Hello and Goodbye . . . Istanbul

My tour of Istanbul, Turkey is coming to an end today.  It was a wonderful trip.

It is known as the home of the famous Blue Mosque and the spice market. Because of the EID holiday, the spice market was closed.

The Blue Mosque

Spice Market - Closed because of EID

No worries.  There was plenty to see and do.

Garden view of the Blue Mosque

Inside the Blue Mosque

We visited a palace that holds an 86-carat diamond.  Amazing!  I'm not a big jewelry person, but you can't help but love this rock.  Pictures weren't allowed, but I found this one online.

86-carat diamond

Flowers and shrubs in the shape of the flag,
in the garden at the Blue Mosque

"New" Mosque located at the harbor

My absolute favorite part of the trip was our voyage to The Big Island, one of nine islands in this area, that took an hour to reach by boat.  There were huge houses, mansions really, around every corner and every bend in the road.  Some were high on the hills, others at street level, and all incredibly beautiful.  Cars are forbidden on this island.  The only mode of transportation is by horse and buggy - they act as taxis - or on bikes or by foot.  So, so cool.

View of Istanbul from the ferry boat

This dog and cat were oblivious to the crowds walking by

Clock tower in the town square

There must have been at least 100 horse carriages ferrying folks around the island. All of the horses had "poop catchers" which was a brilliant idea or else there would have been tons of poop in the streets.

A few of the many horse carriages

There was some of the most vibrant-colored fruits and vegetables I've ever seen sold at store fronts.  I'm guessing all of the horse poop makes great fertilizer.

Speaking of fruit, I've eaten the best figs ever, here.  There eaten like apples with the peeling intact.  They're pale yellow and deep brownish/purple.  Yummy!

Panoramic View of Istanbul from the ferry boat

View of building in town square

The island is only a two-mile trip around, and there are only 7000 residents.  There were that many visitors yesterday alone.

Over-the-shoulder wine flask

On the way back to Istanbul, one of the tour guides acted as emcee and invited folks from the many and varied countries to come up and sing a song native to their country/region.  A video clip of one brave soul's rendition is below.

There were three other women traveling alone, so we hung out together because the buggy ride required four people.  It worked out great.  They are lovely ladies.

Me and my new friends 

So long Istanbul.

As always, thanks for sharing this ride with me.

A View from Abroad

A very interesting article on America in today's local UAE paper.

http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/political-boasting-misses-the-point-of-americas-history?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Daily%2BNewsletter%2B19-08-2012

Turkey, Part 2

We just arrived at the hotel in Istanbul.  The drive over was filled with great sights - the best was an amazing aqueduct with Spanish style arches. I missed the shot . . . again, but I found pictures of it online.  I'm hoping to see it again before we leave.

Istanbul Aqueduct

Another view of the aqueduct

This is the town square.

There is a group of about 40 of us at this hotel and about that many staying at another place.  We all took advantage of a Groupon or Living Social Voucher and flew in from Dubai.  We'll have two days of guided tours, then we're headed home on Tuesday.

This trip was designed to celebrate EID.

Ramadan is officially over today and EID begins tomorrow.  This is a 5-day period to mark the end of the month of fasting, with three sacred days of partying and celebrations.  (This is the way they do it in the UAE.  Not sure if it's universally recognized like this).  This is a time when gifts are exchanged and presents are bought for all.  This is their Christmas, if you will.  This is the closest thing the Muslim community have to our Christmas holidays, and I hear it's pretty lavish, as you might expect.

Side note - I know I've said this many times before - so I expect there will be some eyes rolling, but that's OK.

Here goes -

All of these wonderful things didn't start happening in my life

Until . . .

I forgave.

A year ago.

At 55 years old!

I let it/him/them go.

Pushed it aside,

and / or

Chose to look at things differently.

I realized I was holding me back.  Not this person or that one.

Me.

Just me.

And when I made a conscious decision to let it/him/them be, things in my life turned around.

This is from someone who took great pride in holding a grudge, so . . .

If I can do it, you can too.

Cool Stuff

Real quick -

I discovered Triposo.  It is a free travel guide app that gives you things to do, the history of the area, and maps.  And, it works when you're offline.  Very nice.

Another super discovery was e-Gate, which allows you to skip the long lines at the airport when you're having to get your passport checked.  For a fee, roughly $60, I went to their office at the airport.  Showed them my passport.  They scanned my thumbs, and took my picture.  Voila!  That's it.  I now have a credit card looking ID that I will flash and zip right on through the passport checkpoints.  Sometimes the lines are crazy long, so this will be great.  I know that all airports have them, so if you travel a lot, it might be worth looking into.

I have to go to bed.  It's an early one for me.

Good morning to you.

Good night to me.

Ciao.

High in Dubai

Today I went for a helicopter ride over Dubai.

Oh my!

It was exhilarating!

I bought this voucher months ago from Groupon or Living Social, and knew I wanted to wait til the summer break to use it.

So, today was the day.

The ride began at Dubai Festival Marina, which is a high end mall, pier, and heliport all rolled into one. Thankfully, the GPS Coordinates were posted online, so it wasn't hard to find.

The Dubai Festival Marina

I arrived early, so I checked out the mall to stay cool.  At the appointed time, I joined six others back at the office.  We were weighed, shown a safety video, fitted with life jackets, and escorted to the landing pad.  When we got inside, we were buckled in and given headphones to protect our ears from the noise.  It was incredibly loud.

The helicopter

Then, off we went.

I was sitting in a middle seat, so the pictures aren't the best, but I hope you can get an idea of what I was seeing.

The islands making up the "world."

This picture is from online, showing what it looks like from space.
Amazing!

The water was a crystal blue.  The sky was a little hazy because it was windy, but otherwise, it was a wonderful day to do this.

This is the top of the palm tree
where you can see The Atlantis Hotel

This picture is from online, showing the entire island.
Each of the palm branches houses high-rise condominiums and apartments.

This is a close-up of The Atlantis Hotel.
It is extraordinarily big, with more than 1500 rooms.

Seeing the man-made islands making up the "world" and the palm tree was enchanting.  Pictures just don't do this justice.  It is absolutely magnificent!

The speck at the top is the Burj Arab,
the hotel that's shaped like a sailboat.

This is a closeup picture from online.

What a day!

Tomorrow I'm headed back to Turkey.  This time I'll be visiting Istanbul.

Inshallah.

More soon.

I Knew I was Getting Close . . .

To home when the toilet bowls disappeared and the holes in the floor appeared.

I knew I was back home . . .

When one lane of a three-lane road was suddenly turned into a parking lot.  No signs.  No heads up.  Nothing.

I knew I was back home . . .

When folks regularly created curb parking when no parking was available elsewhere.

I knew I was back home . . .

When none of this bothered me.

In the nine months that I've lived here, I've learned to go with the flow.

I've learned to consider, no matter what's happening, that all is well.

I've learned to adapt,

And

I've learned to love . . .

My new home.

Race in America

Where to begin?

We've come a long way in tackling the issues surrounding race in America.

Are they obsolete?  Of course not.

Is it much better?  Absolutely.

In raising Ben and Frankie, it was important for them to understand the struggles and battles fought, so that they could appreciate all who went before them to make their way possible.  But many times I felt the conversations fell on deaf ears because their experiences were so different.  Their struggles were minuscule in comparison.

That's a good thing, right?

Yes, but . . .

There are still those who have issues with who we are, based solely on the color of our skin, and we need to be aware of that, so that when it comes up, we can deal it with constructively.

I've thought a lot about this recently, in reference to my granddaughter, Zadie.

As a mixed child, she will need to be taught no matter how she sees herself, what matters in the way she is treated, is how the world sees her.  My classic example is Tiger Woods.  He sees himself as this multiracial (which he is) entity, but when he walks out of the door, the world sees a Black man.

When Zadie looks in the mirror, will she appreciate who she sees?  How do we help her grow and mature to embrace both sides of herself, without having to deny either part of who she is?  Will the standards of beauty have broaden by the time she's of age, to regularly include women of color?  Will it be necessary to have the same conversations with her, that I had with Ben and Frankie?

I think so.

Not as some indictment on everyone who is a certain color, but to be aware that there are still narrow-minded people who struggle to see pass our color.

Better to be prepared than to be blindsided.

Have we come a long way?

YES!

Do we still have a ways to go?

For sure.

Picture of Crete, Greece

This is Pigeon Island.  It sits in the harbor, standing watch on all who enter and leave.
It is a fort, surrounded by a wall, with tower in the middle.

Wonderful hole-in-the-wall coffee shop

Another street cafe

Notice the grapes growing and serving as a roof for this restaurant.

 

Closeup of the grapes growing on the roof

A church in the heart of town

Seaside homes and businesses

Pictures of Ephesus, Turkey

Panoramic view of Kusadasi, the city nearest Ephesus

Smaller stadium that the Apostle Paul was believed to have preached.

The Virgin Mary.  She is believed to have  lived
in Ephesus after the death of Christ.  Her home is nearby.

A sculpture in a museum in Kusadasi

Pictures of Athens

Homes in Athens

Soldier guarding the tomb of the unknown soldier

Olympic Stadium - Site of the first Olympics in 1896

Obscured view of The Acropolis

This is a downloaded picture of the Acropolis, with the Parthenon
in full view on the right.  This is the shot I missed.  It was a spectacular view.

Pictures of Taormina, Sicily

This is on Mt. Edna where the volcano created this crater,
covered with ash.

Along the main street

A magnificent old church

Inside one of the many churches

More shops along the main street

Notice how narrow the streets are

A closeup of the hearse in the square

The hearse is parked in front of the church.

Scores of people, including me, were sitting around this fountain
watching the funeral procession - the hearse, followed by the family
walking behind it.  The church is in this square.  My back is to it.

This is a view of the waters below from the main street.

Pictures of Rome

I'm not sure what this building is, but it is extraordinary.
The picture doesn't do it justice.

I liked the shape of this building.

The Coliseum

Notice the people on the bottom right.
I wanted you to see how massive this structure is.

St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Square

Sailing Observations 2

Refreshingly, all coffee served in our European stops were served in china, including the airport in Rome.

