Greece, Germany and Turkey

I'm back on crew after a whirlwind of a vacation. I spent time in Salalah, Athens, Santorini, Munich, and Istanbul. I ate delicious food, saw ancient buildings, swam at beautiful beaches, got lost, participated in a Turkish political rally, went shopping, saw a volcano, and more. Between me and Georgia we have over 1000 pictures. I have to stop myself from trying to include everything in this blog because that would be way too much writing.

So instead I'll just give a few highlights:

At the red sand beach in Santorini, me and Georgia goading each other into swimming in our underwear despite the fact that that required stripping down in front of several hikers and tourists. I gave in after getting my jeans completely soaked because I had convinced myself I was "just going wading". The water was clear and beautiful, full of anemonies and fish with a backdrop of red cliffs. While swimming we found a naked man sunbathing in a hidden spot between some big rocks. He was older, a local of Santorini, and had a bushy beard. He offered us his extra towel and told us to watch out for sea urchins.



Wandering around in Munich by myself on an unusually cold day. As I wandered through Odeonsplatz in old town Munich, I found a small band playing an excellent rendition of Louie Armstrong's "Mack the Knife" right in front of the beautiful baroque-style Theatinerkirche. It was weird to hear this in the middle of Bavaria, and played by older German men. But it was good-wierd. Afterwards they continued to play more bluesy jazz, which I looove. I got a cappachino and stood there listening for quite a while. It started snowing.



Matt's first day in Istanbul. Going with Seray and her boyfriend, Erim, to a nargila bar (nargila = hookah = waterpipe). Afterwards we went ate mezes (like Spanish tapas) and sipped Raki, an anise flavored alcohol which is a Turkish specialty. Matt got Seray and Erim talking about Turkish current events. We discussed the Islamic influences of the current ruling party, troubles with Kurdish separatists and whether Turkey will invade northern Iraq.

Me and Georgia dragging Carolyn to the Cemberlitas Hamami, a traditional Turkish bath house, where you have to be... NAKED!! Once we got there we were all a little nerveous, walking around in towels, not sure exactly where to go. I'll never forget my first glimpse of the main bathing room. The door creaked open and I saw what looked like a pile of large naked butts and saggy breasts covered in sudds and surrounded by steam. Intimidating. Though, after the initial shock, it was a very nice experience. The bath house was a beautiful 400 year old building. After getting sweaty in the steam room I was washed by my personal attendant. Then I moved on to a full body massage and a clay facial mask.



Me and Matt on the last day. After admiring ancient graffiti in the 1500 year old Aya Sophia, we got a delicious plate of fried anchovies and some Turkish tea from a tiny cafe that was run out of a tent. We were on the banks of a harbor right off the Bosphorous Strait, next to a fish market. The sounds of people haggling for fish in Turkish really set the mood.

Arriving at 10pm in Muscat from Istanbul. Naturally, feeling sad that my vacation was over. I had to wake up at 6am for my next flight, but before going to the hotel, I had to stop by the office to pick up a few things. However, in the office, there just happened to be three of my four Sheesha buddies who I wrote of before. I had one last night of fun with them. We went an Omani coffee shop and smoked both apple and rose sheesha. We ate delicious filafel sandwiches and drank black tea with a sprig of fresh mint in it. Add a small spoon of sugar and that is the most delicious drink I've ever tasted. Three hours of sleep was more than enough.

To Carolyn, Georgia, Randi, Selin, Seray, and Fatt: I had a wonderful time with you! Thanks for coming...or thanks for being there. I miss you already!

And a shout out to Seray: Thank you so much for letting us stay at your apartment and for feeding us and taking time off and showing us around Istanbul. It was absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to come back!

Well that is enough writing for now! I intend to have pictures posted soon. In the meantime, you can see some of Georgia's pictures.