Goodbye to Leena off to Rhodes Island

This morning we were up at 6.30am so as to catch the ferry to Rhodes. It was so sad to leave Leena our boat that had become our home.

 A taxi collected us from the Marina for an 8am check in at the ferry terminal. We had to go through customs & security checks here then boarded for a 9am departure. A 1hr crossing and luckily it was no longer as there were a few paper bags being handed around the boat.

We arrived on Rhodes Island Greece to find this magnificent ancient walled city that has been restored with heaps of beautiful shops, eateries, accommodation and people's homes ~ its out of this world. 

Everything is very cheap and tempting you could fill another  suitcase. We only fell upon Rhodes as it was the only way to get to Crete from where we were so its been a worthwhile place to have visited.

Serce Limani

The storm was over so we were up and about early and left our mooring at 7.45am glad to be on the move again to explore the Coastline. The 1st 3hrs we motored and visited a bay called Sogut. 

We had planned on anchoring in Sogut the previous day but due to the Southerly storm we had to stay where we were. By now we had a good steady southerly for the rest of the day and sailed onto a mooring in Serce around 3.45pm for the night. This bay was different again from others we had moored in. It looked as though you were heading to sheer cliffs then just when you think your navigation is wrong the entrance to Serce opens up between the cliffs and  you sail through a narrow entrance into a landlocked natural harbour. It was beautiful. Tony dropped me off on shore so I could do some exploring around the place. When you use their moorings you are expected to use their restaurant in all these bays. They also provide WiFi toilets and showers if you want to use them. It does mean you can rest easy at night and have a good night sleep especially with the change of conditions we have had although not what we expected on this coast. 

 After a beer we went ashore for our meal. It was a great little primitive place all run by a family very similar to our first night on the water. Another fantastic day was had by all.

Back to Marmaris

We woke to a beautiful calm morning. Freshly baked bread was

delivered to our boat made in the pizza oven amongst the natural rock. Early morning swims all round then breakfast. By 10am we were motoring out of this delightful place and headed for Marmaris.

Not enough wind to sail and very hazy after the big wind so visibility not great. We arrived in Marmaris about 3.30pm via the waste disposal to pump out our toilet tanks even though they had been emptied out in the open sea we had to go through the process and pay. Then we topped up with diesel (only used 47L)

and headed to our mooring in the Marina. Thank goodness for a bow thruster as its  tight manoeuvring into these spaces. 

Jill and I went and bought our tickets for the ferry to Rhodes the next morning then we packed ready for an early start in the morning.

Farewell drinks at a Marmaris Marina restaurant. Treated ourselves to a cocktail.

Orhaniye

We woke early to the sound of the Southerly wind slowly building and then for the rest of the day it was like a typical Canterbury nor'west with gusts to about 35 knots. Sea spray and dust. There wasn't a yacht in sight on the water all day and no one moved off their moorings. We were very pleased to have the mooring over this time. It's been rather frustrating as we've now lost a day  sitting around here. However it was still hot enough for swimming. So it's fingers crossed for moving out of here first thing tomorrow so as we can have the yacht delivered back to Marmaris in time on Friday. 

Tony at the chart table checking out the weather. Jill on the steps.

Keci Buku/Orhaniye

I woke this morning before daylight to hear the call to prayer tape recording coming from the Mosque. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard a dog start howling on the first note to every word of it, stopped and started in all the right places it sounded so funny. 

Tony & I went for an early morning walk around the village to see how the locals started  their day. Some huge vege gardens in front of their houses were being tended to and flood irrigated, turkish bread being made in pizza ovens in the back yard. Cows goats hens & roosters all being fed and watered. A beautiful day with a gentle breeze. We had an amazing farewell from the local restaurant owner who appeared with a loud speaker and played the NZ National Anthem along with farewell calls as we departed from our mooring, this all added to the great hospitality of the Turkish people. Only a 2 hr sail today. A 30 knot wind is predicted tonight so we phoned through and booked a mooring at the Luna Begonville yacht club in this lovely sheltered bay knowing that we might miss our on a mooring with everyone having the same thoughts. We've had a very relaxed afternoon.

Looking from the yacht to our table being set. Just have to make sure you walk the plank in a straight line at the end of the night or you end up in the Aegean. 

Selimiye

After a walk around the cows, goats & veges and watching the early morning bread going into the cave oven we sailed out of the bay for another days sailing. A perfect day around 12 knots and headed to Selimiye where we are anchored once again along side a jetty. It's a lovely spot but more civilised than last night quite a little village. We've just had a lovely cool off in the Aegean Sea and now it's drinks time.

Marmaris

Finally we are on the water. After a good nights sleep we motored out of the Marina at 8am. Sails up and away we sailed. Our yacht is a Dufour 405 called Leena and sails very well. Our first day and the sailing was all hands on deck with a good southerly blowing up to 26 knots we were racing along at  almost 8knots while Jill was helming. Our first stop was Bozuk Buku where we moored off the jetty.

Tony still hasn't taken the price tag off his  togs.

