HALLELUJAH….2007 AND WE HAVE BEEN ON THE ROAD FOR SIX MONTHS…

Small gifts mean so much to the giver and the receiver as a token of friendship: when we left Pamukkale, I was given a bracelet by the owner’s sister that contained eyes on it. These eyes will cancel any evil eye that you may receive from anyone. This gesture really touched me, because this meant that she wanted us to be safe on our journey; prayer beads with the eyes for the bike from the pipe maker and a larger eye from one of the owners of another hotel, which was the actual owner of the hotel in Demer. On our departure, the mother and I connected, even though Jack was disgruntled with her son.

On our departure from Pamukkale, our original intent was to travel across Turkey to Bodrum;

but we were talking to the manager of the Kale Hotel and he recommended that we drive to southern Turkey and visit Antalya. We decided to take his advice and if we did not like the city, we could continue to Bodrum, stopping along the way. What a mistake it would have been for us…not to miss the city of Antalya, but to have missed the road and the gorgeous scenery on this route. Of course, the day could have been a bit warmer, but other conditions could not have been better: bright, warm sun; mountains that rose above the horizon to kiss the sky, a road that twisted, turned and wound its way up and down with a magnificent view of the Mediterranean. We chose to by-pass Antalya, being a large city, and to stop in a smaller coastal town. We thought that prices would be more reasonable…wrong! This turned out to be a hugh mistake, especially since we had to pay more for the room than expected and did not include breakfast. The morning that we left the hotel, our attention was focused on breakfast, stopping at the first one we saw opened. In many restaurants there are men who come and try to sell you their place, so when we saw a good looking young man outside, we thought he was with the restaurant, but no, he was from the travel agency next door, . He helped us order and made sure that we got what we needed. Everything was going along fine. We had a nice conversation with him; Jack was anxious to start, so I paid the bill, went to the WC and checked on the change with Jack. Jack did not receive any change, which I thought a bit odd. I asked the young fellow to help me speak to the waiter. Found that they had charged us 25 euros for breakfast, justifying this with giving us special lamb and an omelet. I had given him 50 lira, which was the equivalent to the 25 euros. Needless to say I was a bit upset and felt ripped off. I know that no matter where you are there will be people that take advantage, but in general people have been very hospitable, friendly and honest in Turkey.

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, we finally arrived in Bodrum. We located the marina, looking for the ferry to Kos and also a place to live for the next few days. We found the Hong Kong restaurant, which did serve very good Chinese food, where the people could not have been nicer or more accommodating. One of the waiters was sent with me to find a pansiyon (Turkish sp), but fortunately they were closed. I say fortunately because there was a couple sitting at a table that directed us to a pansiyon close to the Bodrum castle. After a couple of cups of tea, we navigated the narrow streets, finding our way to the main highway. After many attempts and additional directions we found the most delightful pansiyon right across from the Mediterranean. The staff is great, the owner was quite accommodating to our needs and this would be a place that I would come back to over and over…a very friendly and warm atmosphere. We found some good restaurants in the neighborhood and an artisan just down the way from us. He is renowned in Turkey as the man that kept away the evil eye from Bodrum. He is a genius with colored glass that he imports from other countries. I had seen this colored glass displayed, but I did not have an appreciation for the work until I saw him create his pieces. This artistry has been around for about 10,000, but his skill has been expounded by archeologists as one artisan that only appears once in every four hundred years.

The oven that he used reminds me of a small adobe house with two entrances. The main entrance is where he fires the glass to temperatures of 2000 degrees, turning it into molten glass that burns red hot. He uses metal rods that he has fashioned himself, a real craftsman; and a flat piece of metal that is his most important tool. Not until I watched his skillful hands catch the glass at the end of the rod, shaping the glass into small and large beads, fish and flowers, most of them containing the famous eyes, did I realize the significance of this important tool…this does the shaping and forming for all the items he makes. I was fascinated and hated to take my eyes off of the rod for fear that I would miss what he would make next. His son has been an apprentice since he was seven and now he is in his twenties. Next year he will begin to design the glass artifacts so long mastered by his father. It is great to see that an ancient craft will be continued along with the making of meerschaum pipes, making of louts (Turkish guitar) and carpet weaving. I wonder how many ancient crafts have been lost to us due to the lack of interest by the youth of the next generation.

Today is January 12^th and we are in Taormina, which is a lovely Sicilian town along the Mediterranean coast, but how did we get here from Athens, you ask. Well, I better fill you in on the previous 12 days.

