Rome, Italy - July 20

Dubrovnik has been an excellent place to visit. As I said before it is very tourist friendly. It's rare that we visit a European city where the sea is the main attraction. Not an easy place to get to, but would be thrilled to return.

It is about 5:00 pm by the time we arrive at our hotel to overnight in Rome on our way home. This gives us a bit of time to visit the city. We figure there is plenty of time to sleep after the vacation, so we catch a 30 min hotel shuttle into Rome. After a dinner of Caprese salad and spaghetti we practically jog the streets of Rome to see as many sights as we can. We are able to see the Colleseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. WOW! Although not a thorough visit by any means a great taste of Rome.

The return shuttle gets us back to the hotel around 11:30. We catch a bit of sleep before being up again for our 6:00 am flight to Frankfurt and then Calgary. I'm not thrilled by the prospect of the 10 hour flight to Calgary, but I'm always glad to be home!

Dubrovnik, Croatia - July 19

After anothjer lazy morning we realize we are really getting into vacation mode just as it is coming to an end. First thing on our agenda is to visit Dubrovnik's modern art museum. There is a Picasso exhibit on which we get a 'private' tour of as we are the only ones interested - or there for that matter. From what we've read it is a very under visited museum. It is worth a visit.

After the museum it is time to get ready for the wedding. As usual it is HOT, and by the time we meet some people for drinks we forget people watching on a terrace and head for an indoor Irish pub and a nice cool Strongbow.

The wedding is in an old Palace - a great location and also makes a great place for post ceremony Champagne. One of the coolest parts of the ceremony is the bride and groom exchanging vows in 2 languages.

The reception is at our hotel which is very convienent for us, especially when I can no longer take the heat and take a break from the festivities for a shower and wardrobe change!

The hotel also makes a perfect backdrop for a reception. We are outside which although is VERY HOT is beautiful - right next to the sea with a full moon.

One thing that is more noticeable in tonight's heat is how Croatians aren't big on anything chilled. At best drinks come cool pretty much everywhere. Even when iced is put in drinks it is melted in seconds. We have even been served ice alongside wine - not as a cooler, but to put into the wine.

Will post photos later...no computer access...only Blackberry.

Dubrovnik, Croatia - July 18

Our time to relax continues…After another breakfast we figure we are tuckered out and should take it easy with a nap! At around 2 we figure that as we haven’t eaten since breakfast that we should head out for lunch. We find a pasta spot on one of the old city’s many skinny streets. Most of these streets spill off of the square’s main street and end with or are broken up by steep stairs – the photo is of Chris at lunch with one of the many sets of stairs behind him. All the way up these stairs seem to be apartments, some of them I assume are for tourists based on the people coming and going from them – I’d love to take a look inside one of them!

After lunch we spend a bit more time at the water. Today the water is quite rough as you can see from the photo of me sitting on the edge of the wall with my legs in. The level of the water has varied a lot from one day to the next. The water was like this on the first day and then no where near the edge on a couple of other days. I much prefer this. I could sit there all day with my legs over the edge while the sea cools me – sometimes soaks me as you can tell from the photo. Depending on how high the water comes, it ranges from not reaching the top at all to washing right over the edge of the wall.

We have been invited to a BBQ tonight by Brian and Dijana who are getting married on Saturday. They have rented a house not far out of the old town, so that is very continent for us. Although eating in restaurants is great, we miss eating home cooking and hanging out in a home. The food was great…something like elongated meatballs called cevapcici (I think), tomato and cucumber salad with a very mild almost sweet vinegar and a red pepper/eggplant dip just to name a few things were absolutely delicious! I could eat like that all the time. It was great to sit around with a group of people like a house party. Originally we had directions and a map and were planning to make our way to the house on our own. We ended up meeting Brian and Dijana along with Dave from Chris’ work in the old town and headed up together. Thank God we did! Once we got there we realized that we would never have found the place on our own – even with the help of the yellow bags placed along the route to direct us. The walk home was no problem…getting out of there was a whole lot easier than getting there.

Dubrovnik, Croatia - July 17

Today was our most leisurely yet. After another wonderful breakfast overlooking the sea we settle in at the pool/beach. The great thing about a vacation like this one where we are visiting loads of great places with tons of history and plenty to see is that there is never a lack of something to do. However, sometimes I’d like to sleep in and have a lack of something to do. Today we take time to do little but relax.

