Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Photos
My dad put some more pictures up so click on the photo link. I think the new ones are at the end.
December 3rd
December 3rd
Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la.
I will tell you our routine for our last five or six days.
One, go to Al Capone's for breakfast. Go snorkelling. Go to Koshary House for late lunch, then Al Capones again for a thick shake, come to El Salam for the fire.
The coral reef is really cool. Teh fish just swim around in and out fo little doorways in the coral. There are two special places to go and my favourite is the Islands. The Islands is a place where you swim out for five minutes then get over a big wall and POOF! Fish galore!
The reason it's called the Islands is because there are little islands that pop up out of the ground. It's the same drop off thing with the Blue Hole only it drops off so far it's just blue.
The El Salam camp was a very nice camp. I really liked the fire at night and the puppies, but my absolute, absolute absolute favourite was....SMARTIE! Smartie is a cat and he is very cute. But one time he got kind of annoying. We were eating a nice supper of salad, chicken, rice and Bedouin bread. I was working on my chicken and Smartie came and even though I had my elbow out somehow he got my chicken and ran away with it! (I didn't really like the chicken anyway.)
El Salam Camp is the way to go when you're in Dahab.
December 6th
We woke up at the Sara Inn and then we went to the Egyptian Museum. It was pretty cool. It was long, though, REALLY long. I found some cool hieroglyphics. I drew a bunch of them in my journal.
It was very interesting to find out that they used exclamation marks back then. In Syria, we were told that there was going to be no Tutankhamen stuff in the museum because it was all going to be in London! but...we...lucky! The Tutankhamen stuff was pretty cool. It's amazing what the Egyptians did for their pharaohs - gold masks, earrings, necklaces, almost anything imaginable.
Matthew
Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la.
I will tell you our routine for our last five or six days.
One, go to Al Capone's for breakfast. Go snorkelling. Go to Koshary House for late lunch, then Al Capones again for a thick shake, come to El Salam for the fire.
The coral reef is really cool. Teh fish just swim around in and out fo little doorways in the coral. There are two special places to go and my favourite is the Islands. The Islands is a place where you swim out for five minutes then get over a big wall and POOF! Fish galore!
The reason it's called the Islands is because there are little islands that pop up out of the ground. It's the same drop off thing with the Blue Hole only it drops off so far it's just blue.
The El Salam camp was a very nice camp. I really liked the fire at night and the puppies, but my absolute, absolute absolute favourite was....SMARTIE! Smartie is a cat and he is very cute. But one time he got kind of annoying. We were eating a nice supper of salad, chicken, rice and Bedouin bread. I was working on my chicken and Smartie came and even though I had my elbow out somehow he got my chicken and ran away with it! (I didn't really like the chicken anyway.)
El Salam Camp is the way to go when you're in Dahab.
December 6th
We woke up at the Sara Inn and then we went to the Egyptian Museum. It was pretty cool. It was long, though, REALLY long. I found some cool hieroglyphics. I drew a bunch of them in my journal.
It was very interesting to find out that they used exclamation marks back then. In Syria, we were told that there was going to be no Tutankhamen stuff in the museum because it was all going to be in London! but...we...lucky! The Tutankhamen stuff was pretty cool. It's amazing what the Egyptians did for their pharaohs - gold masks, earrings, necklaces, almost anything imaginable.
Matthew
November 25th
November 25th
Petra
PETRA!!
We went to Petra and we saw Peter (somebody we met in Damascus)! We walked around with him for a while and we saw the Treasury. It was really cool but you couldn't go inside.
There always seemed to be a camel outside.
We wandered around lots of tombs. There was one kid that wouldn't leave us alone when we said we didn't want a donkey ride.
Petra Day 2
Today we saw the Monastery. I liked the sand stone. You crush it and there are tons of different colours - light blue, blue, red, curry, purple, white and lots of others. Light blue was probably the rarest colour because we only found it once but purple was everywhere.
Petra Day 3
Today we went to the High Place of Sacrifice, Palace of the Pharaoh's Daughter, museum, churches, and last but not least, the (drum roll) bathroom. I forgot, we also went to the Nabatean rubbish dump. We found lots of cool pottery shards. The Palace of the Pharaoh's Daughter was pretty cool too. There were some neat passageways.
My favourite was the Nabatean rubbish dump.
Matthew
Petra
PETRA!!
We went to Petra and we saw Peter (somebody we met in Damascus)! We walked around with him for a while and we saw the Treasury. It was really cool but you couldn't go inside.
There always seemed to be a camel outside.
We wandered around lots of tombs. There was one kid that wouldn't leave us alone when we said we didn't want a donkey ride.
Petra Day 2
Today we saw the Monastery. I liked the sand stone. You crush it and there are tons of different colours - light blue, blue, red, curry, purple, white and lots of others. Light blue was probably the rarest colour because we only found it once but purple was everywhere.
Petra Day 3
Today we went to the High Place of Sacrifice, Palace of the Pharaoh's Daughter, museum, churches, and last but not least, the (drum roll) bathroom. I forgot, we also went to the Nabatean rubbish dump. We found lots of cool pottery shards. The Palace of the Pharaoh's Daughter was pretty cool too. There were some neat passageways.
My favourite was the Nabatean rubbish dump.
