CALIFORNIA GIRLS

we are undeniable! HEY! I am back and loving the use of exclamation marks!!! I look forward to sharing all the details of my trip with you in person as well as having new and exciting adventures in CALIFORNIA!

Last day in Istanbul

Hey you guys! Senol, his brother, Tumay (his girlfriend) and I went out to dinner to for me to say good bye to the city. I got a little bit teary while we crossed the bridge from the European to the Asian side. As we crossed, U2 came on the radio and Bono was singing about one Love and one Blood which is a good sentiment to have as I leave. Not all of my times here were fun and many were lonely but they were all felt.
Everyday seemed to test my resilience. Some left me feeling vulnerable like when I depended on Senol during my first trip to Ist to lead me to board the correct bus and get off appropriatly. And then I felt strong when a cab driver and I laughed the entire way home because he had no idea where I was staying and I only had slightly more insight...and it was dark. Being on my own in Greece helped me to experience solitude but also to feel our human interdependence. I was humbled to learn about the existance of entire civilizations which included infrastructure, government and religion in 2000 BC and then refreshed by my private air condition. At the same time, everyday I missed you guys and wished that you were here in person so I learned to keep you all in my mind. I hope that you were able to feel it too. I am thankful for the conversations that I had with Abby when I felt stuck and during all of my other moods, I have depended on you a lot during this trip.  I am thankful for talking with my parents and hearing about all of their adventures and helping me to feel connected to my family. You guys help to bring me balance regardless of from which end of the spectrum I start. Thank you Liz and David for the comedy and heart felt comments, you kept me laughing or crying and thank you to my loving friends you girls rock!

I am getting on the plane tomorrow for Boston and then I'll be in LA on Tuesday. I'll see you guys soon a look forward to more journey...domestically for a while. Come to Santa Cruz

Galata Tower

Hey you all! Today I had my last celebratory solo tourist adventure in Istanbul. I went to the top of the Galata tower which has one of the best 360 views of the city. It was amazing and I'm glad that I did it today. Here are some pics
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAKENNA!

a few pics

Senol let me borrow his spare camera today so here are two pictures of the view from my dinner restaurant. You will see the Blue Mosque and the sea

Belly Dansah

HEY! I found them, they do exist in Istanbul but only at tourist shows. Tonight I went to a cultural dance show with tradional folk dancing, belly dancing and an orchestra. It was very high energy, my favorite dance was a solo belly dancer in blacklight with florescent orange and yellow costume and markings. It was so magestic looking. I met some other women travellers about 65 and one maybe 80 who told me all about her recent fall on the cobblestones around Dolmabache palace. un ohh. She looked ok though. The other woman was from Portland and only in Ist for a few days and then off to cruise the greek Islands, she is going to love it. We talked about Judaism, Chrisianity and Islam. I like meeting people with very open perspectives. Yesterday I had a lazyish day, after I went to Taxim to buy Jack Keroac's 'On the Road' I came back to read and Senol's cousins were here so I really ended up cooking and watching a movie. Well I have one long weekend left here in the city and I am going to spend it avoiding the old diesel busses. Only the modern busses that announce the stops from now on!!! I love you all! Ciao
RTK

Drifter

That was what I was called yesterday and it didn't bother me one bit. I met three East Coasters at different periods in their trips through Istanbul at a cooking class put on by the Sarnic Hotel. It was a wonderful day despite costing me twice what I had planned on. But I guess sometimes that happens and it was totally worth it! The couple lived on the Cape and the woman lived in Rhode Island, they were all about my parents age which made me feel very happy. The chef from Sarnic was wonderful and funny and he told us that we should cook according to color not to measurement which is a neat perspective for life. I would love to reproduce the recipes but they involve some heavy frying...is anyone volunteering a kitchen?
So we made some spicy red lentil soup, auberginesw with onion and tomoato, cheese pastries, vine leaves stuffed with meat, and stuffed figs with walnut. They were all wonderful dishes and I am so glad to have had the experience. Today I am heading over to the Galata tower to see the view and to pick up a new book. I hear they have an evening show there and I would love to take Senol to see it before I leave. I need to find a nice host gift but am not sure what to pick.
see you soon and I love you all
love
rtk

