After visiting Istanbul and Troy our final tour in Türkiye from The Viking Sea  was Ephesus.

We started from the port at Kusadasi and rode a bus to the ruins at Ephesus.

Ephesus was a thriving port city of the eastern Roman Empire and the ministry center of the beloved disciple John in the first century.

Unlike the ruins at Troy I found Ephesus interesting with just the right amount of ruins. And I always love a good amphitheatre.

At the beginning of our tour our guide introduced us to a photographer who would accompany the group and take photos along the way.  I found him calling my name quite a few times — maybe my red shirt attracted his attention.  Our photos were printed and ready for purchase in front of the bus before we departed.  Charlie bought all six of ours for $20.

Our next stop was the Turkish carpet shop that does NOT have an online presence.  First we watched a woman spin worm pods into silk.

Someone in the distant past figured out that wetting silkworm pods would create fine, strong, continuous threads.

The silk thread is dyed then woven into carpets both large and small.

Weavers –all women –tie hundreds of knots per square inch while sitting on floor. Some carpets have more than 450 knots to a square inch.

In the showroom we saw dozens of carpets — each more beautiful than last — more like something to sleep on rather than walk on.  We were served a liquid refreshment while watching the show of rolling and spinning rugs. (The next day I was sitting next to a couple at breakfast who bought a carpet for $10,000.)

Then Charlie and I went downstairs to the high end jewelry store at street level.  I happened to mention that my engagement ring was missing 3 small diamonds.  The woman behind the counter asked me if I had them.  I said yes but they’re at home.  She took my ring to her goldsmith father who fixed it beautifully for $40 US.  While waiting then 10 minutes for the repair I did not succumb to a beautiful sapphire bracelet that was so large on me it would have made a bracelet, earrings, and a pendant for $3800. Stunning but I passed.

We walked around a bit and had some fun.  Then back to the ship.

• Travel Plans Well in Advance
• Anniversary Trip: Getting to Istanbul
• Anniversary Trip: Istanbul
• Anniversary Trip: Turkish Bath in Türkiye
• Anniversary Trip: Troy

Jo

October has been a marvelous month — we toured Türkiye and Greece, started rehabbing our new home on the Chesapeake Bay, and continued our activities on both sides of the Bay.

We did get some projects started this month:

• Lay down some rugs on the new floor and throughout the house.
  

  I’m working on a way to minimize the visual clutter at this end of the room.

• Have new piano delivered.
  

  The Young Chang fits perfectly under the stairs.

• Paint trim in the downstairs bedroom.
  

  Painting this brown trim white is tedious and labor intensive — 1 prime coat and 2 (maybe 3) top coats.

• Rip out the closet in the downstairs bedroom. This challenged me to the point where Charlie needs to finish.  Part of the problem is that I hate tearing down but love building up.
  

  Tearing out the closet is the first step to making a useable bathroom in this small suite.

• Change wall sconces in the main bedrooms upstairs.
  

  This will be an ongoing project.

Here’s the 10-point plan I had for the month of October:

1.  Work on a project at the Bay House. After the new flooring was laid (by professionals) I put down our rugs to see how they would work in the space then shampooed them.
   

   The living room and dining room enhanced by new engineered wood flooring.

   We also hung a new lighting fixture in the kitchen.

2. Explore new stores, activities, opportunities at the new house. Over the past month I have been visiting churches in the neighborhood, finding a new dentist, seeking special holiday events, and trying out local grocery stores.
   

   This looks like a good event to try.

3. Visit Greece.
   

   Charlie and Jo near the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens.

   Charlie and I arrived in Athens, Greece on a Viking ship.  We rented a car and drove all around the Peloponnese for 5 days.

4.  Read a book.  I read The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.  It was an engaging read so much so that I also watched the movie of the same name borrowed from my local library.  Apparently it’s also a Broadway musical.
5. Get rid of Halloween costumes.  I offered them on Facebook Marketplace and although there was interest and I got rid of some, the best still remain.
   

   Aladdin dreams of a whole new world.

6. Continue monitoring  the potential sale of The Glade. After 40 days on the market my realtor and I decided to lower the price.  Sooner or later this quirky property will sell.
   

   Soon the yard will be ablaze with fall color — difficult to dismiss.

