Goreme, Turkey

Fairy Chimneys, incredible rock formations and this was just the start
Cave houses, homes dug out of the stone

Inside a cave Church, amazing frescos through this tour.

Just want to take a religious history course when we get home, the information & history was very interesting to say the least. 
These have survived for over a century and if I had my notes it might be 2 centuries

I think I will take up potery when I get back there is god money to be made I hear

A pro at work after he got a quick lesson from me

Just before we had a walk through of our potential new cave.  unfortunately there was no ensuite so Pave' said no to this one

Can you see the hand?

How about the Camel or duck or ?

Some more rocks looking like mushrooms

How this for a balancing act of nature

It was a bit difficult to get up here. in fact our guide said anyone want to try, no takers except me and then the flood gates opened and all the jocks had to do it as well because once I got through anyone could make it.  Another of those big person in a small person world good thing the lard helped grease the walls.

I don't know what it is but the men can't stay away from Pave'.  Pave' got a gift from tis artist because she could not break one of his vases by standing on it.  It didn't brake when he dropped it either.  He would not let her leave until she made a purchase and kept reducing price until she said OK.  MAybe we should have got a 500E bowl and sent it home but we didn't just a small olive bowl that we will use often.

this is an ancient wine carafe design, you put your arm through the centre and then pour.  It will take this person about 2 weeks to complete the design with all the different colours.  we were told this is the only shop that is allowed to reproduce this design, two pieces each year.

Early condo settlement

A ghost town of cave homes

A little belly dancing at a meal out.

The head is actually the persons arms and the eyes are at the mouth level very odd dance this was

Just enjoying our meal and the show.

A passage way from one home to another

Ok There were cave houses but this was an underground city and we only saw about 20% of the colony.  Our tour group down under 
Is it small enough?

Hell I let someone bigger go ahead of me although if he got stuck I wouldn't have been able to back up

Size difference again at the front door.

Our room for our last meal in Goreme.  what a meal it was very simple and plain, the spice are in the little pots on the table for personal seasoning

the view from our Cave hotel where we had breakfast

Our room is just below us

the view once again from the room

Pave' took the challenge and thought this might be the one for us but without railings our grandchildren would not be safe.

Hot IS Cool

Common theory says that coming from a hot climate somehow affects your personality. Well., that was what Dad always said. He used his warm place of birth, Dubrovnik, Croatia as the reason he was so damn hot-headed. And to tell the truth I tend to use that sometimes too. I mean I wasn't born there, but you know heritage and all that.
After two months in very warm places though I am beginning to wonder about all that.
The coolest, most laid back people I have seen have come from Bulgaria near the Black Sea, Turkey (all over) and currently Galatas near the Island of Poros, Greece.
Everything is slow and happy here. People stop and chat no matter what. They smile slowly, eat slowly (and very, very late) and just take time.
I still think it is the sun's influence. It makes you mellow, it makes you happy, it says, "Slow down man, there's lots of time and sunshine." In Canada those fleeting days of sun and warmth have the opposite effect. Instead of taking it easy and chillin' we rush about taking advantage of every ounce of brightness. We know it could be days before we see the sun again.
When you know the sun is going to shine every day it gives a cooling effect. The sunshine is like an extra room in peoples' lives. They live and breathe the sun. And at least here in Greece they ride about in it, mostly on motorcycles.
Every morning as AJ and I take our morning coffee on the patio opposite from Hotel Papasotiriou and this is what we see...

Weathered old men on bright green, skinny bikes,
Very large men with their tummys hanging onto their waists carrying little kids chairs over their arms
Gorgeous young women with thick, black hair flying, carrying three shopping bags, talking on their cell phones
A family of four the youngest eating an ice-cream ( no one hanging on or wearing helmets)
Old, old men on three wheeled motos blightly scootering along, never stopping, pausing, or looking to left or right. Just smiling, and waving.

This is what the sun does to you. It makes you mellow. We certainly are. After ten days in Galatas (on the Greek Pellonpenis penninsula)just a one minute ferry ride from the island of Poros we are "Getting Greek." We sleep late, eat an unhurried breakfast, and then make the tough decisions about what to do with our day. Today we just drove and found an old sign it said "Volcano." "Really, we both said. We followed the arrows and arrived at a dead end with an arrow pointing up, up, up. We were of course a bit suspicious. We've been misled before by signs. We scrambled straight up for about 30 minutes (elevation about a 200 meter gain) in 40 degree heat. "Damn, we both said, "hope it's worth it. IT WAS! We followed arrows, and sign posts and eventually arrived at the crater. The pictures (which we hope to eventually post) tell the whole story. Absolutely, amazing.
And what was truly remarkable was that there was no one taking tickets, charging you anything, no guides, no booklets for sale, no one telling you history of the volcano no one saying, "No flash!!" Just this amazing collection of volcanic rock, huge boulders and stunning, picture-perfect lava flows. Off in the distance was the brilliant blue Med, dotted with unreal looking little white sail boats.
We stumbled down after taking about 40 shots of him and me in the crater, on top of the crater, beside the crater.... The warm beer we drank at the bottom was the best I've had for a long time.
There is something about the sun and its hot,hot glare that just makes me feel better. In my other life I know I was a gecko.
We are off soon to Croatia, then Italy, France, Spain and Portugal and we hope lots more of Mr. Sol.
I definitely want to be cremated - the hotter the better!

