Grammy & Grandaddy Come To Turkey

About a month after Christina departed, we were excited for more visitors: Grammy and Grandaddy! My parents made the trip to Turkey to see us, fully loaded with Amazon orders and gifts from the US. The kids knew they were coming but we once again surprised them by not telling the correct arrival date. Rosie’s shrieks upon seeing them say it all.

We showed them our life here, introduced them to our new friends and explored a few new places. The small town of Üzumlu, set into gorgeous green mountains above Fethiye, is the quaint village where Turkish women who weave a traditional fabric called ‘Dastar’. Many homes along the main streets have looms and items for sale, and while we couldn’t speak the same language, we enjoyed tea and learning about the intricate patterns. We also left with many beautiful handmade items.

Up the hill from Üzumlu is the ancient town of Cadianda. Founded in 3000 BC (!!!!!) and abandoned in the 7th century AD, it includes incredible remains of baths, temples, a stadium, market, and theatre. As with so many remains in Turkey (because there are SO many) it is relatively unprotected and we could just wander through the hills, peeking into doorways and touching all the stones. The city boasts magnificent views all the way to the sea and the kids enjoyed antics the amphitheatre.

By the end of the week, the boat was done* enough to get the kids’ rooms ready and move on! We celebrated Jean and Lenny’s last evening in Turkey with dinner at our favorite restaurant and drinks and dessert on the boat. It was great to see them and let them experience a bit of our life in Turkey. We love to share our experiences so we hope to see more of you soon!

*In boating language, ‘done’ is a term that means work is complete today but there will be new work tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that….