I’m pleased to report that the travelling each way was very smooth, with no dramas or delays. Julie used Booking.com to arrange taxis to and from the airport in Izmir, and they worked like clockwork, with great communication that included the driver’s name and telephone number. It also worked out much cheaper than arranging them through the hotel, a significant saving of over £75 on last year’s taxis. ($99)

We went back to the same coastal town we had visited in 2025, Kusadasi on the Aegean Sea. It was almost unchanged, allowing us an easy familiarity with the local restaurants and being able to navigate the streets when out and about walking. Although the weather was not as warm as last year, we had no rain at all and mostly sunny days with top temperatures of 16-18C (61-64F) due to a fresh breeze coming off the sea.

Unfortunately Julie had some major issues with her bad knee, which was swollen and painful from the second day there. That involved her having to elevate and rest her leg for long periods in the hotel room, but I was able to get around on my own and took some photos which will be posted soon.

The hotel we stayed in was a different one to last year, though part of the same group. We had a nice room on the seafront with sea views, arranged on a bed and breakfast basis, and though this hotel was actually considerably cheaper than the one last year, (by almost £600/$797) it was just as good.

For my birthday on the 16th, we went back to the excellent Chinese restaurant not far from the hotel and had a delicious meal. It seems strange to eat Chinese food in Turkey I know, but it is one of the best I have eaten in. The other nights we ate Turkish cuisine in various restaurants, and that was all great too.

While we were away I avoided all news, screens, TV, etc, as I had already seen enough of the Trump/Netanyahu war before departure. Yesterday we discovered that petrol has increased in price by around 10p a litre, and the heating oil is apparently very scarce, as well as being price-hiked to over double when available. All due to the actions of the orange man-baby in America and his controller in Tel Aviv.

When we got back to our house yesterday, our neighbours told us that a large part of the fencing at the front of the house had blown down in gale-force winds while we were in Turkey. Gerald had kindly made a temporary repair for us, but we will have to get it professionally replaced soon. It’s a gift to have such kind and helpful neighbours.

As usual, I will make a fresh start on the blog from today, and try to reply to all the comments. But I will be unable to catch up with all the posts I missed over 8 days. I hope you are all well, and look forward to reading your posts commencing tomorrow.