On the road to Ankara

One of the many caravan stops along the Silk Road where the whole caravan went inside for the stop.



Highways are wonderful here, as is the bus.

Arrived in Ankara at this gorgeous Hilton but only wified in the lobby for free. One more day, long drive to Istanbul and cruise on the Bosphorus and final dinner. Can't wait!

Photos of school in central Turkey

Serap our guide on the bus

Third graders

Third graders

 

Third graders

Showoff second graders

 

I'm guessing she is an albino

Very friendly

Day 7 Pamukkale & Hieropolis

We headed out of Izmir today early to beat the traffic and were immediately stuck in a traffic jam. Yorgo, our driver assistant, got off the bus and started directing traffic so we could get clear and turn around. Turns out some woman had gotten hit by a bus and was still lying on the ground. He hopped back on and we were on our way. After an hour and a half we stopped for a bathroom break. I had a fresh squeezed OJ and some Turkish delight to take home. One has hazelnut, one pistachio and the other sesame seeds. We left right on time.

With Yorgo going up and down the aisle counting. Five minutes on the road and it turns out we left someone! There are four Iranians from California, a mother, two grown daughters and the aunt. The mother had gotten back off to use the WC and we left without her. So we all laughed and went back for her!!

In our group of 33 there are two Canadians, Carolyn and Ellen, whom I went swimming with in Canakkale and shared some wine. There are three Indian couples, Ravi and Ra..... Who are semi-retired surgeon and psychiatrist near Worcester, have two daughters, one in Chicago and one a nurse in Philadelphia. She said her mother and her brother came to live with them for nine years after her father died (talking about Nana having lived with my family).

Harish and his wife M.... -she had a general practice and I think he was in like medical  supplies -live in Norfolk near Foxborough.  They have three daughters. Harish and I had a nice conversation about India, colonialism - in most all cases the conquered country is poorer as the raw materials get taken out of country, manufactured products, for example cotton, and then brought back in country to be resold at higher prices. He also talked about being introduced to his wife -they've been together almost 50 years - by family members and they court to decide. Both these couples seem so wonderful and solicitous of each other - the husbands and wives, I mean. There is another Indian couple but I haven't really met them.

Then there is Brian from Philly who is in tech business I think. A Polish woman is traveling with her son who just got a master's degree in computer science so he picked this trip. They are from Chicago. Three Vietnamese women are traveling together: one runs a restaurant in Minneapolis, and the other two are from CA in tech business. A Chinese couple who live in Wilmington work for J P Morgan. He's from Xinjiang province on far northwestern China where Uighur, Muslim sect, are predominant. She's from Shaanxi near Beijing. Alan and Michael are from Chicago, I think. He looks very young for almost 60! I mentioned the four Iranian women, I think. there's another couple from New Jersey but that's all I know about them.

I forgot another couple and their ten year old girl from somewhere. Haven't talked to them. and then a couple from Florida who live in Atlanta. We had a nice talk at dinner about education. Their daughter has a doctorate in special Ed. Serap, our guide, is recently married; her husband is in construction. She studied and worked in archeology.

At the hot springs I went with Carolyn and Ellen and we added in after walking gingerly over the calcium beds. It was pretty rocky and slippery and crowded with many people almost falling in. So we only stayed in a few minutes, dried our feet and moved. Later there was a regular swimming pool that Carolyn and Ellen went in and said was nice. I didn't really have time and didn't bring my swimming outfit anyway. I walked back where the light blue colored pools cascaded down and water was gushing out of the wall. I took some pictures there and then knelt down to get the water on my knees and feet. I asked a Russian woman who was traveling with her son to take my picture. We chatted awhile. Maria and Valentine are from Siberia. She said there is still snow there now! She studied English and spoke well. Valentine could understand what I said but not speak as well. We talked about hostels in Russia of which there are none. She is from a university town with 9 schools. She said the students come from all over but can't really travel around Russia because hotels are the only option. I think her town was something like Tosk?