 A great wee spot very primitive with a very rustic restaurant run by a family who still live off the land living in their wee shack tending their vege garden hearding their goats and collecting herbs from the rock faces in sack loads. I found a Turkish lady up the hill cooking bread in a big natural oven built into the rock which was kept burning day and night. It's the most delicious bread I've ever tasted. 

Ephesus

We were met by another guide at 8.30am and we drove 20 min back to Ephesus to visit the Great ancient sites of Asia Minor 3500yr old walled city for royalty quite a site to see. This was a quiet time for visitors to the site apparently so glad we missed the busy time. They are still excavating and opening up more and more an archeologists dream. The photo shows the excavation so far - a marbled road leading to the library.Had lunch at a carpet weaving school then a 3hr drive to Marmaris to pick up our yacht.

By the time we checked in with the yacht and bought our  supplies we decided to stay in the Marina overnight and leave the next morning.

Canakkale - Troy - Pergamum - Kusadasi

Today has been a long day. We left our hotel at 7.45am with our new guide and caught the ferry (about a 20min ride) across to Canakkale (Asian side of Dardinelles) where we then drove about 20min to Troy. Heard the history of Troy and the wooden horse then visited the 3700yr old city. Most of it was piles of broken down walls from different times. There's still a lot of excavations in progress. 9 cities built over that time on top of one another. We then drove about 3hrs to Pergamum where we met another guide and he walked us through the ruins there. Then another 2hrs to Kusadasi where we are staying at the Derici Hotel overnight. The area that we drove through today was an olive growing area as far as the eye could see for most of our journey to Kusadasi. About 1/2hr before we arrived here was a huge amount of stone fruit, cotton, wheat & barley growing. From Canakkale to Pergamum is windy day and night and this is where we saw a lot of wind farms. After a pre dinner drink in our room to sum up our day we had a meal and off to bed.

Gallipoli

Our day began with a pickup at 7am from the Orka Royal Hotel in Istanbul for a 4 1/2hr drive to Gallipoli passing through some good cropping country along the way. We arrived in Eceabat/Kanakkale (European side) at lunchtime and were met by the local guide. After lunch we departed for a guided tour of Gallipoli visiting the many sights. It was a very moving afternoon to see and hear how this battle was fought,the mistakes that were made and the thousands of lives that were lost.

This statue would sum up the Turkish attitude to this very day. It shows a Turkish soldier rescuing a badly wounded Australian soldier from no mans land and returning him back to his own lines all done in the heat of battle. An amazing story that really hits home by having your feet on their battle fields.

To finish our day we were dropped off at The Crowded House Hotel for the night in Canakkale/Ecebat which is situated on the shores of the Dardinelles. They had some  huge models and statues along the walkway showing the Gallipoli battle fields. After a local beer we wandered down the street to a restaurant and had a very enjoyable meal.

Last day in Cappadocia

Sadly we have to leave this lovely place and fly back to Istanbul. This morning Tony and I went for a nice big walk to the top of the hill and found a good track to follow. Saw some very ancient grape vines,small pockets of planted farmland and fruit trees. We headed back for a long leisurely late breakfast. Then it was showers and re packing. Checked out at noon and pickup was at 3pm for an hrs drive back to the airport. Flights all on time arrived in Istanbul at 7pm and it took us another hr to be transferred to our hotel. Peak traffic it was so bad. Had a light snack down the cobbled street and off to bed ready for an early start to Gallipoli.

A typical scene cutting slices off cooked chicken that has been layered into a huge length and rotisseried.

Ballooning in Cappadocia

Our transport arrived at 4am and we were taken to the departure area where  the land rovers and trailers were parked up ready to board their passengers. Our pilot was Andrew a Kiwi  who I felt quite safe with. There were balloons lined up everywhere about 100 in total ready for take off. Many of the baskets held 24 people we just had 12 in ours and could manoeuvre very close to rocks etc. It was an amazing experience travelling through the canyons for just over 1hr. What a landing you hardly knew you had landed then I looked down and we had landed straight onto the trailer. Out came the bubbles to complete the experience. Then it was off back to our Cave for breakfast.

After a bit of a breather we wandered down to the shopping area to find a little treasure to bring home. Time for refreshments Then a walk back home.

Our early morning caught up with us so said goodbye to what was left of the afternoon.

Underground in Cappadocia

We woke this morning about 6am to the sound of the gas in the balloons. I raced outside nighty and all to see balloons rising up through the volcanic out crops~ what an amazing sight. To think that will be us tomorrow. 

