Réinitialiser la recherche
Ahmet Erkun
Ahmet Erkun

Ahmet Erkun

📍 Turquie En savoir plus
S’abonnerMessageStatistiques
  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    SWA Re-Priced

    13 septembre 2022, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    An article from Points Guy this afternoon led me to check the pricing on our Southwest Airlines flight from DEN to MIA on 13 December.

    I wasn’t expecting that we’d be able to fly for the promotional fare of $59 each. But I was hoping for a lower Business Select fare. Indeed, my wish was granted. It took just a couple of minutes to cancel the original booking and rebook ourselves on the same flight … thus saving a good chunk of change.

    The credit for the original booking has already hit the credit card as a pending refund. That’s a good thing!    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • RTW Redux ... 2023

    SFO-DEN Flight ... ✔︎

    14 août 2022, Baffin Bay ⋅ 🌬 41 °F

    I wasn’t anticipating that I would be writing in this journal while we are on our expedition voyage in the Canadian High Arctic. But something came up today that is directly related to RTW2023 … hence this footprint.

    (The story of our High Arctic adventure is at this link … if you wish to check it out … https://findpenguins.com/8pccjefaitoru/trip/61f…)

    Despite being in the middle of Baffin Bay — surrounded by sea ice and hundreds of miles away from land in every direction — the wi-fi signal onboard Quark’s Ultramarine was exceptionally good today. Thus, when the “purchase return airfare for RTW2023” notification popped up, I decided to try my luck.

    The United Airlines app opened right away when I clicked on it. In short order, I had a list of flights with award availability. Insignia is scheduled to arrive on the morning of 12 July for an overnight in San Francisco prior to disembarking world cruisers on the 13th. Award rates were better on the 12th versus the 13th, SO we have decided to leave a day early.

    We now have a 2:39p flight booked to DEN on 12 July. I have to wait a few days to select seats, but that’s OK. The aircraft is wide open … getting the E+ seats we paid for won’t be an issue.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Collage of the planned RTW2023 Exclusive Shoreside Events.

    Exclusive Shoreside Events

    30 juin 2022, États Unis ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    One of the published "perks" for a world voyage with Oceania is the planned exclusive shoreside events. I say planned because they might change before — or even after — we embark upon our adventure.

    On RTW2017, our events were scheduled for Hilo, Hawaii; Bora Bora, French Polynesia; Hong Kong, China; Singapore; and Seville, Spain. Due to logistics issues, we lost the event in Singapore about six months prior to embarking Insignia. In its stead, an event was added in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

    Of these events, we skipped two — Hilo and Hong Kong — opting instead to spend time with friends. The events in Bora Bora and Seville were really well done and we enjoyed them tremendously. The event in Dubai was a logistical nightmare IMHO and fell flat on its face.

    What does Oceania have planned for us for RTW2023? I'll let the events themselves be a surprise. But I will mention that they are scheduled to take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cape Town, South Africa; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Yangon, Myanmar; and Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

    P.S. The collage of images, snipped from the RTW2023 brochure, may or may not provide hints for the events 😉    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Adventuring Down Under
    4Splitting the bed made the cabin feel more spacious; I used the window as an enclosed veranda.

    CatC 4052 It Is

    27 juin 2022, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Normally, we prefer to book veranda cabins as I spend so much of my time on the ship sitting out there ... enjoying the fresh air and the sound of the ocean as the ship cleaves through the water.

    Not this time. With so much of the itinerary calling on ports as we make our way around Australia, we decided to just book an oceanview cabin.

    Here's the funny thing. We unintentionally booked the exact same cabin — #4052 — that we had on Regatta's sister ship Nautica when we did the Northern Glow and Vikings & Czars Grand Voyage in 2019.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Adventuring Down Under
    We visited the "un-starred" ports on RTW2017 ... won't mind revisiting them.

    New-to-Us

    25 juin 2022, États Unis ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    AusPan — short for “Australian Panorama” — is Oceania’s circumnavigation of Australia … on Regatta … R/T out of Sydney.

    This 35-day Extended Voyage consists of two segments. (1) “Awe of Australia” … 14 days from Sydney to Bali; (2) “Australian Extravaganza” … 21 days from Bali back to Sydney.

    What I really like about this 35-day itinerary is that only 11 days are at sea — that’s just over 30% of the itinerary … enough cruising days to catch our breath between ports of call. The remaining 24 days will see us visiting various ports … mostly in Australia … two in Indonesia. We’ve been to 6 of the ports … 15 will be new-to-us. Yes, the math doesn’t add up to 24 ports. That’s because 3 of them — Brisbane and Perth, Australia, and Bali, Indonesia — will be overnight stops.

