So, it’s catch-up time.

I can hardly believe it’s been a full week since my last post — and I know better now than to have “promised” more frequent and consistent reports from the field while on vacation, but hey . . . it does say “irregular” up there doesn’t it?  Thanks, though, for hanging in.  I’ll do my best to make it worth your while.

Okay, here’s what’s going on.  Soon enough I’ll post a entry for each day of our travels, and since we’ve already been there/done that for more than a week of posts, here’s what’s coming up over the next few days, as quickly as I can get them written:

Day 2 in Istanbul: the Grand Bazaar, the Egyptian (Spice) Market, and a boat tour of the Bosphorus Strait; plus dinner at a popular restaurant named Lokanta Maya, owned and cheffed by the daughter of the owner of the Dionysos Resort in Kumlubuk, where we stayed for our last five days in Turkey. That’s their pool in the photo.  Yeah, I know.  Nice!

Day 3 in Istanbul: the Hagia Sophia Mosque (amazing) and the Topkapi Palace (amazing) and we would have done the Blue Mosque, but the line was a mile long and the temps were in triple digits. Not much else.

Day 4 was a travel day: we transitioned to our visit with my father and his wife at their home in the southwest Turkey coastal town of Amos, which is next door to Turunç, which is down the road from Marmaris. We stayed at the phenomenal mountain-clinging Dionysos on the other side of Amos.  Got that?  Delicious dinner and some travel tales.

Day 5 at Dionysos: a boat jaunt to Marmaris for shopping and lunch, then dinner at Pisces in Turunç.  Incredible.  And staying up until 3am for the arrival of my brother Eric and family from Bangalore, India via England.

Day 6 at Dionysus: a day trip to the coastal town of Selimiye and lunch at Sardunya (wood-fire grilled octopus anyone?) Then dinner later back in Amos. More deliciousness.

Day 7 at Dionysus: the most amazing day ever, with a rented gulet motoring south along the shoreline and stopping occasionally in hidden coves for invigorating dips in the richly aquamarine Mediterranean Sea. And dining on authentic Turkish cuisine: grilled bream and chicken kebaps, stuffed peppers, Russian potato salad, and sautéed aubergine.  And fresh-squeezed peach juice.  And Turkish tea.  And the ice cream boat pulled up to sell us Ben and Jerry’s. But all that’s for later.  Oh, and we dined that night at the Dionysos Sea Club. Even more deliciousness.

Day 8 was transition travel via ferry from Marmaris to Rhodes, where we missed our flight, but hung out at the airport drinking Greek Alfa beer and finally caught our plane to Athens and then to Santorini.  And now we’re truly in the most beautiful place on the planet.

So, that’s what’s coming up.  I should have Day 2 posted within 12 hours and we’ll see what happens from there.

In the meantime, I do wish to congratulate my daughter Meghan, her husband Mike, and her kiddos Jaxon and Ava on the addition to their family of Cora Rose.  This was a loooong pregnancy, but a short, one-push delivery, and Cora is the cutest little bambino ever.  We’re searching for the perfect little Greek onesy for her.  See you in a week, honey.

You’re in our thoughts.