Lazy Monday

No the book was not in Turkish, it was called "the Help" about jim crow days in Missisppi and white women with the black maids that work for them. It was a very good book and I read it in two and a half days, if you have time to sit down and indulge in a 450p. book sometime soon I highly recommmend it.
Anyhow today I read the book and then took a walk in the neighborhood to try to find the beach. I found the beach but couldn't get there because it was on the other side of the train tracks. I am sure that I could have found a way over but I just wanted to get home. It was that kind of day. I am expecting my period really soon which makes me have wonderfully colorful mood swings and I miss my CA culture. Soon enough. I am leaving for Boston in seven days (really six and a half but who is counting)

Cruise on the Bosphorus

Yesterday Senol and I took a cruise on the Bosphorus which was great. We saw where all of the rich people live which is an interesting contrast to the rest of Istanbul. It looked like it was the hollywood hills with an old castle thrown in for good measure. Senol and I drove to Ortakoy and had some fantastic dessert then took the boat in the evening as the sun was about to set, after the cruise we went up to Taxim to meet Emrey and his wife Sarah for dinner and more dessert. There are entire stores dedicated to turkish delights :). It makes me happy. Hmm, on Friday I was in a bookstore and a 23 year old boy looked over to me and said, "that book is hard?" meaning a long book and difficult to read and I laughed...then of course he asked me why I was reading a book in Istanbul and would I like to have tea. Reading for entertainment by a tourist is just not done I guess? Anyway I had to insist that I like to be alone which is sorta true but sorta not...I miss you all. I'll be back in eight days! Love
RTK

Walk like American

Whatever that means I take it as a compliment! My newest idea is to write down all of the fun things that people say to me as I make my way around Istanbul. It will be enjoyable for all envolved...except for the people whos names I will change. No really this evening around dinner time someone said that I walk like and American which I thought was peculiar because as I looked around I thought I walked like the Germans. However I was wondering how about 80% of people are correct about my native language. After that I went to the Hodjapasha for a Dervish Show. It is really titled the 'Mevlevi Sema Ceremony' and evolved from the Sufi order following Rumi's teachings. It was as though I was sitting in on an advanced yogic meditation class. There were five dervishes and a four piece orchestra playing a very hypnotic beat bringing us a little bit closer to God. The dervishes whirl with their right hands turned up toward God and the left turned down toward earth and they are vehicles for God's love to man. It was very interesting. you should check it out
love
rtk

A smile like turkish delight

Yep, thats me. Says my waiter. I could get used to this, now all I need is someone to peel my damn grapes. UhhOhh bad news, my camera won't turn on. I have replaced the batteries twice and all I get is a red light saying...stop...you were awful to me before and I will not longer work for you. So sorry guys, if I can convince my personal photographer to accompany me on all trips then you will have something to look at but if not you will have to rely on my highly descriptive writing.
Today I made it out of the house!!! I went down to the Grand Bazaar where I got some spanking good deals and then to the Camberlitas Hamam which is by far the best one that I have been to. The room was not as hot as the others that I have visited so I didn't feel like crap after. My scrubber was a pleasant older lady and the room was for women only. There was even a jaccuzi! This Hamam is where they filmed a part of Indiana Jones so you know it is quality. The locals leave it for the tourists and really I enjoyed the extra bit of coddleing provided. Anyhow the last two pictures that my camera took are here. One is of the street life right after getting off the ferry and into old town and the other is from the overpass by senol's house on the way to the bus stop. the bus stop is along the highway on the right.

