We’re Heading Home.
Merhaba (Hi in Turkish)
It’s finally over. After this one, you won’t get anymore blogs clogging up your computers, phones or iPads which I’m sure you will be much relieved to hear.
But for us it has been one hell of an adventure over the past 6 months. In trying to come to grips with it finishing, we have spent many hours “debriefing”, reliving and looking back on the unbelievable things we have seen and done, the people we have met on the way and the countries we have “lived” in, visited and passed through. We will spend many more hours doing the same as we sort through photos and by staying in touch with new found friends. But we had one more adventure to partake in before it all concluded.
We left Spain after a beautiful drive through the awesome mountains we called home for 6 weeks and it was certainly tinged with some sadness but with absolutely no regrets. We hugged each other as those beautiful mountains receded while flying over the Sierra Nevada mountains en route to Paris. It brought a lump to our throats as we knew we had done something very, very special. Time stands still for no man as someone once said and before we knew it we were on our way to Orly Airport just outside Paris. A new travel adventure began. You know your on a busted arse airline when the overhead panelling is held in place with duct tape, you have to pay for a drink of water and the passengers actually cheered and clapped when we touched down. “Interesting" was the word to use in this case.
The start to this new adventure was not quite as we had planned or wanted it - but hey! Phil’s bag was so distraught at the thought of leaving Spain it decided to stay on a bit longer. Can’t blame it really. By the time we left Paris for Turkey it still hadn’t made an appearance, so Phil was left with nothing and had to borrow clothes etc from her sister. We didn’t do too much in Paris as we were waiting for the bag to finish IT’S holiday and took the opportunity to chill out. It was such a big contrast to Spain. The light and colours seemed muted after the full on saturated light of Spain and the things associated with a big city were such a contrast after the solitude and stillness of the mountains. Took a while to get used to, but we spent a lovely couple of days with Phil’s sister and brother in law taking life easy for a change.
Then it was off to Turkey. Whoosh - the body took off, but the head was left behind somewhere trying to catch up. It’s been doing this since we left the UK about 2 months ago. Upon landing we discovered it was Volker’s bag that did a runner this time - somewhere between Paris and Bodrum via Istanbul. So all he was left with was a wallet, his passport and what he was standing in. We were becoming a bit blasé about it all by now, so filled out the paper work, shrugged our shoulders and walked out of Bodrum International Airport to meet Phil’s mate Marion who took us to her beautiful home, overlooking the Aegean Sea in the small village of Yalikavak on the south coast of the Bodrum Peninsula in Turkey. But we were far too stuffed to appreciate it at that moment and it was dark by the time we got there. THAT all came next day.
You know your in a new place that promises new adventures when your awoken by the Murtar / Muezin calling people to adham / prayers through the speakers from the nearby mosque. Just fantastic. We just love the mystique of travelling to new places with customs so different to ours. When we opened the blinds - OMG!!! How good was that. Seeing the stunning blue of the Aegean in the early morning light was one of those starts to a whole new adventure one can only dream of. How lucky were we. This incredible journey just keeps rolling on and on.
Phil and Marion had a lot of catching up to do and it was great to see two old mates chatting away with lots of raucous laughter and smiles. Good for the soul. By the 1st day’s end Phil was advised that JD had tracked down her recalcitrant bag which was a great job done. Especially as the Airline company and the Couriers had N.F.I. Well done JD. Phil was a happy little digger again and that makes life easier for everyone. Volker’s bag - complete with now rather strong smelling French cheeses he was bringing for Marion - was delivered late in the afternoon. I’ll bet the delivery guy was happy to get rid of THAT pack which was polluting his van. Poor bugga! Still tasted good though. So - all was good once again and we could now get on with things. Adds another titbit to our holiday dinner party repertoire.
We spent the next week bathed in brilliant sunshine just taking it all in. In very big delicious doses. The days were spent looking at billionaires yachts, a wander up to a mountain village looking at breathtakingly stunning carpets being woven and knotted, where we were also invited to look at their local mosque. Phil and Marion were given appropriate clothes and head gear before entering to maintain the cultural aspects and respect. We ate sumptuous Mediterranean meals both at Marion’s house and at local restaurants, visited a small fishing village, watched stunning sunsets across the Aegean, went out on a yacht to swim, have lunch and take in some islands surrounded by crystal clear warm waters with a bunch of Aussies from Perth. We also walked through a ghost village abandoned by the Greeks when evicted after Turkey’s Independence in the 1920’s and took a trip by ferry over to the Greek island of Kos to drink Mythos beers, eat delicious cuisine, people watch and wander the streets. Marion, a wee Scottish lassie has lived in Turkey for over 20 years, speaks the language fluently and is adored by the locals far and wide, thus subsequently was the best guide one could have for our introduction to her beautiful part of the world. Her infectious, cheeky, bubbly personality made the wonderful days such a treat, which continued most nights well into the wee hours. As I said Phil and Marion had a lot of catching up to do.
The whole week was immersed in this ongoing cultural experience set amongst the stunning scenery of the mountains and the islands dotted across the beautiful blue Aegean Sea with every vessel imaginable from simple fishing boats to ultra luxurious yachts and cruisers plying for their own piece of this paradise. It went by at a hectic pace and before we knew it - it was over. Bugga! That sort of headspace overload will take some time to digest. The images we took away are going to be with us for a very, very long time. We can’t thank you enough Marion. Your a such a darlin’ for introducing us to and allowing us to share your stunning Yalikavak.
And so it was off to Istanbul. Big, bustling, sprawling, Istanbul with it’s 14 million people, stunning antiquity, architectural sights, smells and one very mauled taxi driver. His day was ruined when he foolishly tried to rip Phil off. The Scottish Terrier tore into him in very un lady like fashion. WOW - now that was fun to watch. If every day here starts with that sort of action we are in for one hell of a time.
