We took a ferry from Bodrum to Kos for an overnight trip to celebrate Ingrid's birthday. The food was great and the water was warmer than in Turkey. We stayed at a family-run hotel in Kardamena on the south side of the island. We went to the beach, in the pool and out to dinner in the town. It was a really nice way to spend her birthday.
This beautiful town was a 20 minute bus ride away, and we went here several times to: tour the castle, catch the ferry to Greece and meet some new friends, Flor and Natalie from Holland, for dinner & drinks. According to the locals, it was the Turks of the Ottoman Empire who built the white houses first and did so on the islands that they ruled which later became Greece. I must admit, this town looked more Greek than Kos, Greece did....
We had the best vacation in years! Western Turkey is far more European than we expected, and even though it was Ramadan, everything was open all day & night, so we spent the days lounging on the beach or sightseeing and the nights partying like we were 20 again! We stayed on 
the SW coast near Bodrum, very close to Greece (we could see Kos Island from the apt!) Here is our apartment and views from the balcony. The weather was sunny, warm and windy, but the sea was really cold, maybe low 70s (it's 95 in Dubai!)
We spent a few days here when Lance & Virginie came to check out HCT. The city has really grown since we were there in 2009. We stayed at the Sheraton, and these are picks from the rooftop pool looking towards the Corniche. It's hotter than Dubai but surrounded by mangrove swamps and beautiful blue-green tropical seas.
The 2010-2011 school year has finally come to an end. The years seem to be flying by faster and faster - a sure sign of age. Overseeing 50 teachers and 2000+ students obviously keeps me very busy. Surprisingly, I was able to present at 2 conferences - 1 in April on the Perceptions of the Spoken Dialects of Arabic in Jordan and another in May on Classroom Observation and Feedback at the British University in Dubai. And just last week, I got my first book REVIEW published - Varieties of English in Writing by Raymond Hickey. At least I don't feel so isolated from academia any more. Ingrid & I will be spending most of the summer here, so I can work on my dissertation, which I really need to finish, and we can get a bunch of doctor's and car appointments out of the way. We are also invited to an Emirati wedding in the UAE city of Fujairah (pic above), on the Eastern Coast/Indian Ocean. One of our co-workers will be wed on 7 July. Unlike last year, the weather has been quite comfortable. So far, we've only had a few really hot days (110+) and a couple of humid ones (dew points in the low 80's and humidity 90%). It's still nice enough to go to the pool and beach. Let's hope it stays this way. Then on August 2, for Ingrid's birthday (Aug 9), we are going to Bodrum, Turkey for 2 weeks! We rented an apt right on the beach where you can take a 20 minute boat ride over to Kos, Greece. It should be an adventure...
