Holiday

We have just returned from a holiday in Turkey, taking in places like Istanbul, Ephesus and one or two other places that I do not remember.

This was interesting and at times very trying as I was unsure as to whether my brain was playing tricks, or if I was seeing things as they were. 

This included sitting in the grand mosque taking in the sights, when I found myself looking at a cat face to face thinking I was seeing things that were not real.

It was only when someone went over and stroked the cat that I realised it was real. It never occurred to me that cats were allowed in mosques.

Another problem came when we were out and needed the toilet, only to be confronted by a hole in the ground.

 I have problems with balance most days so thus caused some problems, especially when we were on a ferry crossing into the other side of Turkey. No one said that they had disabled toilets.

Times like this are frightening although afterwards you can sit back and have a laugh.

This is a different culture vastly different to what we are used to, but it's interesting to see all the same.

I was using my stick for balance most of the time, so the traders kept well clear of me, unless I slipped, then they would step forward to see if I was alright.

The first hotel was a bit of a nightmare as part of the ground floor was lifted for refurbishment, and it was covered in cardboard. This meant that the steps were bigger than normal and the handrails were not attached at the bottom.

This took some getting used to and I thought the hotel should never have been used at all for safety reasons.

 The travel agent with us tried to say that the work had only just started, but it was obvious that it had been going on for months, so we will be taking this up with the company later.

All in all it was a nice holiday especially seeing the differences between the east and west Turkey.