It’s July 8th and we’re anchored in Tomb Bay in Turkey. Tomb Bay is called Tomb Bay because it has tombs around the bay. I haven’t written since we left Gaeta, so I better catch up.
We left Gaeta with the Dutch boat for a week together on our boat. One of the places we went was called Procida. There were tons and tons of shells there. All the kids collected lots of shells. Some of the ones my brothers and I collected, we used for my grandmother’s birthday present – a picture frame. (See more about that below.) That week was one of the best weeks we had because I had Charlotte to play with. She’s the 9 year old Dutch girl who wintered in Gaeta too, and we became really good friends.
After leaving the Dutch family, we sailed south to the bottom of Italy, and went to Sicily by car and ferry. We did an overnight so we could go by Stromboli, a volcano, at night. It’s no ordinary volcano. It erupts every 10 minutes or so, and used to be called the world’s biggest and most famous lighthouse. Then we went across the bottom of the foot, and left the boat for a week in a place called Crotone near the heel of Italy. Then we flew to London to meet my grandma for her birthday.
After we came back, we did an overnight straight to a place called Corfu. And that was a crossing from Italy to Greece. We spent about 6 weeks in Greece, and my grandma, grandpa and Aunt Marcia visited us for a week. It was really fun. Another thing I liked about Greece was the pool we got to use at the marina in Corfu.
Then we went to Turkey. I liked going from Greece to Turkey because we’re not only going from Greece to Turkey, but we went from Europe to Asia. The day we went to Turkey was my brother Danny’s birthday and we finished school that day. And my mom was really happy because her dream for this trip started in Turkey.
I like three places in Turkey lots and lots. One is Olu Deniz, because it’s a lagoon and is really pretty. And I liked Fetiye and Marmaris because there were pools at the marinas where we stayed. My other Grandma is visiting us here in Turkey now.
Here are some of the things I wrote for school along the way. Writing paragraphs was a big part of my school this spring; I had to write one almost every day.
London Trip (5/10/03)
I went to London for a week for my grandma’s 70’th berthday. My brothers and I made a really really speshle, one-of-a-kind present for her. We made a wooden picsher frame from scrach with shells that we found, and poem slots. The slots had boards that slid out with poems on them. When we gave the present to her she said it was the best present she’d ever gotten.
I saw my cousins, Nicky and Isabel. Nicky is six and Isabel is two. We fed the geese in St. James Park. I did tons of activity. I went to the zoo. I went to an arcade. And I went to a play called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
In London, I got to eat foods I have not eaten in a long time. I ate Chinese food for dinner one night. I had bagels too. The burritos were so good. Speaking of good, have you ever had a Subway sandwich? KFC was really good too.
Volcanoes (5/21/03)
One of the things I really liked this year was the volcanoes. One is Etna. My brother wanted to pea on it, because a long time ago my grandpa pead on a volcano and it erupted three days later. The other is Stromboli. You could see the lava flowing down it.
What I like and What I Miss (5/26/03)
I love to sail because we can see dolphins. I love to swim because you can see fish. I loved our month ski trip. I liked Trois Valley. We could have skied in Paris too. It snowed in Paris.
I miss some things from home too. I miss my friends, like Katherine and Delaney, and Neenie the most. I miss foods too. I miss my home a lot also.
I still want to go to these places: Turkey, Alaska, Hawaii, and Egypt.
Dolphins (6/01/03)
While we were sailing we saw a whole school of dolphins. It was amazing. They swam under us, arownd us, in front of us, in back of us, and on the side of us. They jumped in and out of the water. I was jumping everyware on the boat. I loved it.
Canals (6/02/03)
We went to a canal. A canal is something that connects two bodies of water. The one we just went through is the Corinthian Canal. It connects the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea. The canal took 2,000 years to build and 6,000 Jewish slaves to build it. The bridges over this canal sink into the water so the boats can go through.
Brothers (6/06/03)
I hate my brothers. They tease me. They’re mean to me. They hurt me. Sometimes I love them.
Grandparents (6/8/03)
My grandparents and aunt are coming today. They’re coming for a week. I want to swim with them. I can’t wait. I love them.
Going to Turkey (6/18/03)
I want to go to Turkey partly for one reason – money. You get huge stacks because their money isn’t worth very much. It will be fun, I think. In Turkey it will be very very hot. I can’t wait. I’m so excited.
Our Year Trip (6/21/03)
My family took a year trip. We sailed in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey. While we were in Gaeta, Italy for the winter, we took trains to Switzerland and Paris. There were some good things and some bad things. These are places and things that were special to me:
Why I want a Dog (6/23/03 – Final Essay)
I love all kinds of dogs. They’re soft, cuddly, and they can sleep on your bed. They’re playful and they jump and lick. I might want a Chawawa because it’s playful and it can fit in your purse. I might want a German Shepherd because we can dance. I might want a weeny dog because they’re so cute. I used to have a black lab and it would be nice to have one again. I love dogs.
