Let's talk Turkey!!

-

Today, Monday, marks our first week in Turkey. First impressions, I love the Turkey!  The weather is consistently sunny and in the 90’s cooling down to the high 70’s at night.  It is hard to find any shade so I find myself changing my clothing several times a day.  Two negatives to share:


  • There are no good hair days for those blessed/cursed with curly hair who try desperately each day to blow it straight-total failure! 

  • Most women here wear bikinis no matter the age or the body type.  Since my bikinis days are well behind me- I stick out as a foreigner in my one piece bathing suit- an OLD foreigner at that!


We got our catamaran, which we named CoKeMa after the first two letters in our son’s names, launched a few days ago and have taken her out to explore the area.  The coastline of Turkey has lovely beaches and a lot of hotels.   This is a hot destination spot for Brits, Scots and folks  from Scandinavian countries which explains why EVERY restaurant has the English/Scottish traditional breakfast and every main meal comes with french fries.  Tacos, nachos, pizza and other non Turkish delights are the core of most menus.  I did have a traditional Turkish breakfast-  slices of tomatoes and cucumbers, several cheeses and black olives.  Kinda like having a salad for breakfast without the lettuce!


A little about our boat ….she is big and I have no idea  what I have to do to sail it or maintain her.  It is very intimidating and terrifying. I don’t know much of  the sailing lingo which is focused on winds and pulling lines in and out and up and down! I have managed to experience the process of dropping the anchor and getting it back up on the boat.  Notice I said experienced not mastered!  Fred assures me that I will learn the basics quickly and over time feel more comfortable  talking like a sailor!  


We have been cleared by Turkey to move forward with our plan to sail to Croatia probably later this week. My anxiety is high since I never have been on a passage that could take up to two weeks.  For you non sailor folk that means sailing 24/7 on the open ocean.   I can visualize the horror on many of your faces right now.  Please pray for me! 

Comments

  1. Karen BresnahanJuly 28, 2020 at 6:45 AM

    Ita, this made me laugh out loud as I could actually hear your voice in my head as you described the bathing suit situation! I miss you...and am so excited to follow these posts! Oh, and the boat is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ItaJuly 30, 2020 at 2:43 AM

      Hi! Thanks for reading my blog!! I miss my DHCD family and hope the blog is my way for staying connected!

      Delete
  2. Patti WyffelsJuly 28, 2020 at 1:01 PM

    Beautiful boat Ita and Fred! Sounds like you have a fantastic first voyage planned on CoKeMa! We haven’t been to Turkey since 89’ but I remember fondly how nice the people were to us and how amazing their traditional food is – some of the best meals we’ve ever had and interesting spices. Oh, and the cherry juice – yum! Croatia is on our bucket list so look forward to hearing about your adventures. Athan's collaborator Lidija is from there -- Connor may have worked with her when he was in the lab. Safe travels! -- Patti

    ReplyDelete
  3. PamJuly 28, 2020 at 6:27 PM

    Ita, your woman's perspective is a beautiful thing! We are howling! I sense the beginnings of a best seller here. Safe unimpeded travels to glorious Croatia. Once there buy yourself a wide-brimmed hat to keep your hair in check and an eenie meenie bikini to show that reluctant sailors rock! Miss you dearly. xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Denise CalnanJuly 29, 2020 at 12:34 AM

    We’re reading your blog post here over breakfast and howling with laughter! It sounds like an amazing few days Ita. I agree with Pam - a wide brimmed hat; or maybe a stylish scarf tied up a la Audrey Hepburn?! Enjoy the trip - what an adventure. Lots of love, Denise, Margaret & Saibh XX

    ReplyDelete
  5. Carol WJuly 29, 2020 at 4:53 AM

    Ita, this is so exciting! I suspect that before too long you will cut your hair off into a cute pixie and say bring on the curls! What does it mean that you are cleared to explore Croatia? Is it related to Covid? I hope you get your sea legs soon! Can't wait for more pictures! Carol Weldin

    ReplyDelete
  6. MaureenJuly 29, 2020 at 5:24 PM

    Ok... Fred said that you'll be talking like a sailor in no time... does that mean you'll be swearing like a sailor? (Because I think when the occasion calls for it, you've already mastered that!) Turkish breakfast sounds lovely... especially since you didn't have to prepare it for yourself! Loving the blog so far...! ❤

    ReplyDelete
  7. MaureenJuly 29, 2020 at 5:36 PM

    PS The weather right now in New England sounds pretty similar to Turkey... maybe a bit more humid. I'd much rather have a bad hair day in Turkey than Massachusetts!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Amy Stitely, MIT CoLabJuly 31, 2020 at 1:39 AM

    Hair, food, fashion! Focusing on what matters. Love reading all the details in this post and your terrific storytelling. All this time I thought yiu were some big shot sailor. Now I know!!! That passage sounds like a real rite of passage.

