After a short but wonderful stay in Istanbul, Braun & I spent 2 weeks in Marmaris; SW Turkey preparing the boat for this season's cruising and catching up with some of the other boating buddies from the 2004 Nordhavn Atlantic Crossing Rally...8 Nordhavns wintered in the same Turkish marina location. To date - some facts & experiences: * A city that straddles Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a symbol of greatness. In its thousands years of history, it has been the capital of three great empires, - Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. Istanbul is exotic, wonderful, complex and utterly monumental. So much to tell and a must-do to add to your travel list! * The Turks first supplied the Dutch with tulips and started the craze for the flower in England and the Netherlands...when I mentioned this little known fact to a fellow Dutch Rally member, he reminds me that it was the Dutch that "cultivated the tulips popularity and, well...they came up with the black tulip". No matter, during this time of year, the tulips are beautiful and they are everywhere! * The make-up of people in Turkey (population ~70 million) is astonishingly varied - Mongolian, Arab, Georgian/Russian, Turk, Greek, Bulgarian, Hungarian and few I think I missed; 99% Muslim, 1% Christian. Surprisingly, however, Braun & I met several Turks who seldom ever set foot in a mosque, despite the ever present chanting for the "call to prayer" five times a day over a loud speaker in every city, town, village, etc. * Turkish cuisine, based on the country's natural abundance & diversity of food sources is worthy of exploration if you wish to engage in culinary pursuits! We're all aboard for the experience! While meat, mostly lamb is considered a category of Turkish fare, vegetable dishes prevail. As a gateway from Asia to Europe, you can imagine the spice variety...the display at the open markets is incredible. No pork and we miss our bacon! * Sweating it out on a marble slab in a centuries old domed hamam (Turkish bath) can be quite invigorating but, did not live up to Braun's fantasy...attractive females to scrub your back and provide massages weren't there...the scrubbers are dark featured, older black bearded men and none too gentle...but, he's been twice already! * The dramatic landscape along the Turkish coastline is due to the convergence of three plates of the Earth's crust that lie beneath the Middle East. The meeting of these tectonic plates has produced high mountain ranges ending at the sea. This extends through Syria and Lebanon. What's amazing is some of the ruins of centuries old ancient cities we've toured were located on top of these mountains for defensive purposes. * Marmaris: Yachts and large gullets (impressive wood broad beamed boats that evolved from a fishing vessel) crowd the harbor at Marmaris. There are numerous outdoor cafes, shops, and of course, rug shops (been there, done that!) all lining the waterfront. The markets are plentiful, the people are accommodating and generous...does your dry cleaner offer you tea while you wait? This is a country of traders with centuries of practice on how to separate you from what's in your wallet. They also are craftsmen and we took advantage of the reasonable labor and skilled workmanship and had a lot of work done on the boat. To name a few, boat hauled out & bottom painted, gel coat repair, stainless steel work, canvas covers made up and, the first mate's favorite, wash & waxing the entire boat! * Sunday, May 7th - Grey Pearl and our guests, Teri & Scott Strickland owners of a 47' Nordhavn, 'Strickly for Fun', headed south for Goeck to rendezvous with approximately 60 boats participating in the Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally - EMYR. http://www.emyr.org/ A few facts about the EMYR. Since 1990 yachtsman have converged from all over the world on Turkey to participate in the EMYR. Presently, there are 76 boats (mostly sail) participating and 22 different nationalities represented. The Rally route starts in Istanbul, cruising the SW Turkish coastline, N. Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt. The Turkish Coast Guard accompanies the Rally for the Turkish coast portion. We'll see what happens in the other countries. In the ports we have thus far visited, the hospitality has been tremendous. In efforts to encourage tourism and particularly western tourism, our port hosts go to a lot of trouble to "roll out the red carpet"...cocktail parties hosted by the Mayor, lavish dinners, entertainment and dancing...and according to the Rally manual, it is "mandatory" that we attend...oh well...which explains why one of the EMYR coordinators (from Manchester, England) signs off on his recent emails/updates, "the liver is evil...and, must be punished" and "sleep is not compulsory, partying is." So... we aboard the Grey Pearl are fitting in nicely. We had a pleasant cruise to a favored EMYR stop, Kekova Roads. Lagoon-like waters making for a boaters paradise with no ocean swell, well-protected anchorages, interesting historical sites and just enough restaurants for a satisfying meal ashore. Accompanied with Effes beer and Turkish wine (not Bordeaux but not bad). The morning after our arrival, fresh hot bread was delivered gratis to all the boats in the anchorage (not croissants but not bad). Following Kekova Roads our next stop was Finike where we enjoyed a full day touring the ancient ruins of the Lycian city of Myra (5th century BC); a stop in Demre to pay homage to the site of the ancient tomb of Saint Nicholas (11th century) THE Santa Claus and in Turkish, Baba Noel. According to Turkish lore, he was also the patron of sailors, merchants, scholars, virgins (?!), and of all people, pawnbrokers. Sadly, his bones were stolen and he's now resting in Bari, Italy - hey! Not so bad...it's still in the Med! Finally, a few more stops to ancient city ruins - Arykanda and Limyra...yep, a boat load of history here. Finally, 4 harbors later in less than a week, we've arrived in Kemer where we pick up the remainder of the boats participating in the Rally and where the international portion gets underway. Kemer is an attractive beach resort with several large hotels along its waterfront. We have an ideal spot in the harbor overlooking all the "dressed" (dressed with signal flags) EMYR boats and the armada of 'day tripper' Turkish gullets. Tina and Braun Jones Nordhavn 62 Grey Pearl Kemer, Turkey