As mobility increased we were
spending more time up in the marina trying desperately to finish the work on
the boat. We finally got splashed in January. It was nice to be back in the
water again. Sadly we had had to turn down helping deliver Prince Otman from
Jordan back to Israel but were now able to accept delivering the boat from
Israel to Palma, Mallorca. It was nice to see our friends again. We were so
well catered for with our fabulous hostess constantly producing the most
amazing meals for us all. We had definitely piled on the pounds by the time we
arrived in Palma. We stayed on for a few extra days catching up with old
friends in the city and spending time with our Prince Otman mates in their
lovely home in the hills behind Andratx. It was soon time to say our farewells
and return to our boat in Marmaris.
We had one more inland trip to Cappadocia to do before we could finally leave Turkey. We set off with some good friends on an overnight bus journey to Goreme and spent a few days exploring this magical lunar like landscape by foot and car. We treated ourselves to an expensive dawn balloon ride which was worth every penny as we looked down at the fairy chimneys below. We also visited Derinkuyu underground city where 20,000 people once lived below the surface. Having saturated ourselves with this extraordinary landscape we then took a small bus tour to Nemrut Dagi which involved a dawn hike up the mountain in snow, rain and cloud to see the large first century BC statues situated on the summit. We then continued south to Sanliurfa via the very impressive Attaturk dam on the Euphrates river. Sanliurfa has a mixed Kurdish, Turkish and Arab population and is supposedly the birth place of the prophet Abraham. We also visited Harran situated close to the Syrian border which is famous for its beehive adobe houses and mentioned in Genesis 11:26-32. We said goodbye to our friends, hired a car and continued on our journey east. Our first stop was Diyarbakir with its oppressive black basalt walls. We then continued through the ancient town of Hasenkeyf lying on the banks of the Tigris river in the Batman province and on to Mardin which overlooks the Mesopotamian plains. Mardin is a beautiful city situated on top of a hill and known for its fascinating architecture consisting of heavily decorated stonework. We returned the car back to Sanliurfa and had a long, uncomfortable bus ride back to Marmaris.
We finally left the marina in June and had a month of cruising old Turkish haunts and visiting the Greek islands of Symi, Chalki and Alimia. We returned back to Marmaris Yat marina in July where we left the boat and flew to Perugia, Italy for a family celebration. We spent the first week on our own in a lovely little villa near Marsciano and had a wonderful time touring the Umbrian countryside and exploring the glorious towns of Orvieto, Spoleto, Bevagna, Assissi and Todi. The second week was spent with the family in a luxury villa near Umbertide. We spent much of the time lazing around the lovely pool and eating far too much super Italian food. We were also able to explore the beautiful towns of Perugia and Gubbio. It was sad to finally have to leave this amazing region.
We finally left Marmaris Yat Marina for the last time mid August and made our way up to Marti Marina in Orhaniye. Unfortunately the cheap Turkish antifouling we had used earlier in the season had already begun to foul and we thought it best while we could get a good deal for lifting and launching to get it sorted now. A week later with new bottom paint we said goodbye to old friends and made our way up to Samos from where we were to begin crossing the windy Aegean. First stop was the little harbour on Ikaria and then with three reefs in the main and a storm gyb we set sail for Mykonos. The wind didn’t disappoint and it blew a gale. Onward to Syros and Kythnos until we finally dropped anchor in Ermioni harbour on the mainland. We waited here for a weather window to help us on our journey south. We had planned to meet our good friends on Elafonisos, an island on the southern tip of the Peloponnese, which has the best beach ever. After much liaising and skyping we finally met up at the beginning of October. We continued together down to Kythera and on to Gramvousa on Crete. We slowly made our way eastward along the northern coast of Crete stopping in the lovely old harbour of Chania. It was a nice place to spend a few days and of course catch up with the rugby world cup. Our next stop was Rethymnon and more rugby. We dropped anchor on Dhia island and finally in Ormos Spinalonga near Elounda where we remained for a few days before tying ourselves ashore in Aghios Nikolaos marina for the winter.
We had a fun winter in this vibrant seaside town with our good mates only a few “doors” along. We explored much of this beautiful island by car. We really enjoyed re-visiting the fascinating bronze age Palace of Knossos as well as the Minoan site of Zakros on the east coast. We also drove up to the Lassithi plateau which lies at an average height of 840 mts and is one of the few permanently inhabited areas of such altitude around the Mediterranean. It is also famous for its white-sailed windmills that have been used for decades to irrigate the land. From the plateau we climbed up to the Diktaian cave which according to Greek mythology is the birthplace of Zeus. Our trip west included some wonderful walks including the 11 km long beautiful Imbros gorge which runs parallel to the more strenuous and crowded Samaria gorge which closes during the winter. We spent a few nights in Paleochora allowing time for more walks, scenic mountain drives and a visit to the stunning beaches at Elafonissi.