Matthew
November 19th
November 19th
Today we left Damascus. We ate breakfast at a restaurant I really like. I wanted to get pancakes but Mama said we had to get omelettes. I guess it was pretty good. After we ate, we got our bags from the hotel and then we went to get a TAXI! ..bum bum bum!! Please note the following sentence or two may not be completely true. One, because the taxi driver didn't speak english but this is what he probably said.
Papa went up to the stopped taxi and asked, "How much to the bus station?"
"300", said the taxi guy.
"Uh uh," Papa replied. "Our hotel guy said 150."
"250," said taxi guy.
"150," Papa said.
"Alright, 200, 200," said the driver.
Just then another taxi pulled up.
"No, 150, 150!" he said, so we went with him to our misfortune! When we got to the bus station, he pulled us right past all the service taxis (and screaming service taxi drivers). One said, "Where you want to go, Beirut?"
"No, Amman," said Papa.
"AMMAN!" shouted the guy.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!", yelled all the other taxi drivers who charged our taxi.
Our taxi guy drove us right past to another guy who negotiated a good price so we got going and then the police stopped us. The guy had done something wrong because you have to get a permit before you go. so we got another guy who was good.
November 22nd
Today we went to Jerash, a Roman city. We got a trustful taxi driver who drove us there. When we got there, Mama told us that the arch there was built far away because they thought the city would grow. It did, but hundreds of years later. There was a little Roman times battle show that showed how the Romans fought. They had a special formation just for attacking castles. I drew a picture of it in my journal.
November 25th
Yesterday we went to the Wadi Rum. We climbed up a HUUUUUUGE sand dune. It looked pretty big at first but once you started climbing it, it just never ended. When you took a step you slid down half of what you just climbed! We went with some New Zealanders that we met before in Damascus and Madaba. Isaac (the New Zealander) and I had lots of fun running down the dune. When we got to the campsite we found some big climbing rocks and Jonas had a great idea....we filled up bottles with sand and poured them over the side of the rock and it formed a sand stream. It looked really cool because the sand came down at weird angles.
We also played Rush and Tumble. It's a free for all - you run around and push people over and it's really fun especially because we were playing on sand so it didn't hurt when we fell, but sometimes you got a mouthful of sand.
Matthew
Today we left Damascus. We ate breakfast at a restaurant I really like. I wanted to get pancakes but Mama said we had to get omelettes. I guess it was pretty good. After we ate, we got our bags from the hotel and then we went to get a TAXI! ..bum bum bum!! Please note the following sentence or two may not be completely true. One, because the taxi driver didn't speak english but this is what he probably said.
Papa went up to the stopped taxi and asked, "How much to the bus station?"
"300", said the taxi guy.
"Uh uh," Papa replied. "Our hotel guy said 150."
"250," said taxi guy.
"150," Papa said.
"Alright, 200, 200," said the driver.
Just then another taxi pulled up.
"No, 150, 150!" he said, so we went with him to our misfortune! When we got to the bus station, he pulled us right past all the service taxis (and screaming service taxi drivers). One said, "Where you want to go, Beirut?"
"No, Amman," said Papa.
"AMMAN!" shouted the guy.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!", yelled all the other taxi drivers who charged our taxi.
Our taxi guy drove us right past to another guy who negotiated a good price so we got going and then the police stopped us. The guy had done something wrong because you have to get a permit before you go. so we got another guy who was good.
November 22nd
Today we went to Jerash, a Roman city. We got a trustful taxi driver who drove us there. When we got there, Mama told us that the arch there was built far away because they thought the city would grow. It did, but hundreds of years later. There was a little Roman times battle show that showed how the Romans fought. They had a special formation just for attacking castles. I drew a picture of it in my journal.
November 25th
Yesterday we went to the Wadi Rum. We climbed up a HUUUUUUGE sand dune. It looked pretty big at first but once you started climbing it, it just never ended. When you took a step you slid down half of what you just climbed! We went with some New Zealanders that we met before in Damascus and Madaba. Isaac (the New Zealander) and I had lots of fun running down the dune. When we got to the campsite we found some big climbing rocks and Jonas had a great idea....we filled up bottles with sand and poured them over the side of the rock and it formed a sand stream. It looked really cool because the sand came down at weird angles.
We also played Rush and Tumble. It's a free for all - you run around and push people over and it's really fun especially because we were playing on sand so it didn't hurt when we fell, but sometimes you got a mouthful of sand.
Matthew
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Castle and City
November 9th
Today we went to CRAC DES CHEVALIERS! Apparently it's the best preserved castle in the world! It was hugemungous and ginormous put together. I could spend days in there and I wouldn't find all the passageways. In the castle they had baths, a moat, four big towers, storage space for wine, olives, grain and other stuff. They also had a keep and the keep's walls were really thick. They had the outer castle (for protection) and inner castle (for keeping the King, generals, cooks and everybody else that wasn't fighting). Oh, and I forgot there was also a prayer hall. Jonas and I climbed up the minbar.
After that we went to Apamea. Apamea is a ruined city. Pretty much all that was left was the main street. There were a few archeological digs. When we got to the end, Apamea wasn't even done!
November 12th
Today we went to Palmyra. It is a ruined city like Apamea only there's a lot more stuff. There is the Temple of Bel, the archway, the theatre. The theatre was really cool and the acoustics were good. There were also some tombs that were six stories high. Inside it was like an apartment block for graves.
I really liked Palmyra.
November 15th
Damascus
Yesterday we looked in the souq for Christmas presents. (CENSORED) and I got it for (CENSORED). I am sure that (CENSORED) a lot. We went to an amazing restaurant that had a fountain. After we ate we looked around in the souq some more.
