Christmas Vacation 2011

We decided to go to Obergurgl, Austria for Christmas.  So our adventure began on December 21, 2011 and what an adventure we had in getting to the little village;

We woke up at three in the morning to pack the car and drive to the Airport.  We had to catch the 6AM flight to Munich, German.  To our surprise we saw a few friends in line to take the same flight to Munich.  The kids were very happy to have fellow school friends to visit with during this first part or our adventure!  The plane was pretty empty in the back so the boys took over and had a great three hour flight.

Very happy boys very early in the morning on the flight to Munich.

Landed at the Munich Airport

We arrived in Munich and parted ways from our friends;  they were finding their connecting flight while we were looking for the train station. 

The train platform

Sam and Reed posing by the tracks

We had a long day ahead of us with the train system.  Our train ride was from Munich, Germany to Otztal, Austria with a few transfers.  Throughout the train ride we saw beautiful landscapes;

One of the train stations on our way to Otztal

Typical view along our way with the clouds covering the tops of the mountains due to snow fall

About three hours later; we finally made it to Otztal, Austria.  We then had to get on a bus in order to get to Obergurgl, in the mountains.  The bus was a typical skiing bus.  There was no place to put our luggage, so we had our bags stacked in the standing area of the bus.  We stopped at several different locations to pick up local people and/or skiers to then drop them off at the next stop.  At one particular stop some local kids got on the bus and were rather entertained to watch Scooby Doo with Sam and Connor; who had the video playing on the movie player.  The local boys spoke pretty good English, saying that in their school they are required to learn English with their native language of German.  They told Sam and Connor that they had never seen Scooby Doo before and watched it till they came to their destination.

Typical view from the bus

A view of Obergurgl from on top of the mountain- a quiet little village

We made it by plane, train and bus!  It was a long and wonderful day.  We had a great time getting to our destination- skiing here we come!  

Ayasofya

November 5, 2011

We went to Istanbul and visited the Ayasofya.  I want to write about the incredible history of this sight.   Ayasofya; Greek word- Hagia Sophia, English- St Sophia "Church of the Holy Wisdom".  This enormous sight is very historical, so we had to check it out.  The following information is I what I learned about the sight from the books and displays available;

Ayasofya was originally a Christian Church to symbolize "Byzantium".  Byzantium was actually a Greek colony that formed the Greek city; Byzantion, in what later became Constantinople and then eventually Istanbul. 

The church was the largest Christian Church in the word, until the 16th century.  This church was built over two prior churches and was designed to be glorious and majestic.  It was built as a monument to
God.  Justinian built the church in five years, in 537 A.D.

In 1453, Mehmet penetrated the city and declared the church a Mosque.  For the next several years the mosaics and frescoes were covered in order to comply with the Islamic religion.  In 1935 Ataturk converted the mosque into a museum and the restoration of the church/mosque began.  Mosaics and other icons were rediscovered and restored.

AND that is all that I know....  Here are some photos showing how awesome it was;

Overall View of Ayasofya- obtained from Internet

The mosaic display above the entrance

A mosaic display above the "Imperial Gate" entrance into the inner narthex.  It is written that this Mosaic is a representation of "Christ" holding a book with the inscription "Peace be with you.  I am the Light of the Word."  He is surrounded by a portrait of Virgin Mary, the Angel Gabriel, and an emperor believed to be "Leo VI asking for forgiveness for his four marriages"  (Information obtained from books and displays).

Imperial gate into the church

Overall view of the enormous church from ground level

Overall view of church from the upper level

Another mosaic display  

It is written that this display is of; "Christ" with the Empress Zoe and the Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos.  The two monarchs are giving an offering.  The inscription above their heads reads "Constantine in Christ the God, Autocrat, faithful King of the Romans, Monomakos."  The inscription on the scroll reads "Constantine in Christ the God, faithful King of the Romans, Monomakos" (Again, information obtained by books and displays).

There were so many more Mosaic displays and architectural history that I could write about, but I am not about to write a novel.  Overall, this historic sight was amazing.  The kids were impressed with the large doors, columns, and the age of the church.  We were very glad that we waited 45 minutes in line in order to visit this sight.  