    I'm sure we'll add some "land time" pre-cruise to take advantage of springtime in Australia. When and where is TBD. We have plenty of time to make that decision.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Adventuring Down Under
    The itinerary for our extended voyage ... at least as it stands at the time of booking.

    Circumnavigating Australia

    20 juin 2022, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    "Feast your eyes on an astonishing kaleidoscope of visual treats as you circumnavigate Australia for over a month, with highlights including the Great Barrier Reef, the coastal towns of the mesmerizing Outback and pristine Tasmania." 
~~ from the Oceania “Radiant Legacies” Brochure ~~

    We're going to take Oceania's advice in the quote above. This recent addition to our travel plans will wrap up 2023 and kickstart 2024.

    Details to follow ...    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Not just a flight switcheroo, but an airline switcheroo as well.

    UA Out ... SW In

    18 juin 2022, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    The short story ...

    United changed our December flight to Miami to an earlier departure ... 8:29a. It would have been OK if the flight was originating from COS ... which is a short drive away. It’s not OK for a flight originating from DEN ... which is 1.5 hours away ... if the traffic cooperates.

    Back to the drawing board.

    There were no other nonstop United flights that worked for us. So, I canceled the booking. The miles for the award tickets are already back in Mui's account ... the taxes & fees and the Economy+ upgrade fees are being refunded to the credit card. Easy peasy.

    After checking multiple airlines, we ended up booking a nonstop Southwest flight to get us to Miami. We'll be arriving a bit later than we wanted, but it beats getting up at the crack of dawn to make an early morning flight out of DEN.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Final Payment ... 1st Installment.

    Cha-Ching! ... Installment #1

    14 juin 2022, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    The final payment for RTW2023 — the 198-day version — is at hand.

    This voyage must be paid off by the end of June. My Chase credit card gives two points per dollar spent on travel. So, I'm using it to make the final payment ... in increments. I've got a carefully calculated schedule to ensure I don't miss the deadline.

    The first installment of the payment was today. Cha-Ching!    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    The 180-day voyage will have eight segments.

    RTW2023 Segments

    3 juin 2022, États Unis ⋅ 🌧 64 °F

    Oceania bundled RTW2023 with a couple of segments this year ... prior to or after the San Francisco to San Francisco voyage. Those longer versions of the itinerary went on sale at the same time the 180-day voyage did.

    I've been expecting that the 180-day voyage for 2023 would have segments. Just like all the previous world cruises Oceania has done since the first one in 2015.

    I've no idea when the segments came out for next year's 180-day itinerary. But someone on the roll call who had originally booked the full voyage mentioned recently that they had canceled and then rebooked two of the segments.

    So I went looking today. Looks like there will be eight segments ... just like the 2017 voyage.

    Pacific Panorama … San Francisco, California to Santiago, Chile
    Antarctica Explorer ... Santiago, Chile to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    Atlantic Expedition ... Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Cape Town, South Africa
    Safaris & Global Gems ... Cape Town, South Africa to Dubai, UAE
    Far East Legends ... Dubai, UAE to Singapore
    Southeast Asia Array ... Singapore to Hong Kong, China
    Spiritual Shrines ... Hong Kong, China to Tokyo, Japan
    Aleutian Bridgeway ... Tokyo, Japan to San Francisco, California

    I don't think the last three segments will remain as is. But time will tell.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Repricing our cabin under the Memorial Day Sale is a good thing!

    Festive Carib ... $s Saved

    26 mai 2022, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Oceania began a Memorial Day Sale yesterday. Reviewing the list of cruises to which the sale applies, I noted that our RTW2023 precursor cruise to the Caribbean was included.

    The sale is for a 4-category upgrade ... for new bookings. Darn! Not that we wanted to upgrade our cabin, really. That would mean moving cabins on turnaround day in Miami when the 198-day version of RTW2023 begins. I just wanted to take advantage of the lower pricing for our current cabin category.

    Hmmm! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right? So, I sent off an email to see if we could reprice the cruise under the sale fare and keep the same cabin. Turns out that we could.

    The revised invoice was in my inbox this morning. We've repriced cruises before, but this time the new fare is saving us a really nice chunk of change.

    Any savings is a good savings I say.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Looking forward to enjoying this Brickell Icon residence in December.

    Residence in Brickell ... ✔︎

    15 mai 2022, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Since neither the YVE Miami nor the Brickell Arch residence at the AKA Hotel turned out to be an option for December’s pre-cruise stay, today we sat down to figure out where we would be staying before we embark Insignia for the Festive Caribbean precursor cruise.

