You drink 3 cups of coffee a day, get a haircut, meet friends for lunch, mail some Valentine's Day presents, and another week has flown. If I am not more careful, life will pass me by and I'll still be trying to decide on paint colors.
This week I've thought a lot about our January trip to Turkey, especially seeing the wonderful pictures the students are posting on Facebook. They inspire me to tell some tales. Especially before dementia sets in or I need more coffee.
When we began planning the trip we made to Turkey in 2008, we told the travel agent that we wanted to include several days in the city of Bodrum. “Bodrum? Why Bodrum?” he replied. Why Bodrum???
Look at this map of Turkey with close attention to the YELLOW arrow. That is Bodrum. See it? (By the way, the red arrows indicate our route in January beginning in Ankara.)
What do you notice about Bodrum? Here's a hint. Look at the blue area on the left. Exactly. Bodrum is on the Aegean Sea! Now look at some photos of Bodrum.
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| Bodrum Castle built by 15th C Crusaders |
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Ruins of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (This looked considerably better before the Crusaders robbed the stones to build Bodrum Castle--well, at least they recycled!)
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| Bodrum architecture is white, white, white |
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| Bodrum waters are blue, blue, blue--and a little green |
Now you understand our concern when the travel agent asked, “Why Bodrum?” when he should have been asking, “Why anywhere else?” That was three years ago. We changed agents. We were obviously dealing with a lunatic.
We arrived in Bodrum four weeks ago in the early evening and entered a world which is hard to imagine outside the confines of Turkey, the world of Hotel Karia Princess. Oh my. How to begin?
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Which to choose? Which to choose?
The hotel staff welcomed us with handshakes and smiles and plates and plates of savory and sweet cookies and crackers. And cups and cups of hot tea and hot coffee. We ate. We drank. Our luggage was whisked to our rooms. |
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| Grand lobby of Hotel Karia Princess Pink and white marble floors, Turkish rugs, comfortable seating, and a wood burning stove |
I finally tore myself away from the merrymaking and made my way to our room to discover a visual delight. Our bed was strewn with flowers and petals, and in the center of the bed were towels folded into the shapes of swans and hearts! It was terribly romantic!
Next up: a glorious buffet supper.
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| A few of the nightly salad offerings |
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| More salads |
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| Volcan describes the evening's selections of hot items to the students |
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| Each evening the chefs grilled something special for us in the garden |
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| Adana Kebab--WONDERFUL! |
When Hunt and I arrived in the dining room the chef emerged from the kitchen to shake hands and welcome the group. He then did an astounding thing. He offered to hold a cooking class for the group. Would we enjoy that? What foods would we like to learn how to cook? When would we like to schedule the class? Be still my heart!
That was only the beginning as it turns out. Four glorious nights at Hotel Karia Princess and three grand days in Bodrum. I will post more pictures soon. Right now I need more coffee.
Hotel Karia Princess. Book your reservations today.
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