As promised, the sun shone brightly and the winds were howling. Luckily we had a late start, so everyone could sleep in. After a 1.5 hour sail, we pulled into the lee of Kameriye Island, a beautiful, goat-laden place. The highlight of this island is the ruins of an old Greek church that is in pretty good shape and a small village surrounding it, which is pretty much ruined. While the church is a ruin, it is obvious that a lot of pilgrims still come there to tie prayer ribbons on the tree outside the church and/or leave offerings and light candles inside the church. It was fairly dark in there and it was Deb who found the picture of the Madonna and Child in the niche. It was quite beautiful. We all split up then and explored the island. Ken, Alma, and Dogan climbed to the top of the hill for the panoramic view. Deb stayed around the church and nearby beach, and I went to explore the remains of the old village. Very peaceful!
We then left to go to Selimiye, our anchorage for the night. The town seems to represent a lot of what is going on along the coast in Turkey. Tourism is rising rapidly and lots of pensions and hotels are springing up on the waterfront – right next to ramshackle houses with cows, goats, sheep, and chickens wandering around. Dogan was shocked how much it has changed in just the past few years. Anyway, we did a little shopping and then headed back to the ship for dinner. The highlight of the evening was coming across a radio station that alternated playing oldies, tunes from the 40s, and strange French music. After a couple of bottles of wine and some Baileys or Jamieson’s, we started singing at the top of our lungs. Hopefully, we didn’t disturb the yoga boat next door!
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
