August 21

Good morning ... I know that I said that I would start on Greece ...but ... Istanbul is still on my mind ..

on this trip I have bought a couple of books ... the first one .. in Turkey .... there is a Turkish author ..whose name escapes who is married to a Greek woman and lives in Istanbul ... he has written a series of short 40-50 page books on specific neighborhoods/islands with transformation from Greek neighborhoods to Turkish ... his titles are usually .. from Antigoni to Burgaz ... from Halki to Heybelada ... etc... Greek names of places to the Turkish ones  ... the ones I found in print I bought ..which is only two at this point ... I bought one for my thia Katerina and she really enjoyed it ... I wish I could read Turkish....

anyway -- my mom and dad bought this magazine called Passport and in it ... there was a page about this Greek author ... Alexandros Massavetas who decided out of the blue ... to go to Constantinople and live there .... most folks including his parents thought he was crazy because he was just about to start an aspiring law career ... regardless the dude decides to move there and he now works as newspaper correspndent ... and he just published this book in English .. Going back to Constantinople ... Istanbul ... a city of absences ... so I went to a Greek bookstore in Athens and bought it ...20 euros ... I started reading it yesterday ...and hopefully will continue on the plane back ...

The title is great and I will write here a couple of paragraphs directly quoted from him just so might get more of an idea about this great city ...

Istanbul has a peculiar sort of magic, which no other city radiates. This magic does not derive solely from the unparalleled natural beauty its complex topography produces: on the junction of Europe and Asia, Istanbul sits on a series of hill, on three chunks of land divided by different seas. The city is not limited to its unrivalled collection of monuments, which give Istanbul an idiosynchacy of its own. Istanbul enchants because it perplexes. It will perplex the outsider as it often perplexes its residents, for it defies categorization and stereotypes. Istanbul is not a European city, even if two-thirds of it is built on European soil; at the same time it is not the East that orientalists fantasize about. Or maybe it is both. It is a faschinating mixture of people who live shockingly different lifestyles and of monuments to a thrilling variety of nations and periods. Istanbul, or Constantinople, as the city was officially named from its foundation until the 1930s, is a microcosm of the world and its history. Confronting Istanbul necessarily means confronting oneself.

The magic I spoke of does not emanate solely, or even mostly, from the kaleidescope of images and cultural perspectives. It stems from a profound schism. The visitor with some knowledge and sensitivity will realize immediatedly that its present life has little, if anyting, in common with the silent world of its buildings. A huge gap has separated the two. The contrast is so sharp that many have spoken of a "schizophrenic" city. Istanbul's historic quarters are mostly inhabited by squatters from Anatolia, who have little knowledge or appreciation of their material surroundings. These buildings, their forms and ornaments, are very eloqueent in their silence, althought they must seem irrelevant to those who live in them. They cry out for you to know that they were once inhabited by diverse others, others who are now scattered to the four corners of the earth. Istanbul is a city of absences. Its crumbling old houses, its churches and synagogues remain as the memories of those have heft. In shaping its visual aesthetics, its absences are more important than its presences, if may paraphrase Azar Nafisis's pronouncement on Tehran. There is very heavy silence over much of Istanbul. Its buildings beg for attention, eager to reveal a world of secrets ....

and so here I think comes the end of my Istanbul story for now ... of Contstantinople ... the city of my birth but a place I only know from familial conversations usually involving food ...

if any of you would like to borrow this book -- let me know ... Definitely worth a visit for those of you you have not gone yet ...

and so we start on Athens ... the city where I spent my elementary school years ... and here again .... how much can one remember when you leave at the age of 12 ... but I do have a lot of memories here and as I visit relatives we relive our past.

August 13 --

From the moment we stepped out from customs ... here in Athens there are people -- mostly relatives who love us unconditionally .... we were the first ones from my mom's side to move here from Istanbul so relatives who came in the years to follow ... I think everyone stayed in our home for two to three weeks until they found an apartment of their own ... a job .. etc ... our family here ... truly can not say enough for my parents ... most of you know them so I do not have to say too much here ... but there is this amazing bond ... we have been gone since 1979 and still everyone wants to go out of their way to make us dinner... take us here -- take us there ... from the beginning ... we were kidnapped ... my lets call him uncle Stavros -- he is actually my uncle's Vangelos brother in law .. my parents did not even know him when they came to Athens and they stayed with us and helped him and his family when they came from Constantinoupoli ...

... we wanted to go to my mom's only surviving cousin -- thia Katerina apt in Paleo Faliro ... She is so nice -- she has provided us with a great place to stay and my parents will stay here till October 10 ... 3rd floor -- you can see the water ... we go swimming there when we have time ...

-- no way were we going to be going thereto put our stuff away, relax, etc ... instead he took us to his house and thia Vespina - his wife - who just has gone through trememendous heart surgeries this past winter ... made us a yummy dinner ... and we spent the night there with my dad showing videos and pictures of our travels ...

I better stop here and return tomorrow ... my last day in Greece -- I will be God willing be heading to Virginia on Thursday and work on Friday ...

Till tomorrow ...

August 20 continued

On the island of Antigoni -- there is the church of St. George --where my brother was baptized ... beautiful little chuch and the church of St. Yanni -- which was just refurbished ... we asked to go in and a woman who helps with the church -- opened it up ...

Stunning! we really do have some great art in our iconography!

anyway-- under the church of St. George - there was a bar called Parathisos ... Paradise ... and you could go swimming there ... my grandfather Elias would take the smaller kids my mom and my uncle Evangelos and go there -- they would take food with them ..but also buy things from Parathisos .... the kids would go swimming ... my grandfather did not swim my mom said ....

my uncle -- the older brother Christos -- from the age of like 13 would play the accordion there ... he played on Wed. Saturday and Sunday and returned home for a couple of days and then back. He slept inside the house of the owner but he just told us that when the owner's daughter got a little older -- he slept on some wood thing outside .... it never rains -- so he was ok.