I then paid the 5 TL to go in the Roman bath ruins where there were artifacts, jewelry, statues. Sarcophogi (sp?) - means flesh eater as they are lined with limestone which quickly dissolves flesh left on the body. It was nice and cool which was worth the 5TL admission as the sun was beastly. I finally got to the big pool where people were soaking in the thermal waters and had a beer where Brian was waiting for food. I hopped the shuttle down the long road past the Necropolis where I could take pictures from the window to the north entrance where the bus was waiting. I only got a photo from the distance of the amphitheater. This was a huge city at one time and only a small part of it has been excavated. Turkey is fascinating archaeologically speaking because it was such a crossroads of various civilization. Once you start digging somewhere you end up finding layer after layer of previous settlements. Some ruins we visited had Roman numeral signs on a bank up to IX indicating different settlements one on top of the other! This could keep archeologists busy for hundreds of years! Serap just told me that was the ruins at Troy.

We headed over the high mountain passes down to the Aegean Sea at Antayla, a big resort especially for Germans who have bought lots of homes around here; also Russians, Dutch and English. The beaches are pebbly like the Riviera and very calm safe waters.

Blue Mosque, Troy and Cannakkale, Saturday, May 24

So I combined Thursday traveling with my first day of the tour in Istanbul. I'm now on day two as we are leaving. Two Anadian woman in the group from New Brunswick walked from our hotel over the bridge to the other side of the Golden Horn. It's called that because the piece of land that we're on is kind of shaped like a horn and the water turns golden at sunset. This other side is still in Europe. You have to cross the larger bridge to cross into Asia. We'll do that tomorrow when we cross the Dardanelles. The ladies and I found a little fisherman spot across the bridge for tea. and then a great restaurant at a hole in the wall that Rick Steve's recommended. Carolyn and Ellen are retired civil service workers in Canada.



After we checked out at 8 a.m.we headed back up the hill to visit the Blue Mosque which is only blue on the inside because of the tiles and stained glass that is all mostly blue. We all removed our shoes and carried them around in plastic bags as we exited out the other side. This is the fourth highest dome after St. Peter's in Rome, St. Paul in London and the Duomo in Milan, all of which I've been in! I think Mary, Betty and I were actually in this one because it was free, unlike Topkapi Palace which was not, and I don't remember that at all. We had so little money in 1965 that we mostly walked around places on the outside only. But still we covered 28 countries in that year, including stopping for four months in Munich to work so I had a ticket home!! Seems like only yesterday!



We then had a long bus ride through the rolling, lush countryside to the ferry where we crossed the Dardanelles. We passed near where the battle of Gallipoli was fought for ten months in the First World War, then Australian and New Zealand forces (ANZAC) fighting for the British Empire tried to capture the Dardanelles and Bosporus straight to give Russia access from the Black Sea. They failed and the Ottomans under Kemel Ataturk defeated them and that was the start of Turkey's independence movement. Ataturk made amazing changes and really helped the country turn around. We'll learn more when we visit his mausoleum in Ankara.



We moved on to Troy, the supposedly mythological place where the Greek Spartans defeated the Trojans, but,then,a German guy named Schliemann became obsessed with the story of the,  lliad in the late 19th century? He made money in the gold rush in America and spent it searching for Priam's treasure! He wasn't that interested in archeology but proved this was the ancient of a real battle. There were 9 consecutive layers of cities on this same site. And he did some back and find a treasure of gold but it was from an earlier period AND he had made an agreement with the Ottomans to split the find in half but never did! There was the obligatory wooden horse but I only took a picture. The battle was really about power, Homer just made up a good story sticking Helen in as the motive.

May 18

(This is Judy. I'm going to post these photos here so Sue can find them and put where she wants. I have no verbiage for them.) 

SPANISH SANGA PARTY

Delicious spread!

Sr. Tri, Sr. Dao, Doug, Elinor and Michael

 

Miles from UK in glasses and Shivacami, Sr. Dao's daughter

Pep is in the grey sweater leaning on Miles. He has 3 grown kids anod 3 grand kids!

Mercedes, dr. Who treated Doug and it's her apartment

Weds, May 22, Toulouse to Istanbul

 

 

So I spent the night at the La Auberge de la Saint Semins hostel on the second floor in a four bed dorm, just those two guys from Montreal, an Asian guy that disappeared early a.m. and me! They were all out late. I got to shower easily in the room, and go to sleep. I never heard anyone come in, climb in the top bunk, nothing! I had gotten up really early the day before at PV as I thought the morning meditation was at 5:15 but was not until 6 a.m. so I was in the hall by myself doing yoga and some walking meditation! And then schlepping my luggage from the train station for half an hour through Toulouse to the hostel! I was tired!

