April 23 was Children's Day in Turkey

Today was Children's Day in Turkey. The day is actually a federal holiday day and schools are closed throughout Turkey.

I once marched in a Children's Day parade when I was eight years old in 1978 in Black Sea Eregli, Turkey, and it may have been the only time I was ever in a parade in my life.

Nine years later, I was watching the Homecoming Day Parade for Glenvar High School in Salem, Va., which many of my friends participated in. It was fun to watch the float with the cheerleaders and have them wave at me:)

This footage is from Children's Day festivities in the resort town of Kushadasi, which is about one hour south of Izmir, which is Turkey's third largest city. The ruins of Ephesus are also in close proximity to Kushadasi as is the Greek island of Samos.