He would play the accordion, someone else the guitar and folks like my mom's other older brother Iorthanis (who God rest his soul--just passed away from cancer) would dance ....

sounds pretty idyllic and very fun .... we love music and singing and dancing .... and having a good time ...

my uncle Christos also told us that he bugged and bugged his parents to buy him an accordion ... he totally fell in love with the sound he heard one day ... and bugged and bugged for days on end ...he even would walk to Fendikli where my grandfather worked as a truck delivery person .. he delevered wood .... now that was a walk he did each and every day ....

his parents finally broke down and bought him one and then he asked for lessons ... and lessons he got ... he still is an incredible accordion player...

then his accordion got bad and he heard that the president of Turkey was going to either ITally or Germany -- I can not remember ... so he wrote a letter pleading his case ... a few months later.... a knock on the door .... everyone is afraid -- it was sort of the police asking for him ... my grandfather was like ...what do you want with my son ...

so they took him and he had to prove that he could play ... he did and he got a new accordion ... the president asked him to play for his wife while she was having a luncheon and he took his new accordion and off he went ..... cool story, hey ...

He later went to Germany and became a PhD in Chemistry and he just retired from teaching school there....

He also said that they boys there were 4 after all although the youngest probably did not get too involved .... the boys would fight from time to time ... he uncle Christo made Iorthani so so mad one day teasing him over and over again ... that he kicked Christo .... who was very lucky as he was sitting on the couch to have moved his feet ... and Iorthanis feet went through the couch .... guess who got hurt..... hmmmm

The Iorthanis was involved with Thodoros .... the oldest ...they had gotten a grammophone to play records ... and one thing led to another and Iorthanis took it and threw it on the couch .. well that did not hurt it tooo much ... then Thodoros took and threw it on the ground ..... pieces everywhere ...

my grandmother told my grandfather ... something happened but do not worry everyone is ok ...it is only a thing .... I do not know what punishment happened to the boys ....

Let me end here for now and continue on to Greek stories tomorrow by saying that I may not be able to see all of you here in Greece ...

our cell phone for anyone who cares to call is 698 139-75-99 -- from the States I think you call 011-30 - and then the number.
Our home number here --we are only at home in the morning and like after 9 or 10 ... is 9828165 -- from the States 011-30-210-98-28-165

for now ... good bye from HOT HOT HOT Athens ....thank goodness for the low humidity ....
hugs from all of us ...

August 20 ...

Hello everyone, first of all apologies that I have not written in a long while ... we are in Greece and we are running around from Athens to the island of Evia back to Athens to Akrata in the Peloponese ... and visiting lots of family here ... for the most part we have been in a hurry because I need to head back to the States on the 23rd ... anyway ... as long as you know we are safe and well ...

I would like to continue on Turkey because there is soooooo much more to say ...

continuing on my mom's movie habits ... I found out that when her indearing boss kiria Panagiota would be gone and her mom would be in charge ... guess what these young girls would do .... turn back the clock like 10 minutes so they can get out early to head to the movies ... can we try this at work? ? ? too bad for us -- our school has bells .... ha ha ha

my mom and dad have many many cousins ... and then I have lots and lots of second cousins ... many of whom I do not see unfortunately ... one of the cousins was God rest his soul on her dad's side ... her cousin Panagiotis .... (he died a couple years ago from Parkinson's)

Panagiotis mom was Alexandra - my grandfather Elia's son. She and uncle Stavro also had a beautiful daughter ... Kostantia ... is that not a great name ... Kostantia died at the age of 16 from measles ... imagine that. She was really smart ... She was going to Zappeio one of those elite schools .... and she was gorgeous -- I saw an 11X14 picture of hers and she was beautiful. Panagiotis went on to the Theological School in Halki (which is now closed) read more about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halki_seminary -- and as he walked up the hill and it is a hill every day to go to school ... he would pass by the balcony of his future wife Kiki ... The seminary is a gorgeous spot on top of Halki and for Turkey to get into the EU -- the reopening of this great institution is one of the hurdles ... so this is why we are staying on the island of Halki ... the house has benn redone to now have about 7 apartments and my aunt's family owns two of them .... so we stayed in the one on the third floor .. no elevator on the island ... and there are some homes with four and five floors .... good legs ... anyway ... you may think this sounds idyllic .... but did I mention that this is the major road for everything ... as you know there are no cars. ... so you think no noise ... well ...first of all the SEA GULLS have been absolutely amazing in the way they want to chat with each other from midnight to 8 am ... I have never ever ever heard such a commotion ... then you have the horse carriages that go up and down all the time and they have this lovely bell to make sure to alert folks that they are coming ... and then people ... talk really loud here after midnight ... I guess after they had a drink or two ... in all seriousness ...it was a great place to stay.... and the sea gulls are now in our memories ....

we took all types of transport in Istanbul ... there is a new tram and we took that to visit the chruch of Zoothohou Pigi -- the church of the life giving well ... my dad has made going there a tama ... something he has to do when he is in Constantinoupoli...

on the tram .. my mom started chatting with two different ladies ... one of them was from my grandfather's on my dad's side village ... Gemushane -- we came close to visititn and she said that the Greeks the Rums there helped her and her family .... the other one said that her family came to Istanbul and the Greeks there helped to teach her family to read Turkish -- nice things to hear.

we went to the church and we found two tour buses from Greece and that was a welcome sight ...my mom and dad talked with a few of the guests there ... so here is the story of the church ... there is a Greek cemetery there and an Armenian cemetery on the other side ... like 100 yards from each other ... the area is called Balookli and there is a famous Greek hospital there .... with the same name. So the Greeks and the Armenians wanted to build a church there ... but only one church could fit there ... so they went to some Sultan and he wisely decided that he should not get involved .. but that there should be a cockfight and whosever rooster wins gets the church .... well guess who won ...

then there is the tale about the fish in the well ... by the way ... the well gives water that we call agiasma ... we drink that as blessed waters ... so the fall of Constantinople in 1453 ... folks came and said that the Turks were taking over and either a priest or a nun would not believe it and they said .... as they were frying fish .. that they would only believe it if they fish they were frying became alive again and you guessed it .... half the fish oura .... the tail became alive ... so goes the story ...

we had some delightful balik ekmek sandwiches ... fresh fish sandwiches in Eminonu on our way back to the island .... I could eat that and fried mussels every day ...

