See the Pyramids along the Nile

TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM: Egypt - Day 2


Last night we were treated to an Egyptian Dinner Cruise. Not the romantic dining experience I had
envisioned, however.  Entertaining, nonetheless. The food was barely palatable and the music was very hokey and loud but it was a beautiful evening and the views were good. The belly dancer was so-so. The highlight of the evening was the Tenoura (a traditional Egyptian practice) dancer. He was amazing - unlike anything we have ever seen. Definitely worth the price of admission!  Got back into the room by 10pm - very long day for us - lights out!

Had to meet Ash at 8am - got up a bit late and scurried to get to breakfast. Very chaotic. Istanbul has spoiled us and now we have to get used to Egyptian ways. Everything we have seen of Egypt so far has been very poor, very crowded (except the tourist spots), very dusty, and extremely dirty. It is like the people have given up somehow. What once upon a time, used to be green farmland is now brown concrete and unfinished apartments everywhere. Apparently, if you don't paint the outside of your house, you do not have to pay taxes. Not sure I understand that one. A very stark contrast to Istanbul, which was spotless.

We got what we could to eat and met up with Ash. First stop the Pyramids of Giza  and the Sphinx - one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We did the camel ride down to see the 9 pyramids (there are three very small ones that you can barely make out). Also took a lot of silly tourist shots.:

The Pyramids of Giza consist of the Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Cheops or Khufu and constructed c. 2560–2540 BC), the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Chephren) a few hundred meters to the south-west, and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinos) a few hundred meters further south-west. The Great Sphinx lies on the east side of the complex. Current consensus among Egyptologists is that the head of the Great Sphinx is that of Khafre. Along with these major monuments are a number of smaller satellite edifices, known as "queens" pyramids, causeways and valley pyramids.

After the pyramids, it was lunch time at our local falafal place. Next stop was a papyrus shop. One thing we made very clear to Ash yesterday, was that we did not like to shop. This is the main reason that we don't do the big bus tour - way too much shopping goes on. So instead of doing the carpet shop, the perfume shop, etc. we opted to go to just one - papyrus. This is a government run

establishment. We were presented with a demonstration of how the paper is made from the papyrus cane plant. We did buy a small scene of a honeymoon couple with fishes - perfect! A glass of tea was offered and we sat and relaxed for a bit. Before leaving Ash explained that they cannot harvest this plant anymore - so these are the last remains of original papyrus. In other words, hold on to it, it could be worth a lot more one day - who knew?!

A small note: Geoff told me that Ash said he has never spent so much time at the pyramids before -- this is because everyone else spends their time shopping. He really enjoyed being able to explore with us and share his knowledge.

On the road, I mentioned that we passed several carpet making schools. Ash explained that when Princess Diana visited Cairo, she found that the girls on the farms made the best carpets. Upon returning to England, she immediately donated money to the Egyptian government to set up these carpet making schools for children. Many of the schools are in what used to be the old farm houses.

From here we went to Memphis to the Mit Rahina Museum to see the statue of Ramses II:

The ruins of ancient Memphis have yielded a large number of sculptures representing Pharaoh Rameses II.

Within the museum in Memphis is a giant statue of the pharaoh carved of monumental limestone, about 10 metres in length. It was discovered in 1820 near the southern gate of the temple of Ptah by Italian archaeologist Giovanni Caviglia. Because the base and feet of the sculpture are broken off from the rest of the body, it is currently displayed lying on its back. Some of the colours are still partially preserved, but the beauty of this statue lies in its flawless detail of the complex and subtle forms of human anatomy. The pharaoh wears the white crown of Upper Egypt, Hedjet.

It was on to Saqqara:

Also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English /səˈkɑːrə/, is a vast, ancient burial ground

in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of mastabas (Arabic word meaning 'bench'). Located some 30 km (19 mi) south of modern-day Cairo, Saqqara covers an area of around 7 by 1.5 km (4.35 by 0.93 mi).

