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