Ephesus, Turkey

We signed up with Fez Travel for a tour of the area. Our tour guide was Sezgin and he was very knowledgeable about the history of the region. Our first stop was the last house that is reported to be the home that Mary the Mother of Jesus lived at the end of her life. It’s a beautiful, serene setting with a lot of shade trees and gardens. If it really was her house, I’m sure she would have been content there.

A second stop was the old excavated city of Ephesus. About 20% has been uncovered and we were able to tour about half of that. The detail of the mosaics and friezes were incredible considering they are about two thousand years old. They had ‘modern’ sewage and fresh water systems, libraries, banks, brothels and churches.

We lunched at a local Turkish restaurant as a part of the tour.

We also visited a Turkish rug ‘factory’ to learn how the ancient craft is done. It is sponsored by the Turkey government to keep the traditional skills alive.

Mary's House

In ancient Ephesus

A Fez Hat on the Fez Tour.  This was at the gift shop at the restaurant where we had lunch.

Beautiful yarns at the rug factory.

Athens, Greece

We caught the ‘Hop On, Hop Off’ Athens Tour Bus at the port for a ride into town and a visit to the Ancient City.  The crowds were pressing (literally!) while waiting to get in to the Parthenon, the temperature hot, the humidity high, the sun scorching, and patience short.  We made it inside the gate and were favored with seeing the Propylaea, the Erechtheum temple and the Porch of Caryatids in the distance.  The Acropolis is 230 feet above the city and the view below is worth the climb up the hill.   Ongoing restorations efforts have been underway for over 20 years, twice as long as it took to build it in the first place.  We walked through Constitution Square and saw the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace, the Temple of Zeus.  On the bus we saw the Olympic Stadium. It is a busy city and until the 1990s, the most polluted city in Europe, which has caused major erosion of the marble buildings and statues. 

Ancient Olympia

We rented a small white Fiat and headed to ancient Olympia. It included the Temple of Zeus, marble starting blocks for foot races, pillars and parts of old buildings.

We also found the Mercouri Estate, a local winery. The old house built in 1870 is remarkable. Family members still live in the home, although it appears to be in a state of disrepair. Oh, how it would look if fully restored! In the evening, back on the ship, we had our elegant dining experience in the ship’s special restaurant – the Pinnacle Grill. It was a formal night so we were well dressed and spent a nice three hours absorbing the ambiance.

The entrance for the athletes to run onto the field - so similar to what they do today!

As seen below, they used local stone that was filled with sea shells and then covered the structures with marble or granite.

A tub used for soaking after strenuous workouts

The starting blocks for foot races

Some of the many columns still standing

The winery

It was such a quiet, serene location

The family mansion

Another formal night

A group picture

Doug, Jenell, me, Kendall

Corfu, Greece

What a beautiful day!  We met our tour guide, Dimitris Dafnis, at about 9 am for a tour of the island.  He took us on a trip to places that wouldn’t be seen in regular tours.  The sites were just what you would expect from a Greek island - beautiful.  At a small café overlooking the sea, we had handmade Baklava.  For some unknown reason, Jenell continued to attract bees and Dimitris tried a Mosquito app to try to keep them at bay – in addition to an electrified tennis racket type of swatter.  We experienced brilliant blue skies and clear water, olive trees, fig trees, olive oil and fresh bread.  We saw several churches that were centuries old.  The Greek Orthodox Church in the old part of town is the Church of St. Jason and St. Sosipater.  Closer to the water we visited the Vlacherna Monastery of Panayia.   The beauty comes from a mixture the ancient blended with newly blooming flowers and the blue of the sky and water.  Before heading back to the ship, we sat in a café for a cool drink and then wandered through the old streets.  

This is in a small village where the old traditions are still followed.  This is a widow who, as we can tell from her head dress, is happy.  She would have grandchildren that are giving her pleasure.  If she was not happy, she would be wearing all black.

Baklava!

Fresh baked bread and samples of olive oil and olives

A view from one of the scenic points

A beautiful church on the coast

The bee swatter

Dubrovnik, Croatia

We all headed into Old Town where we got our tickets and headed up on the wall. ‘Walking the wall’ is what the town is known for. The wall protected Old Town from the sea as well as attack from enemies. The cable cars took us up to the top of the mountain where we sat overlooking the town enjoying a cool drink. We had lunch at a Pizzeria in one of the side streets that was soooo yummy! A cool shower back in our state room was a welcome relief from the heat (mid-90's) and humidity (85%).

We were able to watch the movement of hurricane Irene up the east coast of the US in our cabin on CNN.

The Wall was quite impressive; very high and solid

Boats in the bay

Kendall, me, Jenell and Doug atop the wall

The scene below is actually of the old town square water source.  The water is drinkable and pours out of the mouth of lions.

European Vacation

We had a great opportunity to take a cruise and visit a lot of places in Croatia, Greece, Turkey and Italy.  We left home on August 25 and returned back to the states on September 7.  We joined our friends Doug and Jenell for the last 10 days of the cruise they had begun 10 days earlier, and then spent another two days in Rome.

Sunrise as we are heading into Rome after a 9 hour flight

MS Noordam

Our home for the next 10 days

We set sail on the 26th from Civitavecchia, Italy; about and hour and 15 minutes south of Rome

The next day was a day at sea which gave us time to adjust to the new time zone that was 9 hours ahead of home.  The was a formal night for dinner and Kendall snapped this shot as we were getting ready to head out.

Formal Night

Happy Anniversary to Us!

We had a wonderful dinner last night at a Japanese Steak house in our neighborhood.  It was a great anniversary celebration for 8 years!

Shadows on the Sand

Shadows on the Sand

A novel by Gayle Roper
Murder, child abuse, a cult, a teenage and 10 year old runaways, post traumatic stress syndrome. Gayle Roper takes all these topics and manages to write a mystery located at a New Jersey beach that takes the reader into the lives of Greg, Carrie and all those who care about them. The story takes us to a place of redemption and forgiveness while pulling two deserving people together; Carrie who has a past where she had to grow up too fast, and Greg whose family was blown up in a truck because he was investigating a crime and the criminals took revenge on him.
It is a book that naturally brings Christian perspectives to the story line without ‘preaching’ to the reader, making it an easier read than many so called ‘Christian titles’. A book I am able to recommend to the casual reader.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"The Reveal"

I love spending time in my kitchen!

The view as you walk in the front door

Kitchen before

Kitchen after

Fluorescent light before

Beautiful chandelier after

Desk area before

Built in hutch after

View to the patio before

View to the patio after; the door to the left of the sliding door was replaced with a window

A warming/proofing drawer added

Replacement for the white ceiling fan

Glass tile for accent

Beading on the Cornice

Pantry

The kitchen and pantry have been undergoing a renovation since the end of June.  The kitchen should be done this week, but here is a teaser of the pantry.

Before - boy, was I a messy housekeeper!

The pantry door is now a pocket door with a glass insert.  No more open pantry door blocking the pathway from my office area.

I now have a counter top to house the microwave, toaster, coffee, etc.



Montana Rainbow

I was in Montana this week on business and was able to watch several amazing storms roll in.  This rainbow hung around for quite a long time.