Happy Birthday EAC

Liz Happy Birthday! I had a party for you. Well I am going to make chocolate pudding anyway. It is the end of your birthday for me and I did a lot of lounging today. Senol says that it is all that I do and yesterday his brother called me 'simple'. I think our relationships are working very well and we are starting to understand eachother. Today I took a long nap and then went to the grocery store, I was amazed at the amount of food that I could buy for 15 turkish lyra as it seems that one sandwich costs about 15 tl on the tourist circuit. There was also a farmers market of sorts (including the cheap clothes vendor) on the way back so I also got some fresh peaches, eggplant and zucchini which I probably won't cook until they are about to go bad but at least there is the option. Tomorrow I have high hopes of making it to the Grand Bazaar and then maybe the Camberlitas Hamam but that was my goal for today also. We will see. Have a wonderful Wednesday! I'll be back in the States in 12 days.
love
rtk

Contrast

The old and the new. Today I went with Tumay, Senol's girlfriend, to the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art. It was nice to leave the busy streets of the city and enter the quiet salons of MOMA. There were two travelling exhibits on display both concerning fashion. the first was a designer/artists rendering of different aspects of Istanbul. He called it the she-city and wrote poetic discriptions of various and at times contrasting parts of city life. I read about Taksim, the doves, the lillies, turkish delight, Galata bridge, Dolmabache palace, the Bosphorus, and the night of Istanbul. I am proud to say that I have experienced all of these things...like I could have worn all of the dresses on display which brings up another interesting point of the female form used as a hanger for art. HMM. The other exhibit had a great theme of metamorphosis. It addressed seasons as well as travel and displacement. struck a chord with me as I have been on the road for quite some time and feel like I have really come back into myself. I appreciate the routines of bed early, light breakfast, shower, getting in touch with you all and checking out news etc. I have discovered some of my triggers like heat, crowded spaces and not having adequate down time. These these things are pretty universal huh. Back out of my head and to the day.
Tumay and I did some shopping around Kadikoy and then I came back by bus to Senol's where I am putting my feet up and catching up about the day. Here are some pictures of the museum n me.

Heeeey

Hi-I am back in Istanbul and pretty excited about it. I am going to do the next few days like a tourist. Maybe I'll get a visor and fanny pack. It is quite a waste to buy these things as I could have taken moms but I had not realized the strength of the genes. I'll let you know what happens tomorrow after day one of money spending in Istanbul. Hey did you know that Istanbul is the 2010 European capitol of culture (sounds like a marketing ploy)

the lake

Senol, his uncle and I went to a mountain lake today to get away from the village. We really have no plans during the day which can get a bit boring and so when the opportunity arose we jumped on it. The mountains reminded me of alaska with a large stream running through. After our drive we went to a restaurant (a balcony where they serve tea and light snacks) and his uncle smoked the hookah while I ate bread, honey and cheese. Everything is superfresh to reiterate. Last night the young (under 40) crowd went up to the families house on the top of the mountain. We BBQ'd and chatted away from the adults. The girl cousins taught me a few moves for belly dance which was fun. Well have a great weekend! I am going to read my book and play solitaire I think...unless someone offers to drive somewhere. Here are some pictures from the U2 concert and the village
ciao
RTK

The Mountain

Hello-
Today Senol and I are ın Trabzon lookıng for thıngs to do but I dont expect that we wıll fınd them whıch ıs fıne wıth me. The mountaın vıllage ıs quıet and wonderful. I am sharıng a room wıth hıs grandmother who ıs lovely and lıkes to jostle me. Really both of the grandmothers lıke to do that. Thıs mornıng I woke up and then lıstenend to her snore for a whıle before goıng to hıs cousıns house to help mılk theır cow although maybe ı wasnt helpıng...then hıs cousın and ı went around the backyard for a whıle and looked at the tea plants. When we got back to the house we had breakfast of tomato fresh cucumber cheese bread chocolate spread and lots of tea [ı cant fınd the comma] sat around and talked for a whıle and then senol and ı left for the town. One of hıs cousıns ıs studyıng ın London rıght now and her sıster wants to come to the US. People are very warm ın hıs vıllage and I have been eatıng everywhere I go. A small mınorıty of people are not observıng Ramadan and we eat durıng the day otherwıs today ıs the last day and tomorrow we wıll have many sweets. I am lookıng forward to that. I wıll talk wıth you all soon and love you all:) I wıll have some pıctures soon and one of the boys has remote ıntenet access sometımes but I havent trıed ıt yet. Cıao
love
RTK