    [The backstory of our YVE Miami and Brickell Arch woes is in the European Crossing & Türkiye trip.]

    Regardless of our issues with the Brickell Arch residence in March, we still wanted to be in that neighborhood as it’s away from all the construction work in the Bayfront area. After perusing offerings on both AirBNB and VRBO, we booked a condo at the Brickell Icon W Residences.

    The place looks really nice … bright and airy … with views of the river, the bay, and the city. It’s an exterior residence … no “noise funnel” atrium like the one at the Brickell Arch to be worried about. Reviews are very complimentary. The only downside is that parking is not in the building. But the host offers discounted parking in the open lot adjacent to the property, so we've reserved a spot.

    The cancelation deadline for the property is 29 November to get a full refund. If something better pops up before then, we can reconsider. But we're happy with what we booked, so I doubt we'll be looking for an alternative.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • RTW Redux ... 2023
    Surprising my family when Insignia called on İzmir, Türkiye was a memorable moment from our cruise.

    Back from Our EuroCrossing

    13 mai 2022, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    We traveled for some 50+ days without getting bit by the COVID-19 virus, masking up in crowds and in places where we could not social distance ... only to get caught in its trap after we got home earlier this month.

    No worries, though. We both have a very mild case of this pandemic-inducing bug ... thanks mostly to being vaccinated and boosted. The funny thing is that we are just days away from our next booster. I guess we'll postpone the shots for now since being sick gives us natural immunity for a period of time.

    We are following the CDC quarantine recommendations, which means that I've had time on my hands to edit the FindPenguins footprints for the EuroCrossing segment of Oceania's RTW2022 voyage. Yeah ... that's the world cruise we canceled when we jumped ship to RTW2023.

    I thought I'd share a link here for those interested in reading about our experience.

    https://findpenguins.com/8pccjefaitoru/trip/620…

    P.S. For those concerned about being a segmenter on a world cruise, I can tell you that the vast majority of the RTW passengers were very welcoming and friendly. As for those few who seemed to think we were beneath their notice ... well, the way we see it, it wasn't our loss ;-)    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Pikes Peak welcomes us back home — Colorado Springs, CO.
    The flight attendant's "ingenious hot water bottle" helped me stay warm on the flight IAH-COS flight

    Home Sweet Home

    10 mai 2022, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    We’re back home! As much as we love traveling to lands distant and near, it’s always a delight to return home.

    Our flight from IAH to COS was on time and uneventful … but it sure was cold on the aircraft. The flight attendant had an ingenious method to help me stay warm. She filled a plastic water bottle with hot water, put a latex glove over it to create an extra layer of heat protection, and put the bottle in a paper cup so I could hold it without burning myself.

    Once we landed at 1:30p and collected our bags, an Uber whisked us home.

    Thus our 53-day trip has drawn to a close. We had a wonderful time … both on the cruise and with family in Turkey. Now, to get settled and plan for our next trip.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    In the subway to terminal B at IAH — Houston, TX.

    Travel Day 2 … Onward to COS

    10 mai 2022, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    We’ve checked out of the Marriott and are on our way home … should be pulling into the driveway by 2:30p if all goes as scheduled.

    Normally, we walk the underground pedestrian path from the hotel to the terminal. But the path is carpeted and the wheels on one of the bags have gone askew and aren’t rolling well. So, the subway it was today.

    More later ...    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Colorful welcome back to the USA! — IAH ... Houston, TX.

    Welcome to Houston

    9 mai 2022, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    Day 1 of our travels back to the US is now completed. We’ve checked in and settled into our room at the Marriott IAH … connected to George Bush Intercontinental Airport via a subway. Easy peasy.

    TK33 from IST to IAH was uneventful. We had a five minute delay leaving the gate at IST, but were on the ground at IAH 15-20 minutes early. It’s nice to see that the service in the business class cabin is back to its pre-pandemic levels. Mui, as he often does, slept between the two meal services … I watched a couple of movies, did a bit of journaling and reading, and tried to nap to no avail. No matter, the flight went by fast.

    Immigration was easy. IAH has biometric recognition at the Global Entry kiosks, so we were through in no time at all. Unlike in December, when our bags took forever to come onto the luggage carousel, this time we were lugging our bags out within minutes of arriving at baggage claim. A couple of escalators down and right onto a subway car. Perfect timing.

    The plan is to stay up at least until 9:00p to minimize the effects of jet lag after losing 9 hours in the span of a 12-hour flight. Our flight home tomorrow is not until noon, so we should get a good night’s rest.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Welcome to IST ... for the second time on this trip — İstanbul, Turkey.