Basilica Cistern

We read books and looked at information in shops in order to decide what sights to see in Istanbul.  When Sam saw the brochure on this sight, he immediately wanted to go.

The Basilica Cistern was built some time around 542 AD by Justinian I as a water source for the palace.  Water was brought into the Cistern from the forests north of Istanbul.  There are 336 marble Columns that are 30 feet high.  The walls of the cistern are about 16 feet thick and are made from baked clay bricks, which were then covered by waterproof plaster.  The full capacity of the Cistern was approximately 100 thousand tons.

Reed was in awe with how they were able to construct the columns and walls with no electricity and the lack of lighting.  The Cistern is underground and the construction of it must have been very difficult.  His engineering mind was running in overdrive while he walked around taking it all in.

The kids, reading lots of "Percy Jackson" books with Greek mythology, were intrigued by two Medusa heads that were used for bases on two separate columns.  The heads were in a corner of the cistern.  It is said that the Medusa heads were a way to avert evil.  BUT the people who place the heads in the Cistern must have been Christians, because they placed the heads (one upside down and one sideways) so that they were not revered as an image.

The Cistern -Picture obtained from the Internet

One Medusa Head

Sam posing by the other Medusa head

Notice how dark it is

As you can see, there is water still in the Cistern.  They are unsure how or what water source is still feeding into the Cistern, but the level never goes down.  Once in a while the water needs to be pumped out.   Needless to say, this was Sam's favorite sight!

Instanbul

Originally known as the Byzantium (Byzantion), which was first established by Greek colonists (667 BC).  The city was later renamed Constantinople.  Then in 1453 the Ottoman Turks took over the city.  In 1930 the Turks changed the name of the city to Istanbul.


We had a great time in Istanbul. We visited many sights;  Topkapi Palace, Ayasofya-Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque, bazaars, and old town.


Ayasofya- Hagia Sophia which is the oldest church. Topkapi Palace, a castle with many things on display; Moses' staff that parted the sea , David's (David and Goliath) sword when he was king, John's hand and skull (the guy who wrote revelations), jewels, furniture and such.  The Blue Mosque which was built as a way to rival the Ayasofya.  Finally, the Basilica Roman Cistern which was an underground water system.  All sights were incredible.  To think...the age of the buildings, the artifacts and architectural works was just impressive.  We were in awe.


The Bazaar was closed, but we went to the smaller bazaars around the area, took a tour on the Bosphorus river, and checked out the shopping at Taksim Square.  Lots of walking and seeing.  Nate broke his big toe playing dodge ball at school the day before we left for Istanbul.  So, he was walking on crutches the whole time.  Nate got around pretty well, in spite of the crutches.


A surprise happened on our trip.  It turned out that they were filming the movie Argo in Istanbul, when we were there.  It is about the Iran hostage crisis in the 70's.  I guess Istanbul, with all the mosques is a similar setting to Iran.  Anyway, the entire cast and crew were staying at our hotel.  Ben Affleck is directing and starring in the film, so we saw him walk through the lobby a couple of times, along with Tate Donovan.  We didn't bother them, but talked with many of the other cast and crew members during our visit.  It was pretty neat and the kids got a kick out it; being Hollywood and all.

The boys in our hotel room

Taksim Square-  very crowded

The boys posing near where the film was being shot.  In the background you can see a person bringing in more filming equipment.  Hollywood was filming in the closed grand bazaar behind us that day!

Hollywood's tents for wardrobe, food, extras, actors, and equipment

The McPeaks on the Bosphorus

With all there was to see and do in Istanbul, we could have stayed a week.  But we did not.  We were there for only a few days to get a taste of the city and see the sights.  We had a great time.

Kaufor

Well, I stepped out of my comfort zone again.  A kaufor (hair salon) visit for the boys.  How hard can that be...right?  It can be very hard when no one speaks any English.  The conversation of broken English to their fluent Turkish, that I don't understand, takes a long time to find a small common ground of conversational understanding.

