Last Day in Turkey, July 8, 2013

Our time is up and we must leave.  We have had an extraordinary trip.  We are grateful to the Turkish families who invited us into their homes and extended their friendship. We appreciate the business people who took an interest in us, shared an evening of great conversation with us, and provided us with a beautiful dinner.  We appreciate all of the people from the schools, public and private, elementary, high schools and universities spending time talking with us about education in Turkey.  We enjoyed our friendly interactions with strangers we met during our travels. But we are especially grateful to Mr. Okamus who put so much love and attention into building us this perfect trip. We will never be able to adequately repay him. 

To all of my traveling companions I say I cannot imagine traveling with a more compatible group. You are the best!

I am glad we were able to share this experience together. 

One more group photo "for blog purposes". 

July 7,2013. Last evening in Istanbul

We have the opportunity to meet one more Turkish family and spend the evening with them at their home.   They were willing to invite a hungry crowd of 25 to dinner.  Brave, right?

Mr. Sebahattin Turan, our host, is in the center. On the right is his brother-in-law who grilled delicious bar-b-que for everyone. Mr. Okumus, our trusty leader, is in the red shirt. 

Mrs. Shenol Okumus and Ricardo Mondragon. 

Mrs. Emine Turan, our hostess, hard at work while a soccer game is played in the upper part of the yard. 

Mrs. Turan's brother showcasing his grilling talents. We will soon devour everything he cooked. 

People chillin' while chaperones are hard at work supervising students. 

After dinner we visit with the Turan's. They tell us more about themselves and we ask questions.  We also keep checking ourselves. What is it that we thought we knew about Turkey versus what is our impression now. 

July 7, 2013

Our last full day to explore Turkey.  How much can we realistically see today?  

First stop Dolmabahce Palace which is very opulent. We only see part of the palace. Put Dolmabahce Palace on the list of things to see again on our next trip to Turkey. 

Hot and thirsty. Next stop, one more delicious lunch. 

Istanbul, July 6, 2013

After our river cruise on the Bosphorus we headed over to the Journalists and Writer's Foundation to learn about the work of the foundation. 

And, then, approximately a one hour drive to a suburb of Istanbul for a wonderful dinner at the home of Ibrahim and Ayoegul Aydogan.  This is the view of Istanbul from their balcony. 

We enjoyed our feast from our vantage point on the balcony. The temperature  was considerably cooler than a typical Houston summer day. 

Turkish food is fresh and delicious and without preservatives. I enjoyed eating  cucumbers that had unwaxed skins and tomatoes that actually had flavor. 

And the ever present lentil soup. We enjoyed becoming lentil soup experts. 

After dinner all the girls headed off to a separate room to visit. Except we needed a translator. Poor Eren. Trapped in a room full of girls. 

Our host, Mr. Aydogan, and chaperone, Ricardo Mondragon. 

Back to Istanbul, July 6,2013

We flew back to Istanbul and headed straight to the Grand Bazaar to shop. Over 4000 shops. Will we ever see each other again?  

Then on to the Bosphorus River for our private tour of the Bosphorus. 

Did you know you can play ninja anywhere?

But even better is to Wabble on the Bosphorus. 

Ismir, July 5, 2013

Two families in Ismir invited us to dinner. We divided into two groups and each  group visited one family. My group visited the home of Saim and Mucevher Akyom. They have two children, daughter, Aysegul and son, Tumay.  Aysegul and her husband, Mesut, have a young daughter.  We had a wonderful evening at the Akyom's home. 

The Akyom's had prepared a delicious feast for us. 

Everyone loved the stuffed grape leaves and wondered how to make them. This led to a request for a demonstration and Mrs. Akyom obliged. 

And then quickly the idea arose for a grape leaf rolling contest.

And then this perfect evening was finished off with delicious desserts and tea. 

Ephesus, July 5, 2013

Near Ephesus we visited a pottery factory where we watched a demonstration of pottery being made. Then a few of us got to try our hand at making some. 

Then we were anxious to buy some of the finished product. 

 We would receive a 60 percent discount off of the marked price if we purchased at the factory after a tour.  Problem was that Mr. Mondragon was able to purchase the pottery for 85 percent off the marked price by buying it at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.  All I can say is that we have a lot of work to do on our bargaining skills.