At Saqqara, the oldest complete stone building complex known in history was built: Djoser's step pyramid, built during the Third Dynasty. Another 16 Egyptian kings built pyramids at Saqqara, which are now in various states of preservation or dilapidation. High officials added private funeral monuments to this necropolis during the entire pharaotnic period. It remained an important complex for non-royal burials and cult ceremonies for more than 3,000 years, well into Ptolemaic and Roman times.

North of the area known as Saqqara lies Abusir; south lies Dahshur. The area running from Giza to Dahshur has been used as a necropolis by the inhabitants of Memphis at different times, and it has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCOin 1979.

This concluded our sight-seeing day. Heading home, we got stuck in a major traffic jam. Total chaos. Finally, made our way out and we were back in the room by 4:30. Rested for a bit and out again by 7. Tonight we finally had our first decent meal in Egypt. After specifying that we not want any more tourist buffets, Ash took us to a very nice restaurant for a fish dinner. Excellent! With a view of the pyramids - although it was dark, we did manage to see them.

When we returned from dinner, Mr. Sito himself was waiting at the hotel for us. He is the owner of the tour company we are using. He wanted to meet us in person and apologize again for the mix-up at the airport. He is a real sweetie. We took a group picture of the whole Sito group and us. This has definitely been day to remember.

One more full day here, Tomorrow we go into Cairo and do some museums and bazaars. For now, one last look at our pyramid view, Not as majestic as the mosques in Turkey at night, but still awesome to look at.

Next time... A Day in Cairo

TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM: Egypt - Day 2

Welcome to Cairo

TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM: Egypt - Day 1

At first we were lulled to sleep by some live Turkish music playing in the street. But when the music ended, the cat fight began. Nothing like howling cats when you're trying to sleep. Wake up call came at 2:30 am and our driver was downstairs at 2:50. We were at the airport by 3! I played the sympathy card at check-in and the very nice woman changed our seats so that I would be a bit more comfortable in flight. This is just a 2 1/2 hr flight.

Other than my "incident", our stay in Istanbul was really terrific. The hotel was in a perfect location to walk to all the major sights and the waterfront. There never seemed to be an abundance of security that it was too intimidating. We felt safe at all times. The people were absolutely lovely, although at times a bit pushy. But that is usually the case in most tourist areas. This was definitely a great time to come. No lines and the weather was more than fine.

Made it to Cairo. Very comfortable flight - even landed early.  We were eager to meet our guide and get going since we had been up since 2 am. No such luck. No guide! We hung around the airport for about an hour. A very nice man in charge of a taxi stand helped us call the hotel to try and straighten the situation out. Nobody knew where our guide was, so we ended up taking a taxi, from the very nice man, directly to the hotel. Looks like our Cairo morning tour just got canceled.

At the hotel, they were bending over backward to make sure everything was Ok for us. We got a pretty good view of the pyramid. When the wifi didn't work, we got our own router! Things were definitely looking up. But we still didn't have a guide. A representative finally showed up from the tour company.  He refunded our cab fare and took us to lunch.

After lunch, we finally met Mohammad, "but please call me Ash", because in every Egyptian family there are at least 7 or 8 Mohammad's!  Our driver is Mohammad.  We figured out the mix-up and why he thought the flight was at 4pm instead of 8:30. Won't bore you with the details. It all turned out fine. We decided it was too late to go back into Cairo. By the way, the traffic here is nuts! The lane lines are a mere suggestion - nobody stays in their lane for more than a second. The roads are packed. Cairo has a population of 20 million and every day it is host to at least 8 million more. Ash thought that it would be a good idea to take a falucca (a traditional wooden sailboat) ride down one of the branches of the Nile. Off we went in our own private tour bus! The boat ride was very relaxing after a bustling day of traveling.

Back at the hotel by 4, we went through our itinerary to make sure everything was fine.  We are meeting Ash for dinner tonight. Not sure where we will end up, but we requested some fish.

Tomorrow we go see the pyramids up close with a camel ride -- I hope I can manage that in my tender condition! I came all this way, I will just have to manage.

Next time... See the Pyramids along the Nile

TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM: Egypt - Day 1

Sea Cruise.. or maybe not

TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM: Istanbul - Day 4

Happy Valentine's Day.  Not going to go into a lot of detail here, but we wound up taking a very scenic cab ride over one of the great bridges of Istanbul, on the way to the American Hospital last night. Apparently things were a bit worse than first expected from my fall.  They were very efficient. Nothing too serious and with a bit of rest and lots of ice, I should be fine.  So we'll see how long I can hang out in a hotel room, my bet is not too long. Certainly put a damper on Valentine's Day! Bummer.

Went up to breakfast and everyone was concerned with my welfare.  The hotel staff could not have been more helpful. Located the an open pharmacy on Sunday down by Sultanahmet Square and filled the prescription the doctor gave me.  The sun was out and the was warm, so we walked back to the "scene of the crime" and took some pictures of the culprit that tripped me up.  The same guys that were there yesterday stopped me to see how I was doing. Great, I am not known in Istanbul! On the way back to the hotel, I took some more beauty shots of the Square since the sun was out. We stopped into a park across the way from us and enjoyed the views there before returning to the room.

I know I should have stayed inside to heal some more, but it was just too beautiful outside. So we packed our day back and headed for the waterfront. Well, everyone was out in full force today. Not sure if it's just Sunday or because the weather is so nice, whatever it is, it was crazy down there.

On our way to find the Rustem Pasa Camii (Mosque), we passed by the one of the original steam engines used by the Orient Express. We also stopped to take pictures outside of the Yeni Camii - the afternoon prayers were beginning so no entrance.  We were told that the entrance to the Rustem Pasa Mosque was somewhere in the middle of the Egyptian Spice Market, so we made our way over there. Very crowded - lots to see and the smells were outrageous. Turned on the gps and lo and behold, right in the middle of all the chaos it took us to a narrow doorway with dark stairs leading up -- this was the entrance to the mosque.

The Rüstem Pasha Mosque is famous for its large quantities of İznik tiles, set in a very wide variety of floral and geometric designs, which cover not only the façade of the porch but also the mihrab, minbar and walls. There are around 80 different patterns. These tiles exhibit the early use of a tomato-red color that would become characteristic of İznik pottery. Some of the tiles, particularly those in a large panel under the portico to the left main entrance, are decorated with sage green and dark manganese purple that are characteristic of the earlier 'Damascus ware' coloring scheme. No other mosque in Istanbul makes such a lavish use of these tiles.

There was talk of taking a short boat cruise down the Bosphorous after lunch. We found a nice spot by one of the many Mosques and ordered lunch. Immediately we were surrounded by a few cats - nothing too aggressive and all very healthy. Cats and dogs are everywhere in Istanbul and they are all very well looked after. They may run free, but they are all tagged that they have had shots. They are very cool animals. Lunch was taking a bit longer than we expected and I decided it was best to head back to room and lick my wounds a bit longer.  Had them wrap up the lunch to go.  Resting now. Not sure if we are going to head back out or not.  We are getting picked up at 3am for our flight to Egypt.

Well we didn't get very far hanging around the room. Geoff remembered that we forgot to do our Jerry B ceremony down by the water - so off we went. The sun started setting as we approached the Golden Horn which only made the city look even more magical.. We made a short stop wandering through the Sirkeci Train Terminal:

On October 4, 1883, the first voyage of the Orient Express departed from Gare de l'Est in Paris, France, with farewell music from Mozart’s Turkish March. The train was a project of Belgian businessman Georges Nagelmackers. The route passed through Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Ulm,and Munich in Germany, Vienna in Austria, Budapest in Hungary, Bucharest in Romania, Rousse and Varna in Bulgaria ending in Sirkeci Terminal Istanbul. The travel took 80 hours for the 3,094 kilometers.

Took in the sights along the waterfront and wandered along the Galata Bridge:

The Galata Bridge was a symbolic link between the traditional city of Istanbul proper, site of the imperial palace and principal religious and secular institutions of the empire, and the districts of Galata, Beyoğlu, Şişli and Harbiye, where a large proportion of the inhabitants were non-Muslims and where foreign merchants and diplomats lived and worked. As Peyami Safa wrote in his novel, Fatih-Harbiye, a person who went from Fatih to Harbiye via the bridge set foot in a different civilization and a different culture. Apart from its place in fiction, the romantic appearance of the Galata Bridge made it the subject of many paintings and engravings.

