Goats, Rocks, and a two-car Garage

Turkey has a long and rich history that keeps popping up in modern day without expecting it. In the process of building a subway in Istanbul, workers came across the remains of an old ship dated back to the Byzantine era. It was quite a find and people realized that what is now land was once sea.

Turkey is actually a lot like Greece except it's cheaper. The cost of living is pretty equivalent to what you'd spend in the U.S. and places I'd often associated with Greek culture: Sparta, Troy, Olympus are actually in Turkey. My sister pointed out that at one time it actually may have been part of Greek culture because the Ottoman Empire covered all of that land.

I've found that the Turks are very friendly. They have no problems going up to strangers and touching them as if they know them. Our hostess and tweaked many cheeks on many children who had no idea what just happened as she just walked past. People grab shoulders and have long conversations with the people that they've asked directions from.

This is a borrowed computer so I have one more larger story and I'll end it for today. I'll have to finish the blog when I return from my trip but I've made lots of notes so it'll stay fresh.

This is the story of Kardak. Kardak is a little island a little larger than the size of a two car garage. It has no greenery or life on it. It's just rock and it's located off of Bodrum in the Aegean Sea. Kardak belongs neither to the Turkish nor to the Greek because it's not really worth owning. But about 7 to 8 years ago a Greek fisherman went to Kardak on his boat and dropped off a few goats after planting a Greek flag in the rock.

A Turkish soldier spotted the flag and Bodrum was automatically lined with soldiers and troops. The roads were repaired so the tanks could come through and the Greeks, seeing the Turkish army lining their coasts with armory began doing the same off the coast of Greece facing Turkey across the Sea. The Navy boats were lined up, the Air Force was ready to go and the tanks were pointing their guns toward Greece. Our host's mother owns a summer home in Bodrum and they were notified to stay away because they didn't know if they were going to be invaded by Greece.

Turkey and Greece were literally on the edge of war. The United States stepped in and asked each side to please keep the peace and removed the Greek flag from the island along with the Goats because they were dying since there was nothing to eat or drink on the little island. And with that, both sides backed down and ended the possible war.

The Greek fisherman became a huge hero in Greece but cost three governments a lot of headaches, millions of dollars/lire and a lot of wasted time.

What a way to become a hero, eh?