Speedos appear to the bathing suit of choice for middle aged European men, which they wear confidently throughout all public places.  The French banned Arab women from wearing burkas.  All of Europe should consider a similar ban on Speedos. They are definitely more offensive than burkas could ever be.

The majority of the men were wearing satchels that draped across their chests. Gone were the fanny packs, replaced by these.  They reminded me of my brother Forrest who carried one of these, sans the strap, 40 years ago.  What is old, is new again.

Many folks were dressed in their finest every night parading through the ship. All dressed up with no place to go?

Spandex was on full display.  Sometimes successfully, most times not.

I met a guy yesterday whose wife had just died a month ago.  Was he sailing to remember the many times they had sailed together?  Or was he running away to forget?  I think guys have a harder time being alone.  Of course, we all deal with death differently.

I was invited by someone to join them dinner last night.  No, it wasn't the above mentioned guy.  Anyway, it was in the swanky dining room, with a 15-course meal. OK.  Maybe not that many, but a lot.  I enjoyed the dinner and the company, but that is not my scene.  If given a choice between swanky and a dive, I'll choose the dive every time.

People deal with strangers differently.  Some are open and friendly.  Others are head down on a mission to stay anonymous.  Although I pride myself on being able to talk to a rock, depending on my mood, I can be that head down person.  Sometimes, it's nice being anonymous.

I'm reading a really good book, ON BEAUTY by Zadie Smith, and woke up early to finish it.  These are characters I'm very much invested in.  I arrived at the 24-hour cafe for coffee at 5:45am and for the next 45 minutes, there were only guys in here. Is that because guys are earlier risers, or is it because it takes women longer to get dressed?

There doesn't seem to be the appreciation for the dangers of cigarette and second hand smoking in these countries.  There were no "no smoking" areas to be found. Also, more than once I saw folks rolling cigarettes.  Why?  Is it cheaper? Safer?

Of the many different accents heard on board, the British women's was the only one that was annoying.  Funny, I don't mind hearing a British guy, but when the women speak, in that sing-song whinny cadence, that is annoying.

Oh sugar!  I checked my emails and forgot to turn off the Internet.  Yikes! Seriously, by the time Zadie's in first grade, the world should be wireless and FREE!  Google boys - gather your boys and get on it!  I'm sure the technology is already available, but everyone wants a piece of the pie for as long as possible.

The Internet is my lifeline.  Should I have more human contact?  Probably, but I'm at a very selfish place in my life.  I spent my life taking care of others and putting their needs first, and now it's all about me.  I find it's easier to be selfish by myself, then I don't offend others whose opinion I couldn't care less about, or whose company I may or may not want.  Does that make me a bad person?  Maybe.  But I'm willing to wear that label to live the way I want to live, doing what I want to do.

I think I'm beginning to recognize folks who've had face lifts.  Or is it Botox? Whatever it is, their faces are tight and taut.  Looks like it hurts.  The things we do in the name of beauty.

It never ceases to amaze me how something this big, this cruise ship, can float.  Or how jumbo jets can fly?  Of course, I still don't understand how radios work, so I'm not hopeful that I'll ever get it, but I appreciate the engineering feat that allows these things to happen, nonetheless.

R&B Music has been playing all week throughout the ship.  Is that because it's universally enjoyed?  Or did the Captain check the manifest for the number of Black folks, and decided it was an R&B trip?

Just kidding.

Ciao!

Crete is Greece & Greece is Crete

Our last stop was here in Crete.  I'm not sure why it's identified by its name, distinct from mainland Greece.  Kind of reminds me of Brooklyn.  Why is it identified as Brooklyn, NY, and not New York, NY?

Anyway, on rare occasions, I think too much.

Side note - Anita Baker is playing over the PA System.  Nice.  Frankie Beverly, too. I met him once, in Miami.  My maiden name is Beverly, and I mentioned that, but he was a jerk about it.  Not a fan of him or his music.

We made four stops in Crete.  The first was a magnificent view of the valley below. You have to believe in God when you see something as grand and majestic as this. It was incredible.  The second stop was a community high in the mountains.  There was a cute coffee shop where I had Greek coffee.  It was espresso size and about as strong.  The third stop was in a quaint village at the seaside with turquoise colored water trimming it.  This was by far my favorite.  It was so inviting and relaxing.  Here I had another Greek coffee.  This one was iced.  Very nice.  The last stop was in a bustling commercial area.  Lots of shops and restaurants.  There were tons of people.  In addition to all of us visitors, it looked like a local hangout, too, because of all of the places to eat.

I took a city bus back to the harbor, and it was filled with folks from the ship heading back.  We had to be back on board early today.  Anyway, there was a twenty-something woman who missed all of the sights during the twenty minute ride back because her head was down the whole time as she was fiddling with her phone. This is a once in lifetime experience for some, and you're on your phone?  As much as I love technology, I think if we're not careful, we can let it interfere with living.

I think I'm out of Internet minutes . . . again . . . but that's OK because this is the end of the road for my travels.  We'll be spending the rest of the time at sea, heading back to Rome.

This week has been wonderful.  Thanks for sharing it with me.