The boys were having school pictures and I wanted them to look nice for the photos.  I decided to take the boys to a Kaufor by myself with no interpreter. And of course- no one spoke English.  BUT I was determined to get them nice haircuts.  I figured that since I knew a few Turkish words from school I could try to explain the boys' hair and how to cut it, but I was wrong.  There was so much conversation with no understanding, so I had to be more creative.

I found a hair style book.  I looked through the book and found a picture to show the barber how to cut their hair.  With my broken few Turkish words, the photos and my charades, the Kaufor finally understood me.  I felt the boys would have a good haircut, it would not be too short and that we would walk out of there happy...... so off the boys went for their haircut. 

Kaufors in Turkey treat the customers like royalty.  People get their haircut, washed and styled while being served snacks and drinks.  At times there are two or more people servicing the customer's needs.  The boys were in heaven.  They had shortbread cookies, pop, and a lot of attention.  They were digging this experience. 

Connor showing how cool he looks with Sam showing his big muscles

Our handsome dudes!

In the end, the boys were very happy.  Connor told me that it was his best haircut, but I just think he liked the attention and treats!  As you can see from the photos above they were happy with the results.  Yes, another success in daily life activities in Turkey!!

Learning Turkish

I started Turkish lessons.  Apparently, I have the most time on my hands and have been volunteered to learn Turkish for the family.  I just want to say....thanks a lot guys.  AND I do mean guys, because there are no other women in this house.  Anyway,  here is what it is like learning Turkish;

Imagine yourself with a swollen tongue trying to talk.  That is what it is like speaking the Turkish language.  I feel like I am constantly trying to speak tongue twisters.  Too many times Turkish words are very long with many consonants placed next to each other which trip you up while speaking the word.  What is up with that?!?!?  Who created this language?!?!

In the beginning I struggled with this challenge.  For example;  Memnun Oldum, which means -nice to meet you.  Who puts a "m" and a "n" right next to one another and think that people can enunciate each letter.  It took me about a half an hour walking around the house saying the word over and over in order to speak it right without tripping over my tongue.  Or tekrarlayin; pronounced ta crahr lahyeen, meaning repeat.  Every letter is to be pronounced...easy for them to say.  This has been the interesting part of learning the language;  the enunciation.

Another interesting thing is that their words follow a situational context in order to say.  For example;  Gule Gule- means goodbye, but you can't say it if you are leaving.  Gule Gule is a response you say to a person who said goodbye to you as they were leaving..... and you stay at your location.  Hos cakalin; means goodbye, but is only said when you are the person leaving.  AND after all have said goodbye you will finish your goodbye with a Gursurs which means see you later. Note there are more words for Good bye that have specific situational context to them.

It is the same thing with the word hello.  There are many ways to say hello, but you have to think about the context and the situation that you are in prior to speaking the form of hello.  There are hellos when answering the phone (Alo and Enfendim), hellos depending on the time of the day(iyi Aksamlar- good evening, iyi geceler- Good nigh) and hellos connected with your situation (Hos geldin- Welcome, Merhaba- hello).  Turkish is all about the context.  

Turkish has 29 letters in their Alphabet.  Most vowels are pronounced differently than the English form.  Several letters are also different.  For example;  the letter "c" is never a "K" sound.  C is either a "j" or a "ch" sound, depending on if there is a squiggle line under the "c".  Here is their alphabet;  a, be, ce, çe, de, e, fe, ge, yumuşak ge, he, ı, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, ö, pe, re, se, şe, te, u, ü, ve, ye, ze.

As far as sentence structure; well that is also different.  They speak their subject and object first, then the action.  And instead of linking verbs or prepositions; you add the possessive, plural and such to the end of the action word used in the sentence.  For example..... to say "I am" in the Turkish language you add a "yim" to the end of the word.  To say, I am a student is Ben ogrenciyim- I student am.  So, now adding to the end of the word makes the difficult word even harder to pronounce.  You should hear me speak when I am learning new words and sentences, because it is hilarious.