 

last night in Toulouse

La auberge de Saint Senin - kitchen in room. Didn't use it!

Altar in 12th century church in Toulouse

 

Basilica in Toulouse

Tour group in church
I had a lovely walk around Toulouse and picked a jambon (jamon Spanish), fromage and baguette for breakfast on a bench by the Garonne River. Then I caught the airport bus for E5 to the airport. I had a long wait until the Turkish Airlines counter opened to check my bag. The girl at the hostel let me use her computer to print out my boarding pass the night before. Got through security and was at the gate 2 hours early, of course! But I always have a book.

Just finished a book I bought in PV by and about Sr. D, a Vietnamese refugee who had had a terribly abusive childhood since being born in Saigon in 1968. She's not sure if her father was an older American soldier as her mother had said, or a Vietnamese man. She looks very Vietnamese but was taunted when young for being Amerasian. Her younger brother was blond and very light and he was REALLY taunted! She had a wonderful relationship with her grandmother who told her, " take care of your brother, get an education, and become a nun (she was Buddhist)". She got a medical degree in San Francisco after she moved to US at 16. Her brother 12 was taunted even worse here, called commie, etc. She had a wonderful partner John, whom she had difficulties with as she was raped at 9 and saw her mother go from man to man. He was practicing mindfulness and tried to make the relationship work but he drowned at 33 while she had just started residency. She ends up a nun in Plum Village and it's a wonderful story of survival and recovery!

The flight was smooth and uneventful, with good food and wine! Can't say enough about Turkish Airlines. Did I mention I flew them from NY to Amsterdam through IST, then Toulouse to IST, and June 2nd from IST back to New York, all for $873!!! I think that's unbelievable!!
 Flying over southern France!


I was frustrated in the very long and winding customs line as I swear 20 planes all arrived at the same time. I had read my pickup driver would only wait one hour then I'd have to find my own way. However, it didn't happen and my driver was there with a sign for Gate 1. It was about a 45 minute drive, past Roman ruins and aqueduct, into the old city. This Legacy Ottoman is in a 19th century decorated with high crown molded ceilings! It's 5 star, not my usual fare!! Love it! Since I 'm traveling on my own, I had to pay a single supplement and have a room to myself. Luxury!!

Lobby of Legacy Hotel

Tonight's room! I'm in culture shock! :)


The tour group was in the middle of dinner after having the first informational meeting that I missed. I joined a table with two medical couples from Boston, live in Norfolk right near Kerry, and a couple from Atlanta. All seem nice. After a wonderful night's sleep, our bus headed for the Hippodrome, a chariot track built by the Romans, with two obelisks from the 2nd century BC.

Obelisk at Hippodrome
 

Frescos inside Aga Sofya which means Holy Wisdom

Green marble from Ephesus




Calligraphy, wood frame, camel skin!

Ancient bronze doors

Behind altar
We then walked past hoards of tourists to the Aga Sofya, a huge former church, mosque, now museum begin in the 3rd century AD. It's magnificent, with wonderful mosaics and calligraphy. I left the tour then as I hadn't opted for the optional Topkapi tour and Grand Bazaar. I waited for a minute in the long ticket line but then went with an English speaking tour guide and 8 people for a skip the line tour of the palace of a sultan and into the Harem, a second ticket. He was very informative and gave a lot of cultural background.

Roses symbol for Islam

Entrance to Topkapi
 

Fountain

Courtyard in harem

 

Education room of harem

 

Library in harem

Olden Horn

Kids who took my picture!

I walked back down the hill, found a little restaurant for lunch/dinner and headed to hotel. I can save the Grand Bazaar for June 1 when we are back here. Don't really need to shop and get hassled! Went down to the spa after a rest for a swim sauna, and then a half hour HEAVENLY massage! It was expensive but I'm worth it!!!

Early departure tomorrow to Troy with a stop first at the Blue Mosque.

