked to the center and went to the one I had seen the previous night, (yes it was open at 10pm) 1 phone call later, and we were set, nice. Headed into the shopping district of old town, again, everything was open...clubs, restaurants, stores, even the stylists..and this is the part where we were side tracked. Before leaving San Francisco I was a bit busy packing up my room, getting all the paperwork, travel supplies, and loose ends tied up...so my hair, was left off the "done list" and when my hair gets long, it's heavy, and gives me headaches...especially in the heat when it's in a pony tail. Add to this the lack of conditioner, (not a single bottle or pump to be had to date ladies, add it to the travel should have list) sooo....needless to say the straw that was 3/4 down my back was in desperate need of help. One shampoo, a deep condition, some color and a much needed cut later, and I'm a new gal! Thank you Turkey!!! I know of no other place where you can drink wine with your stylist in the salon while getting your hair done until 1:15am...do you? Before we went to the springs we walked through some of the ruins of the ancient city. Huge Roman amphitheater apparently one can tell if it's Greek or Roman based on the shape, horseshoe = Roman, 1/2 circle = Greek...dont ask me to tell ya he difference between a 1/2 circle and a horseshoe, because...uhh...to date (that's 7+ amphitheaters peeps..)yeah, lost on me: column differences on the other hand, totally your girl! From here we walked to where the temple of Apollo was, and the gate to Hades(which have both been knocked down, Apollo in the name of Christianity, Hades in the name of a gate to the underworld..well we can see where that could be misused.)  Pumukkale needs to be added to the bucket list y'all. Its breathtaking and like no other place I've ever seen. The upper third of the mountain is covered in calcium, from a distance it looks like snow, or spun cotton. Hence the name, Pumukkale translates to cotton castle, and the area has bee used since antiquity to treat wool (makes it super soft) and every aliment known to man...today it still boasts it'll cure (pretty much everything) that ails ya! The pools are blue by day (pink at sunrise/set) and though they look rather deep, at most, you're up to your knees. The pools are shaped like the shelf mushrooms you see in the forest on dying trees...when you take a moment to reflect tthe travertine has been here and used pre 2nd century BC, how special this place is...it really is beyond words. You aren't allowed to wear shoes on the pools...and surprisingly, the formations (even at noon in 27 degree heat) are still very cool to the touch (think of drying potters clay, same type of feel) the springs claim to fix everything from stress to blood pressure to weight issues to...basically you name it. By the end of this trip (we're at natural hot spring #3 for me) I expect to look the same as I did at 16 from my hair to my skin to my pants size, and I'm guessing I'll be healthy for minimally the next 5+ years (hee hee). The government now controls the water flow so only portions of the pools are opened on any given day. Without the flow control the water would become red or brown (some would remain blue) depending upon the amounts of minerals, and flow direction/volume. Despite the hand of man, this place takes your breath away and soaking in the pools, though I can't speak to the other claims, is surely relaxing...and standing under the water falls to rinse off the bluish green clay, is fun too ;). (think of a mud mask, but au natural!)
Pamukkale info: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/485
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/hierapolis-pamukkale
Quotes: "Life is a magnificent manifestation where if we honour Sacred Mother Earth, rivers of love will flow freely. New levels of spiritual awareness are upon us and by recognizing their beauty we can inspire every aspect of our lives. Let your soul be an oasis of transformation that takes your life to the next level and fulfills your dreams. Rejoice in your awakening, the future is now and love is in every breath you take." -Micheal Teal
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." -Dalai Lama
"If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities." -Maya Angelou 

#3 for me!

Yup the third of seven ancient world wonders on the "to do" list for today. Got a bus to Ephesus. £5.00...and the buses here, they're what we call shuttles in the city. The Turks would likely be appalled by the muni busses in SF. Before you get into the archeological site, there are shops and a few eateries, and (to date) my favorite shop sign/motto: (ya ready? It's awesome promise!) "Genuine Fake Watches!" I nearly fell over laughing...made mom find it for herself, (way too fun to spoil it by pointing it out!) oh yes, pictures were taken! Walked around for about 4 hours, saw 2 amphitheaters, one for games and plays the other (smaller) for government business, (speeches and the like) and concerts. This was a huge port city. The most famous ruin is the library...makes the SF main library look like plain Jane. The library was constructed well after the city was built, and was given what little space was left in the city walls. To make up for it's size, the architect used grander, the two story structures facade is still amazingly gorgeous. Marble, 8 statues, the columns and stairs are set in a way to trick the eye into believing the space is much larger than it really was. There's the remains of a public latrine, a bath house, some homes, terrace houses, the umm oldest female profession area (look it up if you're unaware) a gate of Zeus that was created to be small enough that no chariots could come through. Some temples dedicated to various emperors. On to Artemis procession way (woo who must be getting close to Artemis' temple), more shops (stoa)...and we're at another paid entrance. (be tee dub, ya can get the genuine fake watch at this entrance too- I know you had to be concerned about this!) Frick...how on earth did we miss the biggest temple of Ephesus?!? Whatever, I'm hungry and about to get nasty about it...(did I mention it's frigging humid and H-O-T...with an occasional breeze) ask the guard, (repeatedly) may we go eat and come back in? "Yes, go ahead." oh yay! After a leisurely (70+) minute lunch, I go say hello to a shop keepers puppy, to discooovvveerr. Artemis' temple...yeah it's not in the Ephesus archeological site....umm alrighty then. So happy I asked!!! I'm in Kusadasi specifically to see said world wonder...no the tiny "dedicated to" from such and such family on the procession row wasn't what we were looking for, (nice try mumsicle) get back to the gate, and cause a bit of a hullabaloo...am shown the fine print that states (basically) no in and outs...yeah dude, thanks for the reading lesson..this was why I asked, 3 times if eating was okay...you said yes...and since when does going to some type of monument/park etc have a no reentry rule?!? Good grief. Said my oops sorries, and with £20 (each) still in my pocket, an empty bladder and a refueled system, headed the kilometer+ back to the other gate, grabbed a cab, and off to the temple of Artemis... Zee temple of Artemis (no entry fee) is now mostly under a lake. There's one pillar left but not much else,(lots of cute baby turtles though, and geese and there's a stork nest on the top of the last standing pillar)  the grounds are HUGE, this would have given a Vegas hotel property a run for who's bigger. Though this was officially part of ancient Ephesus, I'm glad we cabbed it...(about the same as walking from the outer Mission to the Marina in SF, hills included, add heat) walked into Selçuk, went by a mosque, saw (another) castle of St. John (spelled Jean here) opted "no" on the entry fee for this one...(castle #4 for us, no offense but it's nearly 5, and we started around 10ish) got directions from the guy working at the castle door (4 points to Turkey, none of the "just go straight") get back to the bus and head back to Kusadasi. Gorgeous sunset, walk to the center for dinner (we're sidetracked, more about that on the next post) get home around 1:30am, and off to sleep. We're headed to Pumakkale at 8am!!,
More info on Ephesus: http://www.ephesus.us/ephesus/ephesus_history.htm
Temple of Artemis: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/ephesus-temple-of-artemis
Quotes:  
"Every exit is an entry somewhere.” -Tom Stoppard
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu
“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell

2 islands, 2 ferries, 2 countries, 1 day:

Mom got a ride on the scooter (third scooter ride for her!!! Way to go mumsie!) to the ferry terminal, I opted to walk. (and was there about 20 seconds after they arrived, granted I had about a minute head start) the El Greco is a great little hotel (more like an apartment) there's a washer (sadly we weren't here long enough to have our clothes dry) a microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, and a ceiling fan...I've been rather surprised by the lack of ceiling fans here...one would think a fan would cut back on electricity bills...yet, this is the first place we've stayed (honestly likely the 5th ceiling fan in total) that we've seen. There's a great roof deck with a view of the majority of the island (blocked by a rock on a small section). Patmos, though it's visited by a few cruise ships, is a bit more off the tourist track, and therefore very charming. The owner of the Greco is a history major, and has been a guide for years. His father is from Dallas, his mom, Greece. Ladies, be sure to wear your wedding band...even if you're single. Trust me on this. I'm honestly contemplating a burka. (no really I am) too bad they don't come in pretty colors, and you can't tan through the damn things...not to mention you'd roast...still, ownership and wearing is on the strong maybe list. Ferry ride was rather long...mostly because the benches weren't anywhere as comfortable as the seats on the blue line. Flip side, I was in the sun AND saw dolphins!!! So frigging awesome! And we saw 2 sets, or the same pod twice, not sure, still amazing. Yay! Landed in Samos, got a cab to the other side of the island (where the ferry for Kusadasi leaves) left our bags at the booking agent office. (they offer storage for backpackers-sweet!) walked down the waterfront, WAY more fish here than we've seen the whole trip (including the dead stuff floating in Rhodes) and these little fishies were alive and well, different sizes, shapes and colors...too bad there's no time for a dive. Ate at a cafe with free WiFi, and booked our hotel in Turkey. Water was rather choppy and the ferry gave a new definition to s-l-o-w....pretty sure we drifted out of the harbor. A few hours later, and some unexplained zig zags to cross the short distance from Samos, and we're back in Turkey. Got to our hotel in time to watch a beautiful sunset from our 4th floor balcony, nice. Went down to the center had some shish for dinner, was pretty good...but pretty sure it wasn't what I ordered (lamb chops) sometimes that happens. (for those who don't know the "sometimes that happens" story, ask...it's a darn good giggle!)
 “I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” – Lillian Smith
 “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu    

I have been raptured!

Saying farewell (again, and for now) to Kos, and headed off to Patmos. This tiny island is chalk full of history! The book of the apocalypse was written by Saint John in the cave monastery. Apparently when he laid down with his head In the rock while his right hand was in another crevice, God spoke to him, and a scribe took down the end of the world...no I am not making this up, this is how the book of the apocalypse came to be, and what Mr. Rapture priest dude is looking to as fact. Now, if you're a devout Christian, I implore you, stop reading now...because umm REALLY? WTF? Mork and Mindy nanoo nanoo comes to mind. The rock with your antenna hand was a conduit to hearing how the world would end...alrighty then sir. Wonder if he were alive today if Saint John would have his own TV channel, or a straight jacket. Please don't get me wrong, religion can teach a lot, and has its purpose...but remember where it came from, humans. Humans who were struggling to make sense of the world around them just as much as you do. Give yourself a break, And remember the lessons...maybe remember things are lost over time, and through translation, perhaps a strict view, is a skewed view. From the cave where an exiled St. John had his scribe take down the book of revelation, we motored on to Petra, a beach dominated by a huge rock...with many of its own myths and legends. It's been lived on/in by hermits, and there are stairs, fire pits, and even a cistern left behind. There's a door that supposedly leads to a cave left by the famous pirate Barbarossa....but because a mineral was found on the rock that leads scientists to believe the rock came from space (mineral isn't found on earth) the rock is now a monument, and opening the cavern is illegal...I wonder if sonar would be useful? (no there is nothing keeping anyone from climbing or living on the rock, and apparently during the summer some people still do live there...) from here we went up to another (no longer opened, and now used for cell towers) monastery at the highest point of the island to watch the sunset. Back to town around 9, and booked our ferry tickets to Samos...seriously America, this whole everything shuts down at 6(ish) thing...is going to take a bit of adjustment. I kinda wonder....do we really work more than the Europeans? Or is it perception? True we only get 2 weeks of vacation, to the norm of 6 here (or the off season for the Greek aisles/Turkish coast line) but on the flip side, we have an end to our work day, and weekends. Here, people work from 8am with maybe a 4 hour break until 1am, or from 8pm till 4am from May through October...no weekends off, not even a day off (unless they're sick, or there's a strike) granted, this isn't the corporate world...however, still, makes me wonder.
"My religion is love"- Amma
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." — Mother Teresa
"As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, keep it." -Mahatma Gandhi
When asked to march against war, Mother Teresa declined, stating: "when you march for peace, I will join you."
"Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding." - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

I've been gone a full month now!

Crazy, doesn't seem like it in the least. Time moves slower now, mom has inherited some clothing as I'm shrinking, (at least my waist is, YAY!) mom and I were headed to the archeological museum, but were side tracked by a site that had been previously locked up. There wasn't anyone collecting money, but it was open, so we went in to explore. Found some really cool mosaics,  and frescos. The site varied from Byzantine to Hellenistic to a bit of Roman...and yes, I've seen enough of these sites now, I can pretty much identify them before I read the signs. Met up with Alex and Fotes and headed to the beach for a few hours while the guys were on a break...Apparently my swimming ability is highly amusing to the guys. (who knew) and for those who aren't aware, yes I can swim, above average by everyday standards, and a bit below by pro swimmer standards. You can tell the season is getting started, just 4 days ago all archeological sites closed at 3pm, (or earlier) now: 7pm...but we're still not to full on high season yet. The whole, "let's fly to Izmir" plan-denied! Try take a ferry (direct to Samos from Kos doesn't start till moms birthday, June 15) or head back to Bodrum and sit on a bus for 4 hours...yeah, umm I've been traveling for a month peeps, my travel funk is enough to deal with, think I'll take a big fatty PASS on the bus with pit stenchie dudes galore, thanks though. Another few bits of travel advice, "it can't be done" normally translates to "I don't get a cut from doing it" say a polite thank you and move on till you find someone who will help you. "You must take a bus" really meant: chill in Kos one more day as there is a ferry to Patmos the following day. Spend a day there, and then a competing ferry company (which no one on Kos can book, ahem make money from) will take you to Samos. From there, nuther ferry to Turkey (Kusadasi). Sweet, 2 more islands, another beach and explore day here in Kos...and no bus trip stench, WIN! Couple more tidbits, 1) bring a loofa-believe me you'll thank me 2) your 3G will fail you, spend the $20 on a garmin (or some such thing) if you plan to drive.
 "Embrace fully your capacity to create, to think in unlimited ways, and to pursue everything that you have been wanting. Be flexible, open and willing to let the new come to you. "This can be the most joyous, prosperous, and creative time of your life."  -- Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer
 “If you open your heart, love opens your mind.”  -- Charles John Quarto

