Oh yeah, nice try, Bunsen! Still jealous. But you don’t have to tag along to his meetings, now do you? I’ll bet you have some fun while he’s snoozing through those meetings, and during the side trip. If you feel guilty by having fun while he’s being bored out of his mind, just have yourself some tasty lutefisk. Mmmm, fish soaked in lye, yummy… 
S just arrived from Germany. He’s going back in a few weeks to finish out his Junior year abroad. H and I are going to the UK, Ireland, Germany and Poland in a few weeks. D is joining us for part of that trip. We have no intention of changing our plans.
We live in the heart of London. We ride the tube to work everyday. I work at 2 different tourist attractions and we attend the American Church. In short, we spend our lives in “severe risk” places. IMO, you can’t spend your life being frightened. Terrorist incidents are still very rare. Yes, we are aware of our surroundings and don’t linger in crowded places, but I would not alter my normal behavior because of a slight risk.
In terms of travel, we feel comfortable traveling anywhere in Europe, with perhaps the exception of Turkey. We have decided not to travel to Egypt or Morocco for our beach holiday this year. It is just as easy to go to Spain or Greece.
@soccerguy315
Istanbul has actually had 2 bombings this year, in Jan and March. Am glad we are not going there. Our stop in in Kusadasi, on the western coast. I am still a little nervous. I was wondering if we needed a visa, but have been told the cruise line handles that for all the travelers. Can anyone confirm?
Am reading that as long as we are in port for only 24 hrs we don’t need a visa. Anyone been?
Turkey is on the state.gov “Travel Warning” list, which basically means, “US citizens, think very carefully whether you should go at all” So are Mexico and Israel, incidentally. Western Europe is under an “Alert,” which just means, “here are some thinks to think about.” So if you’d spend a a few days at a beach resort in Mexico, why be afraid to go to Europe?
Yes, Turkey was put on the Warning list on Mar 17 and it was updated yesterday. But we don’t get to control where the cruise ship stops. The state department has removed families of military and diplomatic personnel from cities in SE Turkey (near Syria) but there is an increased alert throughout Turkey. I am not comfortable, and have asked DH to leave his military ID behind. But he won’t . Ugh.
@jym626 If you are only going to be there for 24 hours and you are very nervous, you could just decide to stay in the ship that day. It will probably be fine, though. Far away from Syria and not a big population center. Also, the cruise line will change its itinerary if they believe there is a real danger to stopping there. It is not in their commercial interest to place their passengers in palpable danger.
I thought about that, @NJSue , but I want to see Ephesus, so will go, assuming we still stop there. My DH would go in a heartbeat, so I’d be on the ship by myself.
I am well aware that the cruise lines monitor this stuff on a daily basis, and mentioned that earlier that upthread. It may or may not stop. But at present its still a planned stop. It’s a Greek cruise lines and I do not know how many Americans will be on the ship with us. Do not know if the Greek Cruise lines care a lot about US Travel warnings.
Just FYI, this is a timely article about travel in Turkey:
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/shortcuts/2016/mar/29/turkey-holiday-is-it-safe-to-go-terrorist-attacks-expert-risks. It does mention that some cruise lines have rerouted to avoid Turkey. @jym626 I think that if your cruise line really thinks there is a danger, it won’t go there. The decision will be taken out of your hands.
Thanks for the article, @NJSue . I will read it. I know the decision won’t be ours as to whether or not they dock there. Same holds true for weather issues that change routes. Stay tuned!
I would go. I always figure that my life is more at risk driving down the local highway than it is overseas.
DS and GF just arrived in Spain for a long awaited trip. When I think about how many places possible threats exist, including in the US, it seems contraindicated to worry more about one place than another (of course, war zones and super hot areas excluded). As another kid goes through the NY World Trade Center twice a day, one has to be practical about how much parental worry to expend. DH and I travel to Europe regularly. Our next trip isn’t booked yet, but I think we will carry on at our usual pace.
@jym626 - Your cruise ship will know about Visa requirements. When DD missed her connection through Istanbul last month, (necessitating a 10 hour overnight outside of the airport), she was required procure a $20 visa before leaving the airport. The visa was not necessary when there is a direct transfer at the airport. I am not sure about cruise ships in this context. Sounds like a great trip.
The visa requirements seem, from what I’ve been reading, to not be an issue if we are staying only a day. I’ve been watching this on cruise critic http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6769 as several cruise lines (but not the greek one we are on) are not stopping in Kusadasi.
My husband will be headed to the Philippines very soon. There is an on-going war in the south there but so far, it has never impacted his time there. My daughter will go to Albania in May. Life must go on.
A school district neighboring Toronto, one that governs ~240 schools, has cancelled all planned school trips to Europe.
My daughter and her husband are going to London in May–he’s giving a paper at an academic conference. They are a little concerned, but aren’t going to forego the trip.
“A school district neighboring Toronto, one that governs ~240 schools, has cancelled all planned school trips to Europe.”
I bet they just probably did not want to deal with a vocal minority of paranoid parents demanding unreasonable safety precautions; plus, heightened security everywhere could create logistical nightmares…
jym, I just googled Ephesus to see what it was and it looks amazing!
you will have such a good time 
I am a big fan of ruins
Thanks, @soccerguy315 . Many of the cruise lines have already announced they arent stopping anywhere in Turkey. This Greek lines has not yet. Maybe the radicals identify americans as hostages. I am a bit worried…