The day before that -- it was my mom's turn to do what she wanted to do ... we took turns ... and we went on a cruise on the famous and all important Bosporous Straight

The Bosporus or Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait, (Turkish: İstanbul Boğazı or, for İstanbul's inhabitants, simply Boğaz; while the term Boğaziçi denotes those parts of the city with view of the strait) (Greek: Βόσπορος) is a strait that forms the boundary between the European part (Rumelia) of Turkey and its Asian part (Anatolia). The world's narrowest strait used for international navigation, it connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara (which is connected by the Dardanelles to the Aegean Sea, and thereby to the Mediterranean Sea). It is approximately 30 km long, with a maximum width of 3,700 metres at the northern entrance, and a minimum width of 700 metres between Kandilli and Aşiyan; and 750 metres between Anadoluhisarı and Rumelihisarı. The depth varies from 36 to 124 metres in midstream.
The shores of the strait are heavily populated as the city of Istanbul (with a metropolitan area in excess of 15 million inhabitants) straddles it.

here is more from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosporous

Anyway -- a very important sea route -- and gorgeous homes .... pools -- elaborate architecture ... a lovely cruise --- we usually get off at Sariyer get something to eat -- and take the bus back .... but this time we went to the end -- almost to the black sea ... rumeli kavali -- the European side -- end of the line lets say ... we got off and took a stroll through and saw a fish tavern -- two tables occupied and we decided to stay ... you are not going to believe this ... in a city of 15 million with only 2,000 Greek inhabitants ... here we are three tables -- all Greeks with roots from Constantinople ... one of the couples actually lives here in the summer and another table comes to Halki in the summer... the one couple that lives there in the summer -- the wife was from yenikoy -- neohori in Greek ... in Maine we have one family from Istanbul and guess where they are from? yup Yenikoy -- this woman in her 70s actually worked for these folks dad who owned a small market there ... unbelievable or what .... my mom got her number and will give it to the folks in Maine ....

then the other table was a couple in their mid to late 40s with two girls ... the wife ... we found out -- after my mom went straight up to them to chat ... hung out with my aunt Kiki's -- the person where we stayed in her appartment in Halki .. her two daughters ... Dina and Mary ... Small world ... sadly she found out that my cousin Dina ... had died a few years back from lung cancer ... I think she was 43 and has two kids that we visited in Greece here a few days ago. This poor family has lost a daugther and a husband in less than a year ...

She was so happy to reconnect with Mary at least and my mom -- Ms. ATT .... connecting folks ... got her phone number and gave it to her ...

At the church of Zoothohou Pigi ... Greeks asked my parents why they left .... such an incredible city .... and as one realizes ... for 250,000 to leave in what 5-8 years there has to be reasons ...

let me first say that something happened in Turkey against the Greeks every few years ...

first we have the Treaty of Lauzanne http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Lausanne

where populations of Greeks and Turks left their homes and had to repatriate to the other side .... even though they had lived there for hundreds of years .... what a horrible things...All folks of Greek descent except those Greeks living in Constantinople and the islands of Imbros and Tenevos had to leave Turkey and mostly become refugees and come to Greece or other parts of the world ...

then we have in the 1940s--- where I told you that the Turks took all men from 20-40 to help in creating roads, etc .... the reason my grandparents died .... my mom's dad participated in this as well ... but he came back ok ...

Then there is a tax that is only levied on Greeks ... que paso here? ? ?

Then they say -- Only people that have roots in Istanbul can stay in Istanbul? WHAT? ? my dad's grandma -- although was not educated ... boy was she a smart woman ... she got someone to write that she was from there even though she had come from Adarpasha -- about 50 miles away ...

Then the 50s came and with that one of the worst hours in Greek Life in Istanbul --
what we call -- Ta Septembriana -- The September events of 1955

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul_Pogrom

Today -- The Turkish newspapers have said that what happened in those two days was totally orchestrated ... a bomb erupted in the Turkish consulate in Saloniki ... the bomb was placed there intentionally by the Turks ... anyway -- those days -- a riot erupted ... but what is amazing is that trucks and trucks full of Turks from the suburbs of Istanbul were bussed in and created a riot .... horrible things happened ... my dad was in the military on the border with the Soviet Union .... imagine how he was feeling ...

my mom's house was spared because a neighbor or two .. Turks ..said that they had the wrong address and no Greeks lived there ...

On the island of Antigoni ... which was all Greek pretty much .... the mayor who was one of the two Turks on the island .... refused to allow the boat to disembark ... or who know what would have happened there ... anyway -- hundreds of Greek stores destroyed ... Greeks killed ...raped ... you name it ... a sad sad day in history ...

imagine the Fear ....


then in 1965 -- a law was passed that all Greeks that had Greek citizenship had 24 - 48 hours to leave their homes .... we have always had Turkish citizenship until we became Americans .... even in Greece ... we never got Greek citizenship .... imagine the hurry and anxiety ... we met folks just two days ago that had to seel everything and apparently my parents bought their bedroom set ...

Then the Cyprus conflict was brewing in the late 60s and then the attack on the island in 1974 ... well .. who wants to be made part of the Turkish army to invade their Greek brothers and sisters on the island .... and my dad had already known if the Turks take you ... as they took his dad ... he ended up an orphan ... who knows really what he was thinking .... what the rest of the 200,000 were thinking .... but slowly and surely folks left .... really it is an amazing thing ...

so these are some of the reasons ...

aug. 11 cont...