A Tall Person In A Small Person's World

OK, to put some perspective in this we need to return to the Land of the Wee People, Ireland.

Now I have never really considered myself that tall or large but then back home we have been able to purchase items that fit much better than I have encountered over here, in most cases.

In Ireland we experienced doors that you had to get on your knees to find the key hole, beds that felt like not just my ankles were over the end but most of my calves as well. Head & foot boards to ensure you don't fall out or some dumb thing like that. Some of the rooms we so small that you couldn't even swing a cat let alone a rat. Hell it would be hard to put your arms out and twirl around without hitting a wall. Nearest thing in NA that came close these environs was in Boston when I got bumped due to a big due with the Kennedy's or some bloody thing where there was no room at the Inn. So off we go to another hotel, room at the end of some snaking corrridors and if it was 6 ft wide I am exaggerating. Anyways some of the places we went I had to turn sideways to move through, just about wedged myself in the entrance to the Newgrange Burial tomb but luckily my senses said TURN NOW and even then I just passed through with lowering myself down to knee level. OK it was built 5,000 year or more ago but excavations indicated they were relatively tall people.

At the end of our Ireland trip I was not sorry to see our vehicle fading into the sunset as we were driven away to the airport. Lots of headroom but legroom was at a premium even driving from the back seat. The baths were of such dimensions that you got goosed by the toilet handle if you bent down to pick up the soap. I thought that only happened in prison.. There is a photo of Pave' in a bath/shower that I cannot post but I will post the tub in Prague and then imagine ust how small the Killarney spot was. I was able to get both feet in at once it ws so tiny.

Once we left Ireland I thought the space issue was over and in most cases it was but here is our tub in Prague.

At least the beer was OK

The bike I used in Praha was also small and getting a larger frame consisted of raising the seat. Helped a bit but again I was not sorry to see or feel the end of the ride.

Ok then there have been the flights and the seats well let's just say that it was a good thing the flights have been so short. The last one I could not even move my legs as they were wedged into the seat in front. Eating out, as we must do, and having tables rest on your quads makes junk food all the more appealing except for the fact I like good food too much to deprive myself like that.
Anyways time to stop and just smell the roses as we are on the Black Sea sunbathing or in my case shade bathing listening to the water lap against the shore and view the briliant blue waters as we go for another beer.

Back again after a number of bus rides. The busses are quite different than those back home as they have stewards coming up and down the aisle offering water, coffee or tea. They are Ok but after an overnighter let's say it was great to get off and stretch. Now there are thee small busses, we just finished a 4.5 hour one from Pamukkale to Selcek. I had to take my shoes off to get my feet under the seat in front. Enough of this line of thought because I am going to find it difficult no matter where we go except home.

One last comment or I will never get this posted. On our boat cruise we slept on deck mostly because of the heat and limited ventilation. Sleeping under the starry skies was absolutely wonderful. But if I tried to lie down in our bunk my feet were wedged against one bulkhead while my head was against the other. Let's just say it was nice be able to be outside.

Budapest

A concert in St Stephans Cathedral,  absolutely gorgeous sound

Going native on a hop on hop of tour

Statue of founder of Buda not Pest.  Budapest is actually two towns joined together.  Pest is the low area of town while Buda was on the hills and had the fortification
The Danube from up high
Pave with her own shop just waiting for her

Music whether you want it or not and with their tone I didn't want it  but they pinned me in and Pave' goaded them on for more.
Heros Square, see me as a hero pinned in on the right side of the monument beside those two wonderful musicians

Pave' just happened to note the size of the feet and fingers on this fellow and thought a good luck rub could bring happiness

 
Ceiling of the spa we went to, unfortunately we did not take the camera in and had to do with the set of photos sent to us by a friend.

St Stephan's Cathedral before the concert

Momento Park,  the place where old statues go to lie in peace?

Lenin & Marx, story goes that the two names were said so much together that a generation thought it was one person, Leninmarx

OK, the remainder of a statue of Stalin, the boots were the only thing left after the statue was hauled down and at that time he powers that be thought it might be a good idea to get the other communist statue out of Dodge and create a tourist spot with all of the reaming pieces, Above and Below.

Rumour has it that a bottle of this wine, drank by the royalty of Hungary, would produce a Boy child.  Must have been a dud bottle because we did try.

The restaurant street just down the steps and around a couple of corners from our apartment.  So many to choose from and not enough time.  We had the wine somewhere here.

 
Now this place was even closer than the restaurant street only one corner to go around.  You want to eat Ok meat or no meat.  wine or no wine. Music you get, like it or not.  We liked it great final meal in Budapest and not far to crawl back home to.

The spa again, fantastic art work if you looked beyond the grime nad dullness of the city.
Shush don't tell any one but the entrance to Momento Park is only a facade.
Ok so after taking the tram to the outskirts of Budapest we had to get onto another bus for about 30 minuted to take us to this historic spot maintaining the important art work of the Communist regime.  I forgot to mention that all important officials HAD to have their photos taken at the base of Stalin's boots, say what?

Anyways it cost 10 Euro a piece to get in so we just walked around the site outside and took photos for free.  Damn Capitalists.

 

I think this was a tribute to Janis Joplin, Oh Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz.