Mosaics, magic and Mine - Oh my.

Tour guide Mine (Mine is her name)  and her husband

Another chef

The group

Both David's in the group won a prize.

Wednesdays schedule- unrotated

Every day Istanbul

You come to a place like Istanbul and you are mes,merized by how old it is, the architecture, the Mosques and the minarets like this.

No denying that is cool.  But today I spent sometime in an area that Home Depot would try to run out of business. Blocks and blocks of hardware stores. Busy people doing their jobs that seem so bygone with OUR big box mentality.  Interesting talking and looking- no more words, just pictures.

Now this is what I am talking about.

A pretty simple day, but almost perfect.  Started out with a delightful breakfast on our delightful terrace that has a great view of the blue mosque, with wonderful people.

 Next on the way to the tram there was a thumbs up chef statue which another couple was taking a picture of - they were slight;y embarrassed - and  I reassured them that I have no choice but to have my  picture take  with them also --- a true bonding experience.








 


             New friends

I joined a protest march.  Someone, I could not determine who, was censoring their internet, but that was enough to get me marching with them.  It was quite interesting talking to some of the protest and hear what they had to say.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Post  Turkish Bath restingat Cemberlitas Hamani --

 This is why I am amazed I can remember anything. I took a traditional Turkish Bath at Cemberlitas Hamani -- Great experience and I still have skin. The basic drill is you get undressed go in the really hot room.  Once you are really sweating some big guy with a bushy mustache calls you over.  He proceeds to suds you up, rub all your dead skin off with an abrasive glove and then beats the crap out of you (in a good way)

It was a great picture but I can't seem to rotate it with this blogging tool.

This little setting was truly amazing. I spent over 2 hours  with these guys.  I was Walking by when the next to me in the photo started talking to me.  Ask me to join them for a beer (or 3). About 45 minutes in to the interaction I found out he was the owner of the restaurant.  The guy across from me and his wife the woman next to the owner had a textile company who produced clothes for Chicos.  Anyhow  those 2 hours are why I travel

Having Fun?

A friend asked me if I was having fun?  I did not really know how to answer that.  If the 2 options are having fun or not having fun, I guess I could have answered "Yes".  I don't always think of travel as being something I do to have fun - it is the experience that I enjoy.  There are parts of the journey that are really fun, but is pondering the significance of something that is 1600 years old really fun? 

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How about having a good time? Yes.

Dinner time istanbul

7:30, still awake. Walked 23,000 steps.  First real meal of the day, chickeen kabab.  It is hard to be verbose and blog like when jet lagged and typing on phone.

On plane

We have boarded the plane. So this what it is like to be hot.  Very crowded flight, gentleman next to me is lucky this isn't southwest air, else he would be paying more for his size

Delta Lounge JFK

Nothing better to start out the trip by being upgraded to first class, and arriving in New York 50 minutes early,  (that is especially nice when you add that to a 5 hour layover). But the time is flying by in the Delta Sky Club -(once I got away from the TV it was even nicer.)

So every thing did fit in this little bag and its detachable back pack. those of you expecting gifts, may be out of luck because I am out of room.

The movement of the flight, really going makes  all travel stress disappear for-  the stress comes from the anticipation , the release comes from the going -- when you are going, you are there and it is what it is - anticipation can go in  unlimited directions, good and bad.

It is time for David (hopefully I will not refer to myself in the 3rd person anytime soon again)  to breathe and live.  Onward to Istanbul