Çanakale--June 19-25

When our across the hall neighbor and friend invited the kids and I to go with her and her son to their summer home I was both excited and hesitant to go.  I was excited for the opportunity the kids would have to play with their friend in a new setting, curious to see what these Turkish summer homes are like and  happy for the chance to get to know my friend better.  I was hesitant because of all of the unknowns like sleeping arrangements, would the kids eat the food she made, would the overnight bus ride go alright with just me and the kids, etc., etc.  Sometimes I find that I'm not a very brave person and other times I feel like I could be up for anything.  This opportunity came when I wasn't feeling brave to try new things so I really agonized about going.  But I'm really glad I did.  It was a great experience, I got to know my friend better, the kids had a blast (despite Sonora being sick the first two days and Malachi getting the same sickness on the way home), and I got to enjoy a different region of Turkey.  We left Sunday night and the kids did really great on the overnight bus.  I had to keep rearranging them in their sleep so they wouldn't wake one another up but overall it was great.  I'd do it again. 

We stayed with my friend Monday through Friday at her family's summer home.  Many Turks have family summer homes on the Black Sea or the Aegean sea and I had always been curious about what they were like.  This one was a simple but very sufficient duplex home in a gated community that resembled a small American town with it's narrow streets and homes with yards and cars parked out front.  It was so refreshing for the kids to be able to walk out the door in the morning and play in a yard within earshot.  They had a blast. The pictures above show the backyard with the kids playing and one of the front porch where we'd eat out meals and have breakfast in the morning.  The weather was beautiful and it was really relaxing.  My friend was a wonderful host and very laid back.

Just a five minute bus ride from the road was a wonderful family friendly beach.  Because school had just gotten out it wasn't very crowed during the week.  The sand and water was clean and besides the water being freezing cold it was perfect.  The kids didn't swim much but they played in the sand and Malachi ran up and down the beach testing out his speed. 

One day we took a ferry boat ride out to a nearby Turkish island called Bozca Ada.  It had a castle (which we didn't tour so I know nothing of) and some wonderful beaches.  We came for the beach so we caught a bus and headed out for one of the nicest beaches I have ever been on.  The sand was fine and the water very very clear.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  There was a restaurant up on the hill where we ate and mainly we were beach bums for the day.  As I mentioned before Sonora was sick the first day with a high fever so we took her to the doctor in town.  They put her on antibiotics, which she refused to take, not even mixed in pudding but I kept trying and trying to get her to take her medicine.  I brought it with me to the island and without her knowing, slipped it in a serving of icecream.  The man selling the icecream was amused at my pulling out the bottle of medicine (which they refrigderated for me  for the day) and carefully mixing it into the icecream and then stirring up the other serving I bought for Malachi so that she wouldn't be suspicious (yes she is a bright one).  It worked!  And even though that was the only time I got her to take her medicine, she eventually got better.  I think my neighbor was more worried than I and so I persisted in trying to get her to take it, but to no avail.  That sickness part was not any fun but when it's all said and done you forget those things and only remember the fun that was had.

On the island we had tea a few times and Sonora really ached to shop and shop at these little tourist stands.  She didn't have very much money and that was hard for her cause she just wanted everything.  She finally settled on a lovely shell container.  You can see her to the right, standing by my friend and her son.

On the last day we went straight from the beach all day to literally having only an hour and a half to pack everything up, make pizza (which I had promised Sonora all week and didn't really have time to make but had to keep my word), and clean up my two sandy kids, one (Malachi) who was coming down with a fever and was like a zombie.  He laid down to rest and I could barely wake him.  Somehow, I managed to gather all of our things, make and eat the pizza, and get both kids ready to walk out to meet the bus sometime around 10 pm I think.  I only wished I could have spent more time sitting and sipping tea with my friend.  Having a sick kid on both ends of the visit along with normal mommy stuff, I was more busy than relaxing.  The time was great though and I'm so grateful for the invitation and the wonderful time we all had together.