ITINERARY 2011

ITINERARY

CHRISTINE AND JOHN USA 2011

Monday 29 August

7.15am dep VA813 to Sydney

10.45am dep VA1 to LA

7.20am arr LA Terminal B

10.35am dep VX406 –

Terminal 3

7.00pm arr JFK

Eve Hampton Inn at JFK – phone 1-718-322 7500

Tuesday 30 August

9.40am dep JFK Terminal 5 - JetBlue #42 to Syracuse

10.50am arr Syracuse

To Thursday 8 September

With Liz and Joe Ludewig at 3817 Highland Road, Cortland NY 13045

Phone 1-607-756 7165

Thursday 8 September

9.50am dep Syracuse on Amtrak

3.35pm arr Penn Station NYC

To Wednesday 14 September

Guest House Off Park – The Annie B Willis suite

30 E35^th Street NYC (Apt 9)

Ref: www.ccny.org/guesthouseoffpark

Phone 1-212-683 4988 ext 17 (Robin Strong, reception)

Wednesday 14 September

1.00pm dep La Guardia to Nashville via Washington

US Airways flights 2175 and 2011

4.23pm arr Nashville

To Sunday 25 September

With Barbara and Bill Stafford at 125 Louisiana Circle, Sewanee TN 37375

Phone 1-931-598 5346

Sunday 25 - Tuesday 27 Sept

Hampton Inn Nashville/Vanderbilt

1919 West End Ave Nashville

Phone 1-615-329 1144

Tuesday 27 September

9.50am dep Nashville to NYC via Philadelphia

US Airways flights 3850 and 4194

2.52pm arr La Guardia

Eve Travel Inn, 515 W42nd Street, NYC

Phone 1-817-333 5105

Wednesday 28 September

5.00pm dep JFK Terminal 2 - VA6514 (Delta) to LA

8.31pm arr LA Terminal 5

10.20pm dep LA Terminal 3 - VA2 to Sydney

Friday 30 September

8.45am dep Sydney VA822

10.15am arr Melbourne

WE ARE HOME

Ben was at the airport at 2.00am on our Saturday arrival and airport staff was anxious to get us through quickly and get home themselves. The following days were tiring - how much was jetlag and how much the effect of the excruciatingly uncomfortable Emirates seats? It was great to catch up with the family over Sunday lunch and to be entertained by those speedily growing boys, Toby and Hamish. They were presented with their presents from Chris and Stu, first cutlery sets made in Sheffield, along with Istanbul T-shirts (size 1 should fit by summer).

Reflecting on Greece and Turkey will take time. We'll first have to sort out which ruin was which (a bit like which cathedral is which, if you've holidayed in Europe).

It was great to catch up with Chris and Stu and we intend to start "skyping" as soon as we find an Apple compatible webcam. Initial plans have been discussed for another reunion next year in Berlin. It is wonderful to seal up a gap of 37 or so years in a friendship and continue as though we had never parted.

THANK YOU

Thanks, Ben, for sending those email addresses. We had a farewell breakfast with Chris and Stu this morning, then Andy, Christine and I headed down to the European part of Istanbul and had a great time - it's a public holiday here, so a party mood prevailed.

We look forward to seeing everyone soon (hope there are plenty of dog biscuits left for Toby for his Sunday lunch!)

Much love to all.

We can't download photos on this computer - sorry about that.

WHERE IS VANESSA OR FLICK?

Andy is having trouble getting through to Flick via email.

BEN, WOULD YOU PLEASE CHECK VANESSA'S AND/OR FLICK'S EMAIL ADDRESSES AND LET US KNOW ASAP. THANKS

BACK IN ISTANBUL

We've covered 3,200 kms of wonderful Turkey (not counting air kms in the balloon in Cappadocia, as the weather changed to our advantage). Returning to the Conrad in Istanbul is like returning home (Shoreham being our usual 5 star venue). The tour is now officially over, after a farewell dinner tonight. Andy leaves Friday morning and we are picked up from the hotel at 4.00pm on Thursday. That gives us ample time to live it up before normality returns.

WE STILL EXIST

Sorry about the gap ın communıcatıon, but we have had very full days of travellıng, sıght-seeıng and collapsıng ın a heap wıth lıttle or no access to computers (even ın 5 star hotels!) We are now ın Cappadocıa and hope to see ıt from a balloon tomorrow mornıng, although wıth today's wınd and dust storms, ıt may not happen.

Hıghlıght of the last few days for John: swımmıng ın the freakıshly blue Medıterranean ın a small cove from a boat.

Hıghlıghts for Chrıstıne: Hard to thınk after a very hot and dusty day today! (We have really been caught unprepared for the hot weather - has been ın the mıd thırtıes for most of the week and the wınd today was real bushfıre wınd!)

But back to what we have been doıng..... I found both a pottery demonstratıon we saw yesterday fascınatıng as was the carpet weavıng demonstratıon thıs mornıng. However I left both the $60 A hand paınted mugs and the $4000 carpets behınd, as gorgeous as they were. Perhaps ıf I was to hıghlıght one thıng ıt would be a 12th C gold thurıble I saw ın the museum ın Antalya. It was ın amazıng condıtıon - looked lıke you could use ıt today - and around ıt were scenes from the lıfe of Jesus startıng wıth the Annuncıatıon and endıng wıth the Resurrectıon. Every fıgure was as clear as ıf ıt was new. Amazıng!

Flıck - a very happy bırthday from us all here - we have been thınkıng of you.

Hope all goes well wıth you all. To thınk we wıll be home thıs tıme next week!

MORE TURKISH NEWS

We are now ensconced in a magnificent hotel right on the Aegean. The waves are literally coming under the deck in which the pool is set. Such hard work to sit here on a free afternoon and enjoy the view!

However I get ahead of myself .... We spent several hours on Saturday at the the area of the Gallipoli conflict - an experience that I was not sure about in advance. The crowds were enormous - interestingly many buses of Turks for whom this is the site of victory for the "father" of their modern nation - "Ataturk"

I was moved by some of the things we saw - it was wonderful to see the "Lone Pine" given our plan to plant one of its progeny at Balnarring and the graves were beautifully cared for - especially those at Anzac Cove. However I must say I was grateful that I was not there on Anzac Day.

Today we spent an extraordinary time at the ancient site of Ephesus. It is vast - what amazing work archeologists have done over the past century. A highlight was the amazing reconstruction of the library . Librarian brother Andrew was interested to know that the library had a hidden passage running to the brothel!!!