Well, even though this is a challenge it is fun.  I have met a couple of Brits, two Egyptians, a Filipino and a Korean.  We are having a good time laughing at ourselves and learning a lot.  It will take time for me to speak the language comfortably, but it is fun!

Invitation for Tea

Our neighbors across the street have been very friendly.  The man speaks broken English, his wife speaks very little English and the five year old son speaks no English.  The neighbor told Reed that he was excited that Americans moved in to the house next to him.  He talked about having us over for tea; saying that needs to practice his English more and wanted to hear about our transition.

Many weeks went by where our schedules did not match.  But, finally we scheduled to have tea at his house at 830pm with his family.  Here is how the day played out;

Reed and I knew that tea was not until late in the evening.  We had just bought a charcoal grill and decided to test it out.  We planned to grill hamburgers and hot dogs with the kids.  Because it was a beautiful Saturday, we made the works;  salad, chips, dip, hamburgers, and beer.  YUM!  Everyone ate till their hearts were content. 

Time for Tea.  We dressed the boys up in polo shirts. As stated in prior blogs, people in Turkey tend to dress up.  We had a box of chocolates ready to take with us to the neighbors.  It is Turkish tradition that when you are invited to a house, you bring a gift.  We walked next door for our evening of conversation and Tea. 

Introductions began with the husband speaking both Turkish and English.  We noticed that his wife's family were also at that house.  Apparently, his wife's family wanted to meet the Americans as well. They could not speak English.  The kids ran off talking in broken English and using a form of charades to communicate with one another to play.

All the adults sat outside to visit.  The weather is so beautiful in Turkey that during the summer months they eat and converse outside.  So we sat down at the table and chairs.  Next, his wife and her sister- in law started bringing out more and more food like a buffet style dinner.  WHAT!?!?  I thought we were coming over for tea?

Apparently, Turkish custom of Tea is that it includes dinner.  The Turks like to eat later in the evening, around 8pm or later.  They don't have dinner at 6pm like Americans.  So if a Turkish person invites you over for tea, they really are inviting you over for dinner.  We wish we would have known that prior to our arrival.

Now the wife and sister-in-law brought out many plates of food;  three different pasta dishes, bread, and desserts.  I knew that if I did not eat any of the food it would be an insult.  So Reed and I, being full from our dinner, had to eat a second dinner.  I had to taste everything to show them that I was thankful and grateful for the meal. 

Needless to say, we ate way too much.  BUT overall the evening went well.  We had a great visit with the neighbors and enjoyed watching the kids, who don't speak each other's language, work through the language barriers to play common games like; hide and go seek and tag.  We said our goodbyes around 11pm.   Reed and I then rolled ourselves home.  We tucked the kids into bed, took our tums and laid in bed commenting how miserably full we were from the two dinners. 

View of a Neighborhood

We did enjoy our relaxing evening with the neighbors.  BUT -NOTE TO SELF;  when invited over for tea....don't eat dinner.

Lunch Time at School

The kids are attending an International School and enjoying it.  This school has students from a range of different countries; Germany, Italy, Malaysia, England and so on.  The school's population is about 25 percent Americans. 

At school, the kids are making friends, learning about different cultures, life lessons, and yes- school course work.  When the boys come home they have a lot of stories to share about what happened at school.  Many of the stories are generated from the lunch room.  I love their stories and will share some of them with you;

Lunch hour is about socializing and checking out what people bring from home.  Think back to when you were a kid and how curious everyone was about each other's lunches.  We all had to check out the goods brought from home.  We wanted to know how lucky the kid was....or unlucky.  Well,  it is the same even in the international school.

During the first week of school hot lunch was not offered. So the students brought cold lunches from home.  This is where most of the stories originated, because a lot of these kids have not seen or tasted American Food.  The most interesting story I heard, over and over from Nate, Connor and Sam, was how interested the other kids were with their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Kids were so intrigued by the color of the substance between the slices (the peanut butter and jelly). 