    Ps i cannot get my old place of employment from 2011 off of my identifying name. Just disregard.

    ReplyDelete
  9. lynchartAugust 5, 2020 at 8:00 AM

    yay! LOVE THIS!!!! Safe passage to Croatia!!! I was in Split and Hvar in college! SPECTACULAR!!! Love traveling with you vicariously :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. LVGAugust 14, 2020 at 6:24 AM

    OMG!!! You are hysterical, This is going to rank as the best blogging..... well, you may have a new job, Ita. I love your commentary as the reluctant sailor. Just saying, we are having a lot of humidity here too making for many bad hair days, also. You are not alone, my friend. Figuring just go with it.... much easier that way. Finally reading through your blog and loving it so far. Keep in touch. Miss you.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mrs. BianchiniAugust 27, 2020 at 1:29 PM

    Ita this is awesome! I am so happy that Anne got me on your blog! Given how crap life is in the 01890 this summer, I am so thrilled to follow your adventures. Happy trails or should I say sails?!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sardinia-Ancient Ruins, Stilettos and Weird Rituals

-
Image
View of Cagliari Sardinia!  Where to begin? Coming into Porta Kalisi in Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia,  I was fearful that spending time in a big city would be a major downer. I was wrong, my friends!  This place has it all and then some.   The people are fabulous, there are restaurants galore and it oozes with history.  My kind of place! First thing I noticed was that  women were quite fashionable and were not challenged by walking in stilettos on the cobblestone streets.  I always felt woefully underdressed no matter what I wore.  My best outfit is a linen shift with little sail boats on it.  Totally cool for hanging with my Cape Cod crowd but not high fashion enough to fit in with the Sardinians. Skinny jeans with pant legs that taper off above the ankle are raging here for the young men, complimented by a pair white sneakers. Fred is raging nylon shorts with faded t-shirts and old man sandals. We make the perfect pair.  ...
Read more

What Is Your Superpower?

-
Image
  Heavenly view from restaurant on island of Kefalonia  We departed Greece on June 22nd as we began our 48 hour non stop cruising up the Med to our next stop, Italy.  Reflecting back on our six weeks touring the Northern Ionian, it is easy to see why so many tourist flock to Greece each year and many of them, specifically, fellow Europeans decide to give up their homeland and settle in one of Greece’s many idyllic islands and quaint towns on the mainland.  I would consider such a move if there was a chance that a T.J. MAXX and a Dunkin Donuts franchise opened up somewhere there. I miss them both so much! Just an observation about the Greek people....damn nicest folks I have ever met! While I enjoyed meeting my Croatians, the yelling really scared me! The Greeks are chill and go out of their way to make you feel at home. They are also amazing cappuccino drinkers-hot, cold, with froth, no froth.  They drink it while sitting for hours in cafes or while on their mo...
Read more

Albania Here I Come !!!

-
Image
  We made a decision to make a stop in Albania to give us an opportunity to get on land for a few days and break the monotony of sailing and motoring  for 48 hours.  If you are like me, you are thinking ALBANIA??? It definitely was not on my “must see “ list.   Saranda was the town that was our port of entry.  What I noticed first is it sits directly across from Corfu, Greece, which I definitely have heard of since I watched the BBC show of an English family who settled there during the 1930s.  Loved that show! Ferries transport tourists and locals back and forth from Saranda and Corfu multiple times a day.  Italy is also close and  brings vacationing Italians to the shores of Albania each year. Infact, Europeans love Albania.  Germans, French, Norwegians, along with the Greeks and Italians flock to this hidden gem to enjoy its beaches, restaurants, and nightlife. It’s estimated that 1 million tourists come to Albania to vacation each year....
Read more