So, I came to another cafe only to find the same keyboard ... but it is a little bit better....

I talked about how we went to the cemetery and then went to our landlord,s house ...they used to live above us ... but now they moved just a street or two down .... that area is called Tarlabashı... my mom saıd that every neighborhood back ın the day had a Greek school ... k-6 .. for 7 and above there were I thınk 3 schools for the boys and three for the girls ... here are two for each ... for the boys .. Zografio, ı megali tou gerous, and for the girls, Zappıon and Iwakimia... it was a big deal to finish school...my mom went to 5th grade and then started working at the age of 12...I saw in downtown where she went from 9 am to 7 pm wıth an hour and a half lunch.....she made some of her dearest frıends working as a seamstress..well at the beginning ... she was not a seamstress but slowly she certaınly became a good one....one person that took her under her wing...was kiria Panagiota who unfortunately today is sufferiıng from Azheimers in NYC.... she and her sister Eugenıa were some of the best around and customers came near and far to have their clothes made from them ...from what my mom says..Panagıota was not that organized... the customers had to come two and three times to get their coats, dresses, skırts, shirts done....apparently women seamstresses created clothes for women and tailors for men....imagıne working that long at that age....

my dad went to the orphanage until grade 6 and then went to Zografio tıll 8th grade...where he left too and started learning upholstery... my uncle Christo, my moms older brother finished and my uncle Vassili, my dads only sibling finished this great school....my mom said that the boys and the girls goıng to these schools had to be dressed wıth suits and ties..well the boys that is...

we did end up seeing our landlords and they were well enough for a visit..they did remember us whıch was good and we all shared a few good laughs over tea ... chaı...ok....here chaı is like the Greek Frappe or coffee at Starbucks .... maybe more .... people drınk tea all the tıme....at any point of the day and you can get a tea anywhere...there are even tea gardens all over the place...the tea is good! ahd people smoke ... on the cıgarette box it reads...smokıng wıll make you live less... but people smoke and smoke....and they have mobile phones ...it seems like everyone has a cell phone and a good one at that .. better than the one I have in the States ...

back to my mom ... my mom likes going to the movies and she and her friend Polixeni ... cool name, heh... would go at 7 pm but if they wanted to go at 9 pm... Polixeni,s mom would go with them as a chaperone.... they would walk up and down the hill to go and get my mom ... apparently my grandma also liked the movies but she would go in the afternoon.... I guess that is where I get it from ....my dad used to like to go too ...although he does not go too much now...that is all for now ... I am headıng to dinner...

August 12

Hello, The question is .... how many times will the Ifantides need a locksmith.... the answer is ... at least twice .... and what time of day... well .. always like at 10 pm.... and how much money will they spent .... about 150 bucks .... so lets hope that this is the worst thing that happens .... the local locksmith ... there is only one on the island ... is happy when he sees us coming ... ha ha ha

we dıd find out that unless you use the bolt on the door it really does not take much time at all to get ınto someone,s house.

Our time back in Istanbul has been touching and full of memories .... The fırst day back we visited my cousin, Ariko, who ıs at the French hospital Lape ... I thınk ıs how they say it ... he was born mentally handicapped .. his parents dıed ... both his sıblıngs suffered horrible deaths and he ended up ın this very nice and clean French hospital ın Shishli... he was born ın 1956 .. he remembered my mom and of course remembered my mom,s mom ... my grandmother Antonia who was hıs aunt. His grandmother Pashalina and my grandmother were sisters .... my grandmother was Catholıc from Malta .... her dad came to Istanbul and stayed here... there were a lot of Catholıcs here and my grandmother did a lot for her church.... I think that this French hospıtal is good for him..it was clean and the French nun who is also a nurse...told us a lot about Arıko and how his brother Pıer died... Arıko asked about his oldest uncle Alberto ... Pashalına first son ..who died a few years ago...he did remember other aunts and uncles...

Across the road from the hospital we went to the Greek Cemetery .. one of at least 5 ın the cıty .. another one in Fenıkoy, Balouklı, and all the islands have their own as well ... we vısited my grandfather,s grave ... my mom,s dad ... and Antonıa`s husband .... He was Greek Orthodox ...you can imagıne both sets of their parents when they were married ...thıs was sort of like a black person and a white person marrying ın the 1940s... anyway..my grandfather Elias died ın November of 1963 ... around the same time as Kennedy.... here as in Athens ... the bones of folks are moved about three to four years after theır death ...because there is no room in the cemeteries...we were lucky that my grandfather is stıll there....my grandmother ın Athens
... her bones were moved and we do not even know where.... my dad said that his parents bones were moved and placed under one of the many trees ın the cemetery...

anyway... there are not that many people beıng buried there any more so there is no need to move anyone...the cemetery is showıng steep declıne ...my grandfathers tomb is barely ın place... and we can hardly read the writing on the marble... I wısh we got a team of folks and came here to clean up the surroundıngs .... there are beautıful marble tombs here

We also vısıted Bursa Doner --- if you are ever here ...this is one of the authentic donner places and when we lived here ..we rented an apartment from the owner Kezım effenti.... we went there to find Murat ... the third child who is now 41 and I clearly remember playing wıth him in our front area and even goıng to the mosque which was down the street ...he humbly kissed my mom s hand and offered us food but my mom and dad declined ..I would have defınitely taken hım up on his offer...but we did get an ayran.... a yogurt drink..very popular here and found out that his dad and his mom, Jamılla, were ill.... so we went to visit .... The side where the restaurant is is wonderful... lots of shops, restaurants, good lıfe ! !! The road cut through the neıghborhood and the side where my mom and dad lived is in horrible shape....

I can not seem to be able to change to the English keyboard ... so I thınk I will come back later... today to write more...

If İ do not get back here ... we are off to Athens tomorrow morning ... we have to take the 6 am boat and we only have one small alarm clock and we laugh sayıng that we hope the batteries will not run out ... tıll then, bye from Halki

August 5 I think ...