Needless to say, we did not want to leave Bodrum, but we needed to continue on our journey. We booked passage on a ferry that travels to one of the Grecian Islands, KOS, but we encountered a sticky situation with the Turkish passport control, finding that Flashy’s passport was only valid until December 12^th and it was now December 27^th…oops! We did not know this, but for them this did not matter, so we were not able to leave on the scheduled day. No worries, we could use the ticket for the next scheduled day…this was Wednesday now we could not leave until Friday. The biggest concern was Jack’s visit to customs at the main office. We were told that being late on a departure was a BIG problem…could be a penalty of $2000 to $3000. One of the funniest things that happened while we were in the midst of this, I had bought a package of snickers bars to take on the ferry. Once I paid for them, I had to bring my passport back to the salesman for him to process the sale…so I did that. Now when it was announced that we could not leave the area, I was also told that I had to return the candy to the duty free shop…I was no longer a passenger and could not benefit from this. A little levity is a good thing.

So the next morning he left the hotel about 9:30AM and I kept myself busy, believing that he would be back in no time. As the time passed, I thought that maybe there was more to this problem about the bike. Rather than worry myself over it, because there was nothing that I could do, I went to find a book store. I love to read and this would help me concentrate on other things. I found the book store and as luck would have it, two second-hand books…one by Kathy Reichs, a forensic pathologist, and the other by Sydney Sheldon. I was determined to delve into the murder mystery first, since this is my passion. I love Patricia Cromwell’s novels. On my way back to the hotel, I also bought a big bag of Ruffles potato chips…I had some serious reading to do.

This reading session got waylaid in the lobby…I saw a couple of acquaintances we had met here from Bristol, England. I stopped by to say hello, and ended staying with them for several hours. They were interested in our customs story, having been told to them by the manager. So they were trying to console me and call people they knew that might help. Brian and Billie were great trying to ply me with alcohol to keep my mind occupied, but tea was all that I drank; until Jack came back from customs and told us the story about the magic that he performed. Our gathering turned into a beer and bailey’s bash. The next night was our going away party put on by Brian…a hell of a chef. He cooked us pepper beef, potatoes and vegetables. Since Brian knew that Jack liked Captain Jack’s rum, there was a full bottle on the table that he brought from England. Well, at the end of the night the bottle was empty, but we were full of good food, conversation and rum. What a send off! These guys are a kick and a half and we will be visiting them in England.

We had to scramble the next morning to pack and get to the ferry. We had to spring Flashy from "jail" at the ferry dock. I had to obtain new boarding passes, while Jack processed the paperwork on Flashy. All other vehicles were being boarded, but Flashy was blocked by a Mercedes. I was a bit nervous about our departure…would we be able to go today? Once the Mercedes was loaded, we were the last vehicle on board and right at the exit area. We were the last on, but we would be the first off...a great place to be. The day was sunny and a great day for a ride. The ferry ride was short and we looked forward to putting our feet on Greek soil. I have been waiting since the sixth grade to visit Greece, especially Athens, because my teacher, Mrs. Ininos, was from Greece and she would tell us about her homeland. She was my favorite teacher and I knew that Greece had to be great also. Here I was on KOS, a quaint Grecian island, that was bringing me closer to Athens.

While driving around KOS, we encountered another BMW rider that passed us on the road, but quickly turned around to come and talk with us. The guy, Manolis Smalios, and his girl friend, Chara Patakoll were riding a BMW 1100, which is a great bike. In the conversation our trip came up and his brother’s restaurant, since we were looking for a place to eat. Since we had purchased ferry tickets to Athens and the ferry did not leave until 9PM, we had some time to wait. The restaurant would open up at 2:30PM and we decided to go there for dinner. As it turned out, we ate somewhere else, but met up with Manolis and Chara at the restaurant and met Sakellaris, Manolis’ brother. We sat around drinking coffee and just talking about bikes, rides and the history of KOS. It was nice of Sakellaris to let us stay there until it was time to board the ferry…otherwise we might have been sitting out in the cold for several hours.

I have been on ferries before, but not one that traveled over night. The ferry line from KOS to Athens was called the Blue Star Ferry. It was the biggest that I had seen and to watch the trucks being loaded onto this "boat" was a sight to behold. I was a bit concerned being parked between large tractor trailers, but no, we were cushioned into an area near other bikes and quite protected from the onslaught of other vehicles…Flashy was quite safe.

We were directed to the reception area and then led to our compartment by a steward, giving us no assistance with our luggage…even though he could see that we were struggling to keep up. Once he opened our door he was gone…so much for service. We literally dropped our bags, stripped to our street clothes and found our way to the lounge. It was late and we were hungry, thirsty and tired…not necessary in that order. The choices for munchies were limited and it was too late for a full meal, so I chose a hot milk and croissant. I don’t remember what Jack’s choice was, but it was not satisfying. Since it was late we decided to call it a night and retired to our room.