There are currently two levels. The bottom hosting a series of restaurants directly over the water, and the top hosting many fishermen looking for the evenings catch. All very colorful. There are even food vendors who come just to feed the fishermen while they fish.

Good-bye Istanbul

We never did get our sea cruise but we had a lovely day in spite of everything. We took a leisure stroll back and said goodbye to Istanbul.  Did manage to stop for some Turkish Delights for a Valentine's treat. We made a picnic fin the room of this afternoon's lunch and watched Johnny Depp play The Donald on Funny or Die on our computer, while I rested my wounds.  A Valentine's dinner to remember!   On to Egypt!


Next time... Welcome to Cairo

TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM: Istanbul - Day 4

More of Constantinople

TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM: Istanbul - Day 3

It was raining last night when we ventured out. We took a short walk around the corner to a lively outdoor cafe area. Even though it was chilly and rainy, you can still enjoy sidewalk eating - they all have these huge heaters that make it very comfortable - maybe even a little too hot.  A traditional Turkish dish, Testi Kebabi, is a clay pot containing your choice of meats and cooked on an open fire - the waiter then proceeds to smash the pot with a stick when the food is done. It is quite a show. Even though we didn't order this dish, we were treated to the free entertainment.

Next was the Turkish bath...aahhhhh.  This consists of a sauna for 15 minutes to rid the toxins. Meme our masseuse, came in every now and then and poured water on us to revive us. From the sauna you move into the bathing room (hamam). This has several floor sinks with faucets of either hot or cold water. You are laid out on a slab of marble and the masseuse scrubs your entire body with an exfoliating glove. More buckets of water - first hot then cold. Lay down again - here comes the foam massage. The foam is produced from a cheesecloth-like bag that is dipped in a soapy solution. Meme blows air into the bag and squeezes out the bubbles all over your body. Once you are fully covered, the massage starts - more aaahhhhh.  A hot - cold rinse and then your scalp gets a treatment. It ends with a big bucket of cold water and a high five!  You are then escorted to a chaise lounge by the pool to enjoy a glass of tea and relax. While we were relaxing, Meme came over and put on a special deep heating cream on my shoulders and neck. I guess he felt all that tension from the contortion positions of sleeping on the plane. I booked a full body deep tissue massage for tonight.

Took our time getting up made it out the door by about 10:30 -- first stop walk up the big hill through
Sultanahmet Square to the Blue Mosque. Totally awe inspiring.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Turkish: Sultan Ahmet Camii) is a historic mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.

It was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Its Külliye contains a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is still popularly used as a mosque.

Things were going just a little too good, so naturally it was time for an accident.  Wham! Leaving the Mosque, I walked right into a metal structure (more like a torture device) and toppled over. Sliced up my right leg in three places, and landed on one of the poles right on the groin. Ouch! Well this created quite the international scene. A very nice man (who happened to own a local shop) came to help, as well as the police. Eventually an ambulance showed up and 2 lovely EMT ladies patched me up. Fortunately, no clothes were ruined - miraculously.

Once we got the bleeding under control, we were led by the nice man to his shop to sit down for a drink and relax. The shop turned into a carpet store owned by his cousin, Hassan . We were generously offered a cup of Turkish coffee (our first) and had a pleasant chat until the sales pitch. As politely as we could, we managed to escape with all our money in tact and head out to the Basilica Cistern. On the way, we ran into another "really helpful" young man. We got a lot of information about what to do for tomorrow but when he tried to sell us his trinkets, we parted ways. Not going to talk to anyone for a while.

Made it to the Cistern of 1001 columns including two Medusa heads and the Hen's eye columns:

The name of this subterranean structure derives from a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica, beneath which it was originally constructed. Before being converted to a cistern, a great Basilica stood in its place, built between the 3rd and 4th centuries during the Early Roman Age as a commercial, legal and artistic centre. The basilica was reconstructed by Illusafter a fire in 476.

