Max wanted to see some of the interesting places of Turkey, so we rented a car for a few days. First we drove to the ancient city of Efesus, a place mentioned in the bible. In its heyday it was one of the world’s wonders.
The Turks, with the aid of many Western organizations, have done some nice restoration work, especially on the ancient library
and the theater.
and the theater.
The Efesus people had an awareness of sanitation issues. The communal toilets had water running below them, which was discharged into the sea far from the town.
On the way north along the Western coast, was an island with an old monastery, where supposedly Mary, mother of Jesus, is buried.
On the way north along the Western coast, was an island with an old monastery, where supposedly Mary, mother of Jesus, is buried.
Final place on our Turkish tour was Troy. The ancient city that was besieged by the Greeks for 10 years, of course only ruins are left now
And a really hokey horse replaces the wooden horse the Trojan people were fooled with.
And a really hokey horse replaces the wooden horse the Trojan people were fooled with.
Finally Max and I said our goodbyes, as he drove back to Marmaris and I took a ferry/bus to Istanbul.
I had a day to roam around this fascinating city. One of the top sights is the Blue Mosque
and of course I had to go shopping in the Grand Bazaar.
and of course I had to go shopping in the Grand Bazaar.
On July 21 I took a plane to Switzerland to visit friends. First I stayed a few days in Basel with my friends Dani and Monika, and then I took the train to Southern Switzerland, where friends Hasi and Monika were just enjoying their vacation. I joined them
on some great hikes and bike rides through the Swiss Alps. Colorado is often called the “Switzerland of America”, but it can not match the intense green color of the Swiss mountains.
On 30 July I took the train to Holland, where I first spent several days with my oldest brother Henny, his wife Leny and their family.
Later I moved on to my younger brother Joop and his wife Simone. Of course during those visits I saw a lot of my nieces and nephews
including the 2 latest additions to the family, my grand nephew Sem(2) and grand niece Resy.(4).
I still have several friends in Holland as well, so a few weeks were spent visiting and socializing with everyone. They all whined and dined me and treated me like royalty. In between I found a little bit of time to roam around the Amsterdam canals.
I left Holland again on August 16 and flew to England, where I rented a car and toured some of the major sights, such as: The Windsor castle,
the mysterious boulders at Stonehenge,
and the beautiful city of Bath
I went to visit my friends Julie and Kenny. Julie was just involved in a run against an old steam train. I got to ride the old historical train
while she struggled to try to beat it (she almost did).
while she struggled to try to beat it (she almost did).
After 6 days I flew on to Ireland, to visit some more friends. I took a bus tour to see the sights of Dublin. But I had hardly slept the night before and I fell asleep on the bus. Only during its third circle through the city did I wake up enough to look around me.
I only stayed one day, just enough to see my buddies and go for a nice dinner with them. On August 22 I flew back to the USA. The end of a great adventure.
1 comment:
Hi Diny. I am impressed that you took more time to carry on through Turkey and Europe before coming back to this side of the ocean. Your family and friends no doubt were very glad to have a visit with you and hear some great stories. I was amazed to see a photo of the place where the Mother Mary is supposedly buried. It must have been quite a feeling looking at it. You continue to be an inspiration for many of us Diny. I have so enjoyed following you on your journey and I congratulate you for doing it AND arriving back home safely. Lots of love, Linda
Post a Comment