TRAVEL THE WORLD - SIMI, GREECE

Simi having no airport, we arrived in 2007 by boat after dark. We didn't know quite what to expect as only that afternoon had we decided to leave Rhodos two days earlier than planned and go to Simi instead. We were met at the harbour by the French lady who owned our small but lovely hotel. She was very welcoming and recommended a good seafood restaurant. In the morning we saw how beautiful this small island is. We hated having to leave the next day and wondered for a while if we would be able to. Dark black clouds promised a terrible storm as we waited at the harbour, unsure if the ferry for Rhodos would arrive. Eventually, rather than the ferry we expected, a hydrofoil came instead and took us to Rhodos safely but very stressed. The first photo shows the harbour at Simi. In the second we are having a Coke at the harbour and basking in the beautiful sun.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - FETHIYE, TURKEY

In 2001 we spent a month on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. We were in Istanbul on 9/11, and decided not to spend the planned two weeks in Syria because we were unsure about the intentions of the US government with respect to that country and would not have felt safe going there. Instead, we had a wonderful time in Turkey where the people were very kind to us, many of them no doubt believing we were Americans. Here you can see a typical boat called a gulet that you will find everywhere on the Turkish Aegean and Mediterranean. We often took a day trip on one of these boats for swimming as in the second photo where people are using a rope to assist them to get on board. We would swim all day at several scenic locations, and enjoy a barbecued chicken lunch accompanied by humourous entertainment put on by the crew.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

This boat trip took us across the Sea of Marmara from Yalova to Istanbul which you can see in the far distance. The setting sun made for a wonderful view of the city as we approached it.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - FETHIYE, TURKEY

Here we are near Fethiye, Turkey in 2001 following a wonderful swim. Nothing on vacation can top this! The salt water is warm and buoyant, the sea is a deep blue, the swim is refreshing, the other tourists are friendly. What more could you ask?

TRAVEL THE WORLD, DATCA, TURKEY

In 2001 when we travelled to Datca on a peninsula in southwest Turkey, we spent a day with Sugre on his boat. It was a gulet, a Turkish two-masted wooden sailboat. These boats, powered by engines, are plentiful everywhere along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. On our four trips to Turkey, we often went with other tourists for a day on a gulet - trips that involved touring in spectacular coastal scenery, swimming off the boat, a delicious barbecued lunch, and if all of this was not enough, enjoyable - often very funny - entertainment provided by the crew. Sugre was an especially nice man. We had the boat all to ourselves with Sugre and his daughter with whom he had a sweet, loving relationship.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - BRUGES, BELGIUM

No trip to Bruges would be complete without a boat trip on one of the town's many canals. This photo from 1997, the year we first visited Belgium, is a good example of why Bruges will always remain in my mind as the town where you only have to point your camera in any direction to get a great photo.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - PARIS

This photo, taken in 2008, features the tour boats, called Bateaux Mouches, which take visitors on the river Seine. The river, the historic artery of the city, has been connected by canals to other rivers: the Rhine, the Rhone and the Loire. Because travel via the rivers of France was of such importance historically, many of the famous landmark buildings of Paris have been built on the banks of the Seine. This is what makes a trip on a Bateau Mouche so interesting.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - LUXOR, EGYPT

The first impression of the Nile is of its immensity. An appreciation of the beauty of the Nile comes later, when you have seen it at various times of day, in the early morning, at mid-day, at dusk and at sunset. Like many functional things that have served a population for centuries, the felucca, photographed at Luxor in 2004, is a thing of grace and beauty.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - KAS, TURKEY

Our greatest pleasure while visiting the Mediterranean coast of Turkey has been to take a day trip on a gulet, a boat that is common in that part of the world, and to swim in the sea as we did in this photo taken near Kas in 2001. All of the resort towns have several of these boats moored in the harbour. In the evening, you can walk along the port, speak to the captains of the boats, select the one you like most, and pay a modest amount to reserve yourself a spot. Early the next morning the boat will leave with anywhere from about 15 to 40 passengers depending on its size. The captain will describe the sights as you pass by and prepare a lunch usually of salad, grilled chicken and beer or Pepsi. Two or three times during the day you will stop for a wonderfully refreshing swim in the warm, intense blue waters of the sea. Often, the crew will provide entertainment on the return to port in the late afternoon. I guarantee that when you arrive you will feel as comfortably warm and relaxed as you have ever felt in your life.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - KYRENIA, NORTH CYPRUS

Kyrenia is one of our very favourite places in the Mediterranean. You can see its attractive harbour in this photo taken in 2006. Near the harbour is a very interesting shipwreck museum in an old castle. It has the remains of an ancient ship (300 BC) discovered nearby. Swimming at Kyrenia is very nice, especially at our moderately priced but lovely hotel, the Denizkizi. Kyrenia also has a couple of excellent restaurants near the shipwreck museum.