Coffee at the Caravanserai

Last night was a formal evening which is not something I am used to. I did a very quick shopping last week and got a couple of dresses which I hoped would be suitable. So before dinner I got changed into a black sequinned dress and James put on his tuxedo, and when we went downstairs we felt very comfortable with what we were wearing, it was just right for the evening. It was fun to see everyone all dressed up and after another delicious dinner we went dancing again. James has turned into a party animal on this cruise! We also sampled one of the shows, a Broadway tribute, which is not really our kind of thing, but we really enjoyed it because the young cast were so energetic and talented.
When we went back to our cabin we could see land again; we were passing the very south of Greece and its South Aegean islands. We went out on the balcony to look at the stars; it was amazing.
This morning we woke up to find that we had already docked at Kusadasi in Turkey. We visited here twenty-five years ago so we were keen to see if it had changed. It is a bit more built up I think but also a lot smarter than I remember. The pedestrian bazaar around the Caravanserai is very attractive although we were hassled all the time by vendors trying to entice us into their shops using various methods e.g. "Excuse me sir you have forgotten something!" and when we turned round they would point at their shop! We did buy a pestle and mortar to replace the one we have lost (which will no doubt turn up as soon as we get home!) also a couple of plates with a traditional tulip design and some fake designer hoodies for the boys. The highlight of the visit for me was returning to the Caravanserai where we once had a lovely meal twenty five years ago with some friendly septuagenarians called Bill and Jean and a retired air force pilot and his cello playing girlfriend who was a good thirty years younger than him. The chances are high that Bill and Jean are dead now, but they were a very good example to us of people who were thoroughly enjoying their retirement and were young at heart. As for the pilot and his girlfriend, they will now be aged about eighty and fifty - I wonder what became of them; they were a rather volatile couple. Anyway the Caravanserai is still beautiful and cool inside so we had a coffee in the beautiful old courtyard and it was great. It was very quiet because it's a hotel so most people probably don't know that they can go in freely. We also walked out to Pigeon Island which is very pretty and has a tiny castle on it. We are now back on the ship relaxing at the small pool.