7. See a movie.  On the airplane back to the US I saw two movies based on true stories starring Benedict Cumberbatch:  The Imitation Game and The Courier.
   

   Benedict Cumberbatch is a versatile actor.

   The Imitation Game is the story of how mathematician Alan Turing broke Nazi Germany’s Enigma code to help win World War II.  The Courier is the  true story of a British businessman who was recruited by the Secret Intelligence Service to be a message conduit with Russian spy source Oleg Penkovsky in the 1960s.  I was riveted by both films.

8. Pack all belongings and furniture.
   

   We continue to haul things from one house to the other.

   Every week Charlie and I haul carloads of our worldly goods to the Bay House.  We have accepted estimates on the big furniture move which cannot happen until the house is actually sold.

9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: ANCIENT.
10.  Write a goal list for November, 2024.

Jo

My inspiration colors for our house on the Chesapeake Bay are the 3 S’s: sea, sand, and sky.

Some of the permanent items in the house do not complement that color scheme.

In the main living room is a large fireplace surrounded by terra cotta tile.

I read lots of fireplace makeover posts and have combined multiple techniques to come up with painting the black and brass surround all black.

I taped off the black insert to protect the glass and tiles from misdirected paint.

Using the same black paint as I used on the wood stove I repainted the entire black insert including the brass elements.  With a 1.5-inch sash brush I started by painting the brass sections which did not take the paint very well.

Since the fireplace insert was old I also went over all the metal with the black high heat paint.  In all I gave it about 5 coats.

Painting really freshened it up.  The second step will be to change the color of the tile surround.

Jo

The future living room of the house on the bay has an odd combo of a full wall fireplace AND a large wood burning stove.

I’m not sure how or why all this happened but I do know it needs an upgrade.

To make the wood stove less dominant I decided to remove the brass surround by painting it black.

I used Krylon high heat max paint which needed a good stirring to get started.  I wore rubber gloves because the little bit I got on my hands was very very difficult to remove.

First coat was disappointing.

After about five coats which I brushed on and smoothed with a roller the brass was well covered.  Too much brushing actually lifts the underpaint due to the solvent in the paint.  I stroked it on then walked away.

Even though I’m using brass as a nautical theme in the house, this brass was just too BRASSY!

Jo

When Sug lived in the Cottage we hung a mural to brighten the bed area of the efficiency apartment.

The results were better than we expected so now that she has her own condo she decided to try something similar in the bedroom.

Sug ordered a panoramic 8-foot by 12-foot mural of the city of Antigua in Guatemala.

The first instructions were to lay all the pieces out on the floor so we could keep them in the correct order.

We started in the middle of the wall — the instructions suggest starting in a corner but we had some obstacles like a huge window and the thought that the center was key.

The second piece gave us some trouble since while trying to match the buildings the adhesive stuck to itself.  The 2 of us had a horrible time trying to free it.  I’m no good in these tedious situations.

After a lot of coaxing and finesse we finally got the second piece stuck to the wall. Phew!!

We hung the rest of the panels to the right of center which left a gap of a couple of feet.

On the left hand side we hung one more panel which just met up with the edge of the window.

Here’s where the scary part happens.  Since most of the rest of the left side of the room was filled with a large window we decided to use the last panel to fill in the right side of the wall.

In order to make the perspective work I trimmed above the top of the building and lined it up with the other building on the right. While the perspective looked fine at the top we had to do some finagling at the bottom.

We carefully trimmed the bottom of the far left piece and stuck it to the wallpaper righthand piece matching up the sidewalk area.

All the paper is hung but the job is not quite finished.  As the very last step Sug matched the sky color and the sidewalk color with paint and painted any unpapered area. The sky area on both sides was painted blue while the space under and to the left of the window was painted with sidewalk color. Genius!

Tips and warnings:

1. Don’t let the adhesive side stick to itself.
2. Have a hairdryer handy just in case the adhesive does stick to itself.
3. Have sharp scissors and utility knife blades handy.  Clean the adhesive off the blades often.  (I used Goof Off.)
4. Don’t throw away anything until the project is totally finished.

Jo

The bay house has some hard-wired wall sconces in the halls and in each room.