Hello everyone and happy August ...

i think I left in Cappadocia ... the land of beautiful and many wild horses .... as was named by the Persians.... we took two day tours there and one of them involved a good hike....we are getting lots og exercise but we are also eating a lot as well. Apparently this area has had many many rulers ... hittites, persians, Alexander the Great, Romans, Byzantines, seljuk turks, ottoman turks and i am sure I am missing some... there are something like 40,000 cave houses and it was said that at one time there were 200,000 inhabitants.... we listened to the tour guides but what can tell you is that the first recorded peace treaty happened here between if I can remember .... the hittites and the Persians ... apparently there was an eclipse -- something that neither one had seen before and they both thought that God was upset with them and decided to stop the war ... wouldn't it be great if we had a ver very long eclipse and our president decided the same thing .... hmmmm...

there are also caves that are called pigeon houses .... the pigeons went in ... did their business...and that was used as fertilizer ... the guide joked that that is the reason they have good wine there...

The inhabitants also created underground cities.... very elaborate places so they can hide from the enemy....for those of you who have been in Viet Nam .... something like the Cuchi Tunnels....8 stories deep with everything from bathrooms to kitchens to school areas...

The area is filled with tons of Byzantine churches and many many Frescoes... Unisef has made Goreme Open Museum a World Heritage site so the churrches are now protected...

Mom and I enjoyed the 5 a.m. balloon ride... but I have to tell you i got a bit wheezy at 800 meters .... over 2300 feet.... our pilot believe it or not was an Aussie, David, who was really cool. He had a balloon business for 18 years on the Gold coast of Australia and then sold it and decided to come to Goreme with his wife ....they have a sweet job .... 8 months 4-8 really and he is fantastic..... he persuaded the Turks to chill the champane so we had a a couple of cold drinks after we landed.... there were 12 of us in the balloon ...10 Japanese ...it has been amazing to see how many Korean and japanese are here visiting ... very impressive Koreans ... most are women.... some travelling alone .... God Bless them... The locals say that in the past 4-5 years there are a lot of them coming here. There are even restaurant signs here.

My parents continue to receive the good treatment.... i forgot to tell you that in Trabzon when we were getting our bus ticket .... a really nice young woman was helping us...first she could not believe that my parents spoke so well ...and then my parents told her that they were Rum ...which is what we are called here .... and don't pronounce it like the alcohol...anyway... she was impressed with the Greek talent in art and then she said ... if you cut my hand... you will bleed and so will I .... to sort of sum up her feelings of the Greek-Turkish saga....we have met quite a few folks who say that their parent or one of their grandparents was of Greek origin....one of them actually spoke to us in a the Pontic dialect ...which we do not understand....

it is amazing how much conversation has occured....when my parents feel comfortable with someone they tell them the story.... if not...they cut it short...on one bus ride.... a man sat next to my dad ...did I tell you that when you get your ticket for the big buses....they write down your sex.... no way a man is to sit next to woman he does not know... we have seen instances where the attendant changes people's seats.... anyway...this man was telling my dad the Islam is the best religion....he told him ....if a store is really good...don't you go to shop there...so Islam is the best religion so you should change...my dad could not wait till this man left the bus...

There was one time when a man with only one leg entered the bus and he asked politely to sit next to a woman in the first seat .. oh my God .... the woman was really nice .... but the attendant would not allow that ...long story short... he sat at the attendant's chair...

then a man - a customer came in and he was to sit next to my mom .... I Was sitting with my dad...my dad had to switch seats....

We all really enjoyed Cappadocia....it should be on your to see list.... from there we spend all day on the bus 10-7 to Antalya and from there we caught a dolmus a small bus to Demre...we got there aroung 10:30 -- the site of St. Nicholas church is in Demre.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas

St. Nick apparently placed coins inside the chimney of girls without dowry... so they can get married and this is where the idea of Santa Claus comes from....the church must have been huge!! and beautiful....lots of reconstruction going on....

Also St.Nicholas relics were stolen back in 1000 but a few bones were left behind and they were placed in the museum there...

From there we went to Myra -- a few minutes away ... there we saw Roman amphitheater and Greek and Roman ancient ruins...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myra

From there we took another three hour bus ride to Fethie and then another five hours to Bodrum which has to be one the coolest towns around .... on the water ... one hour ship ride to Greek isle of Kos... this is where the rich and famous and some not so rich and not so famous hang out...the town was awake all night....lots of dancing, drinking, great restaurants one the water... we had a delicious meal and decided to stay two nights to relax a bit... the hotel was the best one yet ..although the Cappadocia one was wonderful as well...this was a five minute walk to the beach and action....the beach is not the best i have seen..but the town provides free chairs so we took advantage of that

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodrum

Bodrum is the Greek Halicarnasos... and Herodotos the father of history came from here....it was funny one absolutely hUGE sign said that he was a native of Bodrum....I wonder what he thinks about that...probably turning in his grave.... There is a famous castle there and the harbor is as picturesque as they come.....

We have spent a lot of time on buses and lots of money using the toilets....and buying water...

From Bodrum we came to Denezli and caught the dolmus to Pamukalle.... hierapolis in Greek == another USESCO world Heritage sight... we came here in 1976 when I was 9.... and actually slept in bungalows right on the site...now the hotels are off premises

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamukkale

the thermal waters here are the main attaction as well as the ancient town built by the Romans and the greeks....the thermal waters are at 57 degrees celsius and it cures lots and lots of ailments...so there are a lot of folks here spending many days.... we enjoyed our tour and mom and I took a dip in the waters....

tonight we are off to a 12 hour bus ride back to Istanbul....where we will go back to the island of Halki for a few more days and then I am hoping we will fly to Athens .... till then, enjoy your weekend everyone....

lots of hugs from Turkey



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamukkale

July 31

Hello from Cappadochia....

