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Unfortunately your Bulletin Editor did not make the meeting, but I received a narrative from Dana Newell, who was on the trip and an abundance of slides and photos. I have copied them below in their near entirety and in "Read More": Travelers: David Thorman, Dana Newell, our 17 year old grandson, Toby; Dr. Palmer Lee, Donna Lee, daughter Tia (14 years old) and son Landon (age 13 years old). David’s daughter Cai Thorman did not join us on the boat ride. Cai joined us in Ephesus for the land tours. When we landed in Istanbul, Turkey to start on vacation, we jumped on another airplane to Dalaman on the southern coast of Turkey, near Antalya. From the Dalaman Airport we drove 30 minutes to Gocek, it’s a very cute high-end vacation sailing small port. All the streets did not allow any vehicles and had great shopping! We were in Gocek for one night before embarking on the Nikola sailing vessel. We spent our first week sailing in the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea on the Nikola gullet, a wooden sailing ship. The Nikola was chartered through Neyzen Travel and Yachting out of Bodrum, Turkey. The owner of the travel company is Tamera Neufeldt, she also owns hotels in the Bodrum area. David’s daughter worked with Tamera to set up our itinerary and travels. When Cai lived 20+ years ago, she worked for Tamera conducting tours and doing underwater archeology. We had three crew members on the 70-foot yacht. The Captain, the Cook, and the Bartender. The Nikola had four bedrooms and four bathrooms. We enjoyed all the meals on our sailing vessel. There was plenty to do during the day when we were docked: swimming, playing/ hiking on the shoreline, paddleboarding, Kayaking, water skiing, floating on noodles and inner tubing behind the dingy. While on the Nikola we had several excursions: Guided Boat tour of Dalyan, including ancient Kaunos and mineral mud baths. This is where the movie The African Queen with Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn was filmed, including 4th century BC cliff tombs and ancient city. It is a fishing boat tour + hike + mud baths. We all jumped into the mud baths. Excursion from the yacht: Hiking tour of ancient Knidos from the boat, guided by Captain Ramazan. Where the famous Temple of Aphrodite stood: https://marmaristown.com/ancient-city-of-knidos-guide/ 8th Day: Nikola heads to Bodrum, spend the night on the yacht in Bodrum harbor. Bodrum is a city on the Bodrum Peninsula, stretching from Turkey's southwest coast into the Aegean Sea. The city features twin bays with views of Bodrum Castle. This medieval fortress was built partly with stones from the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, completed in the 4th century B.C. Toured the Bodrum Castle: Bodrum Castle is a historical fortification located in southwest Turkey in the port city of Bodrum, built from 1402 onwards, by the Knights of St John as the Castle of St. Peter or Petronium. Enjoy delicious meals in beautiful Bodrum. Then we drove to Didyma: Didyma was an ancient Greek sanctuary on the coast of Ionia in the domain of the famous city of Miletus. Apollo was the main deity of the sanctuary of Didyma, also called Didymaion. But it was home to both of the temples dedicated to the twins Apollo and Artemis. It was built in 8th Century BC. We toured the Ephesus Museum in the afternoon in Ephesus and also toured the Isabey Mosque and St. John's Basilica. The Basilica of St. John was a basilica in Ephesus. It was constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. It was modelled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. The following day we went to Ephesus is an ancient city in Turkey’s Central Aegean region, near modern-day Selçuk. Its excavated remains reflect centuries of history, from classical Greece to the Roman Empire – when it was the Mediterranean’s main commercial center – to the spread of Christianity. Paved streets wind past squares, baths and monumental ruins. Ephesus was built in 10th century BC. The Temple of Hadrian was built before 138 A.D. for Emperor Hadrian’s visit. After lunch in Ephesus we drove to Pamukkale. ancient Hierapolis, and the travertines. Parmukkale: Pamukkale is a town in western Turkey known for the mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down white travertine terraces on a nearby hillside. It neighbors Hierapolis, an ancient Roman spa city founded around 190 B.C. Ruins there include a well-preserved theater and a necropolis with sarcophagi that stretch for 2km. The Antique Pool is famous for its submerged Roman columns, the result of an earthquake. We fly to Istanbul the following morning and start touring of Sultanahmet (Sultan’s Palace and beautiful gardens), Haghia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Cisterns, Topkapi Palace Tour and Shop at the Grand Bazaar, Afternoon cruise on the Bosphorus over a few days. Loved the Grand Bazaar, lots of shopping! Everyone loved purchasing leather jackets, shoes, beautiful scarves, lovely jewelry, etc. Palmer and family flew to Cappadocia. David and Dana stayed in Istanbul because Dana broke/shattered her left shoulder and left humorous bone and was not in any condition to travel to Cappadocia. David and Dana flew from Istanbul back to Sacramento a couple days after her fall. |
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Above left to right: David Thorman, grandson Toby Osterloh, Dana Newell, Landon Lee , Turk Tour guide , Tia , Donna & Palmer Lee, the Captain of their sailing vessel. In front of the Amphitheater in Mugla, Turkey ( near Dylan ) built by the Romans in the 2nd century A.D., seating for 13,000 people.
A GREAT TRIP! ("Click on Read More to see many photos.")
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