Matthew
Today we went to CRAC DES CHEVALIERS! Apparently it's the best preserved castle in the world! It was hugemungous and ginormous put together. I could spend days in there and I wouldn't find all the passageways. In the castle they had baths, a moat, four big towers, storage space for wine, olives, grain and other stuff. They also had a keep and the keep's walls were really thick. They had the outer castle (for protection) and inner castle (for keeping the King, generals, cooks and everybody else that wasn't fighting). Oh, and I forgot there was also a prayer hall. Jonas and I climbed up the minbar.
After that we went to Apamea. Apamea is a ruined city. Pretty much all that was left was the main street. There were a few archeological digs. When we got to the end, Apamea wasn't even done!
November 12th
Today we went to Palmyra. It is a ruined city like Apamea only there's a lot more stuff. There is the Temple of Bel, the archway, the theatre. The theatre was really cool and the acoustics were good. There were also some tombs that were six stories high. Inside it was like an apartment block for graves.
I really liked Palmyra.
November 15th
Damascus
Yesterday we looked in the souq for Christmas presents. (CENSORED) and I got it for (CENSORED). I am sure that (CENSORED) a lot. We went to an amazing restaurant that had a fountain. After we ate we looked around in the souq some more.
Matthew
Aleppo
November 4th
Today we went on a thirty hour train ride to Syria! It was really fun. We met a Jordanian guy who was going to Jordan to visit his family. We also met some Swiss, Scottish, British, and Irish people. Jonas and I made a pulley system from his bunk bed to mine. We got cups and attached them so we could put stuff in them and send it across. The views from the train were great.
November 6th, Aleppo
Today we went to the souq and Mama bought some (CENSORED) for presents. We saw a donkey and lots of cool other stuff. There was one guy that lied to us. He said, "My shop is just down here, not left or right." So we went down straight and turned left and turned right and OUT of the souq! We said "No, we want to go in here" but he kept on saying "No my shop just down here. Finally, Papa said "We're going in here." We went in and then he popped up again and said "This my shop."
We also saw people we saw in Ephesus and in Istanbul!! Today we also saw everybody we met on the train except for the Jordanian guy:( but he was going to Jordan right away.
It was a fun day.
November 7th
Today Papa asked people for directions. One of them touched my cheek and then...KISSED ME! (At least it wasn't a girl.) We went a little way and had to ask again. This guy tried to help us but then he took us to his house, brought us in and gave us some water and mandarin oranges. He was very nice. Then he took us to the citadel!
Inside it was cool (until the school group came). There was a room with a really good echo. The throne room was absolutely AMAZING! Marble floor, fountain in the middle, mother of pearl inlay chandeliers! The castle probably took 15 years to build without the throne room! It would have taken a long, long, long (well, you get the point). After that we went to the mental hospital. There were different areas for people depending on how ill they were, and another area for women.
Of course it is not in use but it was very peaceful.
Matthew
Today we went on a thirty hour train ride to Syria! It was really fun. We met a Jordanian guy who was going to Jordan to visit his family. We also met some Swiss, Scottish, British, and Irish people. Jonas and I made a pulley system from his bunk bed to mine. We got cups and attached them so we could put stuff in them and send it across. The views from the train were great.
November 6th, Aleppo
Today we went to the souq and Mama bought some (CENSORED) for presents. We saw a donkey and lots of cool other stuff. There was one guy that lied to us. He said, "My shop is just down here, not left or right." So we went down straight and turned left and turned right and OUT of the souq! We said "No, we want to go in here" but he kept on saying "No my shop just down here. Finally, Papa said "We're going in here." We went in and then he popped up again and said "This my shop."
We also saw people we saw in Ephesus and in Istanbul!! Today we also saw everybody we met on the train except for the Jordanian guy:( but he was going to Jordan right away.
It was a fun day.
November 7th
Today Papa asked people for directions. One of them touched my cheek and then...KISSED ME! (At least it wasn't a girl.) We went a little way and had to ask again. This guy tried to help us but then he took us to his house, brought us in and gave us some water and mandarin oranges. He was very nice. Then he took us to the citadel!
Inside it was cool (until the school group came). There was a room with a really good echo. The throne room was absolutely AMAZING! Marble floor, fountain in the middle, mother of pearl inlay chandeliers! The castle probably took 15 years to build without the throne room! It would have taken a long, long, long (well, you get the point). After that we went to the mental hospital. There were different areas for people depending on how ill they were, and another area for women.
Of course it is not in use but it was very peaceful.
Matthew
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Halloween
October 31
Halloween!!!!!!!! For Halloween I was Paper Airplane Man!! I had three paper airplanes, goggles and I wore my mama's tights, bikini bottom and tank top. I stuck a P.A.P.M. sign into the top neck part of the shirt. Unfortunately, Turkey doesn't celebrate Halloween, so I only trick or treated at our apartment. Turkey doesn't have the same brands of candy that Canada has. For candy I got things like smarties, Tic tacs, strawberry and cola flavoured gummies and wildberry and strawberry flavoured chewy candy thingies that were like Starburst. After we ate some we showed our costumes on Skype to our grandma. It was fun and after some more candies we went to bed.