Nate told the best story.  A couple of the kids brought their lunches from home and hated what was packed.  They looked at Nate's lunch and asked about what he brought.  He told them that he brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and then named the other items.  One kid told him that he has seen a sandwich like that on TV, but had never tasted it.  So Nate gave that kid half his sandwich.  He LOVED the sandwich.  For the next couple of days, Nate was sharing half his sandwich with many other kids who had never tasted PB and J.  He was king of the lunch room and became so popular that people would barter with him for the sandwich.  I asked Nate if he was getting tired of peanut butter and Jelly and if I could make him a different sandwich, to which he said, "No!  You don't understand what this thing is worth."  He said that one day he was able to trade his sandwich for a homemade doughnut.  Not the healthiest choice, but I laughed.

Connor and Sam have had similar stories.  They barter half their sandwich for a treat or something that they would prefer.  It is rather funny.  Nate even told us how one kid asked for the recipe for the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Nate was hesitant and asked if he was serious.   He was serious.  Nate told him that the recipe was easy;  two slices of bread, peanut butter and jelly.  Put the peanut butter on one slice and the jelly on the other slice.  Put the two pieces of bread together and you have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  The kid then asked;  what is peanut butter?  We all laughed.  I explained to Nate that many countries don't have peanut butter and Nate was surprised, because he has known it all his life.

Connor shared with me about his interesting lunch experiences (other than the peanut butter and jelly -similar stories).  He had a "Little Debbie -Nutty Bar."  At lunch a kid was staring at it and asked him what it was.  Connor was surprised that this American boy had not eaten a nutty bar in the past.  This boy has lived in Turkey for most of his life.  So.... he has never seen or tasted a Nutty Bar.  Connor broke it in half and explained to him what it was.  The boy's mouth was watering, so Connor gave him half.  The boy told him it was the most delightful peanut buttery chocolate cookie he has ever eaten. 

Now, during Connor's lunch, everyone puts a food item in the middle of the table.  The kids play spin the water bottle to see who can pick from the pile first.  Connor said that his treat items (Nutty Bars, Pringles and Scooby Graham Crackers) are usually picked first....and he is pretty much lunch room KING, as well. 

Sam talked about how a Non-English speaking kid loves his apple sauce.  At Sam's age they don't share much.  Well, that has to do with they are six year olds and six year olds don't like to share.  Six year olds are very ME orientated.  But, occasionally Sam will ask for the apple sauce so he can give it to his friend. 

After hearing these stories, I actually witnessed this same confusion about American Food;

The boys have befriended a couple of kids (twins- a boy and a girl) that live about 5 blocks away.  Some days these two will get off the bus at our house to hang out.  AND sometimes they will stay for dinner.  The other night I was making corn dogs.  The twins asked what a corn dog was.  I had to laugh, because it is such an all American food to me.  They are Italian/Turkish and have lived in Turkey for the last 9 years.  In Turkey they don't have corn dogs.  I brought them into the kitchen and showed them what a corn dog looked like.  They talked about seeing such a thing on TV, but had never tasted one.  Well, as you can imagine, they stayed for dinner and enjoyed the corn dog with ketchup!

The kids at Nate, Connor and Sam's school

As you can see from the picture above, there are a wide range of kids attending the school.  Our boys are learning life lessons from their new friends.  They are trying new foods, experiencing different cultures and loving every minute of it! 

Turkish Wedding

We had only been in Turkey for a few weeks, when a wedding invitation came.  Wow- who from Turkey knows us enough to invite us to their wedding????

One of Reed's employees invited us to his wedding.  This person has worked closely with us, since our move.  He was responsible for our trips to the Police Station in order to get our Visas and Citizenship paperwork filed.  He has spent quite a bit of time with our family and is a great guy.  We were excited and happy for him.  We thought that this would be a great experience and decided to go.

Our first thoughts and questions; 

What is a Turkish wedding like;  how do you dress, do you bring a gift, how long is the wedding, and are kids invited.  Reed asked these questions to several Turkish people to better understand the customs and what the wedding would be like.  So here is how the wedding went...

