**Note The death of Mamma Clara, my grandmother was covered in chapter 39 of the first volume. However, because it is an integral part of the plot in the second volume I will briefly discuss it again in some detail below.**
Soon after I had enrolled in my Criminolgy program, my grandmother Clara passed away. My grandparent’s original Will called for their estate to be divided between my father Sam and my Aunt Christine. Now that my father had passed away, the will was to now be divided between my aunt and myself. The value of the estate was in excess of $4 million. So I became an immediate millionaire. With proper money management I would never have to work again. However, I continued with my career path. This was mainly because it had never been about the money, it had been about gaining closure for myself and my family.
With the death of my Grandmother, her Kurdish Mastiffs since my Aunt Christine did not want them were bequeathed to me. My Aunt Ichika who lived in the country agreed to take care of them for me. I made an effort at least once a month to not only visit my aunt but to bond with my ever increasing dog family. My aunt ever the go-getter started selling the puppies. Being pure-blooded Mastiffs from Kurdistan they were worth quite a bit of money. You may remember that my Grandfather had previously purchased a mate for Sarge many years ago. These dogs are all from that original litter. He had also found other breeders to help keep our population from becoming inbred. The dogs my aunt are now breeding are in addition to the dog that Mamma Clara had gifted to me before she died. One of my stipulations to my aunt Ichicka was that we kept a few dogs for ourselves. I also wanted to have them trained as guard and attack dogs. You never could tell when a well-trained 200lb dog may come in handy. I still remember my father’s story about how Sarge had saved his life. Besides since I lived in the city and my aunt lived by herself in the country it made sense to have them as protection.
By the time I graduated from college, thanks to good money management I had more than doubled the original $2.1 million inheritance. My net worth was now over four million dollars. Hopefully it would continue to grow because more money translates into greater resources for my sister Yua’s investigation.
When I graduated from college with my B.A. in Criminolgy, my graduating party was quite meager. It only included my Aunt Ichika, Aunt Christine and her husband Uncle Spencer and my partner Sergeant Frank Tomlison and his wife Betty Tomlison. After the ceremony, we went out to dinner on my dime. Considering that I was well off, it was the least I could do. I had heard a lot about Randy’s Prime Seafood & Steaks Restaurant and since we were all in agreement, that is where we went.
The prices were certainly not for the faint of heart. My Grandpa Gordon must be laughing his ass of right about now. I remember hearing about his reaction to their dinner bill at Ruth Chris’s Steak House in Las Vegas. I can definitely feel his pain because this meal set me back over eight hundred dollars for just six people. Well, “easy come easy go”.
During the last four years of my life I had been quite busy and I was in much need of some good old R&R. Since I had not taken any PTO during this period, I had quite a bit of time built up. For some reason, Istanbul kept on coming up even on TV commercials. As I have mentioned previously, I have been having strange feelings lately, with Turkey and its largest city Istanbul being right in the forefront of these premonitions. Since unlike my grandpa and father I have never really been anywhere, I contacted a travel agent at Steve Johnson’s Travel Agency. I told them that I wanted to spend some time traveling through Europe and Turkey.
Steve Johnson, the owner of the agency recommended that since I had ample time and pretty much unlimited funds that I include Morocco, Egypt and Jordan in my itinerary. The plan he came up with basically followed the Mediterranean Sea. It was a hybrid trip that included travel by bus, rail and by sea. My itinerary started with Morocco and continued on through Spain, Southern France, Corsica, Sardinia, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Egypt and finished up by me soaking in the Red Sea. I had six weeks of PTO built up and it was going to take every bit of it. He further recommended that I make a second trip covering a more northerly route through Europe, by starting with the United Kingdom. Of course, for a small fee he would be more than happy to plan it out for me as well.
Since Captain Smelter knew how hard I had been working the last four years, he readily approved my vacation request. During my absence my partner Sergeant Tomlinson would be asigned a temporary replacement.
I have included below an itinerary of the places I visited and some of the activities I participated in while in each of the countries that I explored. This was not a rush type of vacation, while I did visit a lot of different countries, I had time to explore each one of them extensively.
