Hello and welcome to our next postcard. This one comes from Turkey.
Actually, we visited a few places in Turkey, including a place called Side… which is an ancient city. We had to take a long taxi ride there, but it was worth it. In Side, we found the Temple of Apollo. We think that Mark Anthony must have built it for Cleopatra. That’s how much he loved her, so much that he built a giant temple for her! [This is probably apocryphal]. It had Corinthian columns.
(Corinthian columns are the hardest and most complicated columns to make. They have the most detail and they have leaves on their capitals, up top. Sometimes they even have baby faces carved in them, which would be really hard to make.)
Now, when we go and see the Temple of Apollo, it’s not fresh and new, just like the day it was built; it’s old and rundown. But it’s still a giant piece of art. After the temple we went to a store and saw an adorable little kitten toy. It had a little key and when you take the key out the kitten starts meowing. My parents bought it for me as a memory of Turkey (and also a little bee necklace, which I named Gemma because she has little gems. The kittens I named checkers).
But now, let’s get back on the program…
Next, we went to Hadrian’s Gate. It is in Antalya. It is a very, very big gate. It has lots of arches and steps and is basically a big old gate. But, on the bright side, there was something very interesting. There were ancient wheel marks from when the ancient chariots would have rolled their wheels on the stones.
Another day, my mother and I went to a museum in Antalya. Now, this museum had sarcophagi. (Sarcophagi is a word used for ancient tombs.) The sarcophagi used to have dead bodies in them, but you don’t want dead bodies in a museum. So, they buried them somewhere else. (Except for the skeletons video below!)
The museum also had giant rocks that were parts of columns or statues. They were so hard and stiff, but they looked like they were made of the finest little lace in the world. Then, we came across a giant statue of… Hadrian. Today, Owly was feeling sick… so Chicky, her little cousin, came along to help. She was very excited to help. Check out above the video of Chicky being super excited that she gets to do a video today.
Frida also made a video of the rock lace, which you can see here:
Then, we saw a giant statue of – can you guess what? – Medusa? Medusa is the young women who the Gods got angry at, then they turned her into an angry monster, one with snakes for hair and eyes that could petrify people. But don’t worry, she’s not scary. She doesn’t mean to do anything to you. Just don’t look in her eyes! (Also, she’s just a myth.) You can always recognize Medusa from her snake hair. She is usually on armor to protect the Greeks in battle.
Well, good bye. See you next week when we go to Israel.
Frida
P.S. From Mom: We have too many cool videos! So we JUST launched our Kids Youtube channel. First video from Frida - what were the lives like of these ancient skeletons? Check it out here:
We’ll make sure to add all the Owly videos there as well. So make sure to subscribe:
Postcards Responses
(Join the correspondence! While Frida loves traveling, she does miss her friends. She has so much fun reading postcards from kids around the world, asking questions and telling her about their adventures. Feel free to join the discussion by emailing us here.)
Hello Frida,
Do you know sign language? Do you know any other languages other than English?
From, “By Name” - age 10
Frida: Ancient Greek, Spanish, English, a little bit of Italian, a song in Hebrew and “Thank you” and “goodbye” in Turkish.
Hi Frida,
How do you learn if you don’t go to school? What is your day like? I bet it’s the best not going to school!
From, San Antonio - age 10
Frida: Not going to school is actually pretty fun, though sometimes boring when Mom and Dad have to work… but I travel learn! My day is interesting.
“I love Frida and Owly!!” - Cherry (age 6)
Frida: Thank you!
“Do you eat a lot of Turkey in Turkey?” - By Name (age 10)
Frida: No, there are cats instead of Turkeys. So I nicknamed Turkey Kitty.
“Try to go somewhere with a lot of Lego Among Us.”
- Mario (age 6)
Frida: I took one picture of a Legoman in Rome
“Hi Frida and Owly!
Is there a Legoland inside Turkey?” - Box (age 9)
Frida: No there isn’t, but there is a cat-land!
“What has been your favorite country you have been to so far?” - Batman (age 8)
Frida: Turkey... because there are thousands of cats.
