August 20th – Friday
This is our last morning in Anatolia. Our time in Eastern Turkey has passed quickly and we were all full of happy and emotional memories. Chris and Francoise got up early and went swimming in the pool. Roseanne actually went for a swim in Lake Van. She said that the water was warm and felt slippery. Later, Chris took a photo of a water snake with a fish in its mouth in the lake just off the dock. Of course, the photo was the hit of the morning. Jamal called the manager of the hotel to see the photo. Everyone had said there no snakes in Lake Van.
We all had a good farewell breakfast by the pool. The sun was shining brightly, not a cloud in the sky, and the day was warming up. We were all packed up and ready to go to catch our 10 AM flight back to Istanbul. We said our goodbyes to the Zeronians, and Jamal, and Setanik. Selcuk drove us to the airport and Armen accompanied us. We said our final farewells and took the Turkish Air flight back to Ataturk Airport in Istanbul.
It was a quick three hour flight back to Istanbul and the White House Hotel car was waiting for us to whisk us back to our lovely home away from home. What a trip!!! It had been an unforgettable journey that all of us will remember for the rest of our lives.
Our friends at the White House greeted us like family members home from a vacation. We checked into our rooms, freshened up and went out for last minute sight-seeing in Istanbul. Chris went to explore a section of Istanbul that he did not see before and the Dolmabahce Palace.
The rest of us took the tram and the funicular up to Taxim Square. Claudine and Astrig wanted to get some Turkish Delights for their friends. Nicole, Francoise, and Roseanne wanted to return to the pedestrian street, Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Street) to purchase some last minute gifts to take home. In the evening, Chris caught up with us and we had a last Turkish dinner together near the White House Hotel.
August 21 Saturday
In the morning Chris, Claudine, and Astrig left at 9 o’clock to catch their planes home. We had a nice breakfast with them before the car picked them up for the ride to Ataturk Airport. A little later, Francoise and Nicole came down for breakfast and then we all walked to Topkapi Palace for a quick last few minutes of sight seeing. Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel and said our good-byes to Nicole and Francoise and they left for their flights back to France.
It was still early in the afternoon so Roseanne and I decided to go the Spice Bazaar to look around and do some shopping. We walked through the fascinating little streets and alleyways of Istanbul. Unfortunately, I started to feel sick and I thought I had the Sultan’s Revenge, so we had to take it easy and we took the tram back to the hotel. I rested for a couple of hours and felt better later. Later in the evening, Roseanne and I walked to the main street to pick up a small snack. I was feeling well enough to walk around but still couldn’t eat. We returned to the White House Hotel and sat for a while in the lobby and talked to Cefir. It was a quiet, relaxing end to a very busy day.