After lunch in town and a nap we meet up with friends of Chris’ from work who are also in Dubrovnik for Saturday’s wedding. We meet at our hotel for drinks on the terrace overlooking the sea and then take them to where we had drinks at the unmarked spot a couple of days ago. It is no less beautiful tonight. The moon is getting fuller which is beautiful - the photo is the view we have from this spot. The one thing that has changed is the mosquitoes. Up until tonight we haven’t seen much for bugs at all – the mosquitoes are out tonight! Most everyone is being eaten alive so we don’t linger here.

Dinner is all about fish with the exception of one order of chicken. 2 people we are with share the fish platter for 2 similar to the one we had the other night, Chris has grilled squid and I have a whole sea bass. The sea bass comes whole, isn’t too big (maybe a foot long including the head and tail) and is delicious! Restaurants here seem to either be meat and fish or pizza and pasta neither of which have disappointed!

It’s another beautiful night with little humidity, but probably the coolest one yet. After a drink at the main square area and plenty of people watching we are done for the day.

Croatia, Dubrovnik - July 16

After a leisurely breakfast (doesn't Chris look relaxed??) in the hotel we set out into the Croatian sun. Our goal is the other side of the city and Lapad Beach. This is an area that is a whole lot less busy as compared to the old town side. There is public beach here where a chair and umbrella can be rented for about 10.00 for the day. There are also carnival games and stalls selling snorkels and other various beach necessities. We find a quiet terrace on the water and have lunch. It is about 6k to Lapad and of course 6k back. After all that walking and sun, we are beat and retreat to the hotel for a while. Dubrovnik has some kind of tree everywhere with huge purple blossoms. We were in Lisbon a couple of years ago and saw trees with purple blossoms, but these are different - still just as beautiful.

Dinner is a late one in the old city again followed by ice cream and a walk home.Dubrovnik is definitely a tourist's paradise with everyone speaking English and interested in your business. It is also easily walkable. As far as we've been (other than a bit on our walk today) there is rarely a spot not occupied by tourism - different from other places we've visited like Athens.

Not tourism in a tacky, loud way - Dubrovnik is slow, and gentle to those of us who aren't familiar with the language or customs. I'm glad we came here on our own and not on a cruise. There is much more of the city to explore and enjoy than would be possible from a day docked on a cruise ship.

Dubrovnik, Croatia - July 15

I think the humidity may have been a one time thing because today isn't humid - it's hot but not humid. We decide to walk the walls of the old city this morning. The old city is surrounded by high walls (it was a fortress) 25-30 meters in places. This fortress protected Dubrovnik from sea invaders so the view of the Adriatic is gorgeous throughout the walk which takes about and hour and a half with a stop half way for a beer. These walls basically make a perimeter for the old city of Dubrovnik which now is home to tons of shops, cafes, restaurants etc. People also still live inside the old city - I'm not sure I'd want to live in the middle of tourist central. We take the audio guide also which is great - lots of info (much of which I'll never remember) that makes the walking the walls more interesting. It's pretty busy and the walls aren't that thick in places so it got crowded in places. There are many forts or ramparts to stop for the view and it is quite breezy so it's not too hot. In the photo you can see the wall with some people walking along. From the walls we are able to spot a few potential places for a meal or a drink. Although there are many, some are a whole lot more interesting than others - location, view, atmosphere (all of which of course increases the $$.)

After lunch at on of the many spots on a narrow side street in the old town we take a bit of time to enjoy the sea and the 'pool' at our hotel. It is a great, quiet spot. After a bit of time in the water we nap for a while in the sun before getting ready for the evening.

We have a drink before dinner at one of 2 unmarked spots in the old city right on the water. As you can see this place is cut into the cliff side. One of the photos is what we took as we walked the walls earlier in the day and the other is when we are sitting there.

Fish is on the menu for dinner. We have a platter for 2 that is ENORMOUS (although 2 French tourists next to us polish it off in half the time we don't even finish ours!) We eat at another water front place we were able to get a photo of on our walk of the walls - under the 3 arches (we ate under the one on the left.)

Dubrovnik, Croatia - July 14

Dubrovnik is breath-taking! We haven't even really seen much of it as we only arrived yesterday around 5:00 after a day of travelling here from Athens via Rome. The drive from the airport to the city is on a winding road right along a cliff on the edge of the Adriatic Sea - stunning. We've been on water for most of our trip so far and haven't seen anything as beautiful as this is.

