The ABCs of Greece & Italy! X, Y, and Z, and that Friends is THE END!!! :) See you in Asia and Australia, Join Me THERE!!

[Steppesister]

Definitely a lot on your plate! Good luck! We have faith in you!

It all paid off big the day before yesterday!! Huzzah!

 

[Steppesister]

That's OK, me too, but the stuff will be interesting whether we read it this week or in 3 months. You just might not remember it as well.

I truly hope so, and hope too that the photos jog my feeble memory!

I know what you mean. I haven't had many down days, but a whole different experience.

I hope things are evening out! I know you're supposed to go on a cruise soon-ish; no change in plans with that?

Hopefully I'll actually have a chapter posted soon!

Well, if you do, I'll be there soon.

 

[Steppesister]

Congratulations! It is great to hear that you did great. I can’t wait to hear more about the trip.

Thank you so much, Sue!! It was a rough few months slogging through that material, but the hours paid off!

 

[Steppesister]

That's great news. Glad all is going well. Can't wait for more photos and trip experiences.

Awww, thanks, Judy!! It was such a huge wave of relief over me when I saw PASS! Phew!

Might take a few days to get through my photos and write, but soon...

 

[Steppesister]

Yay for passing the big test!

Thanks, Alison!! It sure was a huge relief!!

 

[Steppesister]

Congrats!

Thank you so much!!!

 

[Steppesister]

Congrats!! That is so exciting!! And you deserve some downtime!!

Thanks, Kathy!! Pew!!! Loads of hard went into it and I was so happy it paid off!

 

[Steppesister]

Advanced pathophysiology was my toughest class when I got my NP. Pharmacology just seemed to click for me, but I also have a chemistry degree. Congrats on progressing.

WOW!!! An NP is reading my report?! Hello there!!!! How great there is someone here who gets how hard these classes are and how much time and effort goes into getting 'er done.

I think Patho was a bit easier maybe because of the strong foundation I had in biology and from my really good ADN program. But as tough as Pharm was for me, it have to admit I actually enjoyed it. It is finally starting to feel like this is the actual stuff I'll be using day to day in a practice. Next term has Advanced Health Assessment and Adult Primary Care (along with another Masters Core Class- Leadership and Management). I'll confess I'm pretty nervous for the videoed Skills Assessments with an NP Proctor. EEK!

 

[Steppesister]

Yay! Knew you would!
Enjoy the sun and warmth of AZ while you take a little break!

Thanks, Caroline! You're always such an encouragement to me! Remember, any time you wanna come down and visit... It's finally starting to get warm enough to hang out outside and hopefully soon I'll not need to boost the furnace in the mornings. Still getting down to freezing at night at times. Yuck. Won't be long before my beloved cactus blooms. and the critters come out.

 

[Steppesister]

Congrats!!!

Thanks, Vanessa!!!! Woohoo!!!!!

 

[David G Farr]

WOW!!! An NP is reading my report?! Hello there!!!! How great there is someone here who gets how hard these classes are and how much time and effort goes into getting 'er done.

I think Patho was a bit easier maybe because of the strong foundation I had in biology and from my really good ADN program. But as tough as Pharm was for me, it have to admit I actually enjoyed it. It is finally starting to feel like this is the actual stuff I'll be using day to day in a practice. Next term has Advanced Health Assessment and Adult Primary Care (along with another Masters Core Class- Leadership and Management). I'll confess I'm pretty nervous for the videoed Skills Assessments with an NP Proctor. EEK!

Your clinicals are really when you see your knowledge start being used so make sure you do them with someone who teaches and doesn’t just go through the motions.

 

[afwdwfan]

I was able to pass my big, scary Pharmacology Exam today (with a very comfortable margin!) and am stoked that Term #2 (of 5) is behind me now. Which means, that I now have several weeks (maybe?) of downtime to spend some effort writing some chapters and editing the photos.

Congratulations!!!!

It's been a month since I've been here and posted etc.... still going ok?

Yeah... I pushed it this weekend. Had a nice day Saturday and had some trees down that needed to be cleaned up. I think I got a little dehydrated because I woke up this morning in afib but was able to get it under control within about 4 hours. First issue I've had with it in a few months.

