Historical Turkey

Had a great time visiting some of the historical places yesterday; Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sofia...there was a bit of a fuss over the Israeli attack on the Turkish aid ship which led to protests a few blocks from our apartment.  We were advised to stay in for the evening while things settled down so we picked up fresh produce from a nearby market and made a nice meal to pair with the wine that Teri brought from France.  Things seem to have blown over today so we'll head out again this evening to meet a Starbucks contact for dinner.  Below are a couple photos from the day...

Basilica Cistern - the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. 

At the Blue Mosque.  Until the 1950's women were unable to worship in the mosques.  Today they are allowed but must stay behind screened in areas on the periphery. 

Backgammon and Hookah

Had a great second day in Istanbul.  Teri arrived safely this afternoon so the three of us quickly set out for some dining and people watching.  After having dinner in a repurposed museum we stopped for dessert and a night cap in Taksim.  The alley was lined with locals playing backgammon and smoking hookah.  Since Orthodox Muslims don't drink alcohol, hookah bars serve a similar purpose as Western pubs and bars in that they provide a place to congregate, socialize, and relax with friends.  The flavored tobacco has a more pleasant scent than cigarette smoke and was reminiscent of my grandfather's pipe.  I couldn't help wondering if he would have enjoyed sharing his apple tobacco and passing the pipe around to all his neighbors...  

Turkey Day 1 - Escaping the Airport

We arrived in Istanbul nearly 24 hours after waking up Thursday morning. The journey from Ataturk Airport baggage claim to the apartment (10 miles from the airport) felt as though it took nearly as long. I had forgotten how "exciting" it can be to travel in developing countries. The series of events went something like this: driver doesn't show, airport concierge calls hotel, guy at rental car counter is alerted, argument ensues...we're asked to wait 10 minutes, 20 minutes later no one comes, we ask again, mix and repeat twice...finally someone comes to get us and we make it to the garage. Driver inserts key in ignition, car doesn't start, repeat three times... Angela says "car is not good", driver begins to argue with other men at rental car desk, bags are moved to new car...1/2 way out of the garage we notice the gas gauge is below empty. Angela asks about "petrol?" which nearly sends the driver into a seizure. Car is turned around, back to the rental car desk, another argument ensues between the men. Finally we get to the garage exit and the gate is stuck...and on and on and on...finally, a couple hours later we make it to our apartment and promptly crash.

We woke this morning at 5am for a jog along the Bosphorus. With each mile hints of Turkish culture revealed themselves. We quickly noticed that the courtesy smile and "good morning" that's customary when passing people on the streets is the US is typically met with stern glances or blank stares here. Later it occurred to us that of the hundreds of people we'd passed in well over an hour, almost none of them were women. I romanticized that this is because Turkish men so revere their women they insist they sleep in on Saturday morning. It's very apparent to us how much freedom women have in the States and a bit unsettling to be reminded that not every culture approaches equality the same.

Toward the end of our run cafes and roadside stands were beginning to open. The stench in the streets was replaced by the smell of butter, bread, and honey. We're looking forward to a day of exploration and of course eating! The photo below is of a neighbor we met on the street early this morning...

Capital Reef Utah, April 24-25

It's the end of the Canyon Lands trip and Capital Reef has been as surprising and wonderful as the rest.  Finally got some sun today and went out camera in hand, thinking in black and white.  I think John Muir summed it up nicely when he said:  "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life".

Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park, April 20 - 23

Spent the past few days chasing sun breaks and dodging hail and thunderstorms.  There wasn't a lot of good light to be found for photos but Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park are truly spectacular.  The landscape of southern Utah in general is far more beautiful than I imagined.  The contrasting colors of red rock, white snow, blue sky, and black clouds made a perfect western scene which I quickly paired with the local country western station in the car to get the full effect.  As though on stage, supporting cast members revealed themselves one by one to complete the story:  a field of bison, a man on a horse with a cowboy hat and spurs on his boots, a junk yard containing only vintage trucks, signs selling ostrich eggs and elk steak...this part of the country definitely warrants further exploration at a future time...

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

My last day in Phoenix I took a day trip to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson.  The museum is a zoo, natural history museum, and botanical garden all in one.  April welcomes blooming cacti and hatching hummingbirds at the museum and was a terrific time to visit.  Bright displays of cactus blooms lit the desert floor.  In the hummingbird aviary, Costas and Annas got up close and personal while defending their territories.  Tiny hatchlings the size of a pinky finger peered out from miniature nests tucked carefully into Palo Verde branches.  I never imagined the desert so full of life as I experienced on this visit.  See slideshow below for pics...

Arizona Sonoran Desert Slideshow

Phoenix April 17 - 20, 2010

Sabbatical travel began with a trip to Phoenix to visit friends from college.  Trent and Ann have four beautiful, intelligent, and often hilarious children ages 2-10.  The visit was all kinds of crazy wonderful and I was invited back even after creating a new sport called "grass diving" while watching the two youngest boys.  In case you've not heard of this sport, grass diving is what happens when you run down a grassy hill at lightning speed, lose control of your footing, and dive face-first into the ground.  It often leads to raspberries on your nose, bloody lips, and grass between your teeth.  Hayden (age 4) became a champion grass diver while in my care.  Luckily his parents brushed off the incident as quickly as he did and the childless friend was forgiven.  I left feeling as though I'd spent good quality time with dear friends and gotten a nice snapshot of each child's unique personality.  My favorite comment of the visit came from Hayden who stated one afternoon, "You're pretty good looking for someone old like a dinosaur with big veins".  This flattery was quickly followed with an inquiry about the "crack in my eye".  That my young friend, is called a wrinkle.