Most important thing we learned was:  you dress up when you go to a wedding.  In Turkey people dress up more than in the states.  If a man is wearing jeans, then he is wearing a dress shirt or a sports coat.  Most people do not wear T-shirt and shorts/jeans in Turkey.  We learned that it is customary for people to wear business casual dress attire at the ceremony, but the reception is more formal.  Lots of people change clothes between the ceremony and reception. 

The gift custom in Turkey is different than the states.  People do not register for gifts...no, they want gold.  Yes, GOLD!  You have to go to a jewelry store to buy a gold coin that is attached to a pin with a bow.  You can choose the weight of the gold coin.  At the end of the wedding ceremony you present your gift to the bride and groom.  The coin is not wrapped nor do you have a card with the coin.  You pin the coin on the bride or groom's sash when you are leaving the wedding ceremony. Hmm, how do they remember who gave which coin?  Uhm, my coin was the biggest and heaviest?!?

The wedding ceremony is only about ten/ fifteen minutes long.  The ceremony was held in something we would think of as a banquet room.  There was a stage with  chairs positioned in front of it.  On the stage was a table with several chairs.  Everything was decorated.  The bride and groom walked down the aisle and sat at the table.  The presiding person (don't know if he was a religious person or not) then sat down.  He had the microphone.  He talked into the microphone and asked the bride and groom a question- to which they responded "Evet" which means, yes.  They signed paperwork and the ceremony was done.  Prior to leaving, you walked down the receiving line to pin the coin on the bride or groom, and then left.  Like I said, the wedding ceremony was not long.

The groom dressed the way we all would expect a groom to dress for a wedding.  It was a suit/ tux type of clothing.  The bride was wearing a tilt hat with a small veil.  Not a typical type of wedding veil that we are accustom to seeing in the states.  She wore a white dress that was knee length.  It was sequenced and beautiful.  For the reception she changed into a black cocktail dress.

We came home and changed, since we had about two hours to spare.  We then drove to the wedding reception and got lost.  We had to stop several times for directions.  BUT, we finally found it! 

Our drive to the reception

When got to the reception (1/2 hr late), we noticed that the appetizers were Turkish.   Thank goodness I expected this and fed the kids prior to leaving our house.  They have not acquired a taste for the Turkish cuisine yet.  We all sat down while at a table to partake in eating....yum.  The music played and people got up to dance prior to the dinner being served. 

The groom pulled Reed out on the dance floor to dance.  It was interesting to watch.  The men held their arms up in the air and snapped their fingers while dancing.  They were dancing in a circle just moving to the music. 

Reed dancing with the groom (on the right)

The main course was served and the dancing continued. The cake was actually wheeled out to the dance floor for the bride and groom to cut.  As the cake was served, people continued to dance.  Dancing actually started from the moment you entered into the reception until the end.  I found that rather interesting.     

Our family photo

Close up of the family

(Hey Sam, what are you looking at?  Camera is over here.)

We ended the night with a few photos, posted above. The reception was done by 930 pm. What a quick but fun wedding.  

The Boys First day of School

Wow.  Time is flying by.  We have been in Turkey for over a month.

September 5, 2011 was the kids first day of school.  They are going to an International School.  We looked at a couple of different International Schools and picked one that was a close match to their prior school;  small classroom size, caring teachers, a small campus, and such. 

Reed and I drove to the school with our little bundles of joy, which actually are not little anymore.  I was very nervous, because I want the kids to enjoy their experiences and time here in Turkey.  Let's face it, school takes up a majority of their day and can make or break their moods.  It will also leave a lasting impression about their time in Turkey. 

The boys standing in front of school-  Smiling.

The upper grades (Nate's grade) 7-12 were meeting and gathering in a different area then the lower grades K-6.  Nate was all about wanting to venture off and meet new people.  No fears or worries.  He was excited and happy to be coming back to school.  Great! 

Connor was Sam's right hand man.  They went to their near the gathering location for their grades.  As they waited, Connor and Sam met some kids and played freeze tag in the courtyard.  I thought; great, making new friends already.

Then the call to get in line according to grade;

The gathering in the courtyard

Connor was happy and excited to venture off to where he had to go.  Nate was already with people in his grade.  They were both adapting well and smiling.  NOW SAM WAS A DIFFERENT STORY.