extravagence

Hello! Today I slept in...this is big for me. I am on vacation but not sleeping in. It is very wierd. In Trabazon I bet I will rise with the sun and then go to bed at sundown which would be AMAZING. After a good nights rest Senol and I went to a park overlooking Istanbul and then to catch a boat for a bosphorus tour...but it was raining so decided against it. Instead I went to see dolmabache palace and he visited his uncle. Dolmabach Palace has 285 rooms, I didn't see all of them but it is extravagent. Before the palace was built the Turks borrowed money from European countries and then bought a few decorations in the style of French Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassic. The palace is packed with crystal, gold leaf and handwoven carpets. Interesting to see that much money stuck in a building. Here is a picture of the side door and one of the view from the palace gates.

Technology these days, eh

Well it is Sunday morning and I am making some sweet rice for breakfast. Yesterday Senol and I went to a movie which I thought was funny but was definatly the only one laughing. It was called 'going the distance' and with Drew Berrymore who would have thunk that she would be popular in the young binge drinking, pot smoking crowd? Not that I fit in there but I am just making a reference that you will all understand. Well David will get it anyway. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID! Time flies huh.
So went to the movie after faxing a document to my recruiter in Boston. I have a job!!! YAY. I start in Santa Cruz on October 11. I can't believe that I got all of this done while I am across the globe...but hey it is 2010. So I am looking forward to being in that little town and exploring the beaches and mountains. Hopefully I'll start riding my bike more, get into yoga consistently and do some dancing. Speaking of dancing...I think they really don't belly dance here. Well at least not in Istanbul...they more bump and grind. (not that I have been out). I am going to have to pay to see a show when I get back into town.
Senol and I are going to Trabzon on Tuesday for one week to hang out with his family and tour around the area. I have heard that it is very foresty and...ugh...there is not much internet access. (I have my lets go book with internet cafe's listed though). We are going to hike for four hours everyday...I feel like I am going with you dad, in the way that we already have plans to over exert ourselves. Have a great Sunday and I will see you guys in less than a month:)
love you all
RTK

Most beautiful day

Hello everyone! I have arrived back in Istanbul and am at Senol's house just chillin and getting ready to go to sleep. It is cool and windy here which I am loving (he isn't) Today was the most beautiful day in Santorini yet and I left at 2p. Last night it was windy which cleared all of the dust out of the air. I took myself to a nice lunch at a restaurant recommended by my Greek friends. It was awesome. I ate fava beans mashed up (like dahl) and fried Kalamari. It is past midnight here so I am going to bed but wanted to say that I made it safely
love rtk

Last full day in Greece

I am a little sad. The islands are absolutly beautiful and today I was caught up in the romance of Santorini. I started out the day at a museum in town of archaeology, it made me feel part of a long human history and I also realized that my drama is quite insignificant in the scheme of things. Then I walked around the town ending up at the post office which is slightly more beurocratic than the US post but a good place to eavesdrop on conversations. The people in front of me were mailing clothes back to the UK and their wedding coordinator came in right behind me. She and her husband live on the island and make a living planning posh weddings for couples looking for the perfect romantic destination wedding. Santorini is the place and I found out why this evening. I met my greek friend Maria around six at the cable car and we rode it down to the old port where we had some greek coffe and discussed the differences/similarities between our cultures. We headed back up by cable car just after the sun went down and saw the beautiful colors of Santorini. Then we met her parents for a snack at a cafe on the Caldera and discussed politics over apple pie. They do a good apple pie in Greece...we must have stolen it from them. After the pie, Maria had to buy tickets for their return trip home and I went to the bakery for some dinner which I still haven't eaten. I figure I will eat when I am hungry as I have already spoiled my dinner with pie:) YUM! Have a wonderful Wednesday. I post again when I am back in Istanbul tomorrow night. good night from here
love
rtk

