Turkey # 9 & 10 Hierapolis & Pamukkale - The Thermal Baths and Ancient Ruins 2 B.C.

Turkey # 9 & 10 Hierapolis & Pamukkale - The Thermal Baths and Ancient Ruins 2 B.C.

I am here at the Hierapolis and taking in the view. The thermal baths of Pamukkale were very popular in the 2nd century BC and the adjoining town of Hierapolis was a sacred city known for its number of temples. These areas have an interesting history and a beautiful view of the valley below.

There are a number of discovered ruins -

a city bath, a Christian church, the Temple of Apollo and Plutonium, a theatre,

an ancient cemetery and many others. I am enthralled to be able to touch history! A pillar or headstone here is 2,000 years old! I am so grateful to be able to be here! 

I sit in the shade watching the sunbathers, site seers and girl watchers. The atmosphere here is relaxed. Occasionally you hear a slight whistle from the police admonishing a bather who is misbehaving but, for the most part, it is a sunny and serene day out. 

This day, like many others, has at least one token sleeping dog.  Mostly they don't move, or hardly breathe for that matter,

but this one actually got up, relocated into the sun for a moment or two, then went back to his original, a little more protected,  place in the shade.

I was told I would see a "bellied" Russian in a speedo, and sure enough, there he is!  Someone pointed out he had a "The Beatles" cap on and I said that's probably not uncommon as Russians love The Beatles. 

This is mid-spring so there is room to breathe but during the summer, I bet this place is packed. What a nice way to spend a spring afternoon!

I Am In Turkey Now, # 1 Istanbul

I Am In Turkey Now # 1 Istanbul

Actually, I am back home now but wanted to give you the heads up that my pictures weren't loading. So now that I am back home, guess what? Now my pictures are loading so I will try to catch you up. Turkey was Awesome! I was not going to play tourist too much but I bought lots of stuff and took lots and lots of pictures. I decided to make a list of cities that we visited so that you could see the course that we took.

Here is the list of the cities and I have numbered them for you. We made a large circle on the west side of Turkey.

1.  Istanbul - our starting place
2.  Gallipoli
3.  Canakkale
4.  Troy
5.  Pergamon
6.  Izmir
7.  Ephesus
8.  House of the Virgin Mary
9.  Hierapolis
10.  Pamakkale
11.  Antalya
12.  Perge
13.  Aspendos
14.  Konya
15.  Goreme
16.  Cappadocia
17.  Ankara
18.  Istanbul - for the return home

The first day is arrivals and orientation.

A French lady that was sitting next to me on the plane told me that the color turquoise is from the green water on the coast of Turkey. Love that color! She married a Turk and after he passed, she comes to Turkey to visit relatives. She said the food in wonderful. That is pretty good coming from a French woman!

Upon arrival into Istanbul, after going through the passport checkpoint, I am making my way down to the exit. I am looking for a familiar name - Trafalgar Tours. There is a long row of tour providers and private name cards being held up and at the very end - the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - Trafalgar!  And my welcoming agent, Matt, well, whatever is the closest to that being translated from Turkish, and the first person I meet is Vivian and the second person I meet is from South Africa! Too many coincidences!

So, we are driving into town through rush hour traffic and I look around "to see what I can see" and I notice the beautiful tulips and pansies that decorate the sides of the freeway.

There are many different colorful arrangements that garnish the sides of the freeway.

And there are also trellis gardens that remind me of what I heard of as the hanging gardens of Babylon and I wonder if these are somewhat similar to those. What a great idea!

Now, take a look at that! There are vendors walking between the cars ON THE FREEWAY selling everything from flowers to water bottles to, well, other things, and not a single one of them got hit! That couldn't happen on the freeways in my hometown. You would really be taking your life into your hands!

When we were getting close to our hotel we saw lots of flags and asked what they were. They are campaign flags! There are national elections coming here in June.

Then we arrive at our lovely hotel, Raddiso Blu.

Take a look at this lobby!

 

and the chandelier!

Here is an upstairs picture looking down on the reception area. I wanted to show you a picture of the sheets of geodes that they used as paneling for the reception desk but I guess I didn't take the shot. They were beautiful! And I loved my room! 

Well, we had a welcome gathering and appetizers then were instructed about tomorrow's adventures.

Day 2 - Istanbul

So today we travel to Old Town Istanbul where there is the Topkapi Palace,

Haga Sophia,

the Blue Mosque (or is the back side of the Haga Sophia)

and the Hippodrome. Incredible beauty! Tiles, domes,

obelisks, fountains, statues. Incredible! So much history here! So much beauty! So much tourists! I could not keep track of how many buses were coming and going in that square

Then we see a unique sight - all these dogs laying around and we are worried about the dogs! So, we ask our tour guide. The dogs are wild dogs. The government spays and neuters them and then lets them run. Our guide describes them as "lazy" and that they are! They will not move for anyone or anything! They chose their spot to lie down and don't get up for anything! Interesting! We all seem to like personal interest stories like these, don't we?

A Day At Disneyland Paris

A Day At Disneyland Paris

 
So, who can plan an extended trip to Paris without going to Disneyland, Paris?

So, today I went to Disneyland. It's 6:30 at night as I am leaving and it is 66 degrees right now but the sun today was shining all day and we had a bright blue sky. 

This is a magical broom carrying water buckets from the movie Fantasia

 
The first thing I was looking for was familiarity and there wasn't much there to work with. 

Disney "adapted" (my travel word) Disneyland to fit into a Parisian format. For one thing, they didn't play a lot of old Disney songs. I think most old Disney songs are unfamiliar to the French so they played a number of old American classics that the French would be familiar with.  I forgot what song they were playing when I arrived at Disneyland but I found myself saying "What does this song have to do with Disneyland?" Not much in America but it resonates with the French people. Very clever! "Adapte" Paris Disneyland, California. 

I was hungry right away so I had a hamburger. It was one, if not the best, hamburger I have ever had, and no catsup! They only used mayonnaise but offer catsup if you would like. I am sure the French made the bread because it was delicious!

The fast food place was called Brown Derby after the famous Brown Derby restaurant in the U.S.

Paris Disneyland is divided into 3 parks: Disney Studios,

Disney Parks and Main Street USA where there is a Planet Hollywood and other restaurants and shops and entertainment.  Oh, and by the way, the ticket for an adult was 99 euro at the door or a "mini" (restricted) pass for one day 2 parks off season you can purchase online for 51 euro.  So, shop around and buy online at least 1 day in advance.

I first went to Disney Studios. They have thrill rides there and studio experiences. I first went to the (slow) ride of Ratatouille. You sat in a movable seat and went from room to room watching a screen about the movie Ratatoulle. It was very cute and was a new ride there. 

The second thing I did was a tram ride to a Disney back lot to show how they make special effects. 

They showed how movie special effects are made and a few sets and props. 

They had a fire break out

and a flood that you participated in.

After that I found a special effects train ride from the movie Armaggedon. That was lots of fun!

Then, I went over to Disney Park to go on a few rides.

The first ride was the train ride around the park. They started out with the Grand Canyon scenes and sounds that they have in Anaheim then moved on to a pioneer theme.

I got off at Frontierland

(Yep, this is Frontierland. Adapte, remember?)

and went straight for the Pirates of the Carribean ride. I accidentally got in line for another ride, Peter Pan.  When I got to Pirates of the Carribean, the line actually ran faster than the predicted wait for Peter Pan. I was trying to figure that one out too but I think it is that the French have not had the opportunity to be so "up close" to the Disney fantasy world and here was their opportunity. Peter Pan is a classic!

And who can come to Disneyland without going to It's A Small World After All?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I entered the park late the ticket "cast member" told me that I had to head back to main street for the parade that afternoon so that was my next stop.

I got there just a few minutes early and it was so fun to watch. I saw all the little girls in their princess costumes waiting for the Elsa and Anna characters of the Frozen movie. I saw the lights in those little girl's eyes and the smiles on their faces.

Then it was time to go. I saw one guest wearing a Remy (the mouse character in the movie Ratatouille) baseball cap.
It was grey with ears, a face and a mouse tail on the back. I had to have it!!! I was told they only had it in children's sizes. Oh well, we are all a kid at heart, right? So I got one!

You know what? It was different than the American Disneyland but you have to hand it to them, they know how to make you believe dreams do come true!

All hail to Disneyland Paris!  Wonderful job all!

In A World . . .

In A World . . .

 

Yeah, I know you are asking yourself what the belly button is doing on top of this slogan.  First of all, it is not a belly button. It is the peep hole for my apartment door.

