Ridgefield WA, Globe AZ

After arriving back in the US from Istanbul, we moved Paradise from Cathy and Pat's house in Apache Junction to Queen Valley for a few days.  We were then able to arrange things in our new home a bit better and were finally out of Cathy and Pat's hair.  We are so grateful to them for all their help during our stay there.

We attended their daughters wedding while we were there as you know and also saw a couple of ancient Indian, Salado, dwellings in the city of Globe which was not too far away.  Here are the ruins of Besh Ba Gawah near Globe:

entrance to the village 

The ceremonial room

This is how the village would have looked

Ridgefield WA, Istanbul Princess Island part 2

Our last day in Istanbul turned out to be very nice.  We were still on the Princess Island and took a horse "taxi" up to an old church, yes a christian church.  The church is on a hill over looking the sea and Istanbul.  It is a steep walk and the faithful used to do it barefoot or even on their knees as a form of devotion.  We did see a couple of people barefoot.

We enjoyed some very nice views and a small meal at the top before heading back to finish up our weekend.  Had a great time in Istanbul, time to head back to the USA

Negotiating the "taxi" fare

tight squeeze

church is on the hill

the walk up the hill

Paul practices his sword trick

Pnar says thats enough!

we have to head back

that was fun

a little color in the town

back in PandP's flat see how close the mosque is to our bedroom. 5 times a day we heard the call to prayer.....once in the middle of the night...every night!

Ridgefield WA, Istanbul our last 2 days part 1

It is a beautiful morning here in Ridgefield as I write this blog.  I am facing a window overlooking the backyard and patch of forest beyond.  The sunlight is playing hide and seek through the clouds and it is lovely.

On our last 2 days in Istanbul we ferried over to one of the Princess Islands, a string of islands off the coast of Turkey that are actually still considered part of Istanbul.  We spent a night at a pension.....yes the one you see in the pictures below.  Quite a once in a lifetime experience;)  It looks like it is falling apart because it is.  As you can see it is a very old building and you may wonder why they don't keep it up.  Well it seems these old houses are considered historic and the government does not allow them to tear them down and rebuild but at the same time, the people who own them can't afford to restore them properly so they simply don't.  The people who can afford to do and there are some beautiful houses on the island.

the town square

satisfying a sweet tooth

our floor at the pension with rooms across from each other

Pnar is a happy camper

view from pension

always a good time for ice cream

view from pension

the "Ideal" pension

nice if you have the money to restore

we had a delicious breakfast sitting outside this cafe where meat is being prepared for the day