Ancient texts indicated that the basilica contained gardens, surrounded by a colonnade and facing the Hagia Sophia. According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riotsof 532, which devastated the city.

Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern.

The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.

Exited the cistern and walked up the street to the Grand Bazaar - and Grand it is!

It is huge and it g goes in all direction with people everywhere.  I can't image what this place would look like in tourist season. It is the largest and oldest covered market in the world - 61 covered streets with over 3,000 shops. We walked through the maze for a while, tasting Turkish delights and gawking at everything. Found our way out and headed back to the hotel stopping for a quick bite.

As soon as we got to the hotel, I asked for a bucket of ice, then quickly got upstairs to assess the damage. Lots of bruising but minimal blood. Sent Geoff across the street to the pharmacy to see if they had arnica - success!  Should be good as new in no time.  Canceled the massage for tonight - hoping I feel a little less sore tomorrow. Not sure about dinner tonight.

Next time... Sea Cruise

TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM: Istanbul - Day 3

Hagia Sophia & More

TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM: Istanbul - Day 2

Slept like a couple of logs and woke up around 8.  Made our way up to the roof top restaurant for breakfast. Great spread - haven't had halavah in a very long time. Finished breakfast, gathered as much stuff as we could remember, which means we forgot - the map, the water, the apple.  No biggie, we had the camera, money, and gps - all good. Headed for Hagia Sophia - no one was there except the tour guides ready to greet us.  We chose Art (who happened to be from Norway of all places), or rather he chose us and toured this magnificent building.  A lot is under restoration, but it is still awesome to stand in the center and feel the centuries go by. This building is the third creation. The first was wood and burned down. The second is buried beneath.

Hagia Sophia (from the Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, "Holy Wisdom"; Latin: Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia; Turkish: Ayasofya) is former Christian patriarchal basilica (church), later an imperial mosque, and now a museum (Ayasofya Müzesi) in Istanbul, Turkey. From the date of its construction in 537 until 1453, it served as an Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.

Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture". It remained the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520. The current building was originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine EmperorJustinian I and was the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site, the previous two having both been destroyed by rioters. It was designed by the Greek geometers Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles.

Leaving Hagia Sophia, we took in the sights of the Blue Mosque straight across the way.  That's on the list for tomorrow.  We followed the road to Topkapi Palace. Here we opted for the audio guide instead of a person. This way we could go at our own pace.

The Topkapı Palace (Turkish: Topkapı Saray or in Ottoman: طوپقاپو سرايى) or the Seraglio is a large palace inIstanbul, Turkey, that was one of the major residences of the Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years (1465–1856) of their 624-year reign.

As well as a royal residence, the palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments. It is now a museum and as such a major tourist attraction. It also contains important holy relics of the Muslim world, including Muhammed's cloak and sword.^[4] The Topkapı Palace is among the monuments contained within the "Historic Areas of Istanbul", which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and is described under UNESCO's criterion iv as "the best example[s] of ensembles of palaces [...] of the Ottoman period."

Could not take pictures inside many of the exhibit rooms. It was quite a strange feeling staring at the staff of Moses or the foot imprint of Mohammad. There are also cuttings from his beard and a piece of chipped tooth. Then there are the jewels -- and 86 carat diamond!  The weaponry display was also amazing. Huge swords, rifles, and lots of intricate armor. There is also a large display of various clocks. For a few Turkish Lira more, you enter the Harem - pretty self explanatory.

We were done touring and hung around the terrace a bit taking in the sights of the Golden Horn (local waterway) and the Bosphorus strait with views of both Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.

Made our way down to the cafeteria with more views. Sat with our lentil soup and tea commenting on what great weather we were having when - you guessed it- the rain started to come down. We had hoped to do the Blue Mosque after lunch but the prayers started so we decided to hold off till tomorrow. On our way out of the Palace, we stopped into the Carpet Museum. Cool rugs dating as far back as the 1300s.