 

 

Second of all, I wanted you to see what I see every day as I leave my apartment to go out into my new world and "see what I can see"!

 

 

This trip has been amazing for me! I am meeting wonderful people from all over the world and you know what most of them want to do?

 

Connect!

 

We all have unique interesting stories to tell about our lives! Every one of you does! Thank you for being part of my life and sharing your dreams, aspirations, heartbreaks, goals, discouragements, mischievous deeds and laughter. You are what makes the world a great place to be in!

 

 

Thank you for being a part of my life and for being

 

 

YOU!!!

 

 

 

. . . with love!



One More Thing About Copenhagen

One More Thing About Copenhagen

So, I have one more thing to say about Copenhagen but I think it deserves a separate blog. The Ocean Hotel that I stayed in is in a residential neighborhood. There are homes and apartments, one convenience store and . . .

one amazing restaurant!

It is called Alle Kroen.

The owners are Jeanet and Pierre Conradi. Jeanet serves and Pierre cooks.

Pierre showed me this menu from Alle Kroen that dates back 40 years! They are still serving the same wonderful food and a few items with a new twist.

I ordered the plank Salmon with baby shrimp and asparagus, served with mashed potatoes. It was fabulous! (Sorry Pierre! I took a bite before I realized that I hadn't taken a picture so it might not be quite as pretty as when you serve it!

Look at this great atmosphere! And they were playing American rock 'n roll. I felt right at home!

 

Thank you Jeanet and Pierre for 2 wonderful meals!

(a-a-ah, yes, I said 2. I ate there 2 nights in a row!)

Copenhagen - Hans Christian Andersen's Hometown

Copenhagen - Hans Christian Andersen's Hometown

Again, a big learning curve! I arrived last night at around 10:30 p.m. The Hotel was listed as being the first exit off the Metro near the airport so I said to myself, what the heck? When I got off the Metro, which by the way, only took 5 minutes to get to my destination, I looked around and realized I was going to need a little help getting there so I called the owner/manager, Tine and she gave me directions to get there. It was about a 5 minute walk to her hotel.

 

Tine, the owner came outdoors to make sure that I made it in okay and felt comfortable.

 Ocean is a beautiful B&B with a cozy atmosphere and environment.

 

I spent one evening in this lovely living room trying to catch up on this blog. Tine has such a sense of taste and hospitality. I really enjoyed my stay there and felt like she was my "friend" and saw her treat all the other guests the same way. Tine asked me if I had a plan to view the city. No, I didn't. So, the next day I figured it out as I went along.

Day 2 -
So, going down to breakfast at my hotel I met a wonderful couple from Germany, Sabina and Hagen. Hagen is a

minister. They live in a town between Cologne and Born (I hope I am spelling it right!). We talked politics, the economy, the difference between Europe and the US - you name it. It was their last day. It was my first. They rented bikes for their adventure into town. Great idea! Nearly everyone rides bikes in Copenhagen!

When I got into town I decided the best way to see this town was to hop on one of the red double decker buses so that is what I did. As we were driving along, not long after I boarded the bus, the driver spoke about a great art gallery called the new Carlsberg Glyptoteket. It is described as "an amazing art collection, one of the best in Denmark and a must see for all art lovers." Well, I wasn't disappointed. I saw . . .

 "The Thinker" by Auguste Rodin 

 

"The Kiss"

 

and

 

"The Three Graces"

 

Among many others. The bus driver said I would need about 5 hours just to absorb all there is to take in at this gallery and he was right. I spent about 3 hours then, at his suggestion, I ate lunch in the aboreteum there. Look at the view I had!

 

and as you see, a couple wanted to have their wedding pictures taken here.

And why not? It's an incredible place for wedding pictures!

 

 So, let me show you around town.

 

Of course, there are beautiful fountains!   

 

These apartments were actually barracks for a group of military called "The Lifeguards", named so because they protected the lives of the monarchs.

 

This is Copenhagen's National Museum which tells the history of Copenhagen since the ice age.

 

This is Copenhagen's yacht harbor

 There are many cruiselines that call Copenhagen their port of call



Here is a beautiful Anglican church

And here is where the in-crowd hangs out! By the water!

And what blog of Copenhagen would be complete without a picture of The Little Mermaid!

 

Farewell Copenhagen!