Marketing was the order of the next day. Phil was not prepared for this despite me relating Naomi's and my own experiences some 12 years ago. This led to Phil being overwhelmed by the unbelievable 4,000 shops in the 10 hectare underground Grand Bazaar, then another 1,000 or so in the Spice Market let alone the multitude of other shops going to and from the above. Carpets, jewels, fabrics, ceramics, shoes, clothes, bags, spices, food and the list goes on and on. One cannot describe the noise, colour, sights, smells, the exoticness and teeming humanity that make up this largest market in the world and this ultimate shopping adventure. It is a very in your face shopping experience that, for every woman is a must before they forget their PIN number. Haggling should be a prerequisite TAFE course before entering this maze. One bloke came up to Phil and politely asked “madam - would you like to haggle with me”? She was not sure what to make of that!
The non stop shop overload caused Phil to have a melt down. And this from a woman who can melt down a credit card in an unbelievably very short period of time. The melt down caused Phil to seek refuge in the nearby Yeni Mosque. A staggeringly beautiful edifice near the shoreline of the Bosphorus. This place is unbelievably beautiful inside and watching the people at prayer surrounded by such beauty was quite an emotional experience. Visitors were allowed in, but had to conform to Muslim dress code which required the removal of shoes and women to be dressed modestly including a head scarf. They lend shawls and long dresses for those that needed them. It really was one of those experiences that took ones breath away and gave an insight to the pious dedication of those who come here to pray.
The world is a small place as we found out when we bumped into one of our friends/neighbours Mike & Megan's daughter Lani who was also holidaying in Turkey. We spent the day catching up on the goss from home and taking in the sights of this incredible city.
One night while on the 5th floor of a restaurant overlooking the Blue Mosque, the city and the Bosphorus was laid out before us as an incredible treat. From this elevated eyrie, the sheer scale of the Mosque, lit up in all its splendour, backdropped by the lights of the urban sprawl with the dark ribbon of the Bosphorus dividing the lights of the European side from the Asian side was just one of those places that allowed us to truly comprehend the enormity of the city where the East meets the West. It was also one of the best places we have ever eaten one of the worst meals since we have been on the road. But hey - that’s how it goes. Certainly on balance though, the view more than made up for the average meal.
The Blue Mosque, The Hagia Sophia, the Markets, the Bosphorus and the many other features that make up the heart of Istanbul throbbed away at a frenetic level that one can only feel. Words do not paint an adequate picture of what Istanbul is. It is so much more than a beautiful city. It is Istanbul, a giant magnet which draws in people from all over the world.
Sitting on a park bench by the fountain in the Hippodrome is a woman completely enveloped in a black burqa revealing to the outside world only a pair of mysterious dark eyes. On the same bench is a blonde haired blue eyed Russian girl far less modestly dressed taking selfies with the Blue Mosque behind. On the corner of Divan Youlu Cad and Alemdar Cad huddled a street urchin, dressed in pitiful rags, with an outstretched stick like arm and pleading eyes begging for coins as a very flashy Mercedes with dark suited guys and very expensively dressed ladies pulled up alongside him waiting for the lights to change without a glance. The local street hawkers trying to sell cheap tourist trinkets, carpets, food, pomegranate juice or cups of tea to tourists with a lot more Lira in their pockets than these guys can ever imagine. The dock side bars and restaurants pumped out music while the young and beautiful with their zest for life that only youth brings contrasted the fishermen trying to catch a fish for the family along the Galata Bridge. Luxury Cruise ships lit up like Christmas trees docked along the Bosphorus wharves dwarfed the stalls of the fish mongers cooking fresh fish for the passers-by. This and so, so much more, that we never saw creates an amazing contrast of humanity set amongst the stunning opulence of the Byzantine and Ottoman rulers of bygone dynasties. Our all too brief look at Istanbul barely scratched the surface, but what a scratch that was.
This drew the curtain down on 6 months of overseas adventures. We have often asked ourselves what was it we liked the best or what was our favourite place. That was a such a hard question that we eventually gave up on. Each and everyone one of our stops had something unique that made comparisons impossible. Switzerland, Italy, France, Northumbria, Scotland, Spain and Turkey (with side trips to Lichtenstein and Germany) conjure up pictures of such incredible experiences, places, people, beauty, laughter, sadness and many more things that we discovered along the way. All journey’s start with that 1st step. Who knows how many millions of steps later have we taken to get to this point? But one thing is for certain - each and everyone of them has led us to something or somewhere that has opened up a new horizon, discover new friends, made us look at ourselves a bit deeper and our wondrous world in a new light which in turn has led us to a better understanding and greater tolerance. After all - isn't that what travel is about?
We now head to Paris to pick up our other gear and say farewell to Ann-Marie, JD and family. Then it’s off to Dubai for a few days to break the trip before heading back to Australia.
A great big thanks go to you all for following us through these ramblings. Your messages of encouragement have added to the overall experience as they have kept us in touch with our other world back home. For Phil it was so good to catch up with family in Scotland and France and catching up with mates in Switzerland and Turkey. We are so grateful for the way in which the family and friends willingly helped us in times of crisis, opened up their homes to us and shared many a good time. It’s what families and friends do. They pull together with love, laughter and the sharing of good times. Thanks so much.
And finally - there are our families back home. You guys are so wonderful. You encouraged, you supported and you were always such a big part of this journey. That made it for us - much more than you know. We missed you heaps and coming home to see you all will be an experience that will rival any of our travels.
All our love, best wishes and gratitude.
Philomena & Volker