Sampsounta, Giresounta, Trapezounta .... all Greek names for Samsun, Gerasun, and Trabzon .... the only reason I am saying this is that there are A LOT of churches here .... but almost none are open... here is more info on Trabzon ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trabzon.

So after we left Attaturk's house the next day we visited the Monastery of Panagia Sumela...
http://www.karalahana.com/english/archive/trabzon9.html click on http://www.lahana.org/blog/Sumela%20Monastery.htm to see a picture ...

created in Byzantine times ube abandoned in 1923 after the creation of the Turkish republic ..this is from the lonely planet guide....The monastery is magical ..it clings to a sheer rock wall hight above evergreen forests and a rushing mountain stream .. There are two entrances .... we got to the bottom and one of the good things about mom and dad speaking Turkish is that we tend to get more information .... everyone is amazed at how great their language skills are ... and they call my mom's dialect sweet...

Anyway ... the local guide told us that we can hire a car to take us up further ... THANK GOD ...it is a huge climb and one we were all happy to come down from ... so we went up and only had to walk about 10-15 minutes uphill... It was a bit weird for me because we expected to see areas where we can light a candle, kiss an icon, sort of regular things we do when we visit a church ... but there are no candles and no icons except the ones -- frescoes -- on the ceilings and the sides of each area..the sad thing for us throughout this trip has been that so many people have damaged these beautiful frescoes .... dad took lots of video and I took lots of pictures that will be posted one of these days ...

After a tiring afternoon ... we came back to town only to find a bus going to Rize right next to the square ... we decided to take the bus there ...Rize is the major centre of the Laz people and they are known for their colorful traditional costumes and folk music ... we did not get to see any of this however ... so we took the bus ... just an informal survey ... not counting us ...15 women ... 8 dressed western style -- 7 -- traditional covered with a head scarf and only their faces, hands and ankles showing .... 3 of the 7 were wearing pantyhose ... it was about 98 degrees .... I do not know how they can wear all this clothing ...

If these women decide to go swimming they go in full gear ... not sure how that works either ...

Anyway, Rize is also the tea capital of Turkey ... so dad gave a couple of dollars and got one pound of tea ... hopefully we can enjoy it when we get back to Halki.

The next day we took the bus ... lots of bus transporting us on this trip ... I have to say it has been extremely reliable and fairly comfortable to travel these great distances by bus .. on the long hauls we even get a cookie, drinks, etc ...

Our first stop was a three hour trip to Ordu .... there we visited the church of the Ypapanti ...which is now the cultural center in the center of the city .... The church was whitewashed inside and a huge Turksih flag and a huge Attaturk banner hung on each side inside .... hard for me not to see any frescoes ....

The area around the church were once inhabited by Greeks .... as a matter of fact .... our friends Mary and Joanna, Kosta -- their mom came from here and Joanna thinks she lived in one of those homes ... you can so tell which homes were once Greek .... many of them are falling apart and many of them have obviously new owners ...

We also went up to the top of the area and saw a beautiful view of the city .... drank some ayran ... which is a yogurt drink we drink often here and relaxed for a bit ... we then went to a ethnographic museum which was ok ...

Then onto Samsun .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsun

three hour ride again where we spent the night ... lots of good night life here ... by the water ...

Legend has it that the Amazons .. fierce women fighters came form this region ... lonely planet writesthat some believe that Alexander the Great may have had a child with the Amazonian queen Thalestris...

The next day we went to Sinop ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinop%2C_Turkey ... which was terrific ... a sea fishing village with lots of beaches -- sand ones .... we had a nice dip in the Black Sea ... took a get caught reading picture ... and ate delicious fresh fish .. we also had our first Raki there .... cheers to that!

From the lonely planet ... Sinop takes its name form the legend of Sinope ..daughter of the river god Asopus ....Zeus fell in love with her and in an attempt to buy her affections ...promised to grant her any wish ...Sinope who had no intention of letting herself be seduced even by Zeus, asked for eternal virginity. Outwitted Zeus gave in ... and allowed her to live out her days in happy but celibate solitude at the tip of the peninsula ...things that make you go hmmmm....

The town is worth a visit!

We only stayed one night ... we had to climb to the fourth floor to get to our room .... but otherwise it was a nice hotel. we have had good luck with hotels so far thanks to Lonely Planet ... we call that day ...thank God mom can speak Turkish .... and get a room that night ... as a matter of fact we do not have a room for tomorrow as yet ....

We left the next day -- for a heck of a trip ... From Sinop to Samsun -- 3 hours ... we got there at 3 pm and waited till 7 p.m. to take the bus to Kaiseri ... on our way to Cappadochia ... It arrived in Kaiseri at 3 a.m. and the next bus to Goreme was at 7 a.m. .... so we waited ....

We got to Goreme -- which has been the center of our tour of Cappadochia -- two full days and we head off tomorrow to go to Demre and Myra .. Demre is the site of Santa Clause ... St. Nick ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goreme

Here is a good site of Cappadocia -- with a few pictures going along ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappadocia

I am running out of time so I will write more later .. let me just say that we have really loved this region .... we were so so tired yesterday after not sleeping ... but today at 5 a.m. mom and I ...dad stayed sleeping .... mom and I went on our first ever hot air balloon ride .... so more on this later ...check out the web site http://www.goremeballoons.com/main.htm it was truly fun ... although now at 8:30 p.m. ..... we are getting tired ...

Chat more later, Evie Sofia and Gregory

July 28, 2007

We are now in Sinop on the Black Sea and yesterday we enjoyed the beach ... here... this is a great town with lots of history but unfortunately we can not stay another night... we will be going back to Sampun and then on to Cappadochia on an overnight bus tonight.

The quote of the day is my dad's.... he said the other day... if you have to pay to use the bathroom..there will be toilet paper .... he of course did not say that there will also be turkish toilets involved ... all the rest stops so far .. turkish toilets ...