Halloween!!!!!!!! For Halloween I was Paper Airplane Man!! I had three paper airplanes, goggles and I wore my mama's tights, bikini bottom and tank top. I stuck a P.A.P.M. sign into the top neck part of the shirt. Unfortunately, Turkey doesn't celebrate Halloween, so I only trick or treated at our apartment. Turkey doesn't have the same brands of candy that Canada has. For candy I got things like smarties, Tic tacs, strawberry and cola flavoured gummies and wildberry and strawberry flavoured chewy candy thingies that were like Starburst. After we ate some we showed our costumes on Skype to our grandma. It was fun and after some more candies we went to bed.
Bosphorus Cruise
October 30
Today we went for a cruise on the Bosphorus Strait, the strait that separates Europe from Asia.
We stopped at a castle for lunch. It had beautiful views of the Black Sea. Many different countries touch the Black Sea and later my grandma told me that my ancestors came from near the Black Sea in Russia. The castle also had super cute doggies.
I made a paper airplane from a pamphlet we got on the boat, so I threw it around. It was fun. When we got down I found a kitty and a stick. Put them together and voila, entertainment.
The kitty started to wrestle with the stick. It was funny. In Turkey it is very different from Canada because there are so many stray animals. While we were going back there was a beautiful sunset behind an old mosque and everybody was snapping pictures like crazy.
That was a fun day.
Today we went for a cruise on the Bosphorus Strait, the strait that separates Europe from Asia.
We stopped at a castle for lunch. It had beautiful views of the Black Sea. Many different countries touch the Black Sea and later my grandma told me that my ancestors came from near the Black Sea in Russia. The castle also had super cute doggies.
I made a paper airplane from a pamphlet we got on the boat, so I threw it around. It was fun. When we got down I found a kitty and a stick. Put them together and voila, entertainment.
The kitty started to wrestle with the stick. It was funny. In Turkey it is very different from Canada because there are so many stray animals. While we were going back there was a beautiful sunset behind an old mosque and everybody was snapping pictures like crazy.
That was a fun day.
Mosque and Bazaar
October 27
Today we went to see the "New Mosque." Only in Istanbul would you call a 400 year old mosque "new."
I asked Papa if I could count the tiles and he said, "If you can." I counted 5,288 tiles!! That was just on the huge pillars. In the Blue Mosque there are over 20,000 tiles!!!! We went to another mosque
and then we went to the Grand Bazaar. It really lives up to it's name. I was looking for a Turkish rug money pouch thingy. I got one for 1 lira. I also got some apple tea (tourist tea) that carpet sellers give you while you are looking at their carpets. It's really good. Mama got a new purse. There was one guy whose slogan wasn't the best. When we walked by he asked us, "Do you want to spend some money?" There was a carpet seller who asked us, "Do you want some carpets?" We said we didn't need them and he said, "Let me sell you something you don't need." We laughed. And, that was our trip to the bazaar.
Today we went to see the "New Mosque." Only in Istanbul would you call a 400 year old mosque "new."
I asked Papa if I could count the tiles and he said, "If you can." I counted 5,288 tiles!! That was just on the huge pillars. In the Blue Mosque there are over 20,000 tiles!!!! We went to another mosque
and then we went to the Grand Bazaar. It really lives up to it's name. I was looking for a Turkish rug money pouch thingy. I got one for 1 lira. I also got some apple tea (tourist tea) that carpet sellers give you while you are looking at their carpets. It's really good. Mama got a new purse. There was one guy whose slogan wasn't the best. When we walked by he asked us, "Do you want to spend some money?" There was a carpet seller who asked us, "Do you want some carpets?" We said we didn't need them and he said, "Let me sell you something you don't need." We laughed. And, that was our trip to the bazaar.
The MUSEUM!!!!!!!
October 26
Today we saw an amazing palace.
It was big and had lots of green space around the buildings in the palace.
We also saw a museum.
We went in and looked around. There was an Egyptian mummy. It was cool. When we got out, I was (to my sorrow) informed that it was the first out of three buildings. Then we went to the second building. At first it was good. We saw some cool sarcophagi. They are fancy coffins made out of stone. There were some really big ones, taller than me!!! After a while I kind of got tired though. It seemed like as soon as we finished one room, another room popped up!!! When we finally finished we got out and there was a bunch of kitties!! They were sooooooooooooooo cute!!! If you threw leaves at them they thought it was food so they pulled it closer and took a nibble and thought, "Yuck!!!"
Today we saw an amazing palace.
It was big and had lots of green space around the buildings in the palace.
We also saw a museum.
We went in and looked around. There was an Egyptian mummy. It was cool. When we got out, I was (to my sorrow) informed that it was the first out of three buildings. Then we went to the second building. At first it was good. We saw some cool sarcophagi. They are fancy coffins made out of stone. There were some really big ones, taller than me!!! After a while I kind of got tired though. It seemed like as soon as we finished one room, another room popped up!!! When we finally finished we got out and there was a bunch of kitties!! They were sooooooooooooooo cute!!! If you threw leaves at them they thought it was food so they pulled it closer and took a nibble and thought, "Yuck!!!"
Tricked!
