Marmaris

 Another day, another ancient city. In the morning we were dropped of in the city centre. We had elected not to sign up for a tour but to do some exploring on our own. We left the bus in the shadow of a statue of Ataturk - the leader who unified the Turkish people. Within the heart of each city is a grand bazaar where hundreds - in the case of Istanbul- 4000 shop owners ply their wares. The majority of shops are dedicated to jewelry, leather goods, Turkish delight and other sweets, clothing of all descriptions, souveniers and other cheap items. One sign in Kushidasi - know for its knock-offfs - said “Cheaper than shoplifting”!

If you are trying to find something - good luck! The vendors are all trying to get your attention - hey lady or boss !

Tim was trying to find some glue and after we located a hardware store on a back street Marija was able to use sign language to let the clerk know what we were looking for! Super glue!

There is a very well preserved castle close to the harbour which was interesting to explore.

We decided to return to the ship in the afternoon but after waiting for 30 minutes in front of Ataturk’s statue and watching buses go by we decided to chase one of them. Apparently the police had indicated that the buses could not wait where we had stopped but the tour company did not leave anyone at the alleged point of pick-up to let us know!

The days are hot - 30 - 40 degrees! We seek the shade and drink lots of water. 

Every day at 4:30 we join a group of people for a trivia quiz. Two couples from England invited us to join and we have good fun. There are 40 - 50 people vying for Oceania points so they can buy swag on the last evening.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Athens - Day 1

Image
Yesterday was busy. We had a delicious breakfast at a quaint restaurant directly across from our hotel. It looks small, but there was seating inside, outside and around the corner. The street looked like a lane, but every so often a car or motorcycle would barrel down the street! We then headed off to the Acropolis where we purchased tickets for 5:00 p.m. Everyone wants to go there but it is better to wait til later as it is 31 degrees! We elected to go to the Acropolis Museum - air conditioned of course. Lots to see! Many of the pieces were collected and reconstructed. The Acropolis itself was built as a place of worship and, in fact, the entire hill was filled with temples. In 1867, the Turks bombed it and it was virtually destroyed. Later Lord Byron spent time in Greece and took some pieces back to the British Museum. Although they were lying on the ground, for some reason the Greeks are still upset. The building above is the museum. After the museum we went back to ou...
Read more

The First Days

Image
We drove to Calgary on Saturday morning with a short diversion to the family farm near Pine Lake. On the way we passed a large poster with the family name! We took a picture of the family to enjoy. Then we stopped at the grave of Tim’s parents. In Calgary we visited with old friends - TIm has known them for 70 years, when they all attended a private kindergarten in Medicine Hat. On Sunday morning Bob delivered us safely to the airport. The long flight transported us to Paris and we are now in the middle of a 7 hour layover which we are spending in a lounge. At 7:00 p.m. the flight leaves for Athens where a driver will be waiting to deliver us to our hotel. It’s hard to believe Tim, Bob and Anne are all 75 and that next year we will celebrate 50 years of marriage! How time flies!
Read more

Athens - Day 2

Image
Our second day in Athens began at a delightful restaurant named “Picky”. It spills out onto the shared walkway and road! All the lovely people seem to be there. The staff and food are lovely. We then headed off to explore the Agora or ancient market where the Apostle Paul would have preached to the Greeks! The two story building has been turned into the Museum of the Agora and stands under the shadow of the Acropolis. We passed some very extravagant baking in a coffee shop but resisted! We went back to the hotel for a shower and rest and then had an ice cream as we explored the shops. Planning a bus tour we went out for a “quick” dinner - gyro for Marija and gyro dinner for Tim! By the time we finished we had missed the last bus! Oh well, a wander in the shade of the evening through the busy Flea Market, and passing by more eateries with live music. Finally, we retired for an early night only to be awoken by a phone call at about 12:30 a.m. which one of you called?
Read more