    Whiling Away Time @ IST

    9 mai 2022, Turquie ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    An uneventful flight from ADB to IST.

    The aircraft pushed back on time at 8:50a … in the air seconds after 9:00a … breakfast on our trays by 9:09a … pilot announced descent into IST at 9:27a … rolling down the arrival runway at IST 9:49a … deplaned at the domestic terminal around 10:05a. Then, a long walk to the immigration checkpoint for international passengers … followed by a few minutes to get through the security checkpoint to enter the international terminal.

    Thus, formalities completed, we’re now ensconced in the THY business class lounge, whiling away the time until our long haul flight at 2:10p. Delicious food; beverages plentiful and varied. The lounge definitely lives up to all the hype.

    Fingers crossed for an on time departure and smooth flight to Houston, Texas.

    More later …    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Relaxing at Gate 241 @ ADB — İzmir, Turkey.

    At ADB

    9 mai 2022, Turquie ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    Mui had arranged for a taxi to pick us up from Mom’s at 6:30a. But we were ready by 6:00a, so he walked over to the corner to see if the cab could pick us up early. The driver was, in fact, ready. We bid mom farewell — until next year. Loaded up the bags. And were on our way to Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB) by 6:15a. Forty five minutes later, we were through the security checkpoint at the entrance to the domestic terminal.

    In recent years, whenever we use United miles for THY tickets, we run into problems at the check-in counter. Namely, the reservation in the system shows no luggage allowance. That requires the agent to call someone who has the authority to fix things in the computer so that the bags can be checked. It took about 20-30 minutes, but finally, the deed was done. The rest of the formalities were easy peasy as, at this hour, ADB is fairly quiet.

    We’re now ensconced at Gate 241. Our “winged chariot” has yet to arrive. Time to relax.

    More later …    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    A "making family memories on Mother's Day" selfie @ Sakız Restoran — Pasaport, İzmir.
    Grilled fresh fish @ Sakız Restoran — Pasaport, İzmir.

    Happy Mom’s Day

    8 mai 2022, Turquie ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    We went to Sakız Restoran for a late lunch today … to celebrate Mother’s Day … and to enjoy a farewell dinner with the family since we leave tomorrow to return to the USA.

    As is always the case, the food was delicious … the service was excellent. For once, instead of filling our tummies with mezes (Turkish tapas) only, we ordered just enough small plates to share so that we could enjoy grilled sea bass as well.

    Now, our bags are packed … just one still open for last minute items. The cab has been ordered for 6:30a tomorrow morning. The alarm is set for o’dark hundred.

    And, oh yes, we took the COVID-19 test that is required to re-enter the USA. Since most of the labs are closed because it is Sunday, we used the proctored eMed antigen test kits from the comfort of the condo. We’re NEGATIVE!    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Breakfast at Léone — Urla, İzmir.
    Welcome to the Arkas Art Museum — Urla, İzmir."The Blue Ribbon" (A. Stevens) ... Arkas Art Museum — Urla, İzmir."The Campanile of Santa Maria Nuova" (H.E. Cross) ... Arkas Art Museum — Urla, İzmir."A Canal in Amsterdam" (M. Kisling) ... Arkas Art Museum — Urla, İzmir.General view of the upstairs exhibit hall ... Arkas Art Museum — Urla, İzmir."The Council of Gods" (16th Century French tapestry) ... Arkas Art Museum — Urla, İzmir.Tapestries from the series of "The Story of Julius Caesar" ... Arkas Art Museum — Urla, İzmirTapestry corner detail from "The Story of Julius Caesar" ... Arkas Art Museum — Urla, İzmirTrio of Nudes in the garden ... Arkas Art Museum — Urla, İzmirCollection of busts and replicas of temples from antiquity ... Arkas Art Museum — Urla, İzmirThree of the busts of Roman Emperors ... Arkas Art Museum — Urla, İzmirMarble Replica of the Pergamon Altar ... original in the Berlin Museum ... Arkas Art Museum — Urla.Maritime Archaeology Museum — Urla İskele, İzmir."Making memories" selfie @ Fırın Vourla — Urla İskele, İzmir.

    Urla: Food-Art-Food

    7 mai 2022, Turquie ⋅ 🌙 63 °F

    A beautiful spring day — a bit breezy; but with blue skies and sunshine to mitigate the chill.

    To make the most of it, we began our day early with a 40-minute drive to Urla, a town in the Province of İzmir.

    First up, a delicious breakfast at Léone, a patisserie and boulangerie in the town center. Delicious food … beautiful presentation … excellent service. So glad we arrived early as within minutes of being seated, there was not a single table left empty.