October 23
Today we got tricked. When we came out of the Aya Sofya (a museum in Istanbul) somebody asked if we wanted to see a bazar where there used to be horse stables. I was interested but Mama and Papa didn't show much interest until he said he could show us how the famous Turkish carpets are made. He said he had a shop where 30 women worked. So we agreed to go with him. We were at the horse stables for about 5 seconds and then he showed us to his carpet shop. While we where talking another guy came. We didn't see the carpet factory he promised only a big sales room. When Mama asked again if we could see the women working he said there were nine women working there, but instead of taking us to them he just tried to sell us carpets. It was then we learned it was a trick because when we asked again he said that "she" not "they" get two days off because "she" not "they" finished a carpet. We think that if we come in two days "she" will be "sick" or something. So we are not going back. Today we also saw the Blue Mosque and 'blue' is the exact right word unless you were thinking 'HUGE!' The pillars
are so big that not even five of me could stretch our arms all the way around.
Today we got tricked. When we came out of the Aya Sofya (a museum in Istanbul) somebody asked if we wanted to see a bazar where there used to be horse stables. I was interested but Mama and Papa didn't show much interest until he said he could show us how the famous Turkish carpets are made. He said he had a shop where 30 women worked. So we agreed to go with him. We were at the horse stables for about 5 seconds and then he showed us to his carpet shop. While we where talking another guy came. We didn't see the carpet factory he promised only a big sales room. When Mama asked again if we could see the women working he said there were nine women working there, but instead of taking us to them he just tried to sell us carpets. It was then we learned it was a trick because when we asked again he said that "she" not "they" get two days off because "she" not "they" finished a carpet. We think that if we come in two days "she" will be "sick" or something. So we are not going back. Today we also saw the Blue Mosque and 'blue' is the exact right word unless you were thinking 'HUGE!' The pillars
are so big that not even five of me could stretch our arms all the way around.
Goreme
October 19
Now we are in Goreme, a town in Cappadocia. Today, Papa and I went on a wonderful walk through Pigeon Valley. This area is full of "fairy chimneys."
There was a volcano that spewed out two different kinds of rock. The hard rock was on top and the soft rock was on the bottom. When the rain comes it goes through the cracks in the hard rock to erode away the soft rock underneath so it looks like a chimney. We climbed through lots of holes in the rock. We met some people gathering sticks for fire. Papa talked to them in French, so I don't know what they were saying. We climbed up and we had a great view of the volcano, but now it is not active.
Matthew
Now we are in Goreme, a town in Cappadocia. Today, Papa and I went on a wonderful walk through Pigeon Valley. This area is full of "fairy chimneys."
There was a volcano that spewed out two different kinds of rock. The hard rock was on top and the soft rock was on the bottom. When the rain comes it goes through the cracks in the hard rock to erode away the soft rock underneath so it looks like a chimney. We climbed through lots of holes in the rock. We met some people gathering sticks for fire. Papa talked to them in French, so I don't know what they were saying. We climbed up and we had a great view of the volcano, but now it is not active.
Matthew
October 8-11
October 8th
Carpet Salesmen We Didn't Buy From
We were walking down the street when Mama stopped to look at a beautiful backgammon board and a guy came out and asked us if we wanted to look at some carpets. They showed us a lot of carpets and pillow cases but most of all they showed us how short their breaths between sentences could be so that we couldn't say something like, sorry we have to go, but finally we got away.
Escape.
Part II
Today we got ushered into a carpet shop and while he was showing us carpets somebody brought in a cup of nice apple tea. We saw a loom that they could've used to do a carpet. Finally, after a while (Turks like to show lots of carpets) we went to look for more carpets.
October 10th
Yesterday we saw some really cool ruins called Ephesus but it's too bad because it was jam packed. The library part was so packed that you could hardly get a picture. When we got out somebody told us that there were ELEVEN cruise ships that were supposed to go to Greece but the harbour in Greece was full so they had to go to Turkey!
October 11th
Today I played checkers with Jonas in our hotel. Jonas won.
Then we went to the bus station to get our bus tickets to Bodrum but the bus was so late because Ramadan was ending soon so we had to get another bus. That bus was packed so we had to go where the extra bus driver sleeps while the other one drives. It was kind of cozy too.
Lily the Carpet Seller
The first time we met Lily was at the hotel. She was going to give us a ride to Ephesus and she asked us if we wanted to look at her carpets. We said sure so when we were done at Ephesus we went to her shop. The way she sells carpets is she shows you a bunch of carpets then you say which ones you like and you keep eliminating until you have one or two carpets left. After we did that she told us the price including shipping. We said we'd think about it but when we were walking away, Mama said "I think we should buy it" so we ate supper then we went to her shop again and we gave her part of the money. I asked her how much much this
2 by 2 foot carpet was but she didn't tell me the price. All she said was, "A little gift." A GIFT! I was in so much shock I couldn't get the words 'Thank you thank you thank you' out. Neither could Mama or Papa, so Jonas had to do that for us!
And we didn't even have to pay shipping. I was very happy.
Matthew
Carpet Salesmen We Didn't Buy From
We were walking down the street when Mama stopped to look at a beautiful backgammon board and a guy came out and asked us if we wanted to look at some carpets. They showed us a lot of carpets and pillow cases but most of all they showed us how short their breaths between sentences could be so that we couldn't say something like, sorry we have to go, but finally we got away.
Escape.
Part II
Today we got ushered into a carpet shop and while he was showing us carpets somebody brought in a cup of nice apple tea. We saw a loom that they could've used to do a carpet. Finally, after a while (Turks like to show lots of carpets) we went to look for more carpets.