Morocco
12 Best Things To Do In Morocco
1. Explore Casablanca
2. See the medina in Fez
3. Wander through Ait Benhaddou
4. See the city of Marrakech
5. See the Blue Village of Chefchaouen
6. Walk the desert at Merzouga
7. Explore the capital, Rabat
8. Spend some time in Tangier
9. Hike the Gorges of Dades
10. Visit Moulay Idriss Zerhoun
11. See the Ouzoud Waterfall
12. See the arches of Legzira beach
Coastal Town of Spain
- The Alhambra
- Seville
- Malaga
- Marbella
- Cordoba
- Cadiz
- Balearic Islands
Southern France
- Fortified City of Carcassonne
- Les Calanques National Park
- Nice
- Explore Marseille
- Climb the Montagne Sainte-Victoire
- Explore the Camargue
- Provencal Aix-en-Provence
- Avignon, UNESCO Heritage City
- Drive Along the Cote d’Azur
- Visit the Famous French Lavender Fields
- Take a Boat Trip
- Head to the Island of Porquerolles
Corsica
- Swimming from one of Corsica’s many beautiful beaches or rivers
- Go walking
- Try some diving and snorkeling
- Eat traditional Corsican cuisine
- Visit a wine estate
- Explore hilltop villages
- Embark on a boat trip
- Listen to the Polyphonic singing
- Visit historic Citadel towns
- Admire the views from the train
Sardinia
- Enjoy the beaches
- Go sailing
- Explore the cities
- Visit the villages
- Visit some of the archeological sites
- Go to a Fairy’s House or a Giant’s Tomb
- Check out the mines
- Check out the caves
- Go in search of hidden churches
- Go to a festival
- Shape up with some watersports
- Hike or climb
- Eat and drink
- Enjoy the sunset
Venice, Italy
- Ostuni
- Arco Magno
- Naples
- Maratea
- Castelmezzano
- Sorrento
- Paestum
- Capri
- Alberobello
- Tropea
- Sassi di Matera
- Lecce
- Pompeii & Herculaneum
- Amalfi Coast
- Venic
Greece
- Explore ancient Athens
- Hop around the Greek Isands
- Eat the very best Greek food
- Visit the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi
- Climb the stone spires of Meteora
- Sit back and enjoy Greece’s cafe culture
- Take in a Cycladic sunset
- Enjoy culture and history in Thessaloniki
- Celebrate Greek Orthodox Easter
- Explore car-free Hydra on foot
- Solve the mysteries of Knossos and Minoan culture
- Relax on Crete’s beaches
- Check out the cute villages of Zagorohoria
- Admire the beauty of Corfu’s Old Town
- Dive into history in the Peloponnese
- See where the first Olympic Games took place
Turkey
- Tour the ancient city of Ephesus
- Luxuriate in a Turkish bath
- See Cappadocia from above and below
- Feast on meze and fish
- Shop in colorful bazaars
- Admire architectural splendor in Istanbul
- Cruise turquoise waters on a gület
- Hike the Lycian Way
- See incredible Roman mosaics
- Linger over a leisurely Turkish breakfast
- Watch the sunrise from atop Mt. Nemrut
- Imagine the beginnings of human civilization
Cyprus
- Kykkos Monasterey
- Nissi Beach
- Aphrodite’s Rock – Petra tou Romiou
- Tombs of the Kings
- Ayios Lazaros (The Church of Saint Lazarus)
- Kato Paphos Archaeological Park
- Paphos Castle
- Mount Olympus
- Kolossi Castle
- Hala Sultan Tekke
- Fig Tree Bay
- Larnaca Salt Lake
- Fasouri Watermania
- Cyprus Museum
- Morphou Archaeology and Nature Museum
- The Shipwreck Museum
- Coral Bay
- Oleastro Olive Park and Museum
Israel
- GET SOME VITAMIN “SEA” – BEACHES, BEACHES, BEACHES
- STEP INTO THE PAST- HISTORICAL SITES
- NATURAL WONDERS – NATURE AND WILDLIFE IN ISRAEL
- MUSEUMS – FROM ART TO HISTORY
Jordan
- Petra
- Dead Sea
- Wadi Rum
- Jerash Ruins
- Aqaba
- Roman Ruins in Amman
- Ancient Mosaics of Madaba
- Wadi Mujib
- Desert Castles
- Ajloun
- Mount Nebo
Egypt
- Marvel at the pyramids of Giza
- Learn to dive in the Red Sea
- Sail along the Nile
- See the first pyramids
- Go for a camel ride
- Sleep in the desert
- Explore the Karnak and Luxor temple complexes
- Visit the Valley of the Kings
- Come face to face with Tutankhamun
- Walk in the footsteps of Moses
- Learn to cook Egyptian food
- Tour a learned city
- Watch boats pass along the Suez Canal
- Swim with dolphins in Hurghada
- Travel to a relocated temple
- Learn to bargain in a bazaar
- Take a hot-air balloon ride over Luxor
- Step into history at Bibliotheca Alexandrina
- Explore Kom Ombo and Edfu
- Take a food tour of Cairo
- Spend time in an oasis
Red Sea
Like my Grandpa Gordon and my Papa Sam, I am taking a nice camera along with me on the trip to record the things I have seen. Hopefully at some point in time I will have someone to show these photos to or maybe revisit some of my favorite sites.