Yesterday we were going from Ordu to Sampsun and we went to use the bathrooms ... as I was exiting I saw the woman who cleans the bathrooms doing a needle point on her head scarf. I went out...got my mom and even took a picture of her and the scarf. She said to me that if it was done .. she would give it to me. ... how nice is that ... I thought to myself....what a wonderful talent she has and here she is cleaning bathrooms ....

anyway enough about Turkish toilets ...

We left Constantinoupoli to visit the Black Sea / Pontic area of Turkey.... many of you many not know ... but in addition to the Armenian genocide ,... there was also a Pontic genocide around the same time. These pontic peoples have Greek roots and spoke a specific dialect of Greek.... many Greeks do not understand many words. Anyway... my dad's father came from Gumushanne, Argirupoli in Greek. This village is close to the city of Trabzon which was our first stop on this leg of the trip.

We flew to Trabzon and grabbed a cab to take us around the city. We went to Aya Sofia... a beautiful Greek church which is now a museum...the thing that makes me sad is that the icons ... most of them were deliberately scratched off ... why do we us people do that ... What you find in this area is that 99 percent of all the churches have been converted either into mosques or cultural centers ... the thing that I find sort of amusing is that we have to pay to get in...

We then visited Attaturk's house there.... I tell you ... this man is EVERYWHERE in Turkey ... statues, buildings, every city, in stores... in hotels... I have never in all my travels seen one person be so so popular 70 years after his death. here is some info about him ... He was able to organize Turkey to what it is today ... changed the written language from an Arabic type to European, he modernized the country by building factories and had a pro-western view on clothing, culture, etc.

My dad says that his grandmother had a restaurant across the street from Dolmabahce Palace where he lived. Many many of the state employees would come over and eat at her place... he also said that they called her sisko madam .... big woman ... madam was called a woman who was not of Turkish muslim descent... apparently his motorcade passed infront of the store and there was even an article written about her in the newspapers in the late 30s. You are not going to believe this ... but my dad as a little kid was brought inside the palace and he says that Attaturk even tapped his head as he walked around. how cool is that... he also remembers the day his funeral processed infront of where they lived...

Enough about Ataturk .... the house that is his in Trabzon .... belonged to a Greek Pontic ship and bank owner ... Konstantinos Kaboyanidis .... unbelievable home ...he brought stone and materials from Europe and even had heat ... the first home in the area to have heat. The signs outside the house and the tour guides say that when he left, the state took over the home and then the state gave it to Attaturk ........ I am sure he did not leave on his own accord... who know what happened to him ....

I have got to go now ... There is more to write about Trazon ,Ordu, Sampun and Sinop ... I hope to add more to the story later on today or in Cappadochia.... I also hope that my parents join me on a balloon ride over Goreme .... lets see if they will.

Hope you are all enjoying the summer....Evie ,Gregory and Sofia

In Istanbul

We left Boston without any problems and arrived in Istanbul where we took a taxi to Kabatas to take the ferry to Halki = Heybelida in Turkish = one of the Princes Islands. What a difference 30 years make ... When folks used to take this ferry to the islands they were mostly Greek, Armenians, Jews, and a rich Turks who had homes here. All the languages were vividly spoken ... to my surprise ... we heard a few Greek voices and were stunned ... the Greeks were well dressed and my mom asked them where they were going .... You are not going to believe this ... but our Patriarch ... Bartholomew was going to be in the same island to commemorate the 150 years of St. Nicholas. So we got home .... and tired or not ... one does not miss the opportunity to be blessed by the Patriarch ... our Patriarch is sort of like the Catholic Pope ... I of think of him as one amongst equals lets say the top archbishop. What just happened in Turkey just a couple weeks ago is that a Turkish court said that he can not keep the title Ecumenical Patriarch ... which makes him the patriarch ... the leader of all Orthodox Christians ... and instead he is the archbishop of Constantinople ... the leader of 1500 Greek Orthodox Christians .... as opposed to millions and millions or Orthodox Christians around the world... why they did this .... I do not know... but again politics is at play here... I read in one Greek newspaper that the foreign minister met with the Pope in the Vatican right after this. Proudly I say that the foreign minister ... our Condi Rice ... is a woman who was the mayor of Athens during the Olympics .... anyway I digress ...

so I put on a skirt and a nice shirt and off we went to the church. I failed to say that we had all this luggage with us and we had forgotten where the apt. was .... and did I mention that there are a lot of uphills here .. anyway ... we went to the short service ...I video taped and took pictures of our Patriach and then was blessed by him .... the church is quaint and gorgeous. there are more churches on these islands than mosques although how many Greeks are here to take care of them...

After the service we went by the seaside and enjoyed a delicious dinner of fried mussels with skorthalia (garlic sauce), kefta kabobs, ayran (my favorite yogurt drink) and a delicious salad.

I was in pain ... and took one muscle relaxant .... I still have a few left from my accident and slept till 1 p.m. the next day .... we were all very very tired.

We decided to go to the biggest island ... Pringipo in Greek Buyukada in Turkish. I have not mentioned that on these islands there are no cars except for police and gov't cars ... so people rely on their feet, bikes, and horse carriages which can be expensive.... so we knew where we were going and we went to the half way point where we took what seemed like the longest mile ever uphill to climb to St. George's monastery. Many many people climb up this hill as a tama in Greek ... like if you are really sick you go make the trip so you can heal... we went up and the view from the top is phenomenal .... we went inside ... and my mom was able to get some agiasma ... blessed water ... even though the boy that was helping said that it was under construction... we met a young Greek couple there so that was fun ... but a lot of Turks make this trip as well....they truly believe in the healing powers of St. George. The Turkish flag was flying right there on top of the church ....

