Istanbul, Turkey

Since March 12,
I've been calling the Prinsendam ship my home.

It's relatively small as ships go, making it possible to maneuver through the tight Bosphorus Straits bordering two continents -
Europe on one side and Asia on the other.

From our balcony, we could see old mosques, fortresses, castles, and palaces.

From the water, we absorbed in some fabulous history in visuals.

Above is the summer palace of the Sultans - late 1800s.

BELOW are the gates to another Ottoman palace on the other side of the Bosphorus.

It was built by the fellow who took the throng, shortly after the above palace was constructed.

This kind of lavish spending led to the demise of the Ottoman Empire.

Yes. I saw all of this from my bedroom balcony.

Isn't that a mind-blower?

(Comment: traveling by ship is the cheapest way to go. I promise. You just need to learn the ropes.)

We spent several days in Turkey and I couldn't get enough of that Turkish Delight!!!

Himalayans of Turkish Delight!

I did succumb. Every flavor had to be tried, after all.

I also loved the carts full of bakery twists covered with sesame seeds.

Add some fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice and it passed for a meal.

It takes exactly three pomegranates to fill a glass.

I passed on the Ant Egg Oil, even though I was given a convincing pitch of it's virtues as a tonic.

I also passed on the street corn. Why must they scorch it, for heaven sakes?

I am not exactly attracted to the long beards which are often seen around Istanbul and Kusadasi.

Additionally, the Turkish noses appear to grow more prominent with age
. . . and can actually be a bit scary.

Some women don black from head to toe, but others wear colorful headscarves.

Many individualize with the headscarves but stick with black elsewhere.

It was t-shirt weather, but you wouldn't know that when you saw the women.

(Sorry for the grainy shots, but I did not want to be indiscreet in photographing strangers
and so I took some of these shots at a distance.)

I strolled through block after block of stores with head scarves.

ONLY ITEM FOR SALE = HEAD SCARVES.

The head scarf shops took me up several staircase after staircase of ancient pathways.

I was blissfully lost. I absolutely LOVE losing my way in a foreign country.

Can't explain why, but somehow it's the ultimate freedom.

So, I had a full and delightful day of wandering combined with encountering kind strangers en route.

The traditional women didn't interact with me very much, but the men certainly did.

I sure wanted more contact with those women. They are draped and inaccessible.

But I traveled their paths and watched their world from a distance.

With our expansive itinerary in Turkey,
I felt like I experienced enough to be enticed and get the itch to return.

Bonsey, you can count on that!

Parting Shot:

Gotta love those Turkish TAKSIs!

The Islands of Malta

View from our balcony on the ship when we landed in Malta

I am getting off the ship in 30 minutes to spend a couple of days with my niece who lives in Athens. An update is past due. We spent a few days in Spain, nearly a week in Turkey, as well as full days in Romania and the Ukraine. However, I'm going to focus on Malta. It's an archipelago of islands between Tunisia and Sicily. The natives speak a language combining Arabic and Italian. They are a delightful people and I made lots of friends during our stay.

The coastlines of the Maltanese Islands are fascinating

However, it was the villages which really won my heart.


Very few streets can handle automobiles.
So kids can kick soccer balls without concerns of getting run over.

(Notice the boy in the background with his ball in the above shots.)

Many residents place potted plants in front of their homes and this makes the narrow alleyways so inviting.

Some of these homes are more than 500 years old. The locals proud of their heritage.

Because the crusaders made Malta a home base, the people are also very tied to their Christian roots.

The majority of homes use their street-level windows as religious displays.


This woman and I made friends using the granddaughter as our connecting link.

We visited for quite a while, in spite of the fact that we have a language in common.
We did, however, share the language of mothering, grandmothering.

Women make lace in the same way they've done in for centuries.


The primary industry of Malta: fishing, naturally.

Untangling the nets is a long, long process. I watched. And watched.

***************************************

Dear Kids,

Do not worry about me. I've got a new boyfriend . . .

. . . and a new hobby.

And, btw, you never need to believe a word I say.

It's been 27 minutes and I need to head out. My niece is waiting!

Out in Africa

I've been gadding about in Morocco and Tunisia.

Yesterday, we traveled along the border between Libya and Tunisia,
as we headed towards the Sahara.

Yes, I rode a camel.

My spine did not like it very much, but I liked it A LOT!
(A photo of ME + Camel coming later.)

Some Berbers are nomadic and live in tents. Others live in caves.

The woman at my side is a cave-dweller, although there were tent dwellers in the same area.

Can't you just tell how dear this woman is by looking at her face?

So much can be communicated with a photo.

BTW, this woman also makes incredibly delicious flatbread which she shared as a gift.


The mosques of North Africa are not ornate, but the carpets on the floor are spectacular.

A young woman and an older gentleman at the mosque.
Daughter and father?
Granddaughter and grandfather?

This is my travel mate - 'Bert'.
She may be almost 30 years older than me, but her heart is young.
She's got the spirit of an adventurer.

Olives from Libya.

I'm on the Portuguese Island of Madiera.

It's waaaay out in the Atlantic.
The internet connection is close to impossible.

I can't even change the arbitrary order of photos.

So, here you have it.

The men of Madiera love playing dominoes when they aren't out in their fishing vessels.



The women do lots of laundry. By hand, mind you.

The dogs do lots of laying around.

What's this man cutting?

Salted fish which dries in the sun after being caught.

I arrived in Madiera after eight days at sea.

In two days, I'll be on the European continent.

I like sailing. A lot. It's sort of like being gently rocked in a cradle.

Well, except when the ocean is rough.

Then it's TONS of FUN.

Just have to say, I've met some fabulous travelers on this trip.

Many sail around the world year round.

When you're 'at sea' people have time to tell their stories. It's GRAND!

Gypsy Feet

Dear Friends -

I'm leaving in TWO minutes for a TWO month trip. THANK YOU Anne, Ray, and Vic for keeping the home fires burning.

The following photos represent some of the stops along my journey. Be patient and I'll update you in a week or so.

In my heart, I'm a gypsy!

Love, Ginger

Goddaughter & Other Lassies

My goddaughter Vic has a new boyfriend - Dr. Micheal.

On Sunday, I cooked a turkey in the early morning, attended church, then drove to Logan to meet this fellar.
The turkey rode along with me. The fragrance of that roasted bird whetted my appetite, I tell you.

Dr. Micheal is a good man. My hearty approval was given.


Yesterday, my lovely lassies crowded into my living room.

It's hard to believe that ALL these merry maidens live within two blocks of my home.

Do you see how hands are raised?

The younger gals were interviewing the older gals
and I was able to sit behind them and see them manage the activity cooperatively.
Being polite is something I try to emphasize.

I think they're getting it.


After the interviews, I let the older girls hide Easter eggs for the younger ones.

It's a wee bit early for Easter celebrations, but the weather beckoned us out of doors.

They split the booty after the eggs were found.

Notice there are still patches of snow, but the day was warm enough to skip jackets.

Through a 'calling' at my church, I've been working with these girls for three years.
Sometimes, they just show up for spontaneous visits.

I love the freshness they bring into my life.

After the wild rumpus, I sent them back into the house to grab their backpacks and walk home.

All but one gathered up on the balcony to wave goodbye.

Another shot was in order and they complied with style!

It wasn't so long ago, my own kids were standing on this same balcony,
waving at me below as I snapped a shot.

Or, I should say, it doesn't SEEM that long ago.