Back to Kos

More stamps in the (brand new) passport!....they're on the same page FYI. 27 blank pages to choose from, and I have 7 stamps and a visa sticker on 2 that face each other...go figure. Ferry was uneventful, though there was a bit of a spat when we landed. It's apparently customary to allow parents with young children, and elderly people to the front of the line, when a couple attempted to sneak in with the kids, there were a few words and gestures exchanged in roughly 3 languages. Have a new hotel this time, from the placement on the map, it appeared to be closer to the center (town square) than our last hotel. Though it was in a more populated area...it was just as far. Plus side, the walk was along the water, which was nice. Made me giggle (again) especially when I see people pull out a map and study it with such determination...just can't help but think, rookie...and, poor sucker. I'm turning into a coffee addict (no ciggys to date....though I'm sure I've inhaled enough 2nd hand smoke to qualify for a 3 ciggy a day habit) don't know what I'm going to do back in the US...for some reason the Greeks have faith in your ability to self flavor (milk & sugar) your own tea, but apparently feel the barista is better suited for this function with coffee. I'm sure the 'bucks and peets crowd will give me quite the look when I request a frappé medium sugar, little bit of milk. (hee hee) had a drink with Alex after he got off work, then walked home with mom, who had a bit of ouzo, and insisted she knew a shorter way...I wasn't about to argue with her, so followed her on her ahem, long cut. We made it back to the hotel...you know, eventually.
"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."-- Denis Waitley
"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere."-- Agnes Repplier 

Chill and plan Sunday...

Figured out the next place we wanted to go (where ancient wonder numero tres is) and figured it will be easier to get to via ferry from a Greek island, so hiho hiho, it's back to Kos we go. Did a bit of shopping, booked our ferry tickets and hotel, then mom read up on Turkey...only to discover, the town we want to visit is an hour away from Izmir (a major city) and completely accessible by train....so, we'll be flying to Izmir from Kos. Hee hee. At least we'll get to see the museum, and ship some more stuff home, as well as get some Greek honey and such...plus, I need to send some postcards, and really think they should be postmarked from the country they depict! Had our best meal yet at the marina yacht club...and believe it or not, though the setting was much more upscale, the meal itself was less than the prices we saw across the street. Had a bottle of  local white wine which was quite nice, and both of us ordered seafood, mom won. Hers had a great yellow curry dipping sauce a potato cake of some sort with an awesome flavor and 3 types of seafood. Mine was also good, and the presentation was gorgeous (it was served in a giant seashell) was almost a seafood stew...but nothing compared to the seafood sampler platter. We even got dessert, rice pudding with pistachio ice cream- yum! Music was a crack up, if you've ever been to a piano bar, you'll appreciate this...know how they'll sing a modern pop song, but to an elevator tune...so you kinda feel like you know what you're hearing? Same here, with a few made up lyrics to boot...must admit was the first time I've heard a piano bar version of "I will survive"
Random stuff: first apologies on the grammar/spelling, yes some is intentional (aresome for example) others...well it's often 3am or so when I finger type these on the iPad...so oops, and promise I will fix it at some point.
I've looked up the round the world timelines, and from what I can tell, the ancient Mayan culture was around at roughly the same time the Minoan (400 year head start on the part of the Mayans) and the Incan culture came about much later roughly around the time of the Romans (400AD)
Quote:
 “Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey.” – Fitzhugh Mullan
 “Half the fun of the travel is the aesthetic of lostness.” – Ray Bradbury
 “Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God.” – Kurt Vonnegut

Ancient wonder of the world #2! (for me anyway)

Walked to the mausoleum today...honestly, not a ton to report...none of the statues remain and only bits of some of the marble pillars are strewn about. You can walk through parts of what used to be the burial chambers (pretty cool) and there's a video (in English) about the structure and Bodrum's history (about 10 minutes) theres also a timeline telling the story of the mausoleum: who built it, the purpose, and how they came up with the drawings of what it was believed to look like. Alexander the Great was so impressed at it's grander that it was left standing after he took the city of Bodrum (then called Halicarnasus.) we went back to the hotel, cranked on the AC, I mentioned it's melt yer face off warm here, right?...drank some water, and headed out to find the gates of the city. These, no charge to see.(again, go figure) you can actually climb to the top of the tower (of course I did) there's a few grave sites nearby (Roman) apparently it was custom to bury soldiers outside the city, but near the entrance so they would be remembered by the citizens. A very high end hotel is next to the old burial grounds...so once again, here we are checking out the history, taking pictures of mosaics, meanwhile in the background of the shot...dude sunning himself by the pool....odd, and in my personal opinion, pretty high creepy factor having your hotel pool next to a burial ground...wonder if they have any hauntings...once again, the non paid for antiquities won out on more interesting to look at...though for coolness factor, gotta give it to seeing a wonder of the world. Walked to Gumbet (next town/bay over from Bodrum) hung out by the beach, and inadvertently, became part of a foam party, nice one. I sometimes wonder if people really get the lyrics, (lots of American pop hits are played...) heck, sometimes I don't know what the lyrics say, and it's my native language...makes me wonder, would Rihanna, S&M, be blasted if anyone had a clue what it was really about...for being a Muslim country, sure were a lot of topless peeps on the beach, no full nudity (that I noticed). We were contemplating a cab back...(again, heat, melt, ick) but as twilight came, the temp dropped, and we walked back. Changed (again) and headed back to the Bodrum pier area...man this place comes alive at night! We ate around midnight, every store and restaurant was open, people everywhere...many of the clubs here, don't open until midnight, and stay open till 5 or 6am. There was a guy making glass  Nazars (evil eye ward off talisman) across from the place we were eating, cool free entertainment seeing glass melted and shaped. Fresh oj here is awesome, as is the Turkish tea and coffee (offered after every meal, yay) we were considering going out, but mom was pretty over it, so headed back to the hotel (or "otel" as it's spelled here) around 1:30am and called it a night.
Quotes:
“The open road is a beckoning, a strangeness, a place where a man can lose himself.” – William Least Heat Moon
“Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.” – Alan Keightley