Our hotel is also great. The room is lovely, as is the lobby, but what is most impressive is how the sea has been used. The hotel is built right on the sea and from where you enter the hotel to the water is 6 floors below - kind of like the Rimrock in Banff, but a whole lot easier to figure out. So...you get out of the elevator on the sea level, turn a corner and are met with the sea. Not a beach or more cliff and then the sea below, but the sea as a pool. The hotel has built a stone deck that extends into the water's edge so that the edge of the deck is like the edge of a pool - but it's not a pool...it's the SEA! It's kind of hard to see from the the photos (click on them and they become bigger!), but you can see a shower pole and the edge of the water where people are sitting with their feet in the water.

We explored the old town within the ancient city walls a bit which is a short walk from our hotel and had dinner. Within these walls are many shops, restaurants and cafes. WOW it is humid here. It's been hot throughout this vacation, but not really too humid. Dubrovnik is HUMID! Can't say that I love the humidity...it's good for the hair, but not always so good for the disposition! I embrace the humidity (more like it embraces me) as part of the experience and give in to it.

Athens, Greece - July 13

We make a good effort to get up early to visit the Acropolis early before the heat gets too intense. A lot of the Parthenon is covered with scaffolding so that takes away from the experience a bit, but is still amazing to be on a site we have seen over and over before. Although from a distance, the Acropolis seems very high (and it is) the walk is relatively gradual and easy. After the Acropolis, we visit a few other archaeological sites throughout Athens.

As today is Sunday there is an elaborate changing of the guard at the Palace. There is quite a large crowd waiting to watch, so we find a higher spot across the street in a swanky hotel's outdoor terrace.

Next we stop for a refreshment before hitting the Sunday market. This market is nothing like the Istanbul one. This is a weekly one that seems to be one huge garage sale. Very much for the locals - very little for tourists.

I have discovered the Greek's Greek salad. Very similar to ones from home, but very little if any lettuce and fantastic vegetables. The cheese comes in one big chunk on top.

Athens, Greece - July 12

We are up early, off the ship, and after a 20 min taxi ride to our hotel we wander around a bit until our room is ready. On the ride from the ship our taxi driver points out a few sights. It is odd to see a typical European city and then all of a sudden a Greek ruin. The Acropolis is relatively easy to see as we walk the streets - it is a short walk from our hotel.

After we check in to our 2 single bed room! we are on the go again. It is very hot - 37 degrees we see at one point. We find a cafe with misters that cool the air a bit, but still sweltering.

The rest of the day is a relaxing one wandering around, enjoying the city. We have dinner on a roof-top terrace with a view of the Acropolis.

The food here seems relatively authentic - from our tourist perspective that is. We have Greek salad, and a variety of Greek appetizers.

The temperature cools off quite a bit in the evening to where you could actually use a sweater.

Mytilene, Greece – The Island of Lesbos - July 11

When we arrive in Greece, it is very hot – 37 degrees. It feels hot, but it isn’t very humid so I’m not dying of the heat at all. I thought the heat here would kill me and have always feared Greece a bit because of this, but today anyway things were fine.

We have to tender in again today and then drive along the coast of this island to an ouzo factory. Although tendering is a pain as we have to wait for the tenders rather than just walking off of the ship, tendering is fun. We get to feel and taste the sea as it splashes into the boat. Apparently the sea is quite rough today – how would we know??

The landscape is full of olive trees and the sea, a few goats here and there and very arid land. We visit the ouzo factory (see pic of the still), have a beer in a seaside café and are back on board. Greece has siestas so when we are in town it is pretty quiet. It looks like a great place to be at night. We are back to places we are comfortable with…people who speak some English and cafes.

Tonight we pack, do some last minute laundry and get ready to end our cruise and head to Athens on our own. Although the cruise was great, we really didn’t have as much time (the nature of cruises in our experiences) as we would have liked in each port and are looking forward to being on our own to explore the cities.

One interesting experience was meeting an American women who could not stop professing her love for George Bush – she actually said she “loved George Bush”! When would I ever (or anyone) say they loved Stephen Harper??

Day at Sea…Sailing the Dardanells and the Bosphorous - July 10

Not much to report for our day spent sailing. Although I wake up early (waking up early doesn’t seem difficult when I don’t actually have to be anywhere) I am still up at 7:00 – Chris sleeps late. Because we are on the ship all day we are able to take advantage of the on board amenities we miss when we are on excursions.