 

[Disneycampfan]

Congratulations! You should be proud of all your hard work and are now able to enjoy some down time!! Looking forward to updates!

 

[Paulaparm]

Congratulations! Glad that all your hard work paid off

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I was able to pass my big, scary Pharmacology Exam today (with a very comfortable margin!) and am stoked that Term #2 (of 5) is behind me now. Which means, that I now have several weeks (maybe?) of downtime to spend some effort writing some chapters and editing the photos.

Congratulations! You've earned the break for sure.

 

[Steppesister]

J is for: Just a Few Rugs After Lunch Just in Time!​

Before the tour headed to the restaurant for our afternoon meal, we had another stop to make: St. John's Basilica:

https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=STJ01&DistId=STJ

The Basilica of St. John is another hugely important, ancient Christian site. It is here that John, Jesus’ favorite disciple was buried, and a church was built on the site. There is still enough left to picture the once quite impressive architecture with massive halls supported by arches and columns dating back to the 1st c. AD. Again, even if this history isn't your thing, try to appreciate the sheer mastery of the architecture in its own right. We just don't build like this anymore with such grace and magnitude. Although some may argue that modern architecture is as skilled, I would argue (I'm told I do that a lot) that given the technology and materials, they were quite masterful at their craft; let alone how the messages themselves were expressed through the art of architecture. Regardless, it was fun to imagine the enormity and magnitude of this once ostensible basilica.

If you aren’t keen to poke around on the link up there ^, here is a short sentence or two about the basilica: “Basilica of St. John which was built on the burial site of St. John by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 1st century. It is one of the largest structures of the period. At the center of the six-domed church is the Tomb of St. John. The dome is supported by 12 columns in the church, there is a baptistery dating back to the 4th century. The door of the baptistery is well worth visiting.”

Here is a photo of what it probably looked like before earthquakes destroyed most of it:

​

This is by far a much smaller archeological site and by now I was petering out on photo taking, so there are only a very few I can share. Here are those that I got along with a few snaps Mikki took as well:

The following are not my photos. I think I may have accidentally NOT pulled all of my photos off my cards. I KNOW I took a photo of the baptistry.

(The baptistry)​

Everyone was getting pretty hungry by now given the mild complaining we heard amongst our tour group of about 30 folks. It was finally time to head to our restaurant destination, which for the life of me can’t find any name of. I’m so sorry!! Terrible trip reporting right there. To the best of my recollection, it was set in a historical train station used in during the 1920’s-1950’s and had quite a collection of train paraphernalia on display. Sadly, or maybe thankfully, I only have photos of the food, all of which was truly amazing!

As I mentioned in the last chapter, this was a "Biblical Ephesus Tour" which naturally included a “Biblical Feast”. All of the dishes served to us could have, or would have, been served during the 1st c. AD. Mostly-ish. When we walked in several tables were set up so we’d be eating “family-style”. We are fine with that and love meeting new people and making new friends. In fact, we’d gotten to know a really sweet family, Mom, Dad, and 2 teen-aged, extremely well-behaved and polite kids. Of the 8 tours we’d eventually go on, they were with us on 7! What are the odds?! Of all the 7-10 tours offered at every port, we seemed pretty like-minded. They ended up sitting with us along with another couple and it was great fun chatting over this exquisite lunch.

On the tables were little dishes of nuts and dried fruits with feta cheese wedges, decorative mounds of tzatziki and hummus, lettuce salad (I’m positive iceberg was NOT GMO’d yet, so for authenticity’s sake some chicory or dandelion or other field greens would have been more appropriate. It would probably have gone untouched too I suppose, so there’s that.), another little salad of leeks and veggies (that’s more like it), some little honey cakes with fig jam, and some olive oil with herbs.

(Your not-so-Biblial-era salad)​

As we sat down and started to explore the foods, the mom noticed that several of the dishes at their end of the table had been nibbled on by (most likely) some local kitties. I personally found it hilarious, but she was not having it. Clearly grossed out, she asked if they could have new items of those that had been pilfered. This flustered the staff but they still cheerfully brought out drink orders. Mikki ordered some wine, and I ordered a Coke. I made the rookie mistake of forgetting that you will never get a soda that is cold or served with ice, so suffered with trying to use that to quench any thirst I had. The water was very welcome!