We're not underwater, but everything you see once was

This is the motto (of sorts) of the underwater archeological museum that is housed in the St.Peters castle, (knights of St. John constructed...these boys keep popping up everywhere!) shout out to Texas, turns out a professor at Texas A&M started the field of underwater archeology, and students still come to the area to study today...don't ask me his name, no I don't remember, though I do have faith in your google fingers. This, is most definitely worth the £10 entrance fee. Do be sure to either a) pack a munchie or two or b) fuel up for real in the courtyard cafe, you're gonna be awhile. There are 6 towers to explore, each with its own display...(warning 2 are an additional charge £5, and only open from 13:00-15:00) some of the walls have random pieces of what looks like marble sculpture pieces in them. We later found out this was pieces of the mausoleum. Not clear on how this went down, some things I read say the knights destroyed the mausoleum (frigging lame if so, even Alexander the Great was so impressed he left it standing) other things say it was an earthquake...either way, there are legs, faces, and some flower pieces among the stones in the wall. The English tower has armor from the middle ages, as well as coats of arms. The Spanish tower has a display dedicated to Priapus, (ahem, male fertility) and yes, that's what's in there (in case you're bringing kiddos, now ya know) the old church has a mock up of one of the wrecks that was unearthed, as does a section in the middle of the fort. The section in the middle is really cool, due to the cargo they believe it was intended to be a gift for royalty. Pieces of the boat, (wood) as well as the baskets and rope still remained. There's a mock up of how everything was found (and at what depth, the deepest being 60meters!) and above a recreation of what the ship was believed to look like, very cool. The German tower has a torture chamber (really not all that much to see, especially if you've been to the ripleys exhibit of medieval torture contraptions) the French tower has a coin through the ages display, along with what the coins were worth, and approximately how long different types of workers would need to save to buy certain things. (sorry teachers, you were underpaid in the BC era too, 3 years not spending a penny to buy a house.) there's a section that houses the glass pieces that have been found, another that is the burial chamber of a princess (her remains are in there) this one costs extra, and no pics allowed, btw...there's a glass wreck, (also an extra charge) great views from all the towers, and a ton of history. Worth the £ and time for sure! All in all really great way to spend a day in Bodrum, should you come here, put this on the must see list.
Quote:
“What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” – William Least Heat Moon
A great deal of talent is lost to the world for the want of a little courage. - Sydney Smith

Hello new country!

Fare thee well (for now) Greece, and hello to you (30 minutes by ferry) Turkey! Who knew crossing 20kilometers of water would equal a 5+ degree upage in temperature! Oyi vey! I think I may melt...okay okay, it's really only 28, but this ain't no island, and it feels more like 30. (yes San Francisco, I hate to break it to your rain drenched hinies, I'm whining about heat! If you don't like it, leave it...weather here is fabu =]) I'm adoring the ferry travel, drank a effes, (local beer) not to be confused with efe (local jungle peel paint off the walls juice) and insto presto I'm in another country(o). Sweet. Hung out on the pier till the crowd cleared and a grand total of 1 hour after leaving Kos, Greece, I'm in Bodrum, Turkey, aresome. For anyone who does this, be prepared, you'll need to walk a bit, the taxi stand is about 300meters from the boat...there's plenty of stops along the way though, so you can always grab a cold something and chill for awhile before ya hoof it. (we didn't, but it is an option) got to the hotel, put our stuff down and went to explore. Found out theres another ancient wonder here in Bodrum, check me 2 wonders of the ancient world! (missed the one in Olympia...means I must return!) and will also get to see another near Izmir in about 5 days from now, unexpected trip score, 3 of 7 ancient wonders, rockin. (for those wondering: we've seen where the colossus of Rhodes stood, the Mosuleium is here in Bodrum and the temple of Atremis is further up the coast of Turkey) while there are plenty of similar dishes here as in Greece, the spices are completely different. And they're equally awesome, just very different. Contrary to my expectation, pork is still on the menu...likely because this is a beach town, and not many traditionally clad folk...heck, not many wearing much more than you'd see in SoBe or Vegas frankly...and the heels....some put a stripper to shame. Back to shorts for me tomorrow! You do hear the call to prayer, not really clear on the timing, as I heard it roughly 3 times last night. (forgive my ignorance, I thought it was a once at morning noon and night thing... Du'oh) there's a huge castle/fort type structure on the pier where the ferry drops you off, we intend to explore this tomorrow, and unlike Greece, there were still people headed in at 17:00 (Greece tends to shut down all museums/ruins and the like around 15:00...at least the ones they deem worthy of an entrance fee)
Quote:
“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

Oh yeah I found what I was looking for!

No circular route required! We still had the car for today, so headed out to find the wineries (found out there are only 2 here, vs 13 on Santorini). If you like wine, and ever visit Kos, I highly recommend finding the wineries, to start, the property is gorgeous, on par with the stunning views/ set ups of California's wineries. Beyond the rolling vineyards, you can glimpse the sea...technically, you can see all the way to Turkey. Second, loved the wine here, (yes some more than others of course) but as they've only been around for 6 years at this point, and currently are so small production they only serve the island...again, worth checking out. We were so confident in shipping...we bought more wine. =P from here we headed to paradise beach (apparently paradise is a popular beach name, every island seems to have one) snoozed on the beach for awhile, and drove to the end of the island (another beach) there were a few churches dotting the way. (white, a few pink with blue tops) was a pretty drive, lots of Billy goats along the road. Stopped at a random brown antiquity sign...this one wasn't a pay site, go figure...had some of the most incredible mosaics we've seen to date. There were Byzantine ruins built next to Greek temples, there was still red paint on some of the walls depicting hunting scenes, so, just like the butterflies, one of the best parts of the day, showed up when on a whim. When traveling...hell, when living, trust the wind, it will blow you just where you need to be. Got back to Kos town, returned the car and ate a bit of dinner.
And now, for the wine I highly suggest you skip...talk about your acquired taste, retsina so called for the resin that was used to line the barrels way back when...I simply refer to it as "the funk nasty" and it gets ya on the back end, sneaky bastard. If you do dare this endeavor, chill chill chill, the funk nasty is easier to cope with chilled. It seems all good, like a normal glass of your average white wine, and just as your forming the words, actually it's really not th...it hits ya, dirty pine needles in the mouth. Ick ick ick. And no it doesn't go away after a few swigs, or even after a few cocktails of another variety. It's like having a margarita, and then, just for giggles, licking the sidewalk, or a pine tree. A few more travel pointers. 1) bring your own sunscreen and a LOT of it, friggin €20/tube here, regardless of the SPF factor. (thank you Derek for the heads up here!) ladies, if your traveling for more than a month, bring supplies...trust me on this, you'll thank me later! Again, I reiterate, tissue paper, always have tissue paper!
Quote:
people ask me why it's so hard to trust people, and i ask them why is it so hard to keep a promise. (unknown author)
To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved. - George MacDonald
To whatever degree you listen and follow your intuition, you become a creative channel for the higher power of the universe.- Shakti Gawain
Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Set your intention, and trust the universe to take care of the details. -Mike Fotheringham

Thanks for the mojo everyone!