Cruisin

Hey! I just got back from a really long day of touring Santorini. We took a sail boat using the motor from the new port to the old port to pick up some more cruisers and then went to the Volcano which was pretty dusty and hot. Go figure. After that we took a quick dip at a warm spring and headed to the island of Thirasa for some lunch. I ate with a greek family that I met on board, they are wonderful! Then we went to Oia for the last four hours of the trip. That part actually seemed unorganized because our guide said go watch the sunset and then get the bus at 8:30 so after four hours in Oia I am happy to get back to putting my feel up with the air conditioner on. Oia is a beautiful town but it is all pretty rough on the feet and after 6 hours of adventure it can be almost too much. I am meeting up with my greek friends tomorrow to ride the cable car down to the old port and maybe coming back up by donkey. Today I went up to to Oia by donkey but I was kinda nervous about this one. They were walking by themselves and mine kept getting distracted and then swerving to keep the other donkeys behind. Then he would try to cut in on the donkey in front...I was waiting for the swift kick but it didn't happen. When we were supposed to dismount I got pretty much yanked off by our donkey 'guide' after I tried to get off to the left instead of the right. ugh I didn't know there was etiquite. Anyway I got a laugh from him.
Oh and the greek family directed me toward the good food...so much better:)
talk to you soon
love
rtk

Santorini!

Yes it really is that amazing. I arrived this afternoon and the husband of the owner came to get me from the port in their Hotel Leta van. The new port is farther than I had expected and I am glad that transportation was included. I arrived at my room which is simple and clean...rested for a few hours and then headed out to the city around 5p. We are situated about on the end of town but the cliffs are only three or four streets in, so maybe a ten minute walk. In Isla Vista speak it would be like living near SOS market. I walked up and down cobble stoned streets and took a few pictures, went to the convention center to check out an exhibit of minoan artwork, bought my ticket for a tour tomorrow!!! yay going to see the Volcano up close, the island of Thirasa and then for sunset to Oia. I met a New Yorker who said that that beach is wonderful and then started complaining about not having spent enought time there...I love New York! I even checked out the local posh hotel with a lounge to see if I could picture myself there...maybe but there are some other really great cafe's on the cliffs that I might do first. There are a lot of people around taking pictures...it is high tourist season and I am embracing it all...english is spoken about everywhere so haven't gotten lost:) This is a great place to end my Greek Island adventure and now I am going to have some dinner and maybe get a book
Love ya
RTK

Mousucka

Today I almost vomited at lunch. I had to hold my napkin over my mouth to calm the impending doom. Thanksfully I held it all together but really I thought about what I was eating and my stomach got sour. Now I have had mousaka at another Greek restaurant and I really enjoyed it. There it was an indivigual lasagna type dish served in it's own ceramic dish and I had it with bread. I could taste the eggplant and topping well but the meat didn't stand out. When I was at lunch today I was eating from a 5x5 inch square of mousaka which was tasting mighty greasy, just into my next bite the topping fell off and I was staring at super greesy ground lamb and I didn't need anymore. When I was in Rhodes my lovely swedish friend was telling me about her trip to Ghana and told me to just not trust the meat cus it might be five days old. Just the idea made me sick to my stomach. Meat it in everything here which can be overwhelming, I love to order fried eggplant by itself. maybe I'll go get some right now...after my ice cream. Ciao!

Shrek 4

Tonight I went to see Shrek 4 at an outdoor theater called the Cine Astra it had Greek subtitles and there were only about eight native English speakers there. The other people were greek children which was funny. I'm glad that Shrek is still not an adult movie. I found it cute with a theme of rescuing eachother within a relationship. Very sweet so much that I threw up in the back of my mouth. But lets move on.
Today was a warm day and I spent most of it outside. I walked along the Saint George beach with the other tourists. Saw some beautiful purple coral. Bought a hilarious book called 'A Year in the Merde'. It is "an urban retort to A Year in Provence, this is a book for everyone who loves-or loves to hate- the French.
Then I went to a small bistro on the other side of the port and read for a few hours only disturbed by the chef who came to sit with me and chat and by the beauty of the waves crashing on the reef in front of me. The water is a beautiful glassy blue right now but super salty.
I don't know what I have in store for tomorrow except that there is a cook out at one of the local beach clubs...yum
Have a great Saturday!

