Reid & Robie

Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.

– Al Bernstein

The weather is heating up, and the crowds are everywhere. Welcome to summertime in Europe.

Travel and sightseeing

In June we took a trip to Cappadocia and spent 4 nights living like troglodytes. Each morning we rose before the sun to watch hot air balloons float across the sky. One day we took a tour to see an old, underground city, gorge and ancient crater lake as well as a monastery while learning the history of Christianity in the region. At the Gӧreme Open Air Museum we also saw several early Christian churches carved from soft, volcanic rock.

During a stopover in Ankara, we visited the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and got to try lamb kidney sandwiches (delicious!). Back in Istanbul we visited the National Painting and Naval museums, took a ferry trip along the Bosphorus to the Black Sea and spent Father’s Day traveling to the suburb of Bakirkӧy just because we heard Caldera Restaurant had the best Mexican food in the city.

Where we’re going next

We move to Scotland next week and will spend the rest of summer in the Highlands while hosting a few friends. We’re also planning a week in Isle of Skye thanks to amigos in Palermo kind enough to lend us their cabin.

In September we head to the States for a three-week, four-city tour and look forward to seeing family and friends in St. Pete September 22-25 then more in Dallas September 30-October 4. Afterwards, we head back across the pond and finish 2026 in southern France.

Also this month, we worked on a preliminary itinerary for the first half of 2027. After two and a half years, it will finally be time to leave Europe and head south. Our plan is to spend January in Cyprus before heading to North Africa to see family. Come March, we’ll make the leap to South Africa to spend fall (March through June in the southern hemisphere) in Cape Town where Robie has coordinated a week with friends visiting from Dallas.

Cooking and Eating

In June we continued eating Turkish fajita once a week and transformed our weekly pizza tradition into Friday night pide night – because in Türkiye, the best pies are pides.

In Cappadocia we discovered a regional dish of sautéed mushrooms baked with cheese. It reminded us so much of the queso fundido at Resident Taquería in Lakewood, Dallas that for four days we barely ate anything else. The staff got to know us so well that when Robie inadvertently left without paying the bill, they weren’t concerned. They knew we’d return to pay for our meal.

Entertainment

When our free online streaming service shut down, we missed the finals at Roland Garros. Fortunately, we found alternatives and have been tuning into the World Cup at home as well as joining watching parties around Türkiye. Recently, we started watching Wimbledon and look forward to being in the same time zone for the finals and Open Championship.

Projects

Robie’s been working to build our Instagram profile. This month he added content from inside the Blue Mosque and tomb of Sultan Ahmet and his family. There’s also a reel from our tour of the underground city in Cappadocia and Robie’s daily commentary during his morning walks around Istanbul.

Other Happenings

This month we had maintenance issues with our apartment after the fan belt in our refrigerator began acting up. It started on Wednesday, the first day of a long, holiday weekend in Türkiye which left us to spend five excruciating days listening to an increasingly annoying racket until repairmen showed up Monday.

After opening the back of the freezer, the guys held a lengthy exchange with our host by phone then departed, abandoning the now inoperative unit. Two days later we watched from our window as a delivery truck backed up to unload a new fridge. Once the servicemen saw the dark, narrow staircase leading to our 4^th floor apartment, they refused to haul the new appliance upstairs.

Nine days after the ordeal started, our host came to town to install the new refrigerator. After cleaning the unit out and letting it air, Robie plugged it in and thought the thing defective. Then we realized our shiny, new fridge was also silent.

Later that same day, the hot water heater went on the fritz. Fortunately, our host sent someone to fix it within the hour. Then he refunded us $75 for our lost food as well as the two meals we were forced to eat out.

Budget and Finances

Our starting budget for June was $4,282 including one out-of-town trip. The four nights in Cappadocia plus a full-day tour came to $722.84 while the two additional nights we spent in Ankara, Türkiye’s capital, amounted to $328.97.

Once Robie realized Amazon Prime days were in June, we bought several items to replenish our diminishing supplies earlier than expected. Unable to ship them to Istanbul, we were fortunate to be able to rely on Reid’s brother and sister-in-law who are storing our new luggage for three months. (Thanks, Carl & Jackie!). It also meant moving funds to cover the added costs.

If we hadn’t gone on a shopping spree, we would have been under budget in June by $109.74. Instead, we were $584 over. Fortunately, with 2026 half over, we’re still on track to keep within our $60k for the year.

Conclusion

While June in Istanbul offered pleasant weather with a constant sea breeze coming in off the Sea of Marmara, we’re looking forward to landing in Scotland where daytime highs will be 58-63º F (14-17º C). Plus, we’ll get to enjoy nearly 18 hours of sunlight a day, the perfect opportunity for Robie to play a few rounds of golf!