Unlike my Grandfather who had to purchase a used camera or my father who had to borrow his father’s camera, I had the wherewithal to purchase a new one. I purchased a brand new Sony a99 camera with a 50mm f1.4 kit lens. I could have purchased a better and more versatile lens, but I chose to keep my travel profile down to a minimum.
While I could devote hundreds of pages recounting my extensive travels trhough Southern Europe and Eastern Asia, I have decided to only cover my time in Istanbul as the events that transpired there are germain to my story. Besides, these two books are not travel books but chronicles of my family, the Andersons. If that is what you want there are many wonderful books devoted to this subject, one in particular was written by my chronicler.
As my odyssey unfolded, my strange feelings and sensations became stronger and stronger. I now have the feeling that I am running out of time as well. By the time I arrived in Istanbul, these feelings were virtually screaming at me. I can only describe my feelings as possible premonitions or maybe some kind of sixth sense. All I know is that these feelings have lead to Istanbul. When I arrived in Istanbul, I found a nice hotel that had rooms overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. After doing some exploring around the city, I got a bite to eat at a restuarant located on the first floor of the hotel resort. It specialized in the food of the Mediterranean region and was quite good.
My meal started with a Greek Salad:
Greek salad is a classic Mediterranean dish, and Greek food is one of the most famous Mediterranean cuisines. It is the perfect summer salad, with fresh flavors and a delicious drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. You’ll typically find chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, black olives, and either crumbled feta cheese or a thick slice of feta cheese perched on top of the rest of the salad. The extra virgin olive oil neutralizes the acidity of the onion, and you might also find a sprinkling of oregano for an aromatic added flavor.
When the Greek salad was truly invented is a bit of a mystery. The version of the salad we know and love today was created by tavern owners in Plaka between 1960 and 1970. However, adaptions of the recipe have been used for centuries. Greece is one of the leading producers of the world’s olives and has been growing olive trees since Ancient Greece. The Mediterranean climate is perfect for growing olives and fresh vegetables all year round.
It was followed by Moussaka:
Speaking of staples in a Mediterranean diet, moussaka is a delicious eggplant-based dish hugely popular in modern Mediterranean cuisine. It looks a little like a lasagna with a thick bechamel sauce topping. Many people suggest that it is a Greek version of Italian lasagna. While there’s no historical accuracy to this, it is a helpful comparison to help you picture the dish. Moussaka uses layers of eggplant or potato instead of pasta sheets, with a rich tomato sauce and often ground meat, like lamb, between each layer. Moussaka is comfort food through and through – perfect for a hearty meal.
Early versions of moussaka can be dated back to around the 13th century, although the exact date of invention is unknown. The moussaka eaten today is a Greek version of an Arabic dish, which most likely was originally an Arabic eggplant stew. The dish has evolved a lot since its early days. Of course, now, you’ll find moussaka across Greece, Turkey, and Middle Eastern Mediterranean countries. You can also replicate the dish quite easily at home.
A Mediterranean meal would not be complete without Baklava:
Baklava is an iconic Greek dessert that has been enjoyed for centuries. This particular recipe captures the flavors of traditional Greek baklava using simple ingredients like phyllo dough, walnuts, butter, cinnamon, water, lemon peel, white sugar, vanilla, and honey.
Now that I was thoroughly stuffed, I decided to call it an early night so I could get caught up on my sleep. I had been really pushing it on my vacation, so I figured a little downtime was in order.
After I finished my meal, I went up to my room, took a shower and crashed. It seemed like I had just fallen asleep when out-of-nowhere I was awaken by a loud noise, only there was nothing going on, the noise came from inside of my head. When I looked at the clock it was only 1:00 AM. I rolled back over and fell asleep again, only to be awakened again by the same loud noise, only now it was 4:00 AM. I finally decided to get up and go out for a walk. After walking for a while I came across this park that abutted up to the sea. It was still closed, but I could see the beach past the chained gate. The draw of the sea was just too strong to resist. Besides I had heard about the sunsets and sunrises on the Mediterranean and according to all accounts they were to die for. So I said, “Screw it” and stepped over the chain and continued on down the trail to the beach. As the trail got more sandy, I rolled up my pants and took off my leather sandals in anticipation of walking along the shoreline as I watched the sun coming up.
