Holidays from the holidays...

Hi lads! Things are going very well around here! Never being really far away from the coast, we took a few days off the beach and went inland to check out some ruins and Pamukkale, a kind of natural marvel with plenty travertines, something like little calcium pools shaped throughout centuries and centuries. The place used to be fantastic, but what we wrongly normally call "progress" brought hordes of tourists which meant hotels, with swimming pools, which meant that the natural pools dried out... Still it is a great place, specially because on top of the hot springs pools sits Hierapolis, another Greek-roman city with an amazing theatre, the most impressive we have seen so far.
As most of you know, we are travelling with Camille, and enjoying so much her company. It is always nice to share special days and places with special people! We are taking things very easy, not rushing at all, some days we have finished our breakfast at mid-day to really start the day after lunch!
We spared the first day we were together to visit Izmir, a big city of which we did not expect much and ended up being a day full of surprises and to remember.
We met a local called Mustafa, a local storekeeper who doubled up as a Fifa agent! He offered himself to teach us backgammon, hey this game is kind of the national obsession and time-killer. After teaching us patiently, he invited us for dinner later on. Casually we were walking around the city and hesitating about the date when we were in front of the Hilton hotel, the place where he told us he would wait for us! So, after unsuccessfully trying to close a deal for him with another Spanish Fifa agent who did not speak English we went for dinner and shared some drinks with him while he was trying to convert us into Muslim religion, and counting the sins we had committed so far...A day-night to remember!
Since then we have been playing backgammon every day, and getting new teachers all the way as for the locals is kind of funny to see some foreigners doing as they do!
On Monday we got to Bozcaada, a tiny island with a Greek touch not far from the mainland where there is not much to do other than lying on its amazingly clear water beaches and delight ourselves with its rich cousine and local wines! Not bad eh! Just what we were looking for!
The plan will not change much for the next days, a bit more of beach time and maybe some trekking around before leaving this little paradise to go to Troy.
Now time to get ready for tonight bıg match! Feeling the pressure already! We hope we will remeber this paradise for two good reasons...
You are all missed, we hope we could bring you all here and bet on backgammon...
All the best!