“Hi Frida,
Are there turkeys in Turkey?” - Computer (age 10)
Frida: No, but there are cats!
“Hi Frida and Owly,
Is there soccer in Turkey?” - Bus (age 10)
Frida: Yes! I don’t know a player, but people are excited when I say I am from Argentina because of Messi.
“Hi Frida, and Owly,
What kind of food do they have there? Do they have chicken nuggets and fries? - Santa (age 6)
Frida: They have fries, but I don’t know about Chicken nuggets. But I do know they have awesome fish. And in the aquarium they have awesome black tip sharks. You should see them some day!
“Hi Frida and Owly!
You know that country that looks like a bull? Does the country turkey look like an actual turkey?” - Goofy (age 9)
Frida: I think it looks a little like a dog sniffing... or a monster.
“Hi Frida and Owly,
Do they have any toys besides dolls from a long time ago?” - From First Ever Tank to be Built (age 8)
Frida: Yes! Definitely. I bought one there. Especially cat toys. That is what I bought.
“Hello Frida,
Do you have good Turkey there? How old is the house that you are in?” Shadow (age 8)
Frida: The house I’m in is pretty modern... but there is an ancient bathhouse nearby. I went in it. It’s called a Hammam.
“Hi Frida,
What’s the type of food you eat there? And thanks for the shout out.” - Carsen (age 8)
Frida: We eat fish and chicken and rice and... kebab! My daddy’s favorite.
“Hi Frida,
Do they have oceans there? What kind of cheese do you guys have? - Cheeseball (age 7)
Frida: There is lots of cheese (like squeaky cheese). And there is an ocean, and it’s a giant one. That’s where we get all the pretty fish. And I’ll tell you a quick story of when I was in the ocean. I dived into the water and I started to swim, but because the waves were so big, I drank all the water. It was actually pretty yummy salty.
“Hi Frida,
Had Marcus Aurelius ever been to Turkey?” - Cupcake Bob (age 9)
Frida: Yes, because his sister lived there so he must have had to live there. [A few years back they discovered a new archeological site two hours from Antalya which had a villa owned by Marcus Aurelius’ family, including his sister! You can see the pictures here.]
“Hi Frida,
Is it fun traveling? Are there cars in Turkey?” - Silver (age 6)
Frida: Yes there are definitely cars in Turkey. Travelling is very very fun, especially when you get to taste new food!
“Hi Frida and Owly,
My friend Evre has been to Turkey. How is Turkey? What are you doing for fun?” - From Roxy the Wolf (age 7)
Frida: Visiting ancient places and swimming at the beach!
“Hi Frida,
Is it ever hard to move to so many places…and to make new friends every time?” - Lileto (age 10)
Frida: It’s easy when you know the same language, but when you don’t, it can be a little difficult but still fun!
“Hi Frida,
Do they eat anything really weird over in Turkey?” - Pizza (age 6 1/2)
Frida: There are some really weird candies.
“Hi Owly and Frida,
My best friend’s family is from Turkey. What is your favorite food from Turkey? Have you met any friends from Turkey? What’s your favorite dessert there? Do you see Kangaroos in Turkey? What is the temperature over there?” - Tiger (age 7 1/2)
Frida: I met a friend in Turkey. Turkish Chocolate is the best. You only see Kangaroos in Australia. That’s the only place you can see them naturally. Though some people take kangaroos and ship them to other places and raise them. But still they are naturally from Australia. I don’t know why they ship them to other places!
“Hi Frida,
What’s the most common sport over there?” - Thea (age 7 - I turn 8 on June 24th)
Frida: I don’t know. Maybe swimming? There is an ocean after all.
“Hi Frida,
What is the weather there? Is it sunny or is it cool?” - Boxy Lopsey (age 9)
Frida: Rainy and hot.
“Hi Frida and Owly
What is your next destination? How long do you plan your stays?” - Green
Frida: Israel!
Tune in for our next postcard from Israel! Also coming out later this week for our Kid’s Club Members is our lesson on Alexander the Great. If you haven’t already subscribed, make sure to do so here and unlock all our resources:
Postcard from.... Antalya, Turkey