In Toulouse for the night - Weds., May 21

 

Room in hostel

 

In the hostel here around the corner from the airport shuttle which I'll catch to Blagnor around 10:30 am for my 2:30 flight to Istanbul. The woman at the desk just let me use her computer to print out my boarding pass. My roommates are two college students from Montreal who biked here from Paris (10 days!) and are headed to Barcelona tomorrow! They were napping all afternoon and now headed out to fix their bikes. The back rack broke off! Would you believe their family vacations in Wellfleet! Camping at the Audubon Sanctuary? But not this year as they will spend the summer biking around Europe.

Guess I'll write about my day here, Judy, and you could just use it for the entry! I got all packed up last night as we had to leave around 8 am to drive a long way over to New Hamlet (someone told me the community is 75% women and 25% men! So men and Thay live in Upper Hamlet, and the sisters live in Lower Hamlet which is a walkable mile or so, and New Hamlet which is quite a drive, maybe 20 minutes. ) There was a big bus to take most of the people over, but Doug got a car as we were headed to Marmande to take me to the train after Thay's talk. He needed a driver as his MA license expired and he is in the process of getting a French license which will also be good in the US. But it's a very difficult test which 4 multiple choice answers for each question, and sometimes 2 or 3 answers are all correct. If you only pick ONE correct one, you get the question. Phap Dan, a German monk, former psychiatrist in lay life, is helping one of the Vietnamese brothers get ready and trying to allow him to take it in English, rather than French. Doug liked that idea!

I had never been to New Hamlet. Thay just had his 1,000,000 LIKE on Facebook, so when they visited Facebook headquarters last fall in CA on the US tour, they asked him if he would do video answers to some of the questions that people have posted there. He wasn't due to give a talk at this retreat that is going on, but did this Q and A. Sr. Dedication had culled through the 1,000+ questions to find some that could be applied to lots of people. So she and Doug sat on chairs next to Thay to read him the questions. I never know in advance when Doug is going to pop up in front and present something!! He seems to be everywhere! In fact after the session, when the walking meditation, which was supposed to be led by Thay but all of a sudden Sr. Annabelle was leading it! She's been with Thay since the 80s I think! Anyway all of a sudden a sister came over to Doug and he went running off to see Thay. He has another project he wants Doug to do! He just got back from coordinating pretty much single-handedly the 3 week Spanish tour in Madrid and BCN! I had hoped he'd get a break! I didn't even ask what the project was!

I got to see Sr. True Dedication, who didn't go to Spain and had had a wonderful visit from her younger brother. Her family was not too happy when she decided to ordain so she said it's great when family comes and can really understand more of what her life is like! Anyway, we laughed about her Star Wars acting stint. I told her I thought her costume was great until she turned around and I said to Doug, "Is she wearing a curtain?" sure enough!

Finally Doug came and we headed off with Br. Dan driving us. He had picked us up there on Monday when we arrived at PV. We got to Marmande in time to buy my ticket and cross the street to an Afro-Caribe restaurant and order wonderful fruit smoothies and vegetable curry. But of course we didn't have time to eat it so the restaurant would keep it warm while they carried my bags down and up the stairs to Track 1 and even loaded me onto the train! Of course, I always get weepy when I leave Doug but he puts up with it! I got great hugs from both of them and they hopped off just as the train started to move! BTW, he told me he had spoken on the phone with Pep, one of the main organizers of the Spanish retreats. Pep had given me great hugs but speaks no English. He wanted Doug to tell me I was great to have along, that I always seemed to show up where I was supposed to and not rely as an added burden to the organizers. That was a lovely thing to say!!

I got off, with a couple of delays where the train just stopped for ten minutes or so in the middle of nowhere, with no explanation, the train in Toulouse, got a map from the info place, and trudged maybe 30 minutes to this hostel. An Asian guy just came in at 9:30 to take the last top bunk. The bikers did some cooking in the room (never been in a hostel where there is a fridge and stovetop and a sink right in the room - coffee maker and microwave!) I'm not cleaning up! I grabbed some chicken and fries and salad on the way here, since I didn't eat lunch except for the smoothie.

I did walk over to a little cafe and had a dessert and glass of red wine, and stopped in Carrefours, a French market chain that I'd only been in in China! I needed some deodorant. The little travel one I had was really irritating my skin (gee, it's probably 10 years old!).

So,all set for Istanbul and the last leg of my adventure begins tomorrow!

