Tuesday is Amphorae, Raki, Bats.
Our morning began with a brigade of goats.
We started the day with Turkish breakfast, which does not discriminate against vegetables as much as we do in the U.S. Tomatoes and cucumbers sit alongside olives and cheese. You might find some fruit, crepes, and nutella alongside a slice of pizza. Bacon is not popular here, but somehow I am growing to love these people, anyway.
Many humans suffer from back problems, and I’m no different with a case of scoliosis that gives me a funny gait and a bit of a hunchback. Swimming is great for this, but not enough. I also have a routine of stretching and strengthening that I learned from a book called Back Rx by Dr. Vijay Vad. I try to do it a few times a week, and I bring that to SwimVacation and try to get guests to do it with me. A few joined me this morning and it started off the day just right.
I have an obsession with old things. I live in a house built in 1859, drive a truck built in 1929, and last year I held an archaeological dig/party in my backyard. Here on the Mediterranean coast, humans have been busy for thousands of years, and they’ve left a trail of stuff both on land and underwater. It’s quite the playground for a guy like me. This morning our swim followed part of the trail of stuff they left underwater. As we swam along the coast, amphorae (ancient trading vessels made of clay) fragments dotted the sea floor, most encrusted hard to the underlying rocks. One particular piece was quite large, a section of spout with handles and part of the bulbous bottom. When did it get here? Was there a shipwreck? What did it hold? When and where was it made? We might have enough clues to take a guess at the answer for the last of these questions, many museums and universities have great amphorae databases, and Heather got some great photos for which to compare. More research required. And hey, if anyone reading this can identify this relic, please reply below.
Karen found this rock structure that could have once been a statue…up close it looks just like a lion. A creepy lion. - HP
Reading is back. It seemed like for a couple of years after the pandemic, guests and guides alike were not reading as much, but now everyone has a book in their hand, and a recommendation for your next read. We motored for almost an hour to the west side of the bay, had some lunch, more reading, plenty of naps. This Gulet is massive, with lots of well-cushioned horizontal spaces.
Our afternoon swim was a ¾ mile heart.
Our second swim of the day had significantly fewer archaeological finds but we did manage to make the shape of a heart with our swim trackers. There were a lot of sponges and anemones to check out after a deep-water crossing of the bay in which this group swam as a pretty tight unit.
Back on the Gulet, tea and cakes. We moved again to a majestic looking island with tower-like cliffs, to be swum around tomorrow morning.
We love watching Karrem and Sinan zip around in the zodiac communicating with Captain Sayfi about where he wants the lines. Such an impressive team. - HP
A nice Turkish man with a floating green grocer came up to the gulets anchored at Dişlice Adasi (Island) tonight). - HP
Tonight’s cocktail featured Raki, a Turkish anise-based liquor, like Greek Ouzo but less sweet and a cleaner finish. Zack and I mixed a shot of it with watermelon juice and lime juice and served it over ice in little cocktail glasses. Unique, refreshing, photogenic. A seafood feast followed. We are going to run the A/C for a little while tonight before opening this boat up for some breeze. We can hear the Turkish chatter from surrounding Gulets, laughter, bats flying around.
Hopper