It has passed

Well maybe just for today, but maybe not. Thank you for the kind words. Good ideas dad, I am trying not to spend much money but some things you have to do...mom is a pro at that;) Yesterday I went for a horseback ride on the beach and my horse spooked a few times. She was trying to have it her way the entire ride and so I decided that I didn't trust her enough to run with her on the beach. We walked and then after our break at the beach cafe I traded horses with a young Italian girl. She had a few of the same problems which I was glad to see but we were also headed back to the stable. So I decided that the horse taught me to not push it but play it safe. I think that if I would have tried to really command the horse she might have thrown me off and I would have bigger problems. So I gave in to trading horses knowing that the two of us just didn't fit together and my next horse felt much better. He responded to my commands much more smoothly. For the next few days I will give in to my tourist sensibilities and go find the other thrill seekers.
The weekends here seem to be very chill. Last night I was directed to a wonderful restaurant where took to go a gyro and fried eggplant and sat along the harbor wall. The waves crashed behind me, before me was a ferry dropping off its passengers. To my right was the remains of Apollo's temple and to my left the city. It was just me and my food but a very lovely way to end a few tumultuous days.
Have a great weekend

an Island

I know it is a cliche and I guess I am a rock too. This is hard to put out there without covering my frustration with humor but...well I have been on the road for a little more than a month and it is not easy. Yesterday I really felt lonely, like hit by a wall of it. I sat with myself most of the day and was patient with the feeling but it still hasn't totally left me. It is a feeling that although there are people around me, I don't know how to be with them and really want to be with you guys. I am missing a big part of the communication and don't understand body language here, I am putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable all the time. Yesterday I sat in a bar for a while and instead of the waiter asking me if I would like to order something he told me that if I want to sit here I must order something. Sort of the wrong part of the transaction to focus on at that moment. To pass time I am playing solitaire but can't finish a game without creating more than seven piles. I want to isolate myself and gather my thoughts but everything seems like a potential stressful interaction.
Well I want to document all of my trip on this blog so here is one of my low points. Greece is absolutly beautiful and being alone has its challenges in such a lovely place.

a random town

Hello- Today was the second day that my plans did not work out and I am taking this as a sign, I didn't realize that NFP (no fixed plans) meant like not even the night before but it does. I wanted to rent a scooter to go up into the hills so when I went to talk with the man who rents scooters he said that it not good. He said that it will be good after September 15 but now there are too many people and it is not a good time to practice. A vespa would be a good thing to have at home so that when I am abroad I won't have any problem renting a scooter and proving that I am a good driver. Ok so can't get a vespa, tried for a quad but didn't have my liscense on me so I gave up. I went to the bus station and bought a ticket to the Zas Mountain (Zeus) got on some bus that would pass it (apparantly these busses are all cross scheduled meaning there is only one bus leaving for a specific area and instead of writing the route it is written each major village stop as the end of a line). So I passed the mountain...and thought this looks too hot to walk up right now, kept going and when the majority of the people stood up so did I. I asked a lady "end of the line" and she repeated "yes, end of the line" which it wasn't but I got off anyway. I ended up in a very nice town, actually one mentioned in my lets go guide. It is called Apiranthos and it has four museums. The currator of the museum of fine arts told me that it is the third most artsy place in greece behind athens and an island near mykonos. Interesting little place and here are some pics. I made it back on the bus and into town. Irene (who owns the hotel) sent her son up with some chocolate covered lemon cake and I have been indulging ever since. What a life.
ps. I met some frenchies :)

