Wow, what have we been up to since September 15th? Shortly after our last entry, the Turners traveled to Seoul, South Korea (not Seoul, Idaho). Julie was there on business and I tagged along with the brood as "Mr. Mom." It was a great opportunity to introduce our "halfies" to their mother's birthplace...we toured Seoul, visited a few palaces, shopped until we ran out of Won and ate until we ran out of belly. The kids, like their mother, have an affinity for Korean street food...the sweets and the spicy rice cakes. Hell, who am I kidding, I could eat the stuff all day, too. We were able to visit the orphanage from which Julie was adopted...the kids were able to see where Julie spent her very early days. We met with a representative of the orphanage, reviewed Julie's old file...it was really neat to think of all the possibilities, how many different ways Julie's life could have gone and yet there we were, Julie with three children of her own. It was a great trip back...the kids are anxious to return, something we may get to do again in February.
Let's see...when we returned from Seoul it was the usual...work, school, life, dust, some heat and the ever-present smell of Delhi. We endured that for just a couple weeks before setting out on a true vacation. The Turners flew to Barcelona (great city) and then shipped out for a 7-day western Mediterranean cruise. Our first cruise and it was SUH-WEEEEEEEEEET! We visited Malta, Naples, Rome, Florence and Cannes....well, that's where our ship went anyways. We only spent about an hour in Naples...most of that day was spent touring the ruins at Pompei (incredible), eating Neopolitan pizza and shopping along the promenade in Sorrento (amazing). We optioned out of the long trip into Rome from the port...it was a chilly, rainy day in Italy, so we remained aboard. The next day, however, we rented a kick-ass Peugeot (seriously, it was awesome) and drove through the Tuscan countryside (I want to buy a vineyard and a villa). We visited the city and commune of Lucca, with its beautiful Renaissance architecture...that bored the kids silly. It was raining (again), so we hopped back into the car and drove to Pisa...Eli was very excited about this site, after all the Little Einsteins had been to Pisa. The leaning tower was, in fact, leaning...we tried to take a picture of Julie holding it up, but so was every other tourist and we just didn't have the time. We ate pizza...again and it was amazing...again. Gelato and pizza...when we were in Italy, that's what we ate...because when you're in Italy that's what you should eat and you should eat plenty of it. Gelato followed, and occasionally preceded, most meals. D-A-M-N good...divine even. We wrapped up the cruise in Cannes, France...which was fancy and the French weren't nearly as rude as I expected. Honestly, we found the Italians less hospitable...of course, the Italians still get points for not surrendering to every little puff of wind that comes along. The vacation was fantastic...it wasn't long enough, but they never are. We're convinced however and cruises will now be added to the Turner family vacation repertoire.
We've been back in Delhi for some time now...work, school, dust, but thankfully no more heat. It's cooling off for "winter." Not exactly the winters I'm accustomed to nor the winter I'd prefer, but this is India and this is what we get. Of course, now that it's cooled off, people are burning dung to stay warm at night, so we wake most mornings to a fog of stench...that one unfortunately gets used to. Julie and I donned formal attire not long ago for the 2009 Marine Corps Ball...I had a tuxedo made and Julie a formal dress. Julie looked beautiful...I was merely presentable. I felt like James Bond...didn't quite look like him.
Alise is walking now...nearly running, at times. She's developing a personality all of her own...very similar to Eli and Olivia, but then also very different. She's constantly smiling (except when she's not) and her giggle is infectious. Eli is the epitomal 3-year-old boy...he's energy and imagination incarnate. He's getting so big...thinning out and growing up. He's writing his own name and counting as high as he feels like counting. Olivia is reading like a champ and churning out mathematical computations as if she were pre-disposed to do so (oh, wait). She recently finished yet another season of ballet and has wowed me with her beauty and her abilities.
We're ready for Christmas...our tree is up, our Christmas songs are downloaded from iTunes and Julie is treating everyone to a new batch of delicacies thrice a week. We miss our families and friends dearly and wish that we could spend the season stateside, with the chill in the air, the snow falling and a warming fire. I won't lie...I probably won't post again until after the new year, so...Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! We love and miss you all!!
Delhi...OUT!!!
