Author Archives: Eric

Exploring Turgutreis, Turkey

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After we arrived back to Kosmos, we rested for a little while, and then went into Turgutreis for dinner. Once you finally manage to escape from the enormous marina complex, downtown is only a few short blocks away.

Earlier in the day, when we went to and from the bus, it had been pretty quiet. There weren’t many people out. What we gather to be the center of town consists of a large open area along the water. There is a small park and a beach. The opposite end of the square is lined with restaurants, with a large mosque dominating the scenery, looming magnificently just behind the restaurants.

Tonight was a whole different story. In the previously completely empty town square there were now several rides set up for kids, including little cars and an astro jump. The previously deserted playground near the town square was full of children. There were quite a few families out walking around, and a lot of people gathered in the restaurants around the square. It felt like a family oriented community. It has a completely different feel than inside the marina complex, just a few blocks away.

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We wandered along the town square until Continue reading →

History of Turkey

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Modern day Turkey is located on what is literally a land bridge that joins the continents of Europe and Asia. A small part of northwestern Turkey is within the European continent, where it borders Greece and Bulgaria. The rest of the country is considered part of Asia, bordered on the west by the Aegaen sea, to the north by the Black Sea, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea and to the east by Iran, Iraq, Syria, Georgia and Armenia. Because it lies in a major crossroad between civilizations and cultures, it has a rich and vast history. We are only visiting western Turkey, along the Aegean coast, so this history summary is going to focus on the west. Continue reading →

Welcome to Turgutreis, Mugla Province, Turkey

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We pulled out early this morning to head to Turgutreis, Turkey, which is on the western edge of the Bodrum Peninsula. We would have liked to have spent another day exploring Kos and another day or two exploring Rhodes, but the marina at Kos was full and we needed to go. When we made the reservation they had told us we could only stay for the three nights.

The trip to Turkey was short, only taking 1 1/2 hours. Good thing, because the waves were rough yet again. We had made a reservation at D-Marina. The reservation had been confirmed via email, but they had not asked for payment up front. We pulled up to the marina and called on the radio. They responded that they had no space for us. What? We replied that we had a reservation. They didn’t respond, nor did they respond to subsequent calls. We waited in the harbor outside the marina, hoping they would respond to us eventually. We heard a boat on the radio call for a pilot boat to help them leave. Maybe we could get this newly vacating spot? Eric hailed Continue reading →

Exploring Rhodes, Greece

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Continued from yesterday”¦ From the museum we headed over to the palace, and on the way we passed the living quarters for the knights. The Knights were grouped together according to the language they spoke, and each group resided in the same house. The houses are lined up one after another on a long street. The houses were built at different times, ranging from the early 1400’s to the early 1500’s. All have a similar exterior façade, though if you look carefully you can see nuances that make each a little different. All of the houses are now government administrative offices. We don’t know if you are allowed to go inside. We didn’t try. One door was open and we peeked in and saw a courtyard with a beautiful garden surrounded by a rectangular building, very similar in layout to the hospital. There are also some floor plans on the informational signs, and they are definitely bigger inside than they look outside.

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The palace is Continue reading →