Great-granddaughter of Usher Uberstine and spouse
add own side trips and extras to tour of Turkish region
Bette Rosenthal Solowitz, a granddaughter of Ethel Rubenstein Varonok, has loved traveling all her life.  After a career of teaching second graders in Los Angeles, she and husband, Ray, started a new life atop a Colorado mountain on the Western Slope, not far from Rifle, Colorado. 

There, Ray, who was a fine woods craftsman all his life, built them a new home, which they leave only to visit family and explore the world.
Directly above: In Istanbul, standing in front of the Obelisk of Theodosius, brought from Egypt in 390 AD and said to have been carved ca.1500 BC. At top: In Ankara, the capital of Turkey, Bette posed on the promenade entrance to the mausoleum and museum of Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey. 
Veteran travelers "We made our own travel accomodations," wrote Bette.  That made possible a day to rest up before starting their 15-day tour. 

They crossed the Dardenelles to visit Troy in Greece, and after many more stops around the region, which skirted the Agean and then the Mediterranean Seas, they ended up in Istanbul.  

After the tour In an old section of Istanbul, Bette and Ray found "an inexpensive hotel within walking distance of the Blue Mosque and the St. Sophia Museum," so they stayed another 10 days.  Above:  Ray in the underground city of Kaymakli, which is carved from soft volcanic rock.  "Early Christians hid from their persecutors there," wrote Bette.  "Some areas could hold 1,000 people for a month."  Ed.: How about their food and sanitation needs?
On their own They explored using  local transportation, took a ferry up the Bosphorus, visited museums, went to a concert, and spent time in both the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Bazaar.    Kerchiefs and skirts:
Bette and Ray found Moslem dress codes strict, but not insurmountable.  At the Blue Mosque, it was pointed out to Bette that she was without a head covering, so a kerchief was provided for her to don.

     

On another occasion:  At some other mosque --  Bette "forgot which" -- Ray happened to be wearing his walking shorts. Oh, oh. He was promptly given a skirt to put on.

Left: No longer the happy camper in his own tourist outfit, Ray paused to pose in the mosque-approved skirt. But he was in no mood for a smile.