Here's a photo of the full table as it looked when we arrived. You can see the decimated honey cake on the left side halfway up and the feta cheese that the critters noshed on.

​

After they brought our drinks and we’d had plenty of time to enjoy the dishes on the table, they began to bring out the other courses. There were a lot and it was FAR too much to finish. Believe it or not, one of my favorites was the green beans- again a mistake historically (those originated around Peru and the Spanish brought them to Europe/Asia later), but I gave it a pass and just enjoyed. There was warm, fresh bread, and a perfectly cooked fish dish with onions and other veggies. Lastly, there was a lamb dish cooked just right; it was very tender and not gamey at all. I LOVED this as it was cooked with honey and other beautiful spices (no photo of this one). YUM!

​

I just noticed this is a duplicate. I’ll fix it tomorrow.

Of course there was a gift shop on the way out where you could spend far more than you should on Turkish delight, Turkish coffee sets, honeys, spice mixes, and olive oil EVERYTHING. It was on this tour that we learned from our guide that while Spain and Italy are the top 2 exporters of olive oil, Turkey is #5 after Greece and Portugal, which was shocking to me. (The Portugal part, not Turkey.) I didn’t buy anything but enjoyed browsing, nonetheless.

Now that we’d been stuffed to the brims of our touristy selves, we had one last stop to make before heading back to the port. This was perhaps the most brilliant tour operator move I’ve ever seen… They made sure to get us into a satisfied, big meal stupor then took us to… the Rug Factory.

So, we pull up and are greeted by this smooth talking, well-dressed, suave, Turk, who pretends to be all cozy with our guide. “They’ve been friends since grade school.”, “We’re related.”, etc…. Let’s just say, it was a bit too hmm, overdone? Canned? I’ve lived in that area of the world for many years; I wasn’t buying it. Literally or figuratively. All skepticism aside, we were escorted into a room lined with 6 or so handmade looms- giant ones that reached the ceiling. Inside were 2 women, one actively weaving, the other ready at the “silk harvesting vat”. We gathered around and stood mesmerized as she demonstrated the dying (as opposed to the dyeing) art of making the silk yarns that would be dyed and made into the $50,000 rugs.

Fun facts:

• The silkworms die in the process. I did not know that. But they are mindful of sustaining the crop for future business.
• The silkworms only eat mulberry leaves. You’ll still see many, many trees all over the area for home businesses of cocoon selling.
• It takes 10kg of cocoons to make 1kg of silk thread.
• And it takes 5,500 silkworms to make that 1kg.
• Silk is the strongest natural fiber in the world.

While the gentleman gave us the spiel, the Master Weaver Lady showed us the process of taking a brush and pulling a few of the very finest of strands out and then twisting and spinning them onto a spool using her foot power. One strand is 1/10 the width of a hair! It was literally so fine you had to really hunt for the strands as they were pulled out of the cocoons in the water.

(Can you imagine working on one rug for 11 months?!)


​

If you're really super, duper into wanting to know the rug making process unique to Turkey, from worm to rug, this is a full presentation at a different facility a few years ago but almost identical to ours:

From there we were allowed to photograph the weaving that was happening, the designs that had been sketched, the various colors of yarn (which also included plenty of wool), and the pictures of the silk-making process. I’d have been happy to have left after that. But…. You didn't think we were done yet, did you?! Oh please; don't be a noob! They know that a fair percentage of cruisers have a fair amount of money and are often more than willing to part with it. Especially if they are given unlimited alcohol first.