A very sweet day

Hello-Today was a lovely and relaxing one. I slept a lot last night, woke up and missed my bus for a tour of the island (the travel agency actually hadn't scheduled my stop) so came back and took a nap. After my nap still feeling a bit crampy I wandered around the old town and the Kastro (castle) of Naxos. This place was built by the Venetians and is still inhabilited today. There are concerts during tourist season. I went back toniht to see two guitarists play together and it was so romantic. There was a cool ocean breeze, wine, great lighting, and the stage was against the wall of the Kastro. The wall is made of orignial materials of original greek settlers and contains granite from an altar (I think to Athena). At any rate it is a heavy wall. I am back home and ready to go to bed after such a relaxing evening. Naxos is wonderful and the gentleman who served the wine said to taste them all...like we are at a party with friends. So I did and prefer the white wine to the citrine (like vodka) Good night!

Plaka by bike?

Yes please!!! Today I am resting in my bed and I feel accomplished. The only exercise I have been doing lately is walking up and down cobblestone streets which really works out the ankles but I don't get to see many places in a go. Today I decided to rent a bike and ride it out to the beach, fabulous idea. I wanted to go to this 'nude' beach because it is fabled to be one of the best and more isolated than the port area. Not nude! Good thing I had my bathing suit in my backpack and I changed using Senol's sheet that I stole. It was a nice beach to lay on with lounge chairs and beautiful italian men competitively playing smash ball on the shore. And although it was not nude it was european and so topless if preferred. I prefer and it was my first time. After the beach I rode back to Naxos town made some pasta and am now sitting in my bed with my eyes half closed and it is only 7:30. Well staying across from the church gives me an unsolicited alarm clock...hey maybe I should explore the deeper meaning of that. Or maybe not. I am on vacation and have strict orders to keep out of my head.
Here are some pics from today. Enjoy!

greek drama and made it to my next island

Hey everyone! Last night I went to see a greek drama in the old town castle ruins of Kos. It was a very cool ambiance and tolerable weather because the castle has a nice breeze. who would think they would build on such prime real estate? I left about a half hour into it because I had no idea what was happening and frankly it was a little too dramatic. Those Greeks and their facial expressions.
Today after an eight hour boat trip I made it to Naxos, was picked up by the son of the proprietress and now am in my room. I'm still swaying a little bit but I think that by the end of the night I'll be adjusted. It is much more windy here and dry. I can get used to this. The buildings are what I pictured the Greek Islands to be whitewashed with blue shutters. My room is adorable and I have attached some pics. there is a church right next door so you know I'll mind my P's and Q's. Happy Sunday!