We actually attend an art auction on the ship. Our ship is full of original art by big name artists – Picasso, Rembrandt, Chagall, Dali to name a few! Most of the big names are prints, but still original (supposedly). Apparently for cruise ships to have art like this and auctions is very typical – news to us. The auction results in very little buying, but there’s a lot of art info given throughout the auction about the artists and a types of art, so that’s interesting.

It is pretty much at sunset that we sail through the Bosphorous straight that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara which then connects to the Aegean. This is fabulous as we see Istanbul just as it is getting dark which is stunning. The Bosphorous pretty much splits Istanbul, so it is on both sides of us as we sail through. I am again reminded how much I loved Istanbul.

Trabzon, Turkey - July 9

Today we arrive back in Turkey. This time in the north east part of Turkey in what is described as a remote city with little services. We expected a whole lot less than what it really is. While not a Istanbul, it certainly is a city – about 700 000 ‘inhabitants’. It isn’t big for tourists and our guides have to be flown in.

We first visit a monastery that is absolutely incredible! It clings to the side of a mountain (see pic) like the last one we visited in Ukraine, but this one very, very high up (getting there was treacherous – see pic) and is FULL of frescoes (see pic). I’ve never seen anything like it – AMAZING! Not only is the monastery breath-taking, so is the scenery – within a forest thick with trees (somewhat like home in the mountains) high above a roaring creek (see pic). It takes the entire morning to visit, so after the monastery visit we head back to the ship for lunch.

After lunch we visit a mosque, a church (only a museum now as it is no longer used) and a noble’s house on a hillside. The mosque is very interesting because this time we are with a guide who gives us all kinds of info about the mosque and Islam and there are people actually using the mosque.

I again am very impressed with Turkey and will definitely come back.

Sochi, Russia - July 8

Our tour today isn’t until the afternoon and we don’t dock until shortly before the tour starts, so it is a very lazy morning. Even if we were docked early visitors either need to be on a guided tour or need a visa to be alone in Russia. We lost an hour in a time change last night, and got a bit mixed up so we didn’t have much time before the tour anyway. This was actually nice as we’ve been up at 7 each day we’ve been on the ship for tours.

Sochi is a pretty cool, modern looking place and it’s too bad we can’t explore on our own. We are on what is called the Russian Riviera and as as we come into port we see tons of hotels, cafes and tourist friendly spots. It will be the site for the 2014 winter Olympics.

After a walking tour with guides wearing the highest heels possible we drive for about an hour to a tea plantation. This is the most northerly tea plantation (41 degrees north). This is a great tour – very interesting with beautiful lush mountainous vegetation. We see the tea plants, listen to a lecture on tea production and visit a tea house for tea, poppy seed bread and a forloric show. I always try to collect a bit of local money, but although we buy some tea they take USD and give change in USD, so no Rubles for me.

Ukraine seems to be unique in its choice of fashion and we are back to men looking less ‘prosperous’ and women not looking like they belong on a street corner.

Savastopol, Ukraine - July 7

Today’s tour includes a visit to Khan’s palace and a monastery. The 16th century palace is Islamic which makes it very interesting and different from what we are used to seeing – photos are of entrance to palace, inside room and outside wall.

Again, no one here speaks a lick of English other than our guide so although difficult, we are able to spend our Ukranian money. We decide on an embroirdered pillow cover. The woman speaks to us the entire time we are barganing in Russian while we speak English and with the help of a calculator as translator we strike a deal. Somehow we were negotiating for 2 covers – what a deal.

After the palace we visit a monastery built into the side of a cliff. This is Russian Orthadox so the women have to cover our heads. Very steep steps to climb but worth it – pic is of steps to monastery.

The rest of the day is at sea, sleeping, eating, swimming and going to a wine tasting.

Yalta, Ukraine - July 6

Today in Yalta on the southern Crimea coast starts again with a ton of rain that lasts just until before we are about to start our tour, so no problem. Although it has just rained the temperature is nice – about 22 degrees.

We were originally booked on a winery tour but that was cancelled. Our alternate is a tour of 2 palaces. We start off first at Livadia Palace, the summer residence of Tsar Nicholas the 2nd - famous for holding the 1945 Yalta conference between Stalin, FDR and Churchill. Although not very old (built in 1911) very interesting and beautiful – it took only 11 months to build. The tour is full of info and stories about Rasputin and the Tsar’s hemophiliac son.

