Blogs from Kumluca, Antalya, Mediterranean, Turkey, Middle East

Welcome to Bill and Carol's Senior Years Abroad, Month 5. At breakfast this morning, we had a stocktaking chat about how to characterize this past month. We agreed that it was SEEKING BALANCE or "terazi aramak." Here's one recent balancing effort: after spending one very hot season here, we decided to find a refuge for hottest part of next summer. The Alps of Slovenia seemed like a good prospect--cool, gorgeous, not overly expensive--so we went there to check it out. For those whose geography of eastern Europe is as sketchy as mine, I'll mention that Slovenia shares a border with Italy to the west and Austria to the north, and this northeast corner was our first target: the Julian Alps. Slovenia is famous for two of Bill's passions, bicycling and trout fishing, so we knew he ... read more

Welcome to Bill and Carol's Senior Years Abroad: Month 4. This month's theme is YENI MEVSIN--new season. The klimas (air con) are silent at last. We've pushed back the heavy, solar-reflecting draperies and thrown open all the windows and the doors to the balconies. The fresh moving air sets our newspapers and Turkish homework papers flapping, but it is so very sweet! Bill finds swimming in the Sea cooler and rougher these days. The date palm trees in the park are heavy with vivid orange or yellow fruit, and in the afternoons the sidewalks are crowded with children in uniforms that still bear creases from the shop. The offerings in our outdoor pazar also reflect the yeni mevsin. Apples, pears, pomegranates are appearing--as well as Bill's favorite, the green-skinned orange, called "mandarin." Of course, for Bill ... read more