I was almost late posting this post, but it wasn’t my fault. Some guy named Zuckerberg called me this morning and said he was from Facebook. I says, “So, I’m from Texas.” He replies, “Y’all need to change your internet password.” I retorts, “Why?” He says, “Your password is “Meatstew” So I quickly ask, “What’s wrong with that?” The Zuckmeister says, “It ain’t ‘Stroganoff!'” (Not much meat on that joke, either!)

Well, when last we spoke, I had been thrown off the island of Skiathos and was now heading for Kavala, Greece, and then to Bodrum, Turkey. As we were getting ready to tender (which has nothing to do with romance) we bumped into New Gingrich (the former Speaker of the House) and his charming wife, Callista. They were both very gracious, and Newt smiled when I told him that Patty was the “Speaker of our House.” (Yak, yak, yak, you know what I mean, guys?)

In any case, Kavala is a city/port in northern Greece, founded way back in the 7th century B.C. While there, we hired a friendly driver who took us to Ammolofoi Beach, a lovely spot about thirty minutes north of the city. The water was quite enjoyable, and like a lot of beach resorts, the food and drink were great. (The beach is famous for its Greek-style yogurt and grilled octopus.)

Early the following morning, we had the pleasure of checking off one of our “bucket items,” which was a day-long sailing cruise along the Turquoise Coast in an authentic Turkish gulet. (A gulet is a classic wooden yacht and has nothing to do with the tube that runs from the mouth to the stomach.) We sailed from the port of Bodrum down the coast and got to swim in some magnificent spots in the Aegean Sea. Despite the absence of grilled octopus, we had a marvelous lunch aboard ship, and consumed a few bottles of good Turkish wine.

Here’s an interesting bit of trivia… It seems that many Turkish men are named Otto. (I kept hearing them say, “Otto, man” everywhere we went.) Also, did you know that Turks love Raki, which is an alcoholic concoction made from grape pomace and aniseed, and has nothing to do with the boxer portrayed by Sylvester Stallone? Me neither. There is one similarity though… they will both knock you on your butt!

If you scroll down, you will see some photos of our lovely cabin on the Seabourn Encore. The beds were wonderful, and as you might imagine, I slept like a baby. (without wetting myself!) Of course, sleeping comes naturally to me. I could do it with my eyes closed.

Next time we meet, I shall endeavor to shed some light on our stops in Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, and Symi. The ship misplaced one of my suitcases when we went ashore in Crete, so I sued them. (I “lost the case!) That, of course, is another lame joke. I must be getting hungry. I’m excited about lunch today. We’re going to a new Indian restaurant called KARMA. There are no menus. You get what you deserve!

On that note, I shall take my leave. (You folks don’t deserve any more abuse!) Have a wonderful and safe week. Keep smiling! Love to all,

Doc Yanoff