After the, admittedly, VERY well-done demonstration, we were then taken to a room with stacks and stacks and stacks of rolled up rugs. There were benches around the perimeter, and some teen-aged kids came around with trays of Ouzo, Raki, local wines and beer, soft drinks and water. We were told to take as many as we’d like and my daughter, not being shy at all, took a wine and a beer. I had a glass of wine, and I confess, it was quite good. With everyone settled, we got a bit more education about Turkish rugs. My word! It was a flashback to our visit to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. These people are RELENTLESS! They are aggressive beyond anything an un-intiated N. American could ever imagine. Before we could even comprehend what was happening, there were, not even exaggerating, 5 men rolling out rugs- one every 10 seconds or so. Each would get its deserved oooohs and aaahhhs, each more beautiful and stunning than the last. Vivid greens, purples, blues. Every geometric shape and flower you could imagine. Big ones, small ones; fringed, silk, wool; long, short. He went around the room, careful to engage us, draw us in…”Which one is your favorite?” It was MASTERFUL salesmanship. Like the Barnum and Bailey of carpet hocking; I was fascinated at his skill. The room was abuzz with discussion about the rugs and you KNOW that the carpet-rolling men were not just there to roll carpets, right?

​

Before we could even discuss how badly we had to pee, we were accosted by one of them, who asked us our names, where we were from, and how much we’d like to spend on one of these beautiful rugs. But I am no novice at this. My hypnotized self was reminded by my middle-aged bladder that finding a bathroom was far more important than being duped into spending 20 grand I didn’t have. They were there to pull a deal and the sooner we took and exit stage left, the better! Relieved to have found the perfect excuse to skedaddle, we found a bench outside and then found the others who were as poor as ourselves and the lot of us then spent the next half hour or more guessing at how many sales they turn per busload. My guess was they sell one rug per 4-5 busloads. Like who has $10,000-$50,000 just ready to trade for a rug after you’ve spend nearly that on the vacation alone?! But lo and behold, our bus turned up a lucky trick. A family from Spain did in fact buy one and were happy to have it being shipped home that very day.

A word about the “Factory”. This was actually a Co-op subsidized by the Turkish government with the goal of keeping the ancient art of making Turkish rugs alive and to provide a source of income to local women. They apprentice for a year and get an increasing cut of the sales the longer they weave. The Co-op sets them up with materials and skills. It’s not enough for the work they put into it, as it is with most schemes like this.

Here is a link that is a very good, well-researched article about the Co-ops.

https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/womens-co-operative-carpet-workshop-turkey/

My photos were included in the price of the tour. And I was happy with that. It had been a truly wonderful day with so much to see and contemplate. Sometimes memories are all one needs.

 

[pkondz]

I know there is that phenomenon called something turnover but even that's probably only 40 degrees at best.

Thermocline. In the summer it's about the 60' mark. The water is cold to that depth, but goes down to about 32F at that depth.

Subjects and predicates invert I can.

I am. And that's okay. It keeps me young (ish) I suppose. But I AM hoping to find some downtime now that classes are over for a bit. Then again, I'm looking for a travel gig too, so...

Hopefully you'll get whichever (or both!) you want.

Yes, I know you can hold the lens up to the glass, but then you get blur from moving. Glare gone for sure, but....

Was thinking circular polarizer too.

That's approximately how long my neck has been hurting.

Yikes.

There are homes for people like that. I hear they take good care of you despite deficits.

Even we find them a bit... odd.

 

[Wood Nymph]

All of the dishes served to us could have, or would have, been served during the 1st c. AD. Mostly-ish.

That sounds very interesting. Of course, there would be adjustments but at least you had a feel for what they used to eat.

Of the 8 tours we’d eventually go on, they were with us on 7!

It must have been fun to have some travel companions like this family.

You can see the decimated honey cake on the left side halfway up and the feta cheese that the critters noshed on.

The crumbs on the table are the tip off. I might have still eaten the food, too, after removing the nibbled area.

With everyone settled, we got a bit more education about Turkish rugs. My word! It was a flashback to our visit to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. These people are RELENTLESS! They are aggressive beyond anything an un-intiated N. American could ever imagine.

It reminded me of the heavy sales pitch from a time share company. The silk worm part would be interesting but the sales pitch to buy a carpet would be annoying.

 

[pkondz]

St. John's Basilica:

https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=STJ01&distId=STJ

If you go to the link and click on the down arrow at the top right beside the Turkish flag, you can get the English page.

It is here that John, Jesus’ favorite disciple was buried, and a church was built on the site.

I have questions about that…

Again, even if this history isn't your thing, try to appreciate the sheer mastery of the architecture in its own right.