The wine is on its merry little way to the USA. Woo who. Saw something with the same embalm as the post office here, but in another color, turned the car around to check it out. Greek version of ups. Woot! Found out they were open till 7pm (post office = 2pm here) so we continued on to askpleion, and checked out the ruins...this place was MASSIVE! 3 levels, and about 3 football fields in length. (again, the ancients, yeah, we've got about zip on them in the building really big stuff category) legend says Hippocrates was born here. There was a temple to Apollo, another to Zeus. There were sections where the clay water pipes were still in place. A fountain, though the majority of the detail has been washed away, is still where it was thousands of years ago, happily doing its thing. You can see Turkey from here, bit odd and rather cool to see another country from the country you're in. (this coming from a California girl, who can drive all day and still be in the same state, which I'm sure others would find strange...all in the eye of the beholder, as they say!) 
Went up to Zia to walk around and catch the sunset....not to be confused with Oia on Santorini. Sunset was gorgeous, sets behind Bodrum. Food was great too, had ribs, and sole, and a 1/2 carafe of wine. (split between 2 people, no I'm not THAT much of an eater!) 
Got back to our hotel, changed and went out drinking to celebrate (finally!) getting the wine shipped. Kos is like Mykonos in it's open late, the shops/restaurants etc, easily open till 1am. Clubs, 6am or later. Met up with one of the guys (Alex) who works at a restaurant we'd eaten at, then went to the hot springs....Greece and what they do vs. don't regulate.....not really clear on the subject of what does/doesn't qualify and why....the hot springs here, no gate, no lights, and open for whoever can find them. (the ones on Santorini= € go figure) People were there when we arrived, and more came as we were leaving (at about 3am) And these were HOT, I'd suggest walking around the edge until you find an area that's shallow/not burn your bum on the way in...and you certainly know when you've arrived, sulfur smell is pungent. Once your eyes adjust to the dark, and you ease in (not gonna lie, I found a shallow area and sat on the edge) the water, you get used to the heat, it's quite nice, and is apparently very good for you. Great day, and really cool way to spend an evening!   

Happy memorial day! (need us some travel shippin' mojo please n thanks all!)

Went diving today...spent all last night waking up checking the time....my alarm hasn't exactly behaved as its supposed to since the new sim...actually cooperated this morning, so perhaps it's figured itself out...too bad I'm about to change countries, tee hee. We were up at 8 for breakfast and at the dive boat by 9:15ish. After our last dive (blue lipped shiver fest) I got 5.5mil, a shorty and a hood. (the dive masters were all wearing the same, and booties- don't judge!) first dive was a sunken cargo ship, 18meters deep at the lowest point. It's believed it was the Turkish equivalent of a "coyote boat" no name, or any identifying numbers were anywhere on the wreck. Everyone who was on the boat was thankfully found alive. The runners (much like on the Mexico/America border)get paid a lot of money to get people past immigration into Greece. If they're about to be caught, to avoid prosecution, they'll sink the boat and the coast guard is required to come get everyone and bring them to Greece...which is what happened to the cargo ship we saw today. It's split in 3 sections, and you can see where it plowed into the ocean floor. The second dive was amphora (pottery used to transport water and food on boats BC era) as the (wood) boat itself has (dur of course) rotted...and for some unbeknown reason, seeing antiquities above ground is perfectly allowed, encouraged, filmed, and often not even an entry fee...apparently, underwater, as soon as the Greek government knows about it...it's sanctioned off, and no one's allowed near...yeah, I don't get it either. Lots of really big pieces, also saw an octopus, sadly he (she?) wasn't in the mood to come play. Was a great dive day, water was warmer than Crete, I only had 8kilos of weight, it rained on Kos, but not on us (and had stopped by the time we returned- awesome) walked along the beach, grabbed some food, and continued into old town. Saw the tree where it is believed Hippocrates used to teach. (how friggin cool is that?!?) tree is HUGE, and it looks like a few of it's umm "grandkids" have also taken root. There's a kind of "jungle gym" built up around the tree to support it, apparently pruning a +/- 2,500 year old tree that represents so much is no bueno. No clue what a "plane" tree is, but that's what the Hippocrates tree is called, (miss green thumb aka mom didn't know either, neener) need me some shipping travel mojo sent my way from everyone please, fingers crossed, hail Mary, throw salt over your shoulder...whatever your good luck dance is, if ya could do your jig tonight, we could really use it! Send thoughts of seeing our wine: boxed, shipped and merrily on its way to San Francisco by midmorning (Greek time!) Tuesday May 31, please and thank you. Got myself a bottle of retsina tonight...not gonna lie, a bit frightened by the idea of pine flavored wine...but when in Greece and such. It's currently chilling, I'm thinking cold pine needles will go down better than room temp...and likely even better after cocktail #...I'll have mom take a picture of my face as I drink it so you may giggle ay my ventures into the world of Andrew Zimmerman...okay let's face it, booze, yeah, this is way more like Bourdain. ;)

(Irish toast, with the Greek "cheers" [to your health] added to the end)
May the light always find you on a dreary day.
When you need to be home, may you find your way.
May you always have courage to take a chance
And never find frogs in your underpants.
Yasas 

May 29, 2011 Easy breezy travel day.

