Sailing Turkey

Day 4:  Today was incredible!

Ian and I decided to change up our itinerary this morning, we did some research and picked the next few spots for stopping and got right off to our first one before Leah even woke up!  Up first... we wanted to check out a bay with some snorkeling and ruins that were just south of us.

As soon as we arrived, we did some swimming and paddle boarding

Then went for an awesome hike around ruins and up jagged rocks to the flag.

Doesn't our boat look pretty?

It was some real rock climbing, but we made it!

When we got back from our hike/ climb we couldn't believe how many tourists were surrounding our boat, so we saved it from the noodle wielding, banana boat riding, water wing wearing, loud mouth tourists and got out to our next anchorage.  As you can see from the map, it was quite a distance to get to our next spot, but boy was it worth it!

We tucked our boat up to a private beach and decided to cook up some chicken for lunch.  Only we have no grill, so Ian and I had the same thought at the same time, let's make a fire on the beach!

It was so yummie!  We added some fresh olive oil and even some rosemary we scavenged from nearby.

With our bellies full, it was time to hike again.  There were the ruins of a castle that dated to over 2,500 BC.  We walked all along the perimeter of it.

That's our boat across the bay

We decided to head to one of the restaurants along the water for some mezze (tapas) and drinks, then back to bed.  What a day!

Sailing Turkey

Days 1-3 - Istanbul and Marmaris

Day 1: Our flight over wasn't too bad. We had a layover in Madrid on our way and really spent quite a lot of our time sleeping so when we got to Istanbul, we were pretty well rested. Getting through Turkish customs and getting our bags were a breeze and we got to our hotel rooftop bar in no time. View from up there was so great! 

Ian and Leah were just two hours behind us, so once they arrived, we all showered and headed out to Istiklal Street to walk around and hit some bars and dinner. 

Do you see us in the window?

Then hit the sack for a morning of exploring the city tomorrow. 

Day 2: We woke up so late! Like 10:30am late! Leah and Ian woke up at a normal hour, went for a run, and even ate breakfast. Jason and I slept quite late and got a much later start than expected. This turned out to be just fine because it was a holiday in Turkey and everything was closed on the morning. We decided to head to Jason's favorite kofte restaurant for lunch, then take in the sights when they opened. 

We saw the Basilica Cistern. 

Blue Mosque. 

And Ayasofya (known to Leah as Eye of Sofia). 

After exploring we headed home to change and get ready for a Turkish wine tasting where we fell in love with a number of really GREAT Turkish wines. Seriously, they were so good we bought cases for our boat. 

Then we met up with Berna and Ersel for dinner and drinks. 

It was another late night for us, so we finally went to sleep. Tomorrow we leave for sailing! 

Day 3: today was spent traveling mostly. We had a hearty breakfast, packed, and headed to the airport. Saying goodbye to Istanbul wasn't easy, but we need to sail! After a short flight, and another long car ride, we arrived to our boat, the Xenia. Isn't she beautiful? 

We were able to board, get ourselves through the check-in process, put away the groceries, and get out to a first little stop before dark. We even got our paddleboards out for a little bit of fun! 

We ended the night with some amazing fish at a port side restaurant and got right to sleep.