Tuesday, May 20, Visit to the Happy Farm

A couple of months ago when I talked with Doug on Face Time, he was working on a fund-raising website for a project here at PV called Happy Farm. It was begun by Stuart from Scotland who has been living here for four years or so. Its purpose is to provide organic food for PV.and do some experiments in Permaculture, which I understand to be agriculture that keeps being sustainable and learn about Mindfulness living at the same time. There is a four week retreat on it and Daisy (remember my Vietnamese friend from BCN?) came for this last week. So I walked down the hill to see it close up. Just as it started raining, of course! Daisy and the others have been camping (I have a luxury bunk bed!) and it's been quite chilly.

Anyway I had met Stuart out walking when Doug and I had gone cherry-picking the night before. So now he came over when I was taking photos and offered to give me a tour of the highlights of what they were doing. Then he gave me a ride back UP the hill to Upper Hamlet and then gave me this lovely t-shirt with Thay's calligraphy that says "Happy Farmers change the world." I want one that says "Happy teachers change the world" but haven't been able to find one yet. If you go to plumvillage.org and do a search for happy farm, you can see the website Doug helped build and the video that has Doug in it explaining what they are doing.The site was very helpful in raising funds to support the project. Very cool!

So I got to spend the evening with Doug in the office and we called Judy and George as their birthdays are back to back on the 19th and 20th. We talked to Uncle George in the office first and couldn't get over that Doug was calling from France! He's doing well and only has six more weeks of treatments. He told us Judy was at home with some cabinets that didn't get installed properly so we then chatted with her. She didn't recognize the number but answered when she heard Doug's voice leaving a message.

She told us the fun they had had with Kerry, Jay and the kids meeting in Mystic, Ct, for lunch at an Indian restaurant. She said Kerry and Jay are looking fantastic and the kids were delightful! The waitress brought out some bells for Sarah to put on her waist for belly-dancing! At first she was resistant until the waitress went away and then shimmy-ed away! I told her I had bought a red and black flamenco dress and flower for her hair. They both love to dress up!! So everything seemed good with them and they were delighted we had remembered and called!

Doug also showed me a video of a skit a few of the monastics put together for New Year's Eve! It was hilarious! Star Wars with a Mindfulness slant! Phap Linh was Darth Vader, Sr. True Dedication. Made a LOVELY Princess Lea with long plaits, as she called them, wound around her ears! Phap Lai, also from the UK, was a hilarious blond-wigged Luke Skywalker! Michael, used to be Phap Son, played some other evil guy (I never saw the movie so it was tough!) and Phap Yung was Yoda! The costumes were terrific, light sabers (they kind of got bent!) and of course had a happy ending!! The crowd loved it!

Monday, May 19 , Heading to Plum Village

This morning had a lovely chat with Miles who is headed home to London. He talked about his parents and growing up with his mom working two jobs to raise him and his brother. But,his dad died recently and he just put his ashes in the river the day before coming to the Spanish tour. lovely man!

Pilar came to escort us to the train via the metro and brought more FOOD for our trip! Let me tell you, these monastics are NEVER lacking for food! Fortunately we rode Line 3 directly to the train station and had just a bit of walking with all our luggage. Doug and others had left their larger bags in storage at the University and someone in the sangha was going to ship it back.

The train is so quiet and VERY comfortable. We had maybe four hours through beautiful rolling hills with the snow-capped Pyrenees in the distance. Phap Linh pointed out where his dad and step-mom, whom I met last time I was in PV, when Dylan was ordained as Phap Linh. We had a lovely hike then with his parents to a nearby old chateau. I remember his step-mom asking how I had first felt when Doug was ordained as Dylan's dad was having a hard time with it. He had completed Cambridge, was having some success as a cellist and composer and getting some recognition. But he felt that was not the right direction for him. And seems very fulfilled with his choice. Everyone I've talked to of the monastics has taken a different path and different reasons for their choice of this kind of life.

 

Windmill farm

Very tired monk!

 

Tired monk

Phap Yung on left and Phap Linh on right (Yoda and Darth!)

We pulled in to Toulouse and had to wait maybe an hour for the next train. Three of the monastics were waiting with two cars at the station for the hour or so drive through luscious vineyards and fruit orchards to Plum Village. Doug searched around to find me a vacant room. I'm all settled in for my two nights. Doug didn't come for dinner at 6 so I ate a bit. There are a few people here for a week long retreat that ends Friday.