That any part of it is still standing after 2,000 years says a LOT.

We just don't build like this anymore with such grace and magnitude.

I dunno about that. There’s some incredible architecture out there. I’ll say no more.

given the technology and materials, they were quite masterful at their craft

Definitely agree with that!

there is a baptistery dating back to the 4th century.

So… This was not in the same building? And built three centuries later, right?

Here is a photo of what it probably looked like before earthquakes destroyed most of it

Such a tragedy with the most recent earthquake.

Terrible trip reporting right there.

Unacceptable!!!!

To the best of my recollection, it was set in a historical train station used in during the 1920’s-1950’s and had quite a collection of train paraphernalia on display.

That sounds pretty cool actually.

we’d gotten to know a really sweet family, Mom, Dad, and 2 teen-aged, extremely well-behaved and polite kids.

Nice that you were able to meet and befriend some nice people.

Of the 8 tours we’d eventually go on, they were with us on 7! What are the odds?!

About 87.5%?

Okay okay. Just playing.

I’m positive iceberg was NOT GMO’d yet,

Probably not… But I’d think there was very little of that meal that was unchanged in 2,000 years.

Your not-so-Biblial-era salad

In a very biblical dish.

the mom noticed that several of the dishes at their end of the table had been nibbled on by (most likely) some local kitties.

I’m not sure whether to or

This flustered the staff but they still cheerfully brought out drink orders.

But did not bring out fresh food. This is a biblical feast people. Stuff like that happened all the time back in the day. Suck it up.

Mikki ordered some wine, and I ordered a Coke. I made the rookie mistake of forgetting that you will never get a soda that is cold or served with ice, so suffered with trying to use that to quench any thirst I had

Warm Coke… yuck.

Of course there was a gift shop on the way out

Of course there was.

Turkey is #5 after Greece and Portugal, which was shocking to me. (The Portugal part, not Turkey.)

Doesn’t surprise me. Have a friend from there and she has quite the EVOO palate.

“They’ve been friends since grade school.”, “We’re related.”,

Next week they’ll be brothers! It’s a biblical miracle!!

I’ve lived in that area of the world for many years; I wasn’t buying it. Literally or figuratively.

So not overly surprising to you.

We gathered around and stood mesmerized as she demonstrated the dying (as opposed to the dyeing) art of making the silk yarns

I’d really like to see that. Sounds absolutely fascinating.

that would be dyed and made into the $50,000 rugs

<cough… choke>
How much????

The silkworms die in the process. I did not know that.

Huh! Me neither!

The silkworms only eat mulberry leaves. You’ll still see many, many trees all over the area for home businesses of cocoon selling.

Huh!!

Silk is the strongest natural fiber in the world.

I wonder if pound for pound it beats spider web.

Can you imagine working on one rug for 11 months?!

Actually… yes I can. Some things just take time. Quality items often do.

You didn't think we were done yet, did you?!

Nope!

We were told to take as many as we’d like and my daughter, not being shy at all, took a wine and a beer.

I had a glass of wine, and I confess, it was quite good.

Hmmm… wonder if the cost of a good wine is offset by a potential buyer drinking more and thus more likely to loosen the purse strings.

These people are RELENTLESS! They are aggressive beyond anything an un-intiated N. American could ever imagine.

I really dislike that. I do not take kindly to pressure sales. At. All.

I was fascinated at his skill.

I guess there is that.

the carpet-rolling men were not just there to roll carpets, right?

Nicely said.

My hypnotized self was reminded by my middle-aged bladder that finding a bathroom was far more important than being duped into spending 20 grand I didn’t have.

I’ve never heard of anyone being saved by a small bladder before.

Like who has $10,000-$50,000 just ready to trade for a rug after you’ve spend nearly that on the vacation alone?!

Apparently at least one Spanish couple.

 

[Steppesister]

Your clinicals are really when you see your knowledge start being used so make sure you do them with someone who teaches and doesn’t just go through the motions.

I have an MD and her NP lined up so far. She (the MD) has already given me some "precepting" during my own office visits and when I talk with her (she personally calls her patients to give lab results and answers questions) she is always quizzing me. I'm so excited to work under them!