    Next, we drove the short distance to Arkas Sanat Urla, an art museum that was founded by the Arkas Family to feature their collection of art … paintings, sculptures, carpets, tapestries, and more … some from Turkey, others from abroad.

    What a wonderful museum … bright and airy … housed in a custom-built building on the family estate. No admission … which is flabbergasting, but is in line with the family’s “… passion for reaching art to large masses and contributing to Izmir’s cultural life, …”

    Then, we drove down to the Urla waterfront to check out what is billed as a maritime archaeology museum. Not much there … a couple of old boats … a scale model of a fishing village. There’s a lot of work to be done before I’d call this place a museum.

    Finally, we wrapped up with beverages and sweet treats at Fırın Vourla, a café/restaurant on the Urla waterfront. Despite the breeze, we found a secluded table on the terrace so that we could enjoy the beautiful day as we ate our treats.

    What a great way to spend one of only two days we have left with family on this short visit to Turkey,    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Lokma ... deep fried leavened dough balls in simple syrup.

    İzmir Tradition: Lokma Dökmek

    6 mai 2022, Turquie ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Lokma is a pastry made with leavened dough. The dough is shaped either like a ball or a doughnut and deep fried. Then, it is soaked in simple syrup just long enough to coat the exterior. It is often garnished with cinnamon before serving.

    The name lokma literally translates as a bite or a morsel. When shaped like a ball, they are just that … a bite-sized sweet treat.

    It is possible to find a “lokmacı” (lokma maker) where one can enjoy this sweet treat. But that’s not how we came to be eating lokma today.

    You see, there is a tradition in Turkey called “lokma dökmek.” The literal translation is “dropping lokma” … from dropping bits of the dough into boiling hot oil to fry it. This is done by the family of a deceased person to honor his/her memory. Large quantities are made on the street, often in front of mosques, and the fresh, still-warm lokma is distributed to neighbors and passersby. It’s not uncommon for people to queue up to receive a plate and recite a prayer for the soul of the deceased after they eat the lokma. Though traditionally this is done forty days after someone has passed, it might also be done on the anniversary of the death of the deceased.

    The lokma that was “dropped” today was at the request of the young man who owns the neighborhood bakkal (mini market) … in honor of the anniversary of his mother’s death    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Kordon (İzmir Waterfront) ... near the Agora — İzmir, Turkey.
    Agora's Gate of Faustina ... near the Agora — İzmir, Turkey.Agora's arches of the west stoa ... near the Agora — İzmir, Turkey.Mosaic of Jeanne d'Arc on the wall of the French Cultural Center — Alsancak, İzmir.Mosaic of Paris landmarks on the wall of the French Cultural Center — Alsancak, İzmir.Dove carrying an olive branch on the wall of the French Cultural Center — Alsancak, İzmir.1Diving in the Deep — Konak, İzmir.Birds of a Feather — Konak, İzmir.

    Murals Around İzmir

    6 mai 2022, Turquie ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Longtime readers all know of my love of murals. The medium doesn't matter ... paint, tile, mosaic. So, of course, when I came across a few as we wandered around the city yesterday and today, I had to photograph them.En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • EuroCrossing & Türkiye 2022
    Mui orders a cup of coffee to wrap up our lunch — Konak, İzmir.
    A glimpse of the iconic landmarks of Konak Square, İzmir.Konak Mosque window detail — Konak Square, İzmir.A peek inside the Konak Mosque — Konak Square, İzmir.A "making memories at the iconic clock tower" selfie — Konak, İzmir.The iconic Clock Tower" — Konak, İzmir.Detail from the iconic Clock Tower" — Konak, İzmir.

    Konak Square

    5 mai 2022, Turquie ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    From the Agora, Mui and I headed into Kemeraltı, the shopping district, and grabbed some döner for lunch from Özev, the restaurant Murat took us to a few days ago.

    Then, we meandered to Konak Square to reach the waterfront for the stroll back to Alsancak.

    There are two iconic structures in the square.

    One is the Konak Mosque, which has a rather unique octagonal floor plan. The exterior of the windows are banded with tiles from Kütahya, a Turkish province that is famous for its tile works. The mosque, which dates back to 1748, has been restored several times ... most recently in 1964.

    The other structure in the square is the historic Clock Tower, which was inaugurated in 1901 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sultan Abdul Hamid II's accession to the throne. The top was destroyed twice during earthquakes, most recently in 1974. The tower, considered the symbol of the city and the province, underwent restoration in 2019.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction

Obtenez votre propre profil de voyageur

Gratuit

QR code

FindPenguins pour iOSFindPenguins pour Android