Home safe and sound from Turkey

First, the great news is that Andrew Rives and Emily Taylor are engaged. They are both history teachers at Harrisonville High School. We have never met Emily, and look forward to welcoming her into our family as I am sure her family will welcome Andrew.

We had a wonderful trip to Turkey. It was a great 11 days and 10 nights. We traveled with 3 other Peace Corps Volunteers, left to right in the first photo is Connie Hayes, Linda, myself, Suzan Moyer, and Leslie Schoolfield. We are at the Hosh Seda for our first meal in Istanbul. It was such a delightful atmosphere. The restaurant features fish, and I had a swordfish kabab, while everyone else enjoyed a tasty chicken kabab. We literally watched the world go by. We saw so many nationalities, heard many languages and observed different cultures while sitting in this central square.

Our flights were with Turkish Airlines and they were very comfortable, and the food was delicious. When we landed in Istanbul our travel agency OneNation Travel representative met us and transported us to our hotel in the heart of the old city. Our hotel was the Q-Inn Sultanahmet. We were within walking distance of the Sea of Marmara, the Blue Mosque, the Ana Sophia church/mosque/museum, and great restaurants.

Our first evening was free and the hotel recommended the above restaurant. We began our tour of Istanbul bright and early on Tuesday, June 15. The highlight of the day was a boat ride on the Bosphorus strait which connects the Marmara and the Aegean Seas. The water was exceedingly clean. Turkey has a strong emphasis on cleaning its environment and water. The Sea of Marmara once had 110 species of fish, but now has only five, but the Bosphorus was beautiful.

We were taken to the Spice Bazaar where we could have bought anything our hearts desired. We also visited a Sultan’s Palace which was used for state visits and business. At the end of the day, we were high above the city enjoying a cool drink and the beautiful views.

The final photo is one of my favorites and is self-explanatory.

If anyone is thinking of traveling to Turkey, please go. The people, the country, and the tourist business are all top quality and at a very reasonable price. We were concerned since the flotilla incident, and we all regret the loss of life. The people of Turkey were exceptionally kind and friendly to us. We realize we are a tourist dollar, but still the feeling was genuine.

Next week, and probably every week until we return we will have photos from our trip to Turkey. Our final observation for our first report is that the women of Turkey are much more conservative in their dress than Azerbaijan. We saw many women with hijabs (head coverings), long coats, frocks, dresses. However, the women are much freer in that culture to drive cars, work, play, and interact socially than the women of Azerbaijan. Their dress is conservative religious, but their opportunities are unlimited.

The weather here has moderated a little, but still very warm. The excitement is the World Cup. Many of the teahouses have set up televisions for the games much like sports bars in the USA.

This is just an introduction – stay tuned!