Given the cold, windy day yesterday, we enjoyed a lazy day onboard, although Roy did brave the early morning chill to enjoy a long exercise walk, while Elaine stayed snuggled in the warmth of her bed.

After breakfast, while Roy spent most of the remainder of his day just being deck fluff, Elaine sorted out the laundry to be dropped off at the laundry service and started work on one of two outstanding videos of our time in Thailand, our visit the Ao Phang Nga National Park and Krabi Province. Most of her day, though, was spent catching up with family; first a chat to her sister in Ireland, then a chat to her folks in Ireland and finally a chat to Keenan in the US, only to discover that he had been up all night with food poisoning on top of still trying to get over COVID-19; he really is in the wars at the moment. Our hearts go out to him and wish him a speedy recovery!

In between all that, we napped and managed an afternoon walk before the sun dipped behind the mountains.

Today was a slightly more energetic day, as well as being somewhat more productive than yesterday, given that it was a slightly warmer day.

Around mid-morning we strolled into town and stopped at Klass Pastanesi for a coffee and to sample a few more different varieties of baklava, eating far more than we intended, as usual!

When the Ottoman Empire came to power in the 14th century the history of baklava changed forever, when many cultures, who had developed their own versions, were swallowed up within the empire’s borders, which effectively meant that the making of baklava was consolidated and perfected, since all of the region’s finest chefs were now working together. From its thin, flaky pastry and decadent filling of nuts and spices to that perfect drizzle of honey on top, baklava is as close as your taste buds will get to heaven on earth. No wonder it was one of the most popular sweet pastries of Ottoman cuisine.

It is believed that the current form was developed in the imperial kitchens of the Topkapi Palace in Constantinople; modern day Istanbul, where the Sultan presented trays of baklava to the Janissaries; members of the elite infantry unit that formed the Sultan’s household troops, every 15th of the month of Ramadan, in a ceremonial procession called the “Baklava Alayı”.

When the Ottoman Empire fell in the early part of the 20th Century, baklava spread across Europe and beyond.

It is, however, more than just a delicious treat. It comes with a number of health benefits; the variety of nuts are high in unsaturated fat, which help control cholesterol and are a great source of vitamin E, copper, magnesium and folic acid. The pastry is low in calories and free from both trans-fat and saturated fats, while the honey helps control blood sugar levels.

After satisfying our taste buds, we wandered around a little to find the bakery we’d seen on a previous walk. Fortunately our memories served us well, so we tried yet another traditional bread, the Turkish sesame bread ring called “Simit”, which we enjoyed for lunch. Very tasty!

Returning to Paw Paw, our last stop was supposed to be at a nearby Spa to make an appointment for Elaine, but, instead, we stumbled upon a store that was packed full of all sorts of household items we needed, including another bucket and two suitcases for our upcoming trip.

Then, in lieu of having a nap, Elaine got caught up on a number of miscellaneous tasks, including finalising the documentation needed for our upcoming meeting with immigration, printing our latest yacht and medical insurance policies and preparing our latest medical insurance claims, the latter after our visit to the hospital earlier this week.

By then it was time to enjoy a sundowner on the patio of a local establishment, while our sensors were treated to the beautiful sights and smells of all the orange blossoms in bloom under a warm Spring day and where Roy made another furry friend.

Happy Easter everyone. Sadly we won’t be having any Easter Eggs this year; there’s not one in sight!

Given the cold, windy day yesterday, we enjoyed a lazy day onboard, although Roy did brave the early morning chill to enjoy a long exercise walk, while Elaine stayed snuggled in the warmth of her bed.

After breakfast, while Roy spent most of the remainder of his day just being deck fluff, Elaine sorted out the laundry to be dropped off at the laundry service and started work on one of two outstanding videos of our time in Thailand, our visit the Ao Phang Nga National Park and Krabi Province. Most of her day, though, was spent catching up with family; first a chat to her sister in Ireland, then a chat to her folks in Ireland and finally a chat to Keenan in the US, only to discover that he had been up all night with food poisoning on top of still trying to get over COVID-19; he really is in the wars at the moment. Our hearts go out to him and wish him a speedy recovery! 

In between all that, we napped and managed an afternoon walk before the sun dipped behind the mountains. 

Today was a slightly more energetic day, as well as being somewhat more productive than yesterday, given that it was a slightly warmer day.

Around mid-morning we strolled into town and stopped at Klass Pastanesi for a coffee and to sample a few more different varieties of baklava, eating far more than we intended, as usual!

When the Ottoman Empire came to power in the 14th century the history of baklava changed forever, when many cultures, who had developed their own versions, were swallowed up within the empire’s borders, which effectively meant that the making of baklava was consolidated and perfected, since all of the region’s finest chefs were now working together. From its thin, flaky pastry and decadent filling of nuts and spices to that perfect drizzle of honey on top, baklava is as close as your taste buds will get to heaven on earth. No wonder it was one of the most popular sweet pastries of Ottoman cuisine.

It is believed that the current form was developed in the imperial kitchens of the Topkapi Palace in Constantinople; modern day Istanbul, where the Sultan presented trays of baklava to the Janissaries; members of the elite infantry unit that formed the Sultan’s household troops, every 15th of the month of Ramadan, in a ceremonial procession called the “Baklava Alayı”.

When the Ottoman Empire fell in the early part of the 20th Century, baklava spread across Europe and beyond. 

It is, however, more than just a delicious treat. It comes with a number of health benefits; the variety of nuts are high in unsaturated fat, which help control cholesterol and are a great source of vitamin E, copper, magnesium and folic acid. The pastry is low in calories and free from both trans-fat and saturated fats, while the honey helps control blood sugar levels.

After satisfying our taste buds, we wandered around a little to find the bakery we’d seen on a previous walk. Fortunately our memories served us well, so we tried yet another traditional bread, the Turkish sesame bread ring called “Simit”, which we enjoyed for lunch. Very tasty!

Returning to Paw Paw, our last stop was supposed to be at a nearby Spa to make an appointment for Elaine, but, instead, we stumbled upon a store that was packed full of all sorts of household items we needed, including another bucket and two suitcases for our upcoming trip. 

Then, in lieu of having a nap, Elaine got caught up on a number of miscellaneous tasks, including finalising the documentation needed for our upcoming meeting with immigration, printing our latest yacht and medical insurance policies and preparing our latest medical insurance claims, the latter after our visit to the hospital earlier this week.

By then it was time to enjoy a sundowner on the patio of a local establishment, while our sensors were treated to the beautiful sights and smells of all the orange blossoms in bloom under a warm Spring day and where Roy made another furry friend. 

Happy Easter everyone. Sadly we won’t be having any Easter Eggs this year; there’s not one in sight!