As I drew closer to the beach I saw this young girl sitting all by herself on a park bench. Normally I would have just kept on walking by someone sitting by themselves, but she looked so lonely and forelorn that I felt compelled to talk to her. I spoke laughingly, “I see I am not the only rulebreaker here today. Would you mind if I sat down and watched the sun come up with you?”
The young lady replied weakly, “Please do, I would love the company.”
I smiled and replied in an upbeat voice, “Excellent!” And sat down. As if on cue, the sun started appearing on the horizon, before long the water turned a beautiful orange red and the clouds all lit up as if they were on fire.
The young lady exclaimed, “Oh my God!” and immediately started coughing and convulsing. Her hand brushed my arm and she immediately went limp in my arms. I felt for a pulse and there was none. I immediately laid her flat on the bench and looked around and shouted that I needed help, but there was nobody in sight. Her lips were turning blue, so I immediately gave her two rescue breaths and I quickly checked her pulse and started doing chest compressions. I did 30 compressions followed by two breaths. I checked her pulse again but there was none. I continued CPR for what seemed like forever, when finally I could not make my arms move any more. I was absolutely exhausted. By that time her skin was starting to get cold and her lips and fingernails were a deep blue color. It was then that I knew she was truly gone.
Out of habit I checked for some form of ID but she had none. There were no track marks on her arms but that did not necessarily mean anything. She was quite thin and had bruises in various stages of healing on her arms, and she even had a what looked like an old black eye which may indicate some form of abuse, sexual or otherwise. I didn’t know what to do, luckily for me the park finally opened up and one of the custodians walked down the path to the beach to make sure that it was clean and ready for the public. I guess since the beach was popular with the homeless people this was part of his daily ritual.
On any given morning, the maintenance workers would also have to roust at least one or two indigent people out of the park. When I told him what had happened, he immediately called the police on his portable radio. They arrived within five minutes and were followed soon after by paramedics. When the paramedics arrived, they checked for a pulse. After finding none and feeling that her skin was cold, they pronounced her. I asked if I could ride with her to the hospital and they said “Yes”.
As I rode in the ambulance with the beautiful young stranger I thought of a recent conversation I had with Judith, a Filipino friend of mine. During one of our frequent coversations, she brought up a unique Filipino idiom “Lukso ng dugo.” It literally means jumping blood. It is used when you have a strong feeling that the person you just met is related to you. For example, when an adopted child sees his/her biological mother for the first time and the child has a feeling of familiarity towards the women. That was the feeling I was having as I rode to the hospital in the ambulance. I felt the “Lukso ng dugo”.
When we reached the hospital, I asked the charge nurse at the ER what would happen to the girl. She said that they would hold her for a while to see if any next of kin showed at the hospital looking for her. After that they would bury her in an unmarked grave. It seems that they had such a high incidence of human trafficking in Turkey and in Istanbul, that they had become overwhelmed by dead bodies. They just did not have the resources to investigate non-violent deaths such as the one I had described. They had to concentrate on murders and rapes.
Before I left the hospital I asked the administration if I could have a buccal swab for a DNA sample. I further explained that I was an officer at the Washington D.C Metro Police Department and I had access to DNA testing and identification equipment. After I showed my credentials they readily agreed to a sample being taken.
Once the sample was collected, I finished filling out the hospital’s paperwork and the police report. I also left my hotel address and phone number with the hospital’s administration. I told them that I would pay for the funeral and burial. I only had to wait a couple of days before the hospital administrator contacted me. He gave me the funeral home’s address and phone number that had picked up the young girl’s body. Unfortunately, nobody had claimed her, so she was still listed as a Jane Doe, in the Turkish language it is “kimliği belirsiz kadın.” In case you are wondering John Doe is “kimliği belirsiz erkek.“
The next day, I went to the funeral home to pay for the burial expenses. Because there was no known next of kin, they buried her with a simple marker with her Jane Doe name and serial number to differentiate her from all of the other nameless bodies buried at the cemetery. On that day, I made a vow to give her a proper tombstone if I ever discovered what her real name was.
I continue on with my vacation but for some reason, everything seems to be anticlimactic. Something else seems to be happening as well as I start wrapping up my trip, and the further I get away from Istanbul, my stange feelings that have been plaguing me for the last several years are now growing weaker.
As my trip progresses, I continue to see many wonderful things. I even take a resort diving class so I can go scuba diving in the Red Sea. But like with all my previous experiences, I feel no real joy in any of them. It is like a part of me died on that beach in Istanbul.