We had one more inland trip to Cappadocia to do before we could finally leave Turkey. We set off with some good friends on an overnight bus journey to Goreme and spent a few days exploring this magical lunar like landscape by foot and car. We treated ourselves to an expensive dawn balloon ride which was worth every penny as we looked down at the fairy chimneys below. We also visited Derinkuyu underground city where 20,000 people once lived below the surface. Having saturated ourselves with this extraordinary landscape we then took a small bus tour to Nemrut Dagi which involved a dawn hike up the mountain in snow, rain and cloud to see the large first century BC statues situated on the summit. We then continued south to Sanliurfa via the very impressive Attaturk dam on the Euphrates river. Sanliurfa has a mixed Kurdish, Turkish and Arab population and is supposedly the birth place of the prophet Abraham. We also visited Harran situated close to the Syrian border which is famous for its beehive adobe houses and mentioned in Genesis 11:26-32. We said goodbye to our friends, hired a car and continued on our journey east. Our first stop was Diyarbakir with its oppressive black basalt walls. We then continued through the ancient town of Hasenkeyf lying on the banks of the Tigris river in the Batman province and on to Mardin which overlooks the Mesopotamian plains. Mardin is a beautiful city situated on top of a hill and known for its fascinating architecture consisting of heavily decorated stonework. We returned the car back to Sanliurfa and had a long, uncomfortable bus ride back to Marmaris.
We finally left the marina in June and had a month of cruising old Turkish haunts and visiting the Greek islands of Symi, Chalki and Alimia. We returned back to Marmaris Yat marina in July where we left the boat and flew to Perugia, Italy for a family celebration. We spent the first week on our own in a lovely little villa near Marsciano and had a wonderful time touring the Umbrian countryside and exploring the glorious towns of Orvieto, Spoleto, Bevagna, Assissi and Todi. The second week was spent with the family in a luxury villa near Umbertide. We spent much of the time lazing around the lovely pool and eating far too much super Italian food. We were also able to explore the beautiful towns of Perugia and Gubbio. It was sad to finally have to leave this amazing region.
We finally left Marmaris Yat Marina for the last time mid August and made our way up to Marti Marina in Orhaniye. Unfortunately the cheap Turkish antifouling we had used earlier in the season had already begun to foul and we thought it best while we could get a good deal for lifting and launching to get it sorted now. A week later with new bottom paint we said goodbye to old friends and made our way up to Samos from where we were to begin crossing the windy Aegean. First stop was the little harbour on Ikaria and then with three reefs in the main and a storm gyb we set sail for Mykonos. The wind didn’t disappoint and it blew a gale. Onward to Syros and Kythnos until we finally dropped anchor in Ermioni harbour on the mainland. We waited here for a weather window to help us on our journey south. We had planned to meet our good friends on Elafonisos, an island on the southern tip of the Peloponnese, which has the best beach ever. After much liaising and skyping we finally met up at the beginning of October. We continued together down to Kythera and on to Gramvousa on Crete. We slowly made our way eastward along the northern coast of Crete stopping in the lovely old harbour of Chania. It was a nice place to spend a few days and of course catch up with the rugby world cup. Our next stop was Rethymnon and more rugby. We dropped anchor on Dhia island and finally in Ormos Spinalonga near Elounda where we remained for a few days before tying ourselves ashore in Aghios Nikolaos marina for the winter.
We had a fun winter in this vibrant seaside town with our good mates only a few “doors” along. We explored much of this beautiful island by car. We really enjoyed re-visiting the fascinating bronze age Palace of Knossos as well as the Minoan site of Zakros on the east coast. We also drove up to the Lassithi plateau which lies at an average height of 840 mts and is one of the few permanently inhabited areas of such altitude around the Mediterranean. It is also famous for its white-sailed windmills that have been used for decades to irrigate the land. From the plateau we climbed up to the Diktaian cave which according to Greek mythology is the birthplace of Zeus. Our trip west included some wonderful walks including the 11 km long beautiful Imbros gorge which runs parallel to the more strenuous and crowded Samaria gorge which closes during the winter. We spent a few nights in Paleochora allowing time for more walks, scenic mountain drives and a visit to the stunning beaches at Elafonissi.