It takes us forever to get to the next palace as the roads are barely wide enough for two cars much less 2 buses and they are meant to accommodate 2 buses, one side of kiosks and a row of parked cars! After much backing up and going forward while a bus coming in the opposite direction does the same, our bus driver performs a miracle and we arrive at the next palace.

Yalta is a seaside resort with a bustling boardwalk. We wander around, change some money but can’t give it away! The city buildings alternate between huge, rundown Communist blocks of apartments and newly built or refurbished. We take in the sights, but it is hard to find a place for a beer, so we return to the ship thirsty.
What we do get from Yalta is a lesson in Ukranian fashion for women. The objective for young Ukranian women is to wear as little as possible with complete disregard for undergarments. Some of you might ask, “how could that be a bad thing?” Well…sometimes there are things no one needs to see – eeesh! And by the way…Ukranian men still love to show how ‘prosperous’ they are are by wearing no shirts.

Odessa, Ukraine - July 5

A thunder storm welcomed us into Odessa – mail language here is Russian not Ukranian. The city walking tour that is booked for the morning is cancelled. We have another one booked for the afternoon, so hopefully that will go ahead.I am having a tonne of trouble getting photos posted from the boat, so photos may be posted haphazardly.

The afternoon’s tour to the Odessa catacombs goes ahead. It takes about an hour by bus to get to catacombs used during the war to fend off the Germans. Apparently Odessa has 3500 km of human-made catacombs.

The cruise line we are on prides itself on its high level of service. This was very clear to us at lunch today. While eating at the buffet restaurant the waiters carry your plate to where you are seated! You basically walk along side the waiter while he carries the plate. Just as I thought I was being ignored by having to actually carry my own plate from the dessert buffet, the waiter swooped in from out of no where to rearrange my place at the table by moving my tea pot about 3 milimeters so that my dessert plate would fit. Perhaps this story looses something in my telling it, but my point is that we are being well taken care of!

Things I noticed about Odessa…
1. Men don’t care for wearing shirts…men of all sizes, doing any number of things.
2. Women of all sizes wear very tight clothing.
3. There is very, very little English anywhere we were. This made it painfully difficult to find a café to enjoy a Ukranian beer. Prices seemed relatively cheep however…about 1.50 CAN for a beer.

This shot is of the famous Potemkin steps – 192 steps and the view above is from our balcony in Odessa!

Constanta, Romania - July 4

We have another wonderful breakfast in our room before boarding a coach for an hour's drive to an archeological site and museum. There are tonnes of storks around the archelogical museum! Apparently they like to nest on the tops of electricity poles and can be seen quite regularly.

We also visit a folk art museum - similar things to Ukrainian, like eggs and wheat focus.

The rest of the day is spent relaxing on the ship.

Boarding the ship - July 2

Although we know we can't check into the ship until after 3:00, we figure we can check out of our hotel and leave our bags at the ship early and take off until check-in time. Were we WRONG! We showed up and were told we would have to 'wait'. Nobody (the only people there were passport control) could tell us when exactly we would be able to drop our bags, so we waited. And we waited. And we waited. This experience was made even more pleasant due to the fact that when we were first dropped off I needed to find a WC, and after 90 minutes my eyes were turning yellow! Finally, we were able to board, check bags and find a washroom! As my eyes returned to their original color a glass of Champagne comforted us.

Once we were free of bags, we hit the Besiktas soccer stadium for a couple of shirts. The service in shops in Turkey is over the top! Very friendly and right on top of you, yet not really off putting either. Chris makes friends speaking the universal language of soccer.

It has been very hot since we arrived in Istanbul and is hot again today - probably over 30.

We wander around Istanbul for the last time before boarding the Seven Seas Navigator - our home for the next 10 days. Our room is very big compared to other ship-board rooms we have stayed in. It is about 250 square feet - bigger than many land hotels we have been in! We have a bathroom with a separate shower and tub, a walk in closet, a king sized bed, a sitting area with a couch and a table and chairs and a balcony, bottle of Champagne on ice and a stocked mini bar - very nice. Departure is delayed a few hours because some passengers have not arrived, so we are able to go back into Istanbul after dinner.

There is a row a of Shisha bars very close to our ship where we share our last water pipe and try pistachio coffee. Had I known this delicious stuff existed earlier I would have drunk nothing else in Istanbul! It's more like hot chocolate than coffee - made with crushed pistachios and milk served in tiny espresso like cups. This place is great...great atmosphere (loads of people), men offering to sell fruit, yogurt and pistachios, backgammon and very friendly attentive staff.