The next morning seemed to come quite fast, having to pack and get to the bike in a hurry. Once they dock the ferry there is a rush to get off, so we got down early to pack up the bike. Luckily we did, because we were one of the first to drive off. I was quite excited about actually being in Greece. I had been to the island of Cyprus, but now I was on the mainland.

I had pictured Athens in my mind for many years, but of course, it was a large, metropolitan city now and very difficult to get around. We found it surprising that not many people could speak English, but more surprisingly, in general, people did not want to put themselves out to help. So every place we tried to find took us longer than we expected. Luckily Jack is good with maps, and his sense of direction is phenomenal, which helped getting around the city.

My main goal was to visit the Acropolis, having seen so many pictures and hearing about this great place erected by Pericles, the leading Athenian political leader in the 5^th century BC. As I approached the hill where the Acropolis sits, I was able to view a portion of the Parthenon standing above Athens. With every step my heart raced and the excitement grew…to actually step into history is an amazing wonder to me. The first building that I saw was a small temple, Temple of Athena Nike, which was erected in her honor as the goddess who brought them victory over the Persians. Then I entered through the Propylaea, which is the monumental gateway constructed of white marble, to the Acropolis. Most of the time, I try to visualize what the structure must have looked like when new, in this instance this gateway was never completed. Now I was walking on the main ground of the Acropolis, where Pericles had walked, and the great architects that had designed these magnificent structures. Then to my right was the most famous of the structures, The Parthenon. Wow!!! The Parthenon was completely constructed of marble and considered one of the greatest monumental designs of Greek architecture…a masterpiece. It also was dedicated in honor of the goddess Athena, where once a gold and ivory statue was housed standing approx. 10m (33ft.) tall. I imagined how beautiful this structure must have been with its gleaming marble columns and Athena standing to look out over Athens. It was breathtaking to view the city of Athens from this vantage point. The other structure on the Acropolis is the Erechtheum, which is more elaborate with porches and draped female figures that support the Porch of the Maidens, but for me not as noteworthy. Even though time and weather have damaged these antiquities, they still are a magnificent fete, but the metal bracings that surround these historical structures gave me pause re their true nature…what’s original and what’s not? I know that reconstruction is a part of preserving history, but it takes away from the original "feel" of history. I did enjoy my time on the hill, and what a great day not only in terms of weather, but a child’s dream realized. I soaked in all the beauty and historical aspects of this great monument to a once great power.

When I descended the hill, we were lucky to find a taxi driver that recommended a hotel…of course. It was called The Hellenis. They started with a rate of 80 lira for the first night and successive nights would be 60, China sure helped me in my bargaining skills. It was certainly better than the hotels that we had experienced on our own. One in particular was interesting: I went in with my usual pitch of one room, two people, and one bed for one night. I was told that there were no rooms available. While the receptionist was answering the phone, two couples had walked in and received keys. I had been looking at their brochure in the meantime and the rooms looked a bit overly decorated. I questioned their getting rooms, and she said that there were no rooms for over three hours. OOPS! I had been sent here on a recommendation. I am not sure what this person thought we wanted to do, but only sleep was on our mind. We had asked directions to this hotel, and we found out later that the fellow was surprised that we were going there, but he did not know if he should say something. We all had a great laugh.

Since we arrived on Saturday, December 30, we would spend New Years Eve and New Years Day in Athens. There were no celebrations that we knew about, so we spent a quiet New Years Eve. Jack went to bed early, but I managed to stay up past midnight to welcome in 2007. Our short stay turned into 4 nights, but Jack managed to have the bike serviced and we went to the American Embassy for Jack to sign up for Social Security, which he could not complete because his contact was on vacation. So Wednesday morning we left Athens to continue our tour of Greece, but then I realized that he had not renewed his bike insurance. Fortunately, after trying to find a BMW Motorcycle dealership for at least an hour, we found a dealer that handled BMW as well as several other bikes. He put us in touch with the woman that handles their insurance and we were given the name of an insurance company. It was critical that it happened this day, January 3, since his policy would run out. We found the company and given a policy for one month…the only length of time given for a non-Greek registration. Now we were legal and could proceed.

