
Well, we’re back in Ottawa after spending 5 weeks in the beautiful HOT Mediterranean. I must say, the cool weather has been a shock after the heat of Turkey, but it’s still nice to be home.
I love traveling. I’ve always been a nomad at heart (which I attribute to my Romanian/Turkish tribal roots), and love to pack up and go pretty much anywhere . For me, there’s nothing more exciting than exploring foreign countries, learning different cultures & languages, tasting new foods (or often just looking at them!), and best of all, engaging with the locals. I also love how traveling can take us out of our comfort zones, and open/expand our minds to other people and their different ways of doing things.
Of all the places I’ve been to, Italy is probably my favorite country. (right up there with Thailand and Turkey) And, Rome is such a vibrant, historic city offering a concentration of remarkable beauty right outside in the streets! Ancient monuments, Renaissance architecture, basilicas, chapels, Baroque sculptures, frescos, unique fountains, romantic piazzas, and lovely little restaurants hidden away on cobblestone streets are found everywhere you turn. It’s an open-air museum!
Mischa and I took in the impressive Roman landmarks and sites during our visit, but I have to say that my favorite way of exploring was to simply wander around the city without a map. We walked from morning to night, encountering many little gems and memories that will last a lifetime. Sigh. I just love the Italians — they’re so expressive, lively and emotional – a refreshing change from what we’re accustomed to. I mean, where else does your waiter belt out romantic love songs to you?!
Piazza Navone
Trevi Fountain
After tossing coins into the fountain to ensure our return to Rome. We will be back!
beautiful sculpture in the street
Beautiful painting in the street
More unexpected beauty
lovely restaurants tucked away
Did I mention that we did a lot of walking?
Ah Venezia!
Piazza San Marco
Gondolas everywhere
Bright colorful houses on the island of Burano, just a brief boat ride from Venice
We loved it here and next time will stay in Burano instead of Venice.
Girlfriends rawk!

So do their kids.
Of course, we also enjoyed Greece and Turkey. In fact, there were so many places that took our breath away! I especially enjoyed the Greek island of Santorini as well as Istanbul – which is where my Turkish/Romanian father went to French school. Haggling at bazaars, taking mud baths, enjoying the hilarious free ”show” at the Pelican restaurant, snorkeling off the boat, and driving along steep windy, narrow roads in the mountains were also highlights of our trip.
This is the village of Oia in Santorini where we stayed one week
Santorini is a volcanic island in the Aegean Sea
The caldera is what remains today
Because of the steep hills, donkeys are often still used as transportation
This is our apartment
Here is our view (& my dinner)
After taking an exhausting overnight ferry sleeping on the floor, a boat, 2 buses and a dolmus, we finally arrived in the laid-back village of Dalyan, Turkey. Dalyan sits on a river between Koycekiz lake and the 7 kilometer Iztuzu beach on the Mediterranean. It is a protected area because the endangered loggerhead turtles come here to lay their eggs. Needless to say, we stayed awhile.
Another awe-inspiring view: Lycian tombs across the river from our pension
Getting dirty at the mud bath and hot springs upriver

This is the Pelican Restaurant in Fethiye , Turkey where we met up with Mark. These pelicans are wild and have serious attitude! They fly in each and every morning from a small island in Greece to be fed fresh fish by the very comical owners of the Pelican Restaurant. Apparently they prefer fish from the restaurant than from the ocean. Video soon to follow.
A harrowing road trip in the clouds. Thankfully Mark is a great driver!
Pit stop to take in the view
to feast on watermelon
and to snorkel
in inviting warm waters.
Then, exciting Istanbul!
The Blue Mosque
The Bosphorous (where East meets West)
Colorful bazaars and markets
fresh fruit stands everywhere
cactus pears
figs, peaches, plums, grapes
and lots of sweets!

For me, traveling is also a welcomed opportunity to eat simpler combinations. During our trip, I ate mostly fresh ripe fruits (watermelon, figs, peaches, plums, apricots), Greek salads (sans feta), and plain “shephard” salads (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, cabbage) with a squeeze of lemon for dressing. I was thrilled to find purslane and fresh raw carob beans in Turkey, and taste a delicious fermented cabbage drink that I bought from a vendor in the streets of Istanbul. He was surprised that I liked it!
It’s easy to be raw while traveling. You just need to commit to it!
todays food log:
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4 ozs e3live
-
firewater
-
pineapple-ginger-spirulina juice
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e3Renew Me
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1 liter green juice (cucumber, celery, pea shoots, sunflower sprouts, broccoli, apple)
-
spicy gazpacho soup (with extra garlic and sprouts)
-
2 heads of corn rubbed with avocado
-
bowl of grapes
yesterday’s log:
-
4 ozs e3 live
-
firewater
-
chlorella tablets
-
fresh pineapple juice with ginger & Schinoussa
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bowl of grapes
-
2 sweet apricots
-
1 liter green juice (cucumber-celery-jerusalem artichoke-sunflower sprouts, pea shoots)
-
gazpacho soup (spicy!)
-
2 ears corn rubbed with avocado
-
Here’s to many more fun adventures in 2011!