October 10th
Yesterday we saw some really cool ruins called Ephesus but it's too bad because it was jam packed. The library part was so packed that you could hardly get a picture. When we got out somebody told us that there were ELEVEN cruise ships that were supposed to go to Greece but the harbour in Greece was full so they had to go to Turkey!
October 11th
Today I played checkers with Jonas in our hotel. Jonas won.
Then we went to the bus station to get our bus tickets to Bodrum but the bus was so late because Ramadan was ending soon so we had to get another bus. That bus was packed so we had to go where the extra bus driver sleeps while the other one drives. It was kind of cozy too.
Lily the Carpet Seller
The first time we met Lily was at the hotel. She was going to give us a ride to Ephesus and she asked us if we wanted to look at her carpets. We said sure so when we were done at Ephesus we went to her shop. The way she sells carpets is she shows you a bunch of carpets then you say which ones you like and you keep eliminating until you have one or two carpets left. After we did that she told us the price including shipping. We said we'd think about it but when we were walking away, Mama said "I think we should buy it" so we ate supper then we went to her shop again and we gave her part of the money. I asked her how much much this
2 by 2 foot carpet was but she didn't tell me the price. All she said was, "A little gift." A GIFT! I was in so much shock I couldn't get the words 'Thank you thank you thank you' out. Neither could Mama or Papa, so Jonas had to do that for us!
And we didn't even have to pay shipping. I was very happy.
Matthew
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Chios
September 19th
Today we took a ferry to Chios. It took 6 hours. Mama and Beth got a coffee and I got a little taste. It was good. After a little bit we went to the panoramic lounge where we mad super intricate, super huge card castles. It was col because there were little platforms that were sticking out from the wall. They were one inch off the wall and the table was attached to the wall. When our time was up we went back to the eighth floor and played crazy eights. We asked if we could go again and they said yes. When we got there we divided the cards. I used up all my cards! While we were docking I was looking at Chios town. It looked small.
September 23
Yesterday I found something to do at the beach. In my journal I drew a picture of me riding the waves.
September 24
Today we went to Olympi. It was cool. We went through all these tiny little passage ways. We took turns choosing which way to go. They made the towns like mazes back then so that pirates would get trapped and couldn't get out. But we didn't have a map and we got out fine.
September 25
Today when I got up I had a bowl of honey nut cheerios and cinnamon toast. It was good. Shortly after I did math till lunch. Then we went to the beach and swam through each other's legs. I t was fun. Papa also threw me off his shoulders a couple of times.
October 3
Today was the third day in a row for sweet wave riding. We also threw rocks at a big rock to chip them.
Today we took a ferry to Chios. It took 6 hours. Mama and Beth got a coffee and I got a little taste. It was good. After a little bit we went to the panoramic lounge where we mad super intricate, super huge card castles. It was col because there were little platforms that were sticking out from the wall. They were one inch off the wall and the table was attached to the wall. When our time was up we went back to the eighth floor and played crazy eights. We asked if we could go again and they said yes. When we got there we divided the cards. I used up all my cards! While we were docking I was looking at Chios town. It looked small.
September 23
Yesterday I found something to do at the beach. In my journal I drew a picture of me riding the waves.
September 24
Today we went to Olympi. It was cool. We went through all these tiny little passage ways. We took turns choosing which way to go. They made the towns like mazes back then so that pirates would get trapped and couldn't get out. But we didn't have a map and we got out fine.
September 25
Today when I got up I had a bowl of honey nut cheerios and cinnamon toast. It was good. Shortly after I did math till lunch. Then we went to the beach and swam through each other's legs. I t was fun. Papa also threw me off his shoulders a couple of times.
October 3
Today was the third day in a row for sweet wave riding. We also threw rocks at a big rock to chip them.
My birthday
In the past week we've gone to Volissos a lot. There is a castle there with walls that look huge from the outside but on the inside the walls are as big as me! We've also gone to the bakery a lot and the supermarket too. All together at the bakery we've gotten 10 loaves of bread.
September 27
My birthday was great!!! I got presents from William, Daniel and Jordan, a card from Grandma and Grandpa and an email from Memere. I got tattoos, pokemon cards, a SpongeBob book and a hackeysack. Cody got me some gum and something Greeks use to keep their hands busy (I drew a picture of them in my journal - a string of beads that you twirl around in your hand.
September 27
My birthday was great!!! I got presents from William, Daniel and Jordan, a card from Grandma and Grandpa and an email from Memere. I got tattoos, pokemon cards, a SpongeBob book and a hackeysack. Cody got me some gum and something Greeks use to keep their hands busy (I drew a picture of them in my journal - a string of beads that you twirl around in your hand.
Animals around here
Amazing Animals on Chios
September 19
We noticed geckos in the roof (actually, on the ceiling).
September 21
Today we went to Mesta and the cats there begged for food
October 1
Today we saw a ginormous gecko on a stump.
October 3
Today there was a donkey that was making weird noises so we gave it some water and when it had its fill, it stopped. We gave it water twice, and the second time it drank water out of the bowl while we were holding it. I got to pet it on the head. It was really cute. Then Papa told me to wash my hands.
September 19
We noticed geckos in the roof (actually, on the ceiling).
September 21
Today we went to Mesta and the cats there begged for food
October 1
Today we saw a ginormous gecko on a stump.
October 3
Today there was a donkey that was making weird noises so we gave it some water and when it had its fill, it stopped. We gave it water twice, and the second time it drank water out of the bowl while we were holding it. I got to pet it on the head. It was really cute. Then Papa told me to wash my hands.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Greece
September 1
Today we saw a town that was right beside the sea.