It is terrible to think that now it is January 25^th and most of our time has been spent in and out of hotels, on and off ferries and breezing through countries. I have to say that to date, Turkey and Mongolia have been the most memorable, interesting and surprising experiences of our adventure. These two countries offered more in culture, ruins, Turkey more so in food and the bread, but in terms of help and hospitality both were equal. Of course, the Acropolis was the highlight of my visit to Greece, but we did have a chance to visit the site of Olympia which was interesting and an old Byzantine church, which was interesting and an act of kindness of one of the priests to open the church up for us to visit. As we got out of the large cities and into the Greek countryside, the scenery was great, but in general, Greece has been a big disappointment to me: very few English speaking people, people were not helpful, the food was not exceptional or memorable and I left the country feeling unfulfilled. I think because I had such high hopes due to my teacher.

Italy left me with much of the same feeling. I am glad that I had a chance to visit Pompeii and see the famous Vesuvius Mountain as it stands high over the ruins. It gave me an eerie feeling to be walking through a city devastated by this now quiet looking mountain. The preservation of this city was remarkable due to the "hermetic" sealing of many of the structures: bakeries, residences with paintings on the walls, mosaics on the floors, baths, Apollo’s Temple. I even saw the preservation of two bodies, one having teeth still in the mouth. Pompeii covered about 66 hectares (2.471 acres per hectare). Jack and I did not cover a quarter of what has been discovered. There are still 21 hectares still not excavated. My brother’s fiancée recommended this site to us and I am glad that we took her suggestion.

Once we left Pompeii, we headed straight for Rome. I have always wanted to visit the Vatican, especially since I read the Da Vinci Code. Unfortunately, it was a rainy, blustery day when we arrived in Rome, but I was not to be denied. Since the bike was parked in an unsecured place, jack elected to stay with the bike while I trudged off with my camera to brave the weather. Luckily, the rain had subsided for a time and I was able to wander through St. Peters Square and visit the Basilica. What a solemn and peaceful experience for me. The church is magnificent with lifelike statues, but the most awe-inspiring were the central dome of the Basilica and the Pieta, which sits in a glass case for all to see, both created by Michelangelo…I have seen pictures of both, but to actually see them was quite moving for me, especially the Pieta, looking at that moment through a mother’s eyes.

We have taken the opportunity along our route to take several days to just lay back and enjoy the scenery. One of those places was in Giardini Naxos in Sicily. The hotel was the San Giovanni that was across the street from the Ionian Sea, which is one of the few hotels that remain open during the winter months. It was a nice hotel with a very hospitable and helpful staff. This certainly was a pleasant change from the receptions that we had been receiving prior to this. Since we arrived in the evening, we did not realize the great view of the Sicilian coast. The next day was perfect: good weather with clear skies and a bright shining sun…the heat felt wonderful. We found a delightful restaurant for lunch, having their fish soup from the recommendation of a couple from Boston who had been returning to this area for 9 years. We not only enjoyed the food, but the ambiance of the place enticed us to return that evening for dinner. We had an elegant dinner complete with wine. Our stay was delightful and a place that I would consider a second visit, but not in the summer…too many tourists.

In this same area is an active volcano called Mount Etna. On our last morning, we decided to drive to the highest point that was possible by vehicle. It turned out to be a great ride and what an experience. The larva rock remains of its last eruption in 1625 were spread over quite an area. As we climbed the hill, we noticed that many of the walls that studded the sides were of larva rock…a great building material. At the bottom of this mountain there was no snow and the weather was pleasant. We noticed that the closer we got to the parking area the temperatures got colder and the snow level increased. Even though the mountain has been quiet for almost 400 years, I was a bit concerned being so close to the active core. The mountain is constantly smoking and the steam from the chimney was mesmerizing to me. It is probably good that it releases this steam, rather than have it build up. I was amazed to see how many people had come here to play in the snow or to ski. No one seemed too anxious about the probability of an eruption. I suppose it was like living in southern California with the constant threat of earth quakes…you learn to live with the threat, because the living conditions are worth it. The day was gorgeous and the air was so clean…a great combination for relaxation.

It has been our intent to find some hot weather, so that we could stay a bit and relax. Hopefully do some camping, but to date we have only been experiencing cold, rain and snow in some areas. It is January 29 and there are thunder storms and rain forecast for the next couple of days. Here we are in the quintessential vacation area, Torrelominos, described in the book by Michener, "The Drifters", in a hotel a short distance from the beach and we cannot even enjoy the water…too cold and no sun. We are going to head toward Morocco in the next couple of days to find that elusive warmth we have been searching for the last five months.

It is the 30th today and low and behold we have sunshine in Torrelominos. I made the decision to stay another day to enjoy walking the city and basking in the sun, even though it is only 15 degrees centigrade…approx. 62 degrees F. It is better than heading into the rain, which is forecasted for today south of us. We will delay our travel to Morocco only one day.

So bye for now!