Sam did not want to get in line to go into school for the first day.

I watched Sam become afraid and sad as he went to get in his line.  I walked over to him and he clung to me like glue.  I could see tears in his eyes.  He told me that he did not want to go.  It broke my heart.  The teacher noticed Sam's struggles.  She walked over and introduced herself.  She then told him that he could hold her hand and be her helper for the day.  Sam carefully took her hand and walked off.  I know that Sam is shyer and it takes him some time to warm up to ideas and people.  So I had Reed peek a few minutes later to make sure there were no other issues.  Reed said that Sam was not even holding the Teacher's hand and was just fine.  Sam even gave him the thumbs up sign when Reed told him goodbye.  Whew.

We signed the boys up to ride the bus to and from school.  So prior to us leaving the school, we told each child to make sure to find one another at the end of the school day and to be on the same bus.  Success; the boys came home safe and sound.  They had a lot of stories and smiles from their first day.

I did learn, from their stories, that the bus driver's don't speak much English.  Sam originally was on the wrong bus.  Nate and Connor noticed that when they got on their bus; there was no Sam.  Nate had his friend speak Turkish to the bus driver to tell the bus driver not to leave while Nate found a teacher for help in order to find Sam.  Connor stayed on the bus to make sure it did not leave any of his brothers behind.  Wow; what a way to look out for one another.  In the end, the teacher found Sam and they all got on the right bus.  They all got home safe and sound!  AND HAPPY!

They boys getting on their bus (well actually a van) for their day two of school.

Day two went even better.  The kids like their new school.  So far so good!

Our Boat Trip on the Mediterranean

Reed did a great job setting us up to ride on a large (knowing that I have issues with small boats) sail boat to go out on the Mediterranean Sea.  This adventure was about swimming and snorkeling. 

The days started off with Sam not wanting to go....with the threats of never having any electronic device.....Amazing- he changed his mind.  Whew!  We got on the boat and it was rocky.  I was feeling a little motion sickness, when they shoved off of the dock.  YES!

Hanging out on the boat

The picture above shows the front of the boat; a large deck area.  It was supplied with lounging pads and a bean bag chair.  Sam laid back and I laid out as we sailed.  Actually they used a motor, but it sounds romantic and cool to use the word sailed to our destination.

The captain was laid back.  He smoked his cigarettes and steered the boat while playing his rock music; like - Lady Gaga .  I have to say that it was interesting music to experience on the sea.  I was imagining that there would be calming sea type of music or something like that...but he was the captain of the ship.  It was "Poker Face" and such, for his music selections.  We were aboard with two Russian families.  Broken English was the language used that day.

A guy rock climbing

Our first stop was to a cave and a cool swimming area.  In the picture above a person was rock climbing the large stone mass.  To the right of the person is the cave that we walked through.  During high tide the cave fills up.  Sam swam very well and collected a couple of rocks. 

Beautiful

Our second destination was to an area that had a lot of cliff rocks and another cave.  There were several rocks that you could climb on, to then jump off of into the water.  To the left of the large overhanging rock is the rock the boys jumped off into the sea.   

During our ride back into the resort docking area we took photos of the resort and our view;

What a view of our beach and the mountains

Just prior to docking.

It was a half day boat trip that we all enjoyed. Even the skeptic, Sam, was laughing and swimming; having a great time.  

Chimaera Yanartas

We left the resort to hike up a mountain.  Really?  Yes, I said hike up a mountain.  We were told about a hillside on the mountain that had a bunch of vents that were on fire.  The boys wanted to check it out, so we got a guide and headed out.

This excursion started at the base of a mountain. We paid the entrance fee and then climbed straight up for about .6 miles.

The sign showing us which way to go

Our path.  Note how steep it is.

