Castles, Caves and Carob

The end of another month.  My, how time flies.  I am lucky enough to have had my sister and mother visiting for the past week+, and so far, so wonderful!

Love my sister!

Yesterday, a neighbor-friend and his cousin took the three of us to Alanya Castle,

Alanya Castle

which was built in the late 13th century and has the most beautiful views, as it is situated at the very top of a peninsula that juts out to, and plummets down into the sea.

Beautiful Alanya

There are two castles on that peninsula.  One of them is nestled at the end of a circuitous path in a wooded area, and I, the directionally challenged guide, could not find it, but we had fun on the way, getting lost and picking carob pods to eat later.

Can I cook with those?

After that, we headed down from the peninsula, back into town, then up into the mountains again toward Dimçayı cave.  Dim Cave was formed by erosion caused by the waves of the Mediterranean Sea passing through Alanya’s mountains thousands and thousands of years ago.  It was magnificent–cool on a sweltering day, fascinating and a bit creepy inside.

Dim Cave–amazing natural phenomenon!

Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommended!

 

Yay!

 

 

 

Belly Dance, Travel, and Three-Piece Suits

It was a comment from my mother that brought to my attention the fact that my blog was lacking an up-to-date post. I haven’t got anything particularly unusual to report, but here’s what I’ve been up to since my dance gig aboard the Aegean Odyssey finished:

My last performance on the cruise took place on August 25.

The next morning we docked in Izmir, and I was in a rush against the clock to get off the ship and to the airport. I was headed to England by way of Istanbul for three days of exploring England with the British bf.

Below is a photo of a man I spied on the street in Oxford. He was not a tourist attraction of Ye Olde England, but rather a "regular bloke" who happened to dress this way.

We also visited the beautiful Blenheim Palace. Absolutely fabulous. Below is a photo I snapped of a loving couple locked in an enthusiastic embrace.

After England, the next destination was Izmir/Çeşme/Çandarlı in Turkey for the wedding of one of my bf’s best friends.

What a lovely place!

Now back in Istanbul, I’ve finally unpacked my suitcases for awhile and am settling into my regular life of performing:

and my new favorite pastime, cooking and baking vegan food. See culinary success (adzuki bean burger) below.

(Culinary failures not pictured.)

In a Stone Fortress of Emotion

I was upset at first, but now it’s kinda funny.

Saturday night, my first show went wonderfully. I was well-received, well-treated, and well-paid. I returned to my stone home-away-from home feeling lucky, successful, and happily tired.

The only problem was, Saturday’s show was to be my only show. While I was romanced into coming to Montenegro by a DJ acquaintance of mine for two weeks of ongoing shows, the casino where I performed was under the impression that they were booking me for a one night event. As the DJ is Turkish, the casino manager is Montenegrin, their shared language is English, and the DJ’s English speaking skills are rubbish, I am chalking this entire comedic episode up to a miscommunication. Here’s where the situation gets inconvenient: The casino provided me with lovely accommodations in Montenegro for the days up to and including the night of my show, which took place July 7th. My return flight to Istanbul isn’t until July 19th!

So. . . I’m officially on a completely unplanned and unexpected vacation in Montenegro. In order to economize on lodging, I took a room in the best hostel in Kotor–Old Town Hostel. Incredible, caring staff, beautiful facility, comfortable rooms. However, it is definitely a hostel. Optional daily excursions to the beach, rafting, canoeing, cave exploring, or the national park, 20-year-olds drinking wine from the bottle at the nightly party in the community lounge, a fellow’s hairstyle that includes a silken ponytail complemented by a single, waist-length dreadlock, the obligatory guy with the guitar playing and singing an off-key rendition of “Stand By Me”, a shared bathroom and kitchen, bunk beds, and five roommates. Four of my roommates are Czechoslovakian (two guys and a girl, thankfully none of them snores), and one is a Serbian girl who tends to walk around in her pajamas. . . which are lace panties and a tank top.

Across from the fruit market

I’m not that mad anymore.

Mini-Break in Bodrum

A little bit of sunbathing:

A little bit of jet-skiing:

A little bit of parasailing:

A little bit of daytime drinking:

Make for a lovely little holiday!