They had a huge cannon in the middle of the town but it is too old to use. It got super hot - it was 42 degrees. We were all sweating. On the way home we got popsicles!!
September 5
Today we drove all the way from Astros to Athens airport to see Cody, Beth and John!
September 9
Right now we are sitting in the lobby of our hotel and a few moments ago I was watching a fly circle the room. Today we saw two monasteries. The first one had a super good view of all the houses, it was really cool. There were lots of neat smelling flowers that we picked at the second monastery. There was a museum and two churches. We saw a kitty but the kitty ran away after we petted him for a bit. Then we went to the first church. It had a huge chandelier and the whole place was covered with beautiful frescoes. After that we went to the museum. The museum was filled with intricately carved crosses that you dip in holy water and shake and the water sprays people. I forgot, the monastery now is actually a nunnery. After we saw the monastery, we went to a look out but you couldn't really see from where we were, so we climbed up on a rock that was higher and then we could see better. Then Jonas and Papa went to climb an even higher one. When I noticed I wanted to climb too. At first Papa said no, but after a little bit he said okay and I climbed up. It actually is kind of easy. All you have to do is find the right foot holds and hand holds. Today was very fun.
September 13
Today we walked around Athens so that we knew where everything was. We saw some pretty cool stuff. On the way back we saw a place that sells ice cream and another that sells slurpees. I mada a really cool card castle but Jonas knocked it down.
September 15
On the 12th, we saw part of vikos Gorge. The walk down was amazing, the morning light shining down on everything, it was beautiful. When we got to the bottom, we put our feet in the water. It was FREEZING! It was hard to stay in for more than five seconds. Finally, since everybody else was, I dunked my head.
Matthew
Today we saw a town that was right beside the sea.
They had a huge cannon in the middle of the town but it is too old to use. It got super hot - it was 42 degrees. We were all sweating. On the way home we got popsicles!!
September 5
Today we drove all the way from Astros to Athens airport to see Cody, Beth and John!
September 9
Right now we are sitting in the lobby of our hotel and a few moments ago I was watching a fly circle the room. Today we saw two monasteries. The first one had a super good view of all the houses, it was really cool. There were lots of neat smelling flowers that we picked at the second monastery. There was a museum and two churches. We saw a kitty but the kitty ran away after we petted him for a bit. Then we went to the first church. It had a huge chandelier and the whole place was covered with beautiful frescoes. After that we went to the museum. The museum was filled with intricately carved crosses that you dip in holy water and shake and the water sprays people. I forgot, the monastery now is actually a nunnery. After we saw the monastery, we went to a look out but you couldn't really see from where we were, so we climbed up on a rock that was higher and then we could see better. Then Jonas and Papa went to climb an even higher one. When I noticed I wanted to climb too. At first Papa said no, but after a little bit he said okay and I climbed up. It actually is kind of easy. All you have to do is find the right foot holds and hand holds. Today was very fun.
September 13
Today we walked around Athens so that we knew where everything was. We saw some pretty cool stuff. On the way back we saw a place that sells ice cream and another that sells slurpees. I mada a really cool card castle but Jonas knocked it down.
September 15
On the 12th, we saw part of vikos Gorge. The walk down was amazing, the morning light shining down on everything, it was beautiful. When we got to the bottom, we put our feet in the water. It was FREEZING! It was hard to stay in for more than five seconds. Finally, since everybody else was, I dunked my head.
Matthew
More Italy part II
August 14th
Today we went to Saturnia. We played in the hot springs, it was so much fun. I wish we could go again. There was a water fall that went into a bowl shaped object and poured over the sides. There was a little river that went over another little waterfall. There was something fun you could do with the second big water fall: jump behind the waterfall, stand on the rock, and jump into the water!!
August 17
This morning we saw the Brancacci Chapel. Today we got gelati. I think that most small cones cost 2 euros. The most expensive cone I've seen was 12 euros. It was humungous. It's soft like the BDI but you always get to see the flavours before you choose, like banana boat. You can get gelati in bowls, cones, small, big, large, extra large etc. There is almost every flavour imaginable, even coffee. They have slurpees too but they're very expensive.
August 23
Today we had a wonderful drive to somewhere near Barletta. There were lots of neat things.
August 25
Today we saw some really cool caves. It was amazing. There were tons of stalactites and stalagmites. There was even something that looked like the leaning tower of Pisa! There were lots of lights so you could see.
August 27
Today we saw a whole bunch of super cool cave houses that people used to ---(ed note: I think Matthew fell asleep as today was pretty tough on him).
Today we went to Saturnia. We played in the hot springs, it was so much fun. I wish we could go again. There was a water fall that went into a bowl shaped object and poured over the sides. There was a little river that went over another little waterfall. There was something fun you could do with the second big water fall: jump behind the waterfall, stand on the rock, and jump into the water!!
August 17
This morning we saw the Brancacci Chapel. Today we got gelati. I think that most small cones cost 2 euros. The most expensive cone I've seen was 12 euros. It was humungous. It's soft like the BDI but you always get to see the flavours before you choose, like banana boat. You can get gelati in bowls, cones, small, big, large, extra large etc. There is almost every flavour imaginable, even coffee. They have slurpees too but they're very expensive.
August 23
Today we had a wonderful drive to somewhere near Barletta. There were lots of neat things.
