Vroom Vroom

 We arrived in Munich with grey skies and a forecast for the week of constant thunderstorms.  Not very promising for a great road trip.  However, we were undaunted and once we unloaded our luggage we set out in search of a Hofbräuhaus intent upon not only raising a stein of beer to the start of our tour . . . . . 

. . . . . . . but also to see as many sights of the city as possible.

Bright and early Wednesday morning we were introduced to our cars.  We think we’re going to have some fun!

Although the forecast for the next three days was for continuous thunderstorms, we have had “top-down” days every day and we've covered a lot of ground.  

Here is a map of our route.  

The first day our destination was Salzburg via The German Alpine Road.  Highlights were Lake Chiemsee, Eagle’s Nest and Hanger 7 (Red Bull Formula 1 cars and airplanes - think the boys were excited?).  Though the day was overcast, the temp was great.  Did we say “top-down”?  

And, Salzburg is a great city.  We didn’t have much time but it sure was pretty . . . .  

. . . . . .and as you can see with this view from our hotel room, we woke to blue skies the next morning.

Our second day was the BIG DAY so we were very happy to have bright blue skies the entire ride so we could continue with the "top-down" theme.  We drove the Gross Glockner.  This is the highest mountain of Austria and the route over is considered the greatest driver’s road in the Alps.  Epic is the word.  It's hard to capture in pictures but Denise did a great job.

Thanks, Denise!

We ended the day's drive in Lienz, a Tyrol town with a bit of Italian charm.  

The route on our third day was through Hohne Tauern National Park and it was spectacular.  Beautiful scenery and a road that had very little traffic and just enough curves so we could let the cars really perform.  Vroom vroom!  

The highlight on this day (besides the driving) was Kimmler Wasserfälle.  With a drop of 380M it is the fifth highest in the world.  Again, a picture just can't capture its magnitude.

Though we had some rain upon arrival in Achensee, our destination for the night, it cleared so that we could take a gondola ride to the top of the mountain . . . . .

and then Denise made some new friends while on a hike afterward (to see these new friends you have to open the attachment in your email).

Our luck with the weather carried through our final day.  It was top-down once again with bright blue skies all day.  While the scenery wasn't as jaw-dropping as our first three days, we saw some beautiful country - rolling hills interspersed with gorgeous lakes. . . . . . 

The famous Neuschwanstein Castle. . . . . . . 

and we even had some time on the Autobahn (though we were going too fast to get any pictures! Vroom Vroom!).

It was an unbelievable four days and it went by way too quickly but it's time to turn in the Porsches and pick up our Renault Koleos for the rest of our trip.  Until next time, we bid you Auf Wiedersehen.

Turkey

 A week before we embarked on our grand adventure, Turkey decided it was now to be called Turkiye.  So, naturally, as it was our first stop, to the Glasco family it has become known as Turki-YAY!  And, believe us, with everything we saw and did it really was YAY!

We arrived in Istanbul tired from our long flights but ready to experience the city that not only spans Asia and Europe geographically but culturally as well.

 Our first taste of this city was a traditional fish dinner.  This consists of cold appetizers (many small plates presented at the table from which to choose), hot appetizers, a large salad for the table and then grilled fish (all of the fish available for view in a cold case by the front door).  We finished this delicious dinner with traditional Turkish tea.  Definitely a good start to our Turkish experience. 

And, what would a delicious Turkish meal be without a sweet finish of yummy baclava.

The next day was a whirlwind tour of Istanbul.  It was raining but as our guide, Aykut, said, “it’s just summer rain, no problem”.  And, it wasn’t.  Umbrellas in hand we had a great overview of some of the top “not to be missed” sights (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Cisterns, Spice Market, etc, etc.).  We came away from the day with a much better understanding of Istanbul’s (Constantinople’s) place in and influence on the world.

Here are just a few pics from the day.

Then it was off to Bodrum where we boarded our beautiful Gulet, Ros Mare, the next day.

We have now spent a week cruising the Turkish Coast.  Here's a map showing where we traveled. 

While cruising this beautiful part of the Adriatic, we were completely spoiled by our very knowledgeable Captain, Cagatay, the crew members, Dogukal, Kal and Emir, and incomparable chef, Umut.   

And, here we all are.

There is no way pictures can describe how terrific this week has been but here are just a few to hopefully give you an idea. 

A bit of relaxing . . . . . . . . . . 

A bit of exploring  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A whole lot of fun in the water . . . . . . . . .

And, more food than you can imagine!  

Breakfast . . . . .

Lunch . . . . . . 

And dinner (there are 2 huge sea bass under the rock salt crust which is, yes, on fire.)

In addition to these three hearty meals a day and a "sweet" Umut would make for us at 5:00, we occasionally had the ice cream man motor on by.

 

Mmmmm, Mmmmmm, GOOD!

Turkiye is a very special place - one of the few places that Dale and I had wanted to revisit.  And it hasn’t disappointed.  The people are some of the warmest, most welcoming we have ever met and the Turquoise Coast is magical.  It has been so much fun watching our family experience it and come to love it as much as we do.

But, we are now back in Istanbul ready to fly off tomorrow.  The boys are leaving us but Jeff, Denise, Dale and I are headed to Munich to pick up our Porsches for the next leg of this incredible journey - a week in the Alps.  Vroom, vroom!

We leave you with a beautiful sunrise,

moonrise,

And, sunset.

See you in Germany!