Sadly one of those balloons crashed to the ground this morning with several injuries and 2 deaths. That should make our flights extra safe for tomorrow I'm hoping. After a delicious breakfast our guide arrived at 10am to show us the area. Once again it was just the 4 of us in this lovely van with a bar laid out in the back he even had a bottle of bubbles to go with it. Cappadocia is where all the ceramics come from as the clay they use is right here. So now we've learned that all the ceramics we saw in Istanbul came from here. Our guide says we are  meeting the real Turkish people now that we're away from Istanbul and how true that is. We visited the most beautiful small cave church with painted pictures on the rock walls & ceiling all done from natural dyes 1800 years old. Then took a walk around the fairy chimneys which are  outcrops of volcanic rock and on top of that lies a huge piece of basalt rock all formed over millions of years of volcanic activity. Then we went on to explore the Kaymakli underground city dating back to the Hittites period where people lived during times of unrest to protect themselves 1800 years ago. They even had an area for making wine. We went down 3 levels but there were several more levels that hadnt been opened up.We had a lovely lunch prepared by local ladies true home kitchen cooking. Then we headed off to taste a few local wines. After that the tour was over and we headed back to our cave suite. The day was completed by the usual drinks time then a bite to eat and off to bed ready for a 3.30am wake up call for our ballooning.

An evening scene in our room.

Cappadocia WOW

After a wee hiccup with Jill & Tonys tickets on check in at Istanbul airport we flew into Cappadocia at 11am a 1hr flight. The Mts were so close with snow half way down them. Our driver was there to meet and greet us then about a 60 minute drive to Cappadocia. This place blew us away when we arrived its just WOW everywhere. I must say 3 days in Istanbul is enough. Now that we're here it's so peaceful with no haggling the people are more genuine. Our Cave Suite is incredible  all cut into volcanic

rock. There are some amazing big carpet places here all so divine. We walked down to the small shopping centre for a look around and found a quiet spot for a beer. 

In the background of the photo is where our cave suite is

 

We had a delicious meal at our cave hotel  after a couple of whiskeys in our room.

Day 3 Istanbul

We began our day at 8.15am with a visit to The Spice Market then back to the Bosphorus for a 1hr daylight cruise. It was a great way to see the layout of the place and the wealth along the seashore. Homes worth $50m up to $150m. From there we were taken back to our hotel. By then it was time for a cool beer and pizza for lunch at a little eatery along our cobbled street. All the roads in this part of Istanbul were made for horse and carts with very little room for the traffic of today. Tony and I took a wander around the nearby streets of our hotel then it was time to put the feet up.

 It's 5pm and I can hear the call to prayer echoing over the city.

Its now time to repack our bags ready for an early start to the airport in the morning.

Day 2 in Istanbul

We met our guide at 9am for a morning tour of the Topkapi Palace. After seeing the huge long ques into all these sights just to buy a ticket we were so pleased we had hired a guide during our time here especially when time is limited. We also visited a ceramic shop where they demonstrated pottery and explained the process of glazing with the addition of quartz and heard the history of it all. We  managed to leave the shop empty handed. At this point we said goodbye to our guide and found a great little eatery recommended in the Lonely Planet. The afternoon was our own so Tony & I found our way through the streets taking in the different sights doing our best to ignore the hard sell as we past the shop doorways. Every second shop sells carpets but they're not cheap. The temperature is comfortable at around 24 -26deg great for sight seeing. We took an evening boat trip on the Bosphorus with dinner included. The temples & palaces lit up at night looked amazing. The history here blows you away. It's a very special place.

Time out for a Turkish tea with the nice wee man next door to our hotel.

Istanbul

We had a great flight on our last leg of the journey to Istanbul. We were fed and watered immediately after take off then the cabin went quiet after the pill popping. A great sleep was had by all until the last 2hrs of the journey. No one seemed to guide us to the customs area on arrival so we just kept walking and there was our driver to transfer us to our little hotel in the centre of Istanbul. We were too early for our rooms so wandered down the street and tried some local tea and breads. Our lovely female guide arrived at midday to take the 4 of us on a walking tour exploring the main Byzantian Heritage sites, Haghia Sophia which is now an amazing museum then onto the Blue Mosque. After that it was off to the Grand Bazaar which she warned us was full of heaps of Chinese made rubbish. However there were some quality shops hidden amongst them if you knew where to go. We spent some time in a leather coat shop which was divine.......i say no more.She also took us to a carpet shop which was the real genuine thing and the only one subsidised by the govt to stop the trade dying. To see these skills in action blew us away. Jill drove a hard bargain but I resisted the temptation. There was plenty of Turkish tea delivered over that deal. After some advise from our guide on places worth eating at she left us at 6pm. We had a meal then headed back to our hotel after a Turkish beer along the way then a couple of night caps back in our room. 

Here we are inside the Blue Mosque. I was provided with my outfit as forgot to take my scarf.

Singapore Airport

Well here we are at lovely Changi Airport. No fog so our flight left on time......a great flight which arrived at the due time. Now we have 6hrs to kill before we board at 12.40am for our last leg to Istanbul. After finding the luxurious Ambassadors Lounge for showers,food & drinks we are feeling refreshed. I found the massage room and had a great 30min massage. What a great way to spend 6hrs. Roll on boarding time as we're all hanging out to pop our pill.

Goodbye French Farm

When I woke this morning to this amazing scene from my bed I began to wonder what was ahead of us for the next 7 weeks. 

After organising our bags we headed into Christchurch and met Nick for a delicious meal at The Old Vicarage. It's thick fog outside tonight so fingers crossed our flight is not delayed.