August 25
Today we saw some really cool caves. It was amazing. There were tons of stalactites and stalagmites. There was even something that looked like the leaning tower of Pisa! There were lots of lights so you could see.
August 27
Today we saw a whole bunch of super cool cave houses that people used to ---(ed note: I think Matthew fell asleep as today was pretty tough on him).
Thursday, August 16, 2007
August 9th
Today I made friends with some of the people here. It was fun playing. We played frisbee, tic-tac-toe, and hide and go seek! I wish we could go back.
August 11th
Yesterday, something very exciting happened. Jonas got his fingernail ripped off!
Today we went to Assisi. When we got there we ate lunch at the step of a church. Then we went inside. It was pretty bare compared to other churches we've seen. After that we went up a ramp, upstairs up, up, up, up and up to a piazza. Then we saw a few more churches and then we got a map at the tourist information. Next we saw a huge basilica. Then we got gelati and drove home.
Today I made friends with some of the people here. It was fun playing. We played frisbee, tic-tac-toe, and hide and go seek! I wish we could go back.
August 11th
Yesterday, something very exciting happened. Jonas got his fingernail ripped off!
Today we went to Assisi. When we got there we ate lunch at the step of a church. Then we went inside. It was pretty bare compared to other churches we've seen. After that we went up a ramp, upstairs up, up, up, up and up to a piazza. Then we saw a few more churches and then we got a map at the tourist information. Next we saw a huge basilica. Then we got gelati and drove home.
Sacrofano
August 8th
Today we was the tombs of the Etruscans. They were a very old tribe (800 BC!). The ceiling in the tombs were very low so Papa couldn't go into them. There was a woman in the village who is very nice. She showed us a restaurant, the food was good!!!
Today we was the tombs of the Etruscans. They were a very old tribe (800 BC!). The ceiling in the tombs were very low so Papa couldn't go into them. There was a woman in the village who is very nice. She showed us a restaurant, the food was good!!!
Colosseum, August 4th
August 4th
Today we went to Palatine (shampoo) Hill. There were tons of marble blocks that fell off. We also went to the Colosseum. It was great. There lots of arches and the maze underneath the floor was cool. It was used to keep the props, and animals and other things for the hunts or fights.
Today we went to Palatine (shampoo) Hill. There were tons of marble blocks that fell off. We also went to the Colosseum. It was great. There lots of arches and the maze underneath the floor was cool. It was used to keep the props, and animals and other things for the hunts or fights.
August 3rd, St. Peter's
August 3rd
Today we went to St. Peter's Basilica! There were millions of statues and billions of pictures.My favourite part was going up in the dome! My favourite statue was a giant with a club. When we got home, I emailed William.
Today we went to St. Peter's Basilica! There were millions of statues and billions of pictures.My favourite part was going up in the dome! My favourite statue was a giant with a club. When we got home, I emailed William.
First few days
July 30th
For my first journal entry, I will tell you about my first airplane ride. Going off the runway was my favourite part. There was a movie but I didn't like it. Landing was fun too. When we got off the plane we went to get our bags.
July 31st
We just came off an airplane with new friends, David and Ray. David helped us get our tickets for the train. On the train I looked out the window the whole time. When we got off the train papa called the woman a the hotel and told her we were coming so we lugged our backpacks to the hotel, got the key and went up five flights of stairs. Then we went to the market and bought pizza.
August 1st
When I got up this morning I went to go on the terrace. I started to open the doors but there was a loud creaking noise. After a little bit we had breakfast. We went to see a castle, then we got gelati. My gelati tasted like freshly picked raspberries. When we were done, we went to the Pantheon. It was very intricately built. The marble was smooth and shiny. After that we saw three more churches and then we walked home.
For my first journal entry, I will tell you about my first airplane ride. Going off the runway was my favourite part. There was a movie but I didn't like it. Landing was fun too. When we got off the plane we went to get our bags.
July 31st
We just came off an airplane with new friends, David and Ray. David helped us get our tickets for the train. On the train I looked out the window the whole time. When we got off the train papa called the woman a the hotel and told her we were coming so we lugged our backpacks to the hotel, got the key and went up five flights of stairs. Then we went to the market and bought pizza.
August 1st
When I got up this morning I went to go on the terrace. I started to open the doors but there was a loud creaking noise. After a little bit we had breakfast. We went to see a castle, then we got gelati. My gelati tasted like freshly picked raspberries. When we were done, we went to the Pantheon. It was very intricately built. The marble was smooth and shiny. After that we saw three more churches and then we walked home.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Circus Matthewmus
This is me running at Circus Maximus.
Circus Maximus is a place in Italy where the chariot races were a long time ago. It was 2035 feet long and 460 feet wide, three stories tall and could hold 200,000 people.
This is what Circus Maximus looked like after Julius Caesar made it bigger in 50 BC. That's 2057 years ago.
Matthew
Circus Maximus is a place in Italy where the chariot races were a long time ago. It was 2035 feet long and 460 feet wide, three stories tall and could hold 200,000 people.
This is what Circus Maximus looked like after Julius Caesar made it bigger in 50 BC. That's 2057 years ago.
Matthew
Monday, July 2, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
argghhh!
like it's not bad enough he's pretending to be my brother, now he's pretending to be too!
AS IF i'd get to stay up till 11:30 to play on the computer....hmmph...
AS IF i'd get to stay up till 11:30 to play on the computer....hmmph...
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