Things I noticed about Istanbul...

1. very clean...after a day walking in sandals my feet are hardly dirty like they usually are in Europe

2. there are very few Turkish women visible...all workers we have seen (other than our chamber maid and hotel restaurant waitress) are men

3. public WCs are great...of course we have only been in tourist areas, but all but the one in the non-tourist place we ate lunch in have been fully equipped

4. street food is limited to corn on the cob (interesting), pretzels and ice cream

5. the Muslim call to prayer is pretty much ignored where we were - although this happens 5 times a day we only heard it in the afternoon and at night

6. no mater day or night I felt safe

7. I'd be happy to visit Ιstanbul again

Nessebar, Bulgaria - July 3

I have never been a fan of room service...things have changed! After a room service breakfast we tender (small boat used to shuttle passengers because the ship can't dock in the town - photo below is from the tender) into Nessebar. Nessebar is a small tourist village on the Black Sea. We have a walking tour, a wine tasting (where Chris and I are part of the entertainment - only got a photo of Chris!) and time on our own where we have a drink on a terrace over looking the sea and shop a bit.

Tonight is formal night. I like dressing up...Chris is another story. We lose some money at the casino after dinner and call it a day.

Istanbul Day 2 - July 1

Today is Mosque Day. First is the Hagia Sophia. Today this is a museum, but was a church around in the 6th century and then a mosque and now a museum. It is still under restoration, which is uncovering paintings from the church days that were covered when it was converted into a mosque.

Next is the Blue Mosque. This is a functioning mosque. The place is huge, but it doesn't take much time to actually go through - maybe 15 minutes.

The palace here (Topkapi) is closed today, but we walk around the grounds. Although it is a very hot day the huge trees here cover the entire grounds with shade. These grounds overlook the water where we stop for a drink.

We try to find the spice market which is a VERY HOT, slightly less maze-like version minus the live chickens of the market we visited in Morocco. Just when I think we will never find our way out of this sweaty, crowded laberynth we're out. The temperature really led the way. Once we were out the heat dropped!

Lunch is a place not very touristy. We have what is like a pizza called a pide. We are served a giant pita bread along with a red peper spread and shreadded cheese like we would get bread at the start of a meal at home - delicious.

We make one last visit to the Grande Bizaar for a Turkish tea set. These are small glass cups with a tea pot and serving tray. We're a bit worried the glasses may break, but are reassured as the guy selling them stands on them!

Dinner is in square with a tonne of fish restaurants, muscians and people everywhere - great atmosphere. The appetizers come in small plates on a huge tray that you select off of. We choose octopus salad - very good.

I am loving all of the different foods here. Today for breakfast I had rose flake jelly. Not bad - kind of spicy.

A day of travelling

We've arrived. After almost 20 hours of travelling from Calgary to London to Istanbul we are finally here! The hotel arranged to pick us up (will insert pic later) which made things very easy. We are staying at the Hotel Nena. It has A/C, wireless internet and roof top restaurant (like most places here seem to) where we eat breakfast. The rooftop restaurant has a great view (unbelievable really!) of the city especially the Blue Mosque (pictured below), the Hagia Sofia and the Bosphorous strait.

After breakfast we join a city tour on a bus accompanied by an audio guide. This lasts for about an hour and a half where we see the sites of Istanbul.

Lunch on a terrace consists of kofte which are essentially lamb meatballs - which come with rice and veg.

After lunch we wander around and find ourselves in the Grand Bazaar - a GIANT covered market. Apparently there are over 3500 shops and stalls here. The main things here are carpets (of course), jewelery, and leather, but basically you can get anything you want. We're not big shoppers but come away with a shall. A few other things caught our eyes so we may go back.

We head back for a nap after a trip to a grocery store for water and beer. There's not much for booze, but we are able to pick up some beer.

We don't head out again until about 9:00 and the temperature has cooled off nicely. The day was quite hot - not too humid, but hot. There are cats everywhere! Not bothersome, but everywhere you look. Dinner is a Turkish delight! Chris has a plate of various meat kabaps and I have "Iskender" which is doner meat with youghurt all on top of bread. After dinner our waiter sets us up at a cafe around the corner where we share a water pipe and play backgammon. Definately a new experience for me.