The ones that came with the house are fairly low end affairs like most everything else in the house — something you might use in a warehouse or factory.

The sconce in the hall area of the main bedroom does not work.  I changed the light bulb and it still didn’t work.  My dilemma: Is it the wiring or the fixture?

I took down the fixture and replaced it with the one from the bathroom.

BTW it’s a good thing I took the bathroom fixture down because the globe was cracked all over and had been installed so the crack was facing toward the wall.

At any rate the bathroom fixture worked in the hall so I now need to find 2 wall sconces to replace them.

While I was searching for blue glass globed lights I found a couple of green sconces that might look great in the heron room.

My only dilemma now is should I spend a lot of money for the lights I think would look great in the main bedroom or use something more modest?

I love this fixture!

Jo

Troy was an ancient city located in present-day Hissarlik, Türkiye. The place was first settled around 3600 BC and grew into a small fortified city.

Troy ruins span a time frame from 3600 BC to 500 AD during the Roman Empire.

I’m not sure I would know anything about Troy except for the myth of Helen and Paris. I’m glad I read some Greek mythology before going. Helen is remembered as the “face that launched a thousand ships” when her boyfriend Paris of Troy stole her from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta, and started the ten-year Trojan War.

The war was eventually won by the Greeks (Spartans) when they employed the stratagem of the Trojan horse.   In Virgil’s Aeneid  after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse at the behest of Odysseus, and hid a select force of men inside, including Odysseus himself.

The Greeks pretended to sail away, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. That night, the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under the cover of darkness. The Greeks entered and destroyed the city, ending the war.

At the end of the ruins tour (which in my opinion lasted way too long, I mean how much rubble can you look at) we were given a short time in Canakkale, a nearby town, before  catching the bus back to the ship. Charlie had a snack and I had a lovely Turkish coffee.  Actually we had Turkish coffee everywhere we went.

• Travel Plans Well in Advance
• Anniversary Trip: Getting to Istanbul
• Anniversary Trip: Istanbul
• Anniversary Trip: Turkish Bath in Türkiye

Jo

I have never been to a spa for a massage or body scrub or facial or any service for that matter.  Ditto Charlie.

So our out-of-our-comfort-zone activity was a Turkish bath experience in Istanbul, Türkiye.  If you’re going to have a Turkish bath why not in Türkiye?

I tried to book the Turkish bath tour with the ship but it was already sold out when I looked online.  The ship’s tour was going to the bath in the Rick Steves video.  After I thought about it for awhile I decided getting naked with people I would be seeing for the next week might not be my cup of tea so I booked us at the Turkish bath in the Viking video featuring the cruise line’s owner’s daughter.

I had booked this appointment online which allotted Charlie’s start time at 10 and mine at 10:30 however they promised in an email to align our times so we would be seen at the same time.  The hamam sent confirmation (in very clear English) by WhatsApp that both reservations were at 10 a.m.

The Hurrem Sultan Hamami is in Sultanahmet, the historic center of Istanbul between the Hagia Sofia and Blue mosques.  I dropped Charlie off on his side then proceeded to the ladies’ entrance.  Men and women are totally separate in this bath as are the gender specific attendants that bathe the customers.

After checking in at the desk I was asked to fill out a form listing any issues with my health.  I also marked that I would like a medium pressure scrub.

While waiting I was served liquid sherbet and Turkish Delight.

Then I was directed to a locker where I changed into a small itsy bitsy teeny weenie paper bikini bottom and a Turkish towel. (Charlie was given a pair of paper boxer shorts.)

My attendant, Mahire, took me into the warm room where I poured warm water over my arms, legs, and body.

Mahire came back after about 10 minutes and vigorously scrubbed me down with a scratchy exfoliating mitt.  She showed me the wads of flaky skin that had been removed.  My skin was silky.

Then Mahire led me to the central platform where she suds me up and rinsed me off both front and back.  Seriously relaxing and luxurious.

After the bath Mahire wrapped me in a new fluffy white towel.  I had opted NOT to get my hair washed or I would also have had a head towel as well.  Just before we left the bathing area Mahire changed her towel wrap to a new one.

Back in the waiting area I was served more liquid sherbet as a cool down and was offered hot tea or Turkish coffee.  I opted for the coffee.