Least stressful travel day to date...fingers crossed, we're not yet at the destination. Ferry ticket, €20.50 car was picked up at the ferry port, just left the key and called the company. No permission needed to load the wine. Big big ferry, it's like a mini cruise ship, even has sleeping rooms. Thankfully, Kos is the first stop (we think) Athens being the final destination. Had another day to explore as the ferry didn't leave till 17:00. We found the bee museum, sadly as it is Sunday it was closed, (bummer) drove toward old town (also the port) saw a brown sign (these equal antiquities FYI) took a detour, found the remains of a temple to Apollo an amphitheater, a Hellenic home, a cave system...and something called funerary crypts with couches, yes I found them, nope I can't really give ya more info....they were fenced off, but a bit overgrown by weeds...it's a bit crazy, Americans are seen as garish as we build everything on such a large scale...yet the ancients, put us to shame (maybe not on the height, but definitely on the size...excluding Vegas.) we got back to old town, found a square, a few ancient churches dedicated to the virgin of such n such...honestly, I have no clue what a "burgh" is...must get a definition. A bit quirky, here we are snapping pictures of the ruins, meanwhile behind us, a lady is hanging her laundry...we see: interesting piece of history, she sees: my back yard.
Okay, I must ask, is it common practice in Europe to leave ones room key with the front desk when you go out for the evening?....I must admit my Nancy Drew conspiracy theory brain was in high gear last night....as previously mentioned the last hotel only had WiFi in the common areas...so I was downstairs booking our hotel, doing some banking and such...it was 11pm(ish) and pairs of women keep coming by and dropping off a room key, I mean, I've heard of late check out...but, uhhh...WHAT!? Then a couple of girls come through and get a room key, no luggage...at 11:30, and I vaguely remember noticing this going on the first night I was down using the Internet. (and only women, either single, or a pair...) Like I said Nancy Drew nose up in arms, this kitty must find out what the hay is going on (honestly thinking ummm drugs? Hookers?...) anywho, go upstairs, grab mom, make her come down and watch the front desk action (while having a cocktail and loading pictures onto facebook) not to disappoint it happens again, so now were both wondering, umm WHAT!...thankfully about 10 minutes later a family of 3 comes in and requests their room key...so clearly, we're the freaks (I guess??) because we take our key with us? Whadda I know, it would never occur to me to leave my key with the front desk. First, I like to pretend my stuff is all nice and locked safely away, (yeah yeah we all know the staff has access, but somehow with me having the key....) second, I wouldn't want to bother the desk person, you already checked me in...no need to bug you for a key every time I leave. So if anyone out there reading this has more insight I'm all ears...hope everyone is wonderful! I'm off to Kos,  the birthplace of modern medicine. More on Hippocrates to come. Yup, now at the hotel, was a €6.00 cab ride. Easiest travel date so far, yay!!! And just book a 2 tank dive for tomorrow, get to see a wreck, and some ancient pottery that is believed to be from a pre B.C. wreck (wooden boat is of course no more...so) oh, and yes, they take a bit more time, but to date on chill and ease factor bluestar line, heart ya mucho!!!

Quotes:
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain
“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Saturday May 28th aka sometimes a water closet is a highlight of your day

Would you like your beer for here or to go? Yup, I love Greece (on this front, Vegas also gets a shout out!) oh, forgot to do a write up on fishie feetsies in Crete. Hee hee, so so cool! It tickles, was glad I had a beer with me! I'm officially now part of at least 2 peoples holiday photos. If you're able, do a salt scrub prior, get as much of that old skin gone as you can. :) Dr. Fish, seriously looking into this as a business option back in the states. 
Okay, back to today! When staying at a hotel with a buffet breakfast, it is advisable to refrain from sleeping in. Surprisingly, I really wasn't hungry till 5ish. We drove up to butterfly valley, walked about 1.5 kilometers (1 way up hill) saw lots of waterfalls, some river crabs....butterflies, 0. Got to the sign that said monastery 100meters ahead, the black cloud that had been gathering above us was rather vocal at this point, so we figured a covered area, was very good planning...after a pit stop. (pleas see post heading) butterflies! Not a TON, but double digits worth-yay...and we only discovered them because we went by the restroom. Ha! One landed on mom, and I got it to crawl up on my finger. I passed sir flutterby off to a 10 year old, kid was thrilled. (cute) had a plate of Greek doughnuts at the monastery, they were quite nice, drizzled with honey and sesame seeds. Headed back down the trail. (so happy I parked at the bottom!) going uphill fresh and new, and headed back via down hill, yay....the rain wasn't too bad, was still 22 degrees today, and a lot less muggy. After walking through the valley and back, we drove to the golden beach, and on to Lindo. Lindo was very cute, reminiscent of Mykonos town. At the top of the hill is (what's left of) the headquarters of the knights of St. John, within the walls is what remains of a temple to Athena Lindia. Sadly, we weren't able to walk within the hodgepodge of times merging together, as the gates closed at 2:40pm (random.) had a Greek plate for lunch: moussaka, stuffed tomato, a meatball, and 2 dolmadas, yum! Found the ancient theater, and made our way back to the car...I managed to get myself where I intended to go all day long, woo who to me! Even saw a few bonus items including a very cool monastery dedicated to a St. Nektarios http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/nektarios/nektarios.shtml made it back to the hotel in time for sunset, and booked our ferry tickets to Kos. Another reason I <3 Greece, you can change the drop off location of your rental car, no extra € involved, umm awesome.  

Quotes:
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

″A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” – Moslih Eddin Saadi


   

Happy 3 day weekend Friday America

Walked around Rhodos old town today. Saw the old pier where colossus (one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient world) once stood, an earthquake took the statue out awhile ago. There are now 2 columns with a deer on each column, not clear of the symbolism there, I shall google it and get back to you. I did however wonder, why 7 wonders, seems a bit of a random number...apparently, I'm not the only one who's wondered this, and yes I did google this question, (funny, google has really taken over the term "looked up" or "researched") anyway answer is:  http://www.new7wonders.com/file/download/mediendb/1/id/16635/
Walked for 6 hours today, I love you reefs! Was rather muggy out, and it's really warming up! Must have been at least 22 out today. Lots of really cool things in old town, a church of St. Francis of Assisi (yes San Francisco, he is who our city is named for) saw the knights of Saint John castle, the Grand Masters gate, a few mosques, a few byzantine churches, lots of shops, old roads, among other things. Lots of fountains. Plenty of gazebos, made of cement...which was unexpected...) On our way to old town, we passed a diving platform, pretty cool, someone built a 3 tier dive platform out in the ocean. Favorite sign of the day: (in front of a taverna) Greek happy hour from 3 -7, buy 1 pay for 2. Haha! (in Crete, a restaurant proclaimed: we are not the best) the sense of humor here is great. Learned about a local saint. (walked by a church dedicated to him, took a picture, and googled it when we got back to the hotel)  St Phanourios, and the link: http://www.orthodox.net/recipes/st-phanourios-story-prayer-to-bread-recipes.html saint of lost things...wonder what he'd be in today's world...
Walked by a memorial to the fallen soldiers of WWII (appropriate given this weakened is memorial day in the states) 
Tomorrow, plan on driving round the island, kinda hope to find a winery or 2 (they apparently date back to pre BC, friggin' cool!) also hope to find the butterfly valley, some ancient ruins and mayhaps a beach or 2. And if anyone out there knows how to ship wine from Rhodes to the US...I'm seriously considering calling it "olive oil"
The prayer of St. Francis:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Travel day May 26, 2011 (no really, I checked, this date is correct)