The rain let up on the walk back to the hotel. Bought some roasted chestnuts from a street vendor. Haven't had those since New York either. Poked around our little neighborhood some and then the rain came down pretty good. Hustled back to the room. Some R&R then it's back out to see what we can see this evening.

Great dinner. Ended the evening with a Turkish bath and foam massage. Feels like heaven! That's all the energy I have left to write.  Till tomorrow...

Next time...More of Constantinople

TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM: Istanbul - Day 2

Waking up in Istanbul

TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM: Istanbul - Day 1

The car came early and it was a hassle-free ride to the airport.  Smooth sailing through check-in and security.  From there we headed to the nearest bar with a tv.   Our good fortune, Durgin Park was right across from our gate.  Asked the bartender if he could put the Celtics on and he said "as long as it isn't news, we can switch the channel".  That was just fine with us!  Took a seat at the bar, ordered a couple of salads, and settled in for the next three hours of watching a great Celtics/Lakers (with Doc and Paul Pierce) game while chatting with Josh the bartender - who has relatives that own a restaurant in Flushing, NY where I grew up! The game ended in a regulation tie - DARN! We had to board the plane.  Just found out the Celts won in OT by 5 points - Yeah!

Coming into Istanbul

The flight was packed - mostly with groups on their way to Israel. The seat s were very small and not too much space - oh how I miss Premium Economy.  But once you get nested in, it's OK.  I passed out immediately after the dinner service and woke up about 2 hrs before landing - which- miracle of miracles - was an hour early! We became friendly with the couple in front of us who were on their way to visit their daughter in Haifa, Israel. They are from Maine and she is an artist - with a show in Portland this summer.  Just may have to drop by and see her.  They gave us lots of tips of where to go and what to do while in Israel.

Had to hang around the airport for our ride since we were so early. Still better than being in the plane. The driver was great - pointing things out along the way. Minimal  English but we figured it all out. Resting in the hotel now - small but adequate.

Freshened up and went exploring around the hotel. There is a roof-top restaurant with a magnificent view of Hagia Sophia. The place is a bit pricey - may think about it for Valentine's Day. From the top we headed down to the basement where the spa and Turkish baths reside.  Might just be the thing for tomorrow night.

It was time to look for a place to eat ,so we ventured outside and walked around the corner up the hill towards the Grand Bazaar.  Lots of colorful sights, sounds, and smells.  This is the heart of Old Istanbul - lots of cobble stoned streets, twisting and turning, going up and down steep hills.  We passed several restaurants of various nature and chose an authentic looking Ottoman food establishment. Ordered a vegetarian meze plate (like a Turkish pu pu platter) - with baklava and Turkish tea for dessert - yummy. It was a great way to end a very long and tiring journey.  Back to the hotel to call it a night.

Hagia Sophia from our roof-top

Next time.... Hagia Sophia

TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM: Istanbul - Day 1

We're Off!

Today's the day. Our car service comes at 7 pm to get us to Logan airport for the 3 hour wait for our 11 pm flight to Istanbul.

The winter snows have arrived, so it is definitely time to leave.  We haven't gotten too much in the way of inches, but the temperatures are starting to decline.  February started out feeling like spring. We were able to bike in comfort - only 2 layers instead of the usual winter 4, and let's not forget the ninja mask!.

Mattapoisett Neck - Feb 1, 2016

We are in for a 9 1/2 hr flight, arriving at 3:45 Istanbul time.  It's always very exciting before we leave and this year is no exception. Very little sleep last night.  With all the packing done and the house chores taken care of - nothing to do but wait.  Fortunately, the weather looks like it is going to cooperate for the flight out. Even Istanbul has warmed up to the 50's when we were expecting 30's!

We've been getting calls and emails from family and friends.  We are grateful to all of them for their well wishes.  Diane and Tim will be keeping an eye on the house again this year.  Diane's mom is a big fan of the blog and will keep us in her prayers. Not being terribly religious ourselves, it is comforting to know that folks are putting in the good word for us. Miss Carolyn's junior high school geography class will also be following us around the globe again.

As always, we welcome all comments.  We love to hear from you all.

Next time... Waking up in Istanbul