Finally I changed back into my clothing, tipped my attendant 500 Turkish lire (about $15 US) who gave me my gratis goodie bag, and walked around the building to wait for Charlie.  We both enjoyed our experience very much and highly recommend a Turkish bath in Istanbul.

Jo

• Travel Plans Well in Advance
• Anniversary Trip: Getting to Istanbul
• Anniversary Trip: Istanbul

Charlie and I spent the night aboard the Viking Sea and had a lovely breakfast in the morning.

Before we caught a cab around 8:30  a.m. to Sultanahmet, the historic center of Istanbul, I found an ATM at the port where I got a little more than $100 worth of Turkish lire — 4000.

Not being familiar with Galata Port and Istanbul we used one of the cabs at the port and asked the driver to take us to Hurrem Sutan Hamami (Turkish Bath).

We arrived before 9 a.m. (Our appointment at the hammam was at 10.)  After checking out the entrances to the hammam (more in a future post) we walked around the square with the Hagia Sofia mosque on one side and the Blue mosque on the other.  (I had decided in advance that visiting a mosque was not on our sightseeing agenda since we had visited Mohammad Ali mosque in Cairo last year with a guide.)

At a few minutes to 10 I escorted Charlie to his entrance to the Turkish bath then continued to my side.  We both spent an exquisite hour in the Turkish bath. (More about this experience later.) After the bath we were both clean as a whistle and really relaxed.

We headed across Sultanahmet Square to the entrance of the Basilica Cistern.  I had chosen this site because it was so unusual.

We bought an entry ticket and walked down the steps into a magical place.  (Since we were not with a tour we could make our way past groups of people who were tied to a leader.)

The Basilica Cistern is believed to have been built in the 6th century during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, and was used to store water for the city.

We leisurely walked through the area that is now used for art installations.

After emerging from the Cistern, Charlie and I walked around the area and headed in the general direction of the Galata Bridge which spans the Golden Horn and connects Istanbul with the port.

We finally found the last item on my Istanbul “must do” list which came from Rick Steves who said to have a really, really fresh fish sandwich right off the boats on the river.

We bought one sandwich to split between the two of us since we had already had a snack at the Turkish bath and were heading back to the ship for a late lunch.

Clearly the fishing boat lunch is where the locals eat.  While we were sitting at a table a loud verbal altercation began between 2 men with other men holding them back from actually fighting.   We probably wouldn’t have seen this excitement in the touristy area which is always teeming with police.

Then we hailed a taxi on the bridge to take us the rest of the way to the port so we could reboard our ship with time to spare before she sailed at 6 p.m.

Our unescorted day in Istanbul was a treat.

Jo

• Travel Plans Well in Advance
• Anniversary Trip: Getting to Istanbul

Jo

We left the house about noon for our 6-minute ride to BWI Airport.  That was the easiest part of the trip.

Our flight left at 2:03 pm for Charlotte, North Carolina, since that is the hub for American Airlines.  I’m not sure why we couldn’t fly straight to London from BWI since we were on a British Air flight (under the auspices of American). We had to move from the domestic terminal to the international terminal with our belongings.  Our checked bags were taken care of by the airline.

In any case we then flew on an overnight flight from Charlotte to Heathrow.  Our travel plans had been handled by Viking Cruises so I had little say in the flight except choosing our seats which I select with a mind to comfort as well as easy egress.

Heathrow requires all liquids be placed into plastic bags (which I had from our previous trip through London) for examination through security.  Then we waited to board our flight to Türkiye.

When we arrived in Istanbul we collected our luggage and I put on the Viking tags so we would be recognized by our escort.

As in most countries we passed through immigration and customs with no issues.

After walking from luggage pickup to the ground transportation area of Istanbul airport we met up with Viking personnel and other voyagers.

After waiting for quite a few minutes the Viking transfer staff boarded us onto large buses which drove us to the port.  Once at the port the local officials did not want to let us through the gates until we matched up with our luggage.  We (and others in line) finally convinced them that our luggage had been loaded onto an earlier bus and was already at the port.

We boarded the Viking Sea in Galata Port about 45 minutes from the airport. We were ready for 2 weeks of adventure.

Travel Plans Well in Advance

Jo