Got a flight to Rhodes, €69 one way, bit more than a ferry...but they weren't running to Rhodes from Crete today apparently (or were sold out, not clear on the subject) when given the option to ship wine from a wine shop...take said opportunity. A post office is a nightmare wherever you may be. 3 line changes later...the wine went back in the car with us. And barely made it on the plane...we had to ask the pilots permission to bring it on...friggin nuts! I did see a fed ex office here in Rhodes, and apparently they have pre BC wineries on the island...so fingers crossed we'll be shipped by tomorrow!!! Driving was another saga of got close then walked. BTW, the car...we're big time now. Ford festiva baby, pretty sure there's blue tooth, oh yeah! My hamsters have been officially upgraded to something akin to a zoom. (I know this because 60kilometers/hr now lives where 100 lived on the last speed gauge, that and I wasn't singing the little engine that could up the mountain side...) so grateful I learned how to drive on a stick shift!! It's saved some major € renting cars! Got into the airport around 5:30...after numerous failed attempts of finding the hotel on the map(think I've finally got mom convinced to give up map reading, and use it more as a loose reference tool) we were actually able to call the hotel (score!) and were told they were by the water. Parked, gyro, beer...found it! Also went by the aquarium, which is supposedly one of the biggest/best worldwide...unless most of it is underground....uhhh, as long as it's not too much €...I will be checking this apparent optical illusion out. There's a temple for Apollo 3 kilometers from here, on the way to the car, I saw a neon sign through an alley..kinky (no really that's what the sign said) it must be explored....during daylight hours. Our hotel is 3 buildings away from the beach, you can see it from our balcony, schweet. We have a (albeit tiny) tub! I'll be soaking with my knees up to my chest here soon! (I only miss a bath when it's not an option...some sort of Murphy Law, I'm sure...) Internet only works in the main waiting area...bummmer on one hand, but on the other, leads to meeting more interesting people! Headed to bed now, it's 2:30am here.
A few tips I've garnered along the way:
1)You really don't need that much crap, leave that behind, you'll be carrying it the next 2 months, make friends with laundry, wash and dry quickly items. (and if you really need it, buy it cheap
1a) this doesn't apply to your drugs, having claritin in massive quantities, and Naphcon A, has saved my life!! Don't for a second think it will be available or the same version where you're headed, save the heartache, bring it. 
2) packing in zip locks = genius idea, no more tearing everything out to find the 1 thing you're looking for, underwear in one bag, shirts in another, beach stuff another- awesome
3) use the old fashioned pinch close zip locks...those stupid zippy thingys, break, friggin annoying!!
4)always always have tissue paper, you never know when it will need to be TP...
5) bringing your old ratty, were about to go to the goodwill clothes, best plan ever. (this only works if you amend the first tip, and actually DO leave stuff as you go) Wear it till it stinks, leave it behind, ahhh bag is now lighter...or you know has room for the stuff you've bought along the way...and the stuff that you were sucking it in to fit into...bring it, by week 3, you'll fit. (walk everywhere if you want this to be true!) I'm sure the locals think I'm nuts, but hell, so does anyone who knows me...so not like that's anything new. I still revel in my crazy, hope you revel in yours too!  

Quotes:
Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish. -Albert Einstein
A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?-Albert Einstein
Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts. - Albert Einstein  
  

Dive day!

And it's sunny out! Woo who....well it was sunny and I did woo who...but that frigging water is COLD! I've also discovered my first dive boat with no drinks (water people, water)...ugh, good thing breakfast was included at the hotel. The sea is super salty, and frigging COLD. I've got on a 5mm wetsuit, and am using 10kilos of weight...perspective, in grand cayman, I carried 4.5 kilos. But the dive master has the same amount of weight as me, and yes, my tan's darker. Went through a cavern, so awesome...and um, happy there's no sharks here...glad my first experience in a cave system didn't even include the probability of sayin wuz up to Mr. Sharkie...yeah, I'd have burned some air on that! Not a ton of fish here,(ahem, years of over fishing does take a toll) but some super colorful little guys, a few starfish, and some urchins. Started off sunny, second dive...pretty sure my lips turned blue. Gorgeous cave system...honestly though, I nearly called it, I was swimming faster than the dive master to stay warm, glad I stuck it out, coming up theough a lava tube...friggin awesome. 
Soapbox time. You have been warned, so if you read further, thank you, I appreciate it, and again, you have been warned. This goes out to all the "it's not my problem" state of mind people....especially if you like seafood. The lion king had it right peeps...it really is "the circle of life" that shit you throw on the ground, and in the water, the fish eat it...which means you in turn eat it....mmmmm cigarette butts, just the flavor I was looking for in my fish plate. Yes, I saw fish nibbling on a cigarette butt some ass tossed in the water. The Pacific gyro (google it, you need to know)  sadly very real, sea life dying from mistaking our plastic crap for food is all sadly very real. You are not immune, you ARE responsible, it is your problem. Take care of this planet...you wouldn't be here without it.
Quotes for today:
when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money. (Cree Proverb)

All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man, the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports. (Chief Seattle)

I'm just a big black rain cloud, hovering over Chania town (May 25, 2011)

So much for diving today...headed towards Konosos to see the ancient palace, built by the Minoians 7,000 years BC. And yeah they had running water, and drainage...and took baths more than once a year. It's believed that when Santorini blew, the gasses and ash cloud killed the civilization. What's left is pretty gorgeous. Got to see a very famous painting, dancing with the bulls (moms art history major coming in handy!) it rained a bit...still needed sunglasses but there was enough rain to need to stand under something for a few minutes...then it went away. Found a gyro place and lunch of 2 gyros and 1/2 liter of wine = €9.19, sweet! Headed back to old town (130 kilometers...oyi) there's fruit stands (mostly oranges), and little road side mom and pop cafes (tavernas)  and thankfully, lots of gas stations. (they're only open till 9ish, fuel up early!!!). Ate at tamana, and had some of the local booze (retsina, I think?) with the dessert...okay, we all know, I'm no stranger to taking a shot, but DAMN...they claimed it was 40, maybe 45% alcohol...clearly this is some home made jungle juice, I'm telling ya, it could peel paint. Both mom and I were up to get water later!! Food was awesome, and price was great! Here's hoping the weather clears for the dive tomorrow...

Live your own life
"We don't always know what makes us happy. We know, instead, what we think SHOULD. We are baffled and confused when our attempts at happiness fail...We are mute when it comes to naming accurately our own preferences, delights, gifts, talents. The voice of our original self is often muffled, overwhelmed, even strangled, by the voices of other people's expectations. The tongue of the original self is the language of the heart."  -- Julia Cameron

 "It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. ...I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing." -- Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Adjustment...