This is a geological site with a myth.  Chimaera is a creature having a lion's head, a goats body, and a snake's tail.  Bellerophon, son of Glaucus, took the quest to kill the creature.  He set out and fell asleep by the river.  He had a dream where Athena told him how to defeat Chimaera.  She said that only with the assistance of Pegasus he could defeat the creature.  Bellerophon took her advice and captured Pegasus.  They flew to Yanartas, Chimaera's den.  Chimaera breathed fire, but was not able to defeat Pegasus's flying moves.  Bellerophon shot arrows while Pegasus escaped Chimaera's flames.  He shot Chimaera, until the creature collapsed.  After it collapsed, Bellerophon shot his last spear with such force that it buried Chimaera underground while it was breathing fire.  Thus, the fire seeps out of the ground to this very day.  Cool story.

Actually, the fire comes from the methane gas and other components that are inside this hillside.  There are several vents that allow these gases to escape and are continuously on fire.

Example of the vents on the hillside of the mountain

This vent is a little bigger

The view looking down

Sam a little hot from climbing up to the vents

Reed is resting and getting water prior to our descent

Nate is a little hot from the climb.  He is using the shade to cool off.

While we were climbing up we noticed that several trees had water bottle labels tied to them.  I asked our guide about it and he told me that Turkish people believe that this is a religious area and site.  When they tie the label to the tree, it is a prayer for a loved one.  I then noticed how he bowed and was praying at different locations.

I looked up to our boys running up the rest of the hillside towards the vents.  I then watched the boys at the top near the biggest fire vent spit at the vent.  I immediately climbed up to where they were, which took me some time because it is so steep.  I asked them what they were doing.  They told me that they were taking turns trying to spit into the flame (their target).  When they missed it hit the rock and made a cool sizzle sound from the rock being so hot.  I then explained to them that some people believe this site as a religious site and spitting at the flames is not the right thing to do.  I did laugh, because boys are boys and only they would come up with such an idea. 

Thank goodness this was not witnessed by anyone but our guide, maybe.  Apparently, most people wait till dusk to climb the mountain to see the fire.  They want to avoid the hot sun and to witness the fiery glory in the dark.  No one told us about the heat and waiting till dark, so we hiked in the middle of the day in all the sun and heat.  As you can see from the pictures above we were hot!  BUT it was a great excursion.

Visiting Olympos

OLYMPOS

We left the resort to see some of Turkey's history. Reed learned that Olympos was an incredible archaeological site to see and was not far from our location. So we left to check it out.  

Here is my version of the history of Olympos. Again, realize that I am not a historian, nor do I speak like one. BUT this is what I learned; 

Olympos was a city that historians estimate to have been established in 2000 BC. 2000BC? Wow! That is old. It is so old and that it is a time frame that I can't even comprehend. Olympos was surrounded by water and had harbors. A harbor city built around water sources. I can understand that concept. Apparently, there was a fight for power and control of the city. The pirates vs. the government. The pirates used the city to bring in their goods (like a pawn shop's back door). The Roman's, who were in control of Olympos, wanted control of the import and export of goods. The Roman's attempted to get a grip on piracy by enacting laws prohibiting such. The laws ended up being the demise to the city's existence. Wow, I am almost sounding like a historian. 

Continuing on...

A Government trying to control a city with the city fighting against being governed; political and social unrest, now that is nothing new. I can understand those concepts. During all of this unrest, Olympos suffered two major earthquakes. With the earthquakes and the piracy unrest, the city collapsed. It did not happen overnight, but historians say that those were the factors leading to the destruction of the city. AND the city was never rebuilt.


I took a lot of photos from this excursion. The view was fantastic. The stone work, tombs, mosaic tiles, and structure of the city were incredible. Enjoy the photos;

Inside Olympos at the edge of the town

The Mediterranean Sea enters into the city. Look in the background and you can see a building peeking out from the tree line on the left side.  It is above the large set of rocks.

Water ran through the city

A Tomb

The mosaic tiling used to decorate walls of the city

A church pillar stone. You can still see the cross.

The monumental portal of the Roman Temple

Really? How big were these people that they needed a door this big?

There were so many more pictures I could post from visiting Olympos, but it would be pages and pages long. It was quite an archaeological site to see.   All of us were in awe with how old the city was, what was left of the city, the tombs, and the incredible stone work. We were glad we went.