We ate there at the small restaurant and the view is unbelievable .... you can see across the sea of Marmara to Istanbul .... we then went down hill ... which was a bit tricky as well....the road is cobble stone .... but my mom said that when they used to climb it was a dirt road with stones and that made it even harder. I think this may be the last time my mom and dad climbed the hill... so we got down and then on the opposite hill sits the orphanage where my dad spent at least five years. He wanted to climb up .... but my mom got in the middle and hired another horse carriage .... for 30 liras .... about 24 dollars ... but it was worth it because I am not sure that we could have made it.... another long hill... the orphanage was and still is the biggest and tallest wooden structure in Europe ....except now it is falling apart. we saw sheep and a few dogs there and a couple of Turkish folks live there....my dad told them that he lived there ...but they did not offer for him to come in....

the story goes.... my grandfather was taken in 1941 to work in some hard labor camp.... a rich Greek man paid some cash and my grandfather along with many many Greeks were let go.... except that my granfather Ignatios was sick with typhus.... so he dies and in 23 days his wife Evangelia dies .... so my father's grandmother on his mom's side now has to take care of my dad who is 7 and his brother who is 2... so my dad ends up in the orphanage and around the time he gets out my uncle goes... my dad's grandma Triantafilia was a strong strong lady.... she had a little grocery store and she would go to visit my dad often with his brother...how she went up those hills with my uncle, a few toys is beyond my comprehension...

The orphanage was built by the French in the 1899 and then was bought by the church here....in 1964 the government took over and it has been falling apart since then.... funny thing...we bought a little pamplet on the islands and it does not mention that it was a Greek Orthodox Orphanage....things that make you hmmmm...

On the other side is the monastery of Christos.... my mom spent many summers there ... she started working quite young and the church had a camp there for girls who worked ... she met some of her closest friends there .... it was fun to hear how much fun they had.... going to the beach....doing the work that needed to be done....cooking, etc...then they had to go down the hill to go to the beach .... and how they came back up .... God bless them....

So a good time was had by all ... it was fun remembering the good times they each shared before they knew each other....

We took the boat home and as if we did not have enough fun .... we could not open the door.... I made the mistake of double locking the door and it was stuck...in a Seinfeld type of episode...9:30 on Sunday night.... we need a key person....I am forgetting my English....believe it or not...my mom finds the only one on the island and he comes...charges us 80 liras.....about 60 bucks....the most money he has make in the week .... but we get in and try to rest....

July 22
We decide to go to town to figure out what we are doing for the next few days....to keep this short we are flying to Trabzon where we are looking forward in visiting the monastery of Panagia Sumela on Wednesday.... we will then along the Black Sea and then get back by air from Samsun....on Monday afternoon...come back here for a night and then we are going to take the overnight bus to Goreme to see Cappadokia....

On the way back we stopped at the first island....Proti in Greek, Kinaliada in Turkish and took a well deserved swim... these islands are wonderful.... but the beaches not so great .... this island has pebbles and let me tell you....your feet hurt by the time you are in the water.... but the cold water of the Sea of Marmara felt good ... It was 34 degrees Celcius in Instanbul today... with that let me say good night ... there is much more to say.... but I will wait till another day.

off tomorrow

We are off tomorrow to Constantinople ... my father is a bit apprehensive since there are going to be Turkish elections of all days on Sunday ... the day after we get there. We have decided to go straight to the island of Halki - Heybelada in Turkish. The good news is that my cousin Mary will be there for a week ... my dad feels good about that. The way I figure it .. we can enjoy the three of the four islands in relative peace and quiet .. God forbid that something bad happens during the elections .. I think the islands will be just fine .. then we will head to Istanbul and where ever we end up . These are very important elections not only for Turkey, but also for the European Union and the US.

Chat more from God willing Turkey next week.

Well -- here I go ... finally I am getting my summer plan in gear.

I am leaving on Saturday, July 14 and heading to Maine -- My church there - St. Demetrios - is having their annual festival and I will be helping. My friend Eleni is coming with me and will be staying in Maine till the 2oth -- at which point I head out to Constantinople ... my birthplace. I am so so excited to go to Turkey -- to see where I was born, the church in which I was baptised, the neighborhood I played in, the islands ... (Pringiponisa in Greek) Princes islands in English -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes%27_Islands --- were I went on vacation, the orphanage my dad spent his childhood, my mom's house ... where my dad met my mom ... where my mom and dad married -- my brother baptized ... my grandfather's grave in the two Greek cemeteries left in Constantinople ... more than anything else -- I am ready to listen to stories -- to the way my parents lived their everyday very normal lives being Greek Orthodox Christians in Istanbul.

When I left Konstantinoupoli in 1971 -- Istanbul was 1 million strong -- 200,000 Greeks, lets say another 100,000 Armenians and probably another 75,000 Jews (not exactly sure of these facts ... but I am probably close ... a very cosmopolitan city ... where really four distinct populations coexisted for centuries. In the 1900s -- especially after WWI -- politics took over and every decade there were days .. weeks ... there was more more strife against the Greeks ... and every decade after these events the Greek population declined to what is today 1,200 folks of Greek descent in a city of 11 MILLION!

here is what the wikipedia has on this topic ...The population of the Armenian and Greek minorities in Istanbul greatly declined beginning in the late 19th century. The city's Greek Orthodox community were exempted from the population exchange between Greece and Turkey of 1923. However, a series of special restrictions and taxes beginning in the 1930s (see, e.g., Varlık Vergisi), finally culminating in the Istanbul Pogrom of 1955, greatly increased emigration, and in 1964, all Greeks without Turkish citizenship residing in Turkey (around 100,000) were deported. Today, most of Turkey's remaining Greek and Armenian minorities live in or near Istanbul.

Enough for today ... More will be coming on this blog ... I will be leaving for Istanbul on the 20th of July and will be coming back on the 23 of August from Athens. I am not sure when I will leave Turkey to go to Greece ... but I am guessing somewhere around August 15th ... Many of you know that my dear dear uncle Iorthanis -- who was also my nouno - my godfather -- passed away this spring. We all took it hard .. but my mom ... is extremely emotional about losing her brother .. so I hope to get to Athens and visit the cemetery and hug my aunt and cousin Elias.

More to come on this blog so stay tuned.... Evie