Category: Uncategorized
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Birds and bees and flowers and trees…
It’s been more than a week since I’ve returned to the Algarve from Istanbul. It was wonderful to be back, to have Jackson’s company and to acclimate to familiar surroundings. The weather over the past few days has been cool, wet, and windy. The result is that everything is green and flourishing now that the…
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The Istanbul adventure ends
The last two full days in Istanbul were cold, wet and windy – rather gloomy in some respects. On Tuesday morning, we set out for the Royal Palace Museum not far from where we were staying. It seemed like a promising museum day. We arrived and were told our passes were not acceptable and we…
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Topkapi Palace Museum
One of the main residences of the Ottoman Sultans for over 400 years, the Topkapi Palace is now a fascinating museum. It was the main focus of our attention on Monday. It’s a series of buildings that grew over time in a beautiful park setting. We started with the kitchens which are divided into buildings…
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A day in Asia
Because the sky was clear, we set off across the Bosphorus on Saturday to visit the Çamlica Mosque, the largest mosque in Turkey. It was completed and opened in 2019 and is visible in most parts of the city. I was warned there would be a lot of walking. The metro doesn’t go there –…
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From Cisterns to citterns
On Friday, we decided to visit the Basilica Cistern. It’s one of several ancient underground water reservoirs that are open to the public for a fairly substantial sum of money and they’re not part of the Istanbul Museum Card program. The original floor is covered with several centimetres of water and we were walking on…
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Mosques and shopping
Our second full day, Thursday February 23, was all about focus. First on the list was a visit to the Grand Bazaar. It really was a religious experience! Mahmood coached me in advance about how to bargain if I decided to purchase anything. He also emphasized not paying any attention to the stall owners as…
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Istanbul, Constantinople,Byzantium
A city where continents and cultures collide A trip to Istanbul has been on the back burner for two years. Yesterday, well. actually today it became reality. My friend Mahmoud from Tehran met me at the Istanbul airport at 1H00 and we made the trek into the city by bus. We’re staying in a small…
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Carnaval, Mardis Gras, Fat Tuesday…
The Algarve is celebrating Carnaval. In Loulé, the festivities began on Sunday February 19 and continue until the end of the following Tuesday, or Mardis Gras. Having never experienced this event up close and personal, it was suggested by my friends that I go to Loulé. They were going to another town and a somewhat…
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Sunshine and stormy weather
In the past few days, the weather has been somewhat changeable – a mix of cloud, rain, cool temperatures and then a glorious sun filled day. One of those came along and we went to Faro beach! And then there was a long leisurely lunch on the terrace of Wax restaurant. Good food, sunshine, breeze…
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Birthday celebration
Yes, the day finally arrived – February 9th -and a huge thank you to Randy and Marc and Joanne for making my day so extra special. The hike I had hoped we would take didn’t happen because of rain the previous day: muddy trails are slippery trails and not that safe. However, the clouds did…
Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground 