We had quite the flight from Boston. In a last minute effort to be frugal, Joseph visited West Marine to buy the paints we needed to paint the boat. It turns out that the best paints for painting boats are made in the US and buying them in the US would save us a lot of money !!...(Helen your thoughts) So off we went. Two trips later and a visit to a hardware store we had all we needed. We divided the paints between two bags and off we headed to the airport. Helen and Butch gave us a ride and it was a teary goodbye. We checked in, and finally boarded our flight.
We were tired .. a busy few days in the US had kept us on our toes and now we were heading back to Turkey to meet Josephs parents, Siobhan and Frank for New Years in Izmir.
Just before they closed door to the plane a lady approached us, "Miss Kranz" ... "yes", I said ... "we found some hazards materials in your bag and it has been removed". Now the guys in the seat next to us was a little shocked ... I guess everyone is worried about what everyone else has in their bags. On hearing that a bag was pulled, Joseph asked all innocent ... "what was found " ... as if he didn't know... The lady said it was paint, and that we could collect it when we liked. She said only one bag was effected.
She left, the door was closed and we were off. First to Munich and then to Izmir.
Frank and Siobhan left Ireland and would arrive some 10 hours before us. We arrived in Munich and without much of a delay, we were off again to Izmir. The flight was non eventful.
As we waited to disembark the plane, we watch through the plane window and saw our bags, along with all the other bags be hand lifted off the plane. It was our turn finally to get off the plane. We went through passport control and then on to baggage claim.
Then one by one our bags appeared. All but one bag came out on the carousel. At this point, we knew the bag that was missing was the other bag that contained paints. This first bag was empty of paint !!! Were we to be out of luck? After much attempts to explain to the baggage claim people where we were staying(language barrier...where is Anne's Rosetta Stone), we headed to met Siobhan and Frank at our hotel.
On arriving at the hotel we were greeted by Frank. He looked well, and was excited to see us. And us to see him. Siobhan arrived on the scene shortly there after. The plan was to have dinner in Izmir for New Years and then go to see the fireworks.
Dinner was fish. We ate along the water front. The location was beautiful even if it was night time. The place was alive with people coming into the city for the big night and all the festivities. What a perfect start to the night great food and great company!
As we sat eating dinner a homeless man passed behind Joseph's chair and put a new born baby rabbit on his shoulder... any thing can happen here...and this while surprising, is part of the experience of living in Turkey! After the initial shock wore off I picked the little fella up for a great photo opportunity :)
Dinner finished and we were on our way, down the esplanade to see what the night had to offer for fun and entertainment. The turks are creative people. They don't need to import a whole load of stuff, they make do with what they have, or can make. The Turkish flag made with a string of light is a good example of just what they can do.
Joseph and Frank enjoying a fresh fruit drink. Fruit is widely available and the Turkish made good use of it, by turning it into a fresh drink... we love them.
Next day, the 1st of January, we spent shopping and eating. It's not hard to do either here. Izmir is a big city with everything a big city has to offer. The shopping was great and we all enjoyed the bargaining in the market. The Next day, we hoped on the bus and were off to Marmaris. Once in Marmaris we headed to Ramis for dinner where Orkun and his brother, Okan, joined us as we finished up. Siobhan took the opportunity to ask all the questions we all wanted to know about Turkey, Muslims and their beliefs. She was particularly interested in the number of wives a man might have :)
In the morning, we were all a little tired. Joseph wanted to see the baby so we headed out to the boat yard to see Zim. At this point we were all sick, except Siobhan. A virus was wide spread in Turkey over the Christmas period and now it was our turn to have it. This wasn't going to stop Joseph or for that matter Frank who was worst hit, from seeing the boat. Orkun was at the yard. Above is a picture of him greeting Siobhan.
Joseph and I had heard about Tombs near
Dalyan and so the next day we decided this could be a good day out. Everyone was feeling a little better and we were all up for the 1 hour trip.
Below is the picture from were we had lunch. It's not busy at this time of the year at any of the tourist spots so you get very special treatment, this includes lunch which was specially make for us.
The weather was beautiful, maybe a little cold but none the less beautiful. We were not alone, two or three other small groups joined us at the restaurant. Hundreds of people flock to the town every day during the summer to not only to see the tombs but also the wild life which includes turtles !!!
We rested for a day or so, but eventually decided it was time to do something after being stuck inside with coughs gone wild. Helen while on skype suggested a Turkish bath might help, if nothing else it would be a break from the being inside and relaxing :) Thanks to Amid, another friend here in Marmaris, a trip to a local bath was organized. Most baths are closed but I think this one fired up specially for us. Frank, Siobhan, Joseph and myself donned swim suits and entered the door below to enjoy the steam.
Inside was completely tiled from floor to ceiling. A raised platform stood in the middle of the floor as shown to the left and a bench ringed the room. The platform known as a haman was heated and very enjoyable to lie on. Next the masseuse arrived and began the the treatment. Only Siobhan and I decided to have the message. Frank was a little afraid of this service after his visit to a masseuse in Kuala Lumpur.
The two boys relaxing in the hall ways on the way out of the bath.
A puzzle mom had made of us! very sweet
Joseph, Wendy, Anne, Jeb and Poppy(Mary... Joseph wore that hat all day long!)
