Pera Capitol Istanbul

... Või enne mosheed ja siis muuseumid. Ehitis pärit 11. sajandist, sisemised maalingud aastast 1312. Restaureerida nad oskavad. Rahvast on turistide poolt vahekülastatava koha kohta hämmastavalt palju.
Kohe kirik-muuseumi kõrval asuv restoran pakub reklaami järgi parimat ottomani kööki. Pugin kõhu täis ja kulgen läbi kreeka linnaosa Kuldsarve laheni. Tänavaid ääristavad küll ainult kohalikud, tuvastan mõned kreekakeelsed sildid ja ...

... your bearings quite easily so heading downhill we ended up at Eminonu harbour, had a quick fresh fish sandwich and jumped on a tour boat at 9TL each (about £4) for a relaxing 1½ hour tour up and down the Bosphorus.

Beware of the spirit measures. Opposite our hotel we found a small bar with locals playing backgammon and decided to have a night cap there. I ordered a Bacardi & Coke ...

... though, we gave a guy a job and a good wage and food and
board for three weeks. Its not something to pat ourselves on the back
for, but it is something to recognize when one feels guilty about what
Arjun was asked to do. Ultimately, we also paid him, unfortunately, so
little to do it by our standards, though he made nearly as much as a
doctor in Kathmandu can make in the same time. The sum, though too
small by American standards, was also a perfect ...

Hey! I can't quite believe it, but it's true: my trip is over. I'm in Istanbul, and in a few hours I'll be on a plane heading back to San Francisco. After four months of wandering, I love recalling all that I've seen and learned. I didn't make it to Asia, but I came within sight of that continent. There's a lot more to see in Turkey, and in the world next time, and lots to write about. I do intend to fill in ...

... on the tram wether it was one stop or six.  On the way, we passed Starbucks so that was a destination for way home. Surprised?  Don't be!  The Grand Bazaar was way cool.  It is very well laid out by shopping area with lots of marvelous tile decorations in it.  There was lots that could have been bought but packing was an issue so I did find a few little things and a whirling dervish painting that needs to get framed.  We spent about 2 hours wondering around ...

... that the train opened at 6:00am. Hmmmmm. 9:00am would be another long wait. You know that slight moment of exasperation you can develop when you are exhausted and think you know what your next steps are going to be, but you are thrown into that miniature panic when you are told something that fuddles your thoughts up. Population - 2, Trevor and Dana. So don't think of us as totally gullible here - we did have some little red flags going off in ...

Well, hello again to all and sundry! Once again, due to a deficit of motivation on my part and a supreme overabundance of procrastinatory tendencies, it has been some time since I managed to update the blog. One could also speculate that this may have been the result of there being little or nothing of interest to tell, but since I've put some of the photos from our foray into Turkey on face book, I don't think that one will hold up under scrutiny either. In true dodgy ...

... checking for something, though I couldn't imagine what her cursory hand check would possibly find. When she finished, we loaded our bags back on the bus and finished the drive to Istanbul. Although I couldn't feel it while on the bus, the temperature was gradually rising as we made our way into Turkey. By the time we reached Istanbul, it had even made it's way into the 50s (and this is after sunset). I was very excited to shed a few ...

... be cheaper he says. Darn now I can't decide between a green and red. I'll take the green. Sold. Julie comes back, amazed that I bought two. She's looking again and wants a better price since I already bought two. Somehow WE get a better price, notice I say we, because somehow I got the other carpet I wasn't going to buy, and Julie got the carpets she wanted. All this for $5 a piece! Down from $6 on my original purchase, which I thought was a really good price. If I had more ...

... They have a big opening on the 8th. I hope to make that one as well! I also plan to visit with Marius in his atelier and watch him work. He studied ceramics but also works with other materials. Perhaps his work would be appropriate for UICA? (Note: I will try anything Jeff!) Maybe I'll find something I'd like for my home. On another note IKEA. Yes, you'll find IKEA everywhere in my cousins' homes. If I had mentioned this in a previous ...