Saw Doug after dinner and met a few more familiar faces. Then he and I headed off for a walk to Thenac, not really even a town with a church and cemetery, one or two homes and a building he said is being renovated into a B & B. Then I saw the cherry tree he was after. I ate many handfuls of delicious right off the tree cherries, and for Doug, that was his dinner! Hope we don't have belly aches!

Doug and me under the cherry tree!
He got me a temporary Wi-Fi password from computer monk and so here I am in the Registration Office typing away. 5:45 meditation tomorrow! Hope I make it!

May 16 ??

Friday I packed my stuff and left it in the storage room. The woman at the desk said she was sure I could get a room but check later! So off I went to try the aerial tram again. This time I made it! It was a short high up view but don't really think it was worth the wait in line. I did get some great shots from the top of the tower while I was waiting. The tram crossed the harbor and left me half way up Montjuic. I just headed down, harder on my knees! To the metro

 

Tram built for Olympics

 

Harbor with Montjuic on right

 

W hotel, beach with sand imported from Egypt for Olympics

Looking towards the city

Oh, I forgot, there is a walled garden up here that sisters had mentioned so I walked through that in the a.m. Nothing was in English but I gather it was a rich persons home up in the cool hills from the city, with lots of pools and an AMAZING maze, and a boxwood garden. Turns out it was free for Seniors!! Doesn't happen very often here in Europe.

Box garden

Tonight was our final session of the retreat. We met first Ina big hall for songs and thank yous to all the organizers. Leon, one of the organizers, was given the first certificate that they read aloud. We would all be given one in our individual groups (Daisy and I, of course, didn't get one as we had switched groups. I don't think I was ever even registered for the course, just a gate-crasher!)

In our group we each shared, except Kim, something that happened during the week. I shared my frustration at not being able to get an answer about the room!!

Others shared some practices that they would take home with them. Daisy shocked us all, by saying (she had shared this with me earlier) that she wants to be a nun in Plum Village and be a teacher. I heard later that she had shared this with a few other monastics in our group. She said her parents (she's an only child) aren't too thrilled. Her dad is trying to figure out how to break the news to the mom back in Saigon. Daisy had told me she had spent some months in Vietnam in a monastery but it had a lot of strict rules, and she didn't feel it was a good fit and she wants to teach and be involved in the Happy Farm. This is a new project this year in Plum Village that hopefully I'll see when I get there (Daisy headed thereon Friday so maybe I'll see her there.) I think the idea is a big organic farm where interns can come to work and take the ideas home with them. I know Doug worked on their fundraising website and video this winter.

At the end of our session when pretty much everyone had shared, Daisy said she wanted to share a song. She is so quiet and you can hardly hear her speak. But all of a sudden out of this little 35 year old Vietnamese woman came the most beautiful voice, singing in English song! We were stunned like on that talent show in the UK when Susan Boyle all of a sudden came out with this soaring voice!!! Daisy's wasn't quite like that but it shocked all of us! Sr. an Nghiem said, "You want to be a nun? We'll have to talk!" Everyone laughed.

Our group each received their beautiful certificate and then we headed outside to meet the bigger group. Somehow I feel I've already written this but maybe it was just in the picture captions. Anyway the entire group of educators met outside in the parking lot and we each had a leaf and a tea light candle. A big circle was formed and several PV songs were sung. Then we all slowly walked down many steps towards the Metro stop, silently (first we were chanting and humming along with Anja the violinist, but then we were silent!). We stopped on a grassy spot near many sports courts where kids were playing on Friday night! We got a few stares as we all hugged goodbye and those taking the metro headed off.




Very moving



Candlelight ceremony

Back at the dorm I sat outside with Doug and a few monks and chatted and passed around food, there's ALWAYS food! I finally could tell they kind of wanted to talk "business" so I headed up to my room, now on the third floor at the very far end. But it was still nice! I ended up paying E103 for the three nights. I guess the BCN sangha paid for the 10 nights I stayed in the other room! That was really nice and unexpected! They have been so incredibly welcoming and gracious to me, I think because the Spanish sangha REALLY loves, respects and appreciates Doug and how much he had to do with Thay finally coming to Spain.