socrates and lawers in training

*disclaimer-the people i sang praises about yesterday were the older women and the mamma's boys
Some insight. I will take this opportunity to make an observation about life in Greece. The men can be pains in the a$$. My experience with about 3 different middle aged men is that they want to have things left exactly as they were found and they want to be right. First the proprietor at my hotel in Rhodes interrogated my Swedish friend about why she kept the bathroom door closed, then when I went to grab a quick bite to eat today after placing my order with the bar tender (a woman) I sat down at the request of the waiter and he proceeded to ask me what I wanted. I replied that I wanted a sandwich and with a grand gesture he let me know that they don’t have them so I said then toast and I already placed my order for one with turkey, cheese and tomato (sounds like a sandwich). So he said I’ll see what I can find and gave me ‘toast’ which looked a lot like a sandwich. Then this afternoon I went across the street to the beach and sat on a lounge chair with umbrella, I was re arranging the umbrella when a smokey 50 year old man came up to me and said ‘what you want’ so I told him and he said to move the chair instead then ‘where you from’…when I was leaving the lounge chair he walked by me and said ‘did you close the umbrella or left for me to do?’ I said oh I am sorry and he said ‘no sorry’. These people are like disgruntled nurses. I guess it is just that time of the year for some middle aged Greek men.
And now what I have been doing with my time. This morning I took a blue tourist train up to the Asclepion which is where Socrates first practiced and taught medicine in Greece. His garden was also there which would have been very exciting to see but there are no specific herbs anymore. The lay out is amazing with rooms for ailing people, incubating people, different levels of baths which was associated with purification and a grand altar. Religion and Medicine were inseparable and many sacrifices were made for the cause. It was a really magical feeling for me to be there. The land feels very healing and nourishing and I am amazed to think that people were treated at hospitals in the 3rd century BC. The compound was all very well organized.
I got to the blue train station at 9am but the train didn’t run until ten so I went across the street to the old city which is a bunch of ruins and sat for an hour watching different people. I saw two couples one with two children and the other with 1. One Italian man and woman a man who appeared to be homeless and suffering from some psychiatric disease and another Greek man who was the was the keeper of the animals. There are tons of stray cats on these islands and in turkey and they keep the mood light…except that they look to be starving. The Italian lady brought a box of food and the cats all ran to her, it reminded me of St. Peter’s square in Venice where people feed the pigeons and of course I wonder to myself…do animals that are fed by humans loose their ability to gather food for themselves so is it ultimately a dis service to feed them? Apparently it is not an international concern but one where cats are not starving on the street. Hmm.
What do you guys think?
I am almost finished with my book Tis and then I got another one called the geography of happiness which is already making me laugh. Gotta go stick my nose in one of them. Have a great weekend!

so friendly

Made it to Kos. These people are wonderful. I was picked up at the ferry by the proprietress's son Kostas who actually found me. He drove me in the family van to pick up his mother on the way and then to the hotel. I am three blocks in from the beach on the top floor of a four story building. sort of an add on with all of the ammenities. It is great so far!
tomorrow I may go to find some ruins and then have a quiet evening before I leave for Naxos on the ferry. This place (kos) is 40 minutes by ferry from Turkey and I can see their shore from my room. So cool, you all have to come with me. Maybe we will have a big greek vacation. Yes?

last day in rhodes

Today I took my a$$ up and down a seaside mountain. Literally, and the donkey in front had explosive diarrhea. Lindos is the same place that my Swedish friend took a nasty spill and sprained (or trimalleolar fractured) her right ankle, I was cautious. I was able to imagine the described heat induced careless ness that overtook me when I almost fell off the bus stop bench. It was hot today. A German family was gathered around their daughter with dad elevating feet and mom supporting head. Apparently she has gashed her toe (in flip flops????) and was passing out probably from the pain and the heat. After a dousing with water she looked all right and I kept on my way to the temple for Athena. Ok so after Lindos I took the bus back to Rhodos town and almost missed the last stop as I woke up totally disoriented. Thinking I was still on my turkey bus tour I almost reboarded the bus and headed back to Lindos. Sometimes a day of busses isn’t that fun.
I made it back to my hotel and took a nap after dropping off my laundry (thank the lord) then went out to dinner at a restaurant recommended by the Swede before her departure. All in all a very good day and I took some time to walk along the marina watching people, focusing on the moment and the hypnotizing rhythm of the light house. I was trying to predict it’s cadence but was unsuccessful except for putting myself in a yogic trance (from breathing). Today was a good day, as was yesterday when I went to the old town. I walked through the medieval moat surrounding the town and castle to find a matrix of small cobble stoned streets seemingly leading to one square of touristy restaurants. I smiled at a couple of old women sitting in their doorways, laughed to myself when I heard two young girls dancing to Beyonce in their old town apartment and then panicked when I was the only tourist on a five foot wide street trying to find my way to the exit. In my haste I decided to buy a water and ask the shop keeper for an exit which was interpreted as taxi but got me where I wanted to be. By the time I got out I had walked almost the entire perimeter of the old town. It was a cool experience and here are some pictures from both days. I wish you all were here! The Greek Islands are a fantastic place to vacation. Oh and I bought my flight from Santorini to Istanbul J those are some good plans.
Hey dad, enjoy the food in Boston…Greek food is damn good too. I’ve had some eggplant to die for!