Blue Cruise & Fanta Pancakes

Blue Cruise

We rented a private boat for a two day cruise in the Mediterranean. The captain and the boat operator—whom we found online prior to leaving the U.S—was very knowledgeable, and did his best to entertain and accommodate us. 

The first day, we sailed to our first bay, spent time swimming, getting around on the speed boat, and then back on the boat for lunch. We slept on the deck, then went to a 2500 year old shipyard island which served as a ship dock/repair station dock on the Mediterranean. There, Amaka and Paschal went snorkeling, a first time experience for the two.

 It was amazing getting under the water, and seeing the creature and plant life that live beneath the sea.  Ugo and Chizor swam on the shore. Obi surprised all by taking off, and swimming for about 100 yards from the shore to  our docked boat.  

We then sailed to Kekova - the sunken city. The Greek-Roman city of more than 2500 years, all that is visible for us to see are the remnants protruding from the water, the shell of homes, and stones that are obviously from very, very old houses.  Swimming is now banned so we had to stay on the boat.

We then docked by Simena Bay with an old castle and necropolis.

 Had ice cream and then the left for a nearby bay where we docked under the dark sky and bright stars. The captain prepared fresh fish, and we all had dinner and slept off for the night.

In the morning, we had breakfast, while the floated around the Mediterranean. Swam, read, ate and then, repeated. After lunch late afternoon nap, we went kayaking. Everyone tried their hands on the paddle. It was fun! 

We then docked for walk on the beach with a spot of late night swimming.

The third day started same as the second, except that the captain left on the speed boat to take care of the immigration paper to proper entry into Greece and Obi ate a boiled egg. Though delayed, he secured the necessary papers, got our passports endorsed; we were off to Greece finally.

Odds & Ends II - Fanta Pancakes
 

One of the things about having kids who are very finicky is that you have to cook for them on vacation especially long extended trips of this type.  So after we arrived Istanbul to our apartment – one of our first stops was to a supermarket.  This is kind of fun – looking for familiar and not so familiar products – trying new and exotic brands and seeing how global some brands are – Maggi, Danone yogurts, almighty Coca Cola products.  Trying to decipher if you have the right product in a store where no one speaks English and the products are not labeled in English – interesting.  I went round and round and could not find baking powder for the pancakes that I was going to make the next morning… so I got baking soda.  In the morning after consulting the internet and getting advice on not using baking soda unless I had cream of tartar – (apparently cream of tartar + baking soda = baking powder)… I remembered a Food Network episode of Diners where Guy F. the chef visited a diner where the secret ingredient in the pancakes was sprite… I did not have sprite but Fanta… so we had Fanta pancakes ….the carbon dioxide from the soda made the pancake rise a little and the kids loved the novelty.  Obi now asks periodically for Fanta or Sprite pancake….Saved by the Food Network.