Written by Mary 10/24/20 - We love Turkey!

Turkey: Istanbul is magic! The challenges (finding clean water, dodging scoters and taxis, late nights, finding your way when Apple maps are unreliable, etc) are all the things that exhaust me but what I love and crave! I love the Call to prayer as it frequently reminds me of our spirituality which is drowned out in the US, I loved the Pretzel bread delivered to your door by the man carrying a tray of them fresh on a platter on his head, the kids loved the Endless animals - cows chickens sheep (outside of Istanbul) and of course the Cats and dogs. All the things in any populated city - things we’ve missed since leaving Manila 12 years ago. The culture fascinates me. The male female interaction stumps me. I can ask for something or suggest something but it is best when affirmed by Andy. The modern cosmopolitan city with obvious old traditions and new additions are exciting. We are a sight with three kids. I’ve been asked several times if we are Mormon, asked onece if Russian, twice if Spanish and all remaining inquiries assume we're British. We've met no Americans in turkey but met many couples who have been separated since covid meeting up in turkey and Croatia. Thanks to advising of friends who ‘gap yeared’ before us, I allowed myself to shop away thru turkey as the dollar goes a long way and the handmade crafts in Turkey are glorious! Turks like to stay up late (like 2am in our apartment complex) and we finally adapted and stayed up late too (better than laying there waiting). After a week in funfilled Istanbul with bazaars, mosques, tours, boat rides, shopping and hummus (did I mention the food is outstanding); we headed to Cappadocia. It felt like leaving denver for the mountains. The air was cooler and the towns were peaceful. We rode hot air balloons, hiked and fell in love with the small towns!