Who’s on the Happy Train?

Athens didn’t get off to a good start and nearly ended with four stranded cruise ship passengers. I planned virtually every detail of our 21 day trip, including logistics of the 11 day cruise with Brian and friends Holly + Chas. That’s a few details, I’ll tell you. One I missed though, was how [...]

24 hours in İstanbul | Part VI

As we walked over to Topkapı Palace from the Blue Mosque, Yosef again mentioned the ceramic shop he wanted to take us to. I wasn’t keen on this idea — we had only a few more hours left in the city and I was far more interested in visiting the home of the Ottoman sultans [...]

24 hours in İstanbul | Part V

I slept little during our Istanbul overnight. The day’s excitement and the anticipation of the next day made it too hard to quiet my thoughts and rest. I finally drifted off but awoke with the dawn as the sun lit up our room. My worn-out limbs battled with my mind which demanded I arise to [...]

24 hours in İstanbul | Part IV

I didn’t have a specific place in mind to eat when we arrived in Istanbul, but I knew it should be a meyhane in Beyoğlu - the modern side of European Istanbul, across the Golden Horn from where we were staying in Sultanhamet.
Our innkeeper had called for us when we checked in earlier that day, [...]

24 hours in İstanbul | Part III

We four stood at the entrance to that glittering Oz. I was enthralled and a bit petrified by the swirls and masses of people flowing around us, but a pebble in their path as they poured into and out of this ancient market. And what a woeful state of affairs — we had only [...]

24 hours in İstanbul | Part II

After we regrouped we got a map and good directions from the innkeeper. We also discussed where to have dinner and he very helpfully called restaurants for us until he found one that had a table open for that night. I knew from my Lonely Planet book that we wanted to have dinner at a [...]

24 hours in İstanbul | Part I

I probably spent more time thinking about, planning for and anticipating Istanbul than any other destination on our last trip. And really, probably more than anywhere we’ve ever been on any of our trips.
I’ve hesitated to write about our too-brief stay in this city because I cannot begin to quill (sorry, I just finished reading [...]

Midnight dinner at Chez Michel

Sometimes when we travel we find ourselves in a serendipitous situation that seems almost too much to be true. Tucking into a homemade dinner at midnight with barkeeper Michel, his girlfriend Danielle, British expats Pat and Tom, and Michel’s Moroccan friend (name - ?) was one of these times.
To tell the whole story I have [...]

What does a Turkish bath have in common with a day spa in Santorini?

Not much, other than the requisite absence of clothing. I experienced both, less than 24 hours hours apart. You may already know about the hamam. But I didn’t know when I partook that I’d be in a conceptually similar but worlds apart scene the following day.
Holly had divulged months earlier that she wanted to treat [...]

Treasures

I like bringing home little trinkets to remind me of our travels. We have collected Christmas ornaments in the past. With three weeks and so many amazing destinations this time we brought home quite a few goodies. I love especially having things that I’ll use every day.
It’s hard to pick favorites but I dearly longed [...]