Oyi, getting back to San Francisco is gonna take a bit of adjustment!! Just going to Crete was culture shock. Traffic circles, scooters, graffiti...loud noisy, doesn't feel like an island. Plus side, water is drinkable agin, yay! Things I'd recommend you face during the day vs at night....renting a car and driving 130 kilometers with a Greek map (read no gps) Greek maps are great for general vicinity, exact location...trust your instincts, or have an address written down that you can point to and repeatedly request assistance with! I was feeling like quite the awesome driver, my little mint blue bubble (I call the cars bubbles, they're kinda cute!) anywhozeyboozie my hamsters were whirring away (pretty sure if you open the hood you'd see a hamster in a wheel, I'm not convinced it's an engine...) at 100 kilometers/hour...yeah it's really not that fast. (look it up if you want to know, 1 woman conversion machine...hopefully joined by others soon!) so drove 2+ hours in the dark, up a brick street in old town (read narrow as all get up) did a 3 point turn....multiple times (damn I miss my back up camera!) hear we were close, turn left at the end of the road (woot! Something past just go straight!) proceeded back where I had just backed out of, turned left, and found (wait for it...) ya ready?...stairs. Yup stairs, I mean I know it's a rental and all...but uh, I reversed about 25 kilometers, nuther 3 point turn. Back down the very narrow, cafe lined road, and out to the fort. Parked, asked for directions again, (was given the same general advise) locked the crap in the car, and hoofed it. Yup, it was about 5 minutes by foot. Woo who to getting to the general vicinity of where we needed to be on hope faith a prayer and a little travel mojo, schweet. Hotel Doge is right smack in old town, and suddenly I feel transported to what I imagine Morocco must look like. Huge 4 poster bed, mosquito netting around it, red and orange bed spread all the wood work (night stand, cabinets, etc) look hand made. The floor is a gorgeous red tile. The shower way more high tech than mine at home. 5 shower heads, yes, five....though you can only use 3 at any one time (of course I had to try them) walked around old town today, as soon as you get to the outskirts: graffiti everywhere (boo hiss.) it was super muggy. Old town is pretty cool, surrounded by a fort, and there are areas where you can see the damage from the bombs dropped in WWII, pretty intense.  Lots of cute shops, plenty of tavernas. Was a heck of a drive, but happy we made it, felt a bit more like island life here, no where near as intense as Hiraklio. (like I said....I'm gonna need to ease back into this whole city life thing...)

We were constantly moving to different countries and adjusting to new things. It was such a free feeling. I'm glad I didn't have a traditional upbringing. - River Phoenix
       

Satur...wait I mean Sunday.

Yup I've officially lost track of the day, and the date. Yay me. I'm brown as a nut, (and still proud to be nutty) booked our tickets to Crete and got a hotel for 4 nights. Finally figured out how to recharge stuff in the room...and yes, we're now leaving, tee hee. Mayhaps eventually I'll catch up/figure stuff out BEFORE I go...perhaps not. Perhaps that's the meaning of this journey, learn to not only live with but actually come to revel in and enjoy the wonder of not knowing. At it's core, learn to trust. Lost my wallet for a bit today, somehow though, I knew it was lost, not stolen, just put in a pocket (travel gear comes with a ton of hidden compartments) was annoyed while I couldn't find it (mainly because I needed to pay for some stuff before we left) somehow the fear that used to yak over so quickly was much much quieter today...and it all worked out! Was in the back pocket of my bag...duh. Walked down to a black beach near the hotel, and a snack at the local taverna, I picked up trash on the way back to the hotel. Grabbed our tickets in Fira on the way to the port, and I'm currently watching a gorgeous sunset out my window seat while catching up my blog. Someone brought 2 bunnies with them, so friggin cute! They're in a bird cage in the baggage area.Crete should be an adventure...I didn't book us a transfer, (getting bolder!) might get a car at the port, unless they're asking too much. Then we'll call the hotel to find which bus we take....unless mom vetoes and requests a cab. We shall see! Looking forward to the Minoan history and ancient ruin/wreck dives on Crete. Rumor has it Zorba the Greek was filmed here, so should be a gorgeous beach. Sunset is getting very colorful, bye for now.
Alrighty then we landed around 8:45, mom voted for a cab, till we found out it would be €150, one way....we opted for a car. Just got to the hotel (it's 12:10am here) The cell only works for Internet if I'm on a network, 3G isn't an option...based on some loose directions, and a vague idea of where we were headed, I got us within walking distance of the hotel-sweet! (yeah, the number listed in the email, didn't work...not sure if it's a them or a me issue) any who, I'm exhausted...Crete is huge. Doesn't feel anymore like an island than Manhattan feels like an island. G'night for now.

Saturday- yes, I'm lost...again, maybe still

Recall how I mentioned I find things when I'm not looking? Today, I found (and even drove through) the center of Fira, yay me. As I'd found Butari accidentally on Thursday, and was shown how to get there on Friday, the whole game plan of:1) Butari, 2) red beach, 3) ancient agretiri, then tbd. Simple...uh huh. Try: found the highest point of the island, found a black beach...drove about in circles for a bit (yes butari was actually at the center of said circle I would discover later) found the red beach (score!) found ancient whatsermerhosie...it's currently closed as a portion collapsed last season. Was starving by this point, so stopped at a little cafe on the beach. The area has this volcanic compressed ash that has been dug into and reinforced creating cave restaurants on the waterfront. The guy who ran the one we ate at, bought his fish fresh (he showed us the catch) made his own wine, and fava bean dip. His brother made the olives (they were awesome, had a faint hint of roses) and the produce was all from either him, or his brother. We had dorado grilled with a bit of lemon juice, the flavors here are so fresh (ahem no monsanto gmo shit) that's really all you need/want. The home made wine, had to have a higher alcohol content than most..a few glasses in, everyone was content. (mumcicle a giggle fest) I was relaxed enough to continue the hunt for the elusive butari...that I'd found 3+ times before mind you. We finally asked for directions, and got an answer that didn't consist of "just go straight" and found our way to the winery! Yay!!! "Just go straight" seems to be the answer de jour when asking for directions. How do I get to....oh very simple, no problem, just go straight, turn left by the first church,  right at the corner...(uhhh, that's not exactly "straight") don't even begin to try "straight" in Mykonos, the roads are built through and around the buildings, not the other way around. There are signs on Santorini, they have destinations listed...naming streets doesn't seem to be something anyone has felt the urge to do, but hey people are friendly, and willing to give directions, so I'll take it! There was a group of 5 girls from San Francisco at Butari, believe it or not, no I didn't actually know any of them. (see I don't actually know the whole city...yet) went to mail home the wine but the postoffice was closed, bummer. Saw our last Santorini sunset (for now) talk about rapture, it was gorgeous! Happy the worlds still spinning, and we're all still living, let's take care of each other and our planet and keep it that way awhile, kay?

Remember: "be the change you wish to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi