We are just departing for our big Central European Adventure. We're pulling out of Kharkiv train station at 5:25am for 22 hours to Lviv in western Ukraine. Thankfully, A & V took us to the train station and negotiated with the cabin porter and our female and male compartment companions to let us have the bottom sleeping berths. We had an auspicious start with track 1, train car 11, which was directly opposite the main door of the train station, so we easily got on the train and got settled in. I just hope it lasts.
While Maddy is content with Toy Story on tv, I think I will reflect on our week-long sojourn in Istanbul (Dec 20-26, 2007). We left Kharkiv at about 6am after some commotion with possible flight cancellations and long lines, wrong lines (we waited unnecessarily for 30 minutes only to be redirected to another place without a line!). Maddy was enthralled by the idea of a flig
ht. She became fixated on the clouds, which were twinged pk, coral and blue from the setting sun. She has talked about it nonstop since. I need to replay exactly what was said each time, "Mama, what is that?" "Those are clouds, honey." "Can I walk on them?" "No, you'd fall through. What do they look like to you? To me, they look like pillows or cotton." "They look like cotton candy!" "Yes, that's right. They do look like cotton candy. Good one." "Can I eat them?" "Sure thing." And she play eats them and giggles. She remembered cotton candy from 3 weeks earlier at the Moscow Circus in Kharkiv with references between. I was impressed by her memory.
Dec 20th
So, we landed at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, which was a new, clean, and user-friendly facility, so it was like landing back in civilization after being in the Kharkiv and Kyiv airports. Our visas cost $20 each person, but they gave a cool stamp. We cleared customs easily/ laughingly and Sumru met us immediately. She was in a huge throng of people and I almost didn't recognize her because of the light color of her hair. Her face had a couple more wrinkles, b
ut other than that she hasn't aged. It's been 10 years since we saw each other last at UC!
Sumru took us by cab (and wouldn't let us pay) to Elizabeth Merchant's killer pad in Ortakoy. This apartment, #6, was ultra modern and made our Kharkiv place look like 1900's. It was in the loft floor, so had angled ceilings. The colors were warm oranges and reds with Turkish carpets in deep reds strewn about. It was decorated in contemporary and IKEA styles. It had 3 bedrooms with a large patio overlooking the Bosphorus and the Galata or Ataturk bridges.
Elizabeth welcomed us in like we'd known each other forever. She gave us a room with a comfy, king-size bed & soft sheets, down comforters, etc. It was like being in a 5 star hotel. She had 2 cats: a black & white named Mr. Dingleberry and an orange named Elliot Gould. It was nice to be with lovable, sweet cats for a bit; I miss our Howard, Seamus and Jack.
True to form, we made ourselves completely at home. E even made us a fabulous dinner of spicy chicken with veggies and rice! We ate well and helped clean up, but crashed early that night after talking to Arif on the phone and making plans for the next morning.
Dec 21st
We had an early morning, 9-10am, when Arif, Sadegul, and Sumru came over with traditional Turkish breakfast: Turkish mac n' cheese, cheesy breads, baklava, and coffee/tea.
It was great- just like old times see everyone! They were certainly a sight for sore eyes! Arif looked absolutely the same. I swear, not a bit different. Sadegul looked mostly the same, only a bit weary. She certainly didn't look like a mother of 2! They didn't bring their kids with them (they were at their aunt's), but they have a 6 year olds girl, Bilge, who sings, dances and ice skates, and Mert (a 3 year old boy) who is built like a tank. We visited for a while and then went on our first adventure.
We loaded into Arif's and Sadegul's car to go to the Sultanahmet District to see the sights. We found a parking place easily and everyone was astonished about the absence of traffic and the availability of parking. It was the 2nd day of Kurban Bayramı, so the city dwellers were visiting family in the country. We got really lucky. We got to see sights, that people stand in lines for hours to see, without the crowds to diminish the sight.
We started off at the Byzantine Hippodrome. The Hippodrome was were the Romans had chariot races, etc. It was the public forum of the day. When we visited it the sun light was bright and weather nice, but a bit 
chilly. We walked first up to the Egyptian obelisk, the Obelisk of Theodosius, that was carved of pink granite circa 1450 B.C.; it was so unblemished that it looked new. It almost seemed too perfect to seem ancient. I kind of dismissed it initially because of it's perfection.
We strolled along the Hippodrome to the Serpentine or Spiral Column, which greatly interested me
. It was a greenish-blue spiral column cut off part of the way up. The remainder disappeared in history. The shape of the column was one I've never seen. Later I read that it was moved here from D
elphi Greece and that it had three intertwined serpents. No one knows when that portion disappeared.
Then, we visited the oldest looking obelisk at the Hippodrome called the Column of Constantine Porphyrogenitus. Not much is known about it except that the bronze plates were ripped off leaving it's mottled finish during the sacking of B
yzantium by the 4th Crusade.
At this point, Maddy was whining and crying so we went to a nearby store to look for mittens (which we forgot to bring). Of course, there were touristy things, like blue evil eye pendents, etc. They didn't have any mittens unfortunately.
We were just to the right of the Blue Mosque, so we could hear the call to prayer coming across the loud speakers positioned on the 6 minare
ts outside. We entered the courtyard area where there was an outer courtyard and many steps leading to the inner courtyard. I immediately realized that I had no idea of mosque protocol, and I felt a bit inadequate and ignorant. The outside was not ornate, but above the doors there was something written in Arabic in gold with green/blue background. The next courtyard was really interesting because it was square shaped, but had a dome-covered inner portion around the outside edges where scholars would sit and teach astronomy, philosophy, Islamic studies, math, etc. There was an ablution fountain in the center and behind it was a line of pilgrims, worshipers, and tourists waiting to take off their shoes to enter the mosque itself.
Our 1st attempt at entering was rebuffed because it was prayer time, but later that day we made it back. Upon entering the mosque, the 1st thing I noticed was the sheer immensity of it. It is HUGE under the interior dome keystone. There were gorgeous blue, white and yellow tiles lining the
walls and massive columns (elephant legs) supporting the dome. There was an astonishing candelabra hanging from the dome that extended down to about 12 feet over peoples' heads; it was ablaze with light. Tactilely, I was enveloped by the deep soft, rich, thick, intense red Turkish carpets spread on the floor. I have since learned that carpets are donated by patrons to mosques. While there, I noticed many people snapping pictures/video and whispering. They sat on the carpets as there are no chairs or benches. There was a large area of the floor space c
ordoned off for men to pray which was located toward Mecca and is this place children were tearing around playing tag, laughing/giggling and rolling on the carpets. :-) On my way out I observed a small chamber at the back of the mosque designated for women to pray in. At the door, I snapped some pictures of the locks which were huge.
Fro
m the door of the Blue Mosque, there is an excellent view of the Aya Sophia. We descended the stairs and walked across this park-like area to a fountain where we met 2 covered Muslim women and 4-5
kids. We shared some simit (see the photo with the man and the rings of bread-that's simit) with them; they gave us 2 candies in return and they took a couple of pictures of Maddy a with their kids.
We then completed the stroll to the Aya Sophia. There was an admission fee of $7-10 and a line where they scanned your bags with Xray. In the line you could see various column fragments of differing styles. In the courtyard of the church/mosque, there were Christian sarcofagi and other stone fragments.
The church/mosqu
e was designed in a series of entry halls, the 1st of which was vaulted red brick, the 2nd was more ornate in black and gold. All the floor stones were polished smooth by centuries of shuffling feet. In the 2nd hall were chandeliers, styled like the ones in the Blue Mosque, and inset metal patterned artwork. We entered through the main body of the church/mosque through the emperor's door which was oversized. Justinian was reported to have road a chariot through this door and into the A.S. when it was completed in 537 A.D. because he was so thrilled about the beautiful outcome. In the past, only the emperor was allowed to use this door. Inside the Aya Sophia was enormous, the black/gold dome appeared to float over you.
There were galleries on the 2nd floor supported by columns. You could see ancient mosaics of Christ/Madonna and Child 
on the distant dome. There were large round black and gold disks written in Arabic hanging at various intervals on the walls at the top of the 2nd tier. Since the A.S. is under restoration (again ;-) ), there is a giant tower of scaffolding on one side.
Inside, you could also see the golden Sultan's lodge, the mimber (pulpit) and the area that looks toward Mecca (the mihrab). There is also tile in places on the walls here. I wandered around with Maddy for a while trying in vain to get some images of the A.S. on film; images that would do it justice.
Then, Pat, Maddy and I went to the legendary weeping pillar that has a copper plate with a hole in which to put your t
humb, turn it, and if it comes out moist, you will be cured of aliments. We all did this, and of course, our thumbs were moist. I do
n't know which aliment I will be cured of, but I hope it's a good one! The funny thing is that the locals said that if it came out moist you would have good luck. Chuckle.
Next, we walked up the cobbled ramp to the 2nd tier where you can see some incredible mosaics. I saw a couple, but then Maddy (was was toilet training) said she needed the potty! The only potty, we quickly learned, was at the exit outside! Maddy and I hauled ass down the ramp, out the halls, out of the building, past the remainder of Aya Sophia to the exit to find a line of 9-10 women and girls waiting at the toilet! It must be a universal that they don't make enough women's toilets. Not knowing
if Maddy could hold it, I said in English, "Potty training child with an emergency" to any woman who would make eye contact with me. All of them laughed, nodded and gestured me forward. Maddy was on the potty in no time flat! No accident either. Thank God! Afterward we went outside and plopped ourselves on a step to await our friends and catch our breath. It wasn't long before they all came out. We took a couple of photos and headed out.
Maddy was having fits, so Pat took her into a restaurant while the 5 adults went into the Basilica Cistern. I had wanted to see it for a while since I watched a Discovery or International History Channel (or some channel) show called Underground Archeology.
You descend 2 staircases and you hear lulling music (the kind to which Whirling Dervishes whirl). It was dark except some d
im orangish light that illuminates the tall pillars. The columns were "junk" to the ancients, so they are of various styles Ionic, Doric, Corinthian, and one tear column tha
t is quite unusual. There was about 2 feet of water still in the cistern with fish swimming in it. There were raised walkways to tour the cistern that take you to the highlighted sections including the two Medusa heads. As you walk water from the surface drips down randomly in various places. There is also a cafe down there! With no crowds, it was a quick tour and we were back on the surface looking for Pat and Maddy.
We found them tucked into a little niche. in the cutest, green-painted restaurant nearby. We joined th
em for a beer or tea and fed köfte to a cute black and white kitten who came right up to the window to beg from me. He just made eye contact with me and ran up; I was deeply smitten. I'm a sucker for a furry feline with their little upside down triangle noses and squinty eyes...
It was decided to find the quintessential köfte (meatball) restaurant for lunch.
It was called Tarini Selim Usta Sultanahmet Köftecisi and we had an incredible lunch consisting of salad (iceberg lettuce, tomato, onion with light lemon dressing), köfte, bread (like Italian style bread not like French bread), and yogurt drink. It was a perfectly balanced, delicate meal that worked exquisitely together; if one element were missing, it wouldn't have been as good. The yogurt drink really brought all the flavors together. This restaurant was packed, didn't have a menu (because everyone got the same thing)- you just ordered the number of meals you wanted, and was super efficient. No sooner do you sit than you receive your food. It was delicious!
We headed back to E's pad and on the way stopped at a fresh fish market. It was discussed whether we should do fresh fish for dinner or go out. We decided to go out to Nevizade, the party district. After a brief repose at E's where we had Turkish coffee, tea and baklava (the best I've ever had). We went to Nevizade and found street parking. We had to pay a man who "owns" this public parking place $10.00. Pat was outraged by this, but our friends explained that this is common. They didn't like it, but there is no way to avoid it. Pat just said don't pay them. But I think that they would do something to your car if you don't, so it's kind of like extortion.
We walked through the transvestite area that horrified S and A, but amused E, P and me. The "ladies" we saw were gorgeous with long, straight, dark hair, dark eyes and tanned skin. They were hanging out of the 2nd floor windows talking to some potential Johns.
A couple blocks further through winding, narrow, cobbled streets, we came to Nevizade proper. It was a series of similar narrow streets with tall, narrow buildings edging them, but it was brightly lit by neon and fairy lights an
d had cafe seating along the shoulders of the streets. The street we were on was just wide enough to fit 2 people passing each other down the middle, if there were more there'd have been even more physical rubbing of bodies than there already was... Keep an eye on your wallet, folks! We tried vainly to walk up the street, but with Maddy small as she was, it was quite impossible. There simply wasn't enough room and she was getting battered by all the big people. We stopped several restaurants in and our Turkish friends chatted with the "caller" and declared the restaurant satisfactory. We entered and were directed upstairs to a window front table in a stone walled room that had a entire ceiling of skylights. On the walls, there were bas reliefs of Greek-themed army activities. In the cozy room played a 3 piece Turkish band (hear them play). We ate a delicious meze meal with tons of food c
irculating family style around the table. We had excellent green beans prepared like I've never had them before as well as fresh salmon, salad, olives, Turkish white cheese and this was all before our main fresh fish course of sea bass (which was incredible and delicate). We drank Raki which is a Turkish brandy flavored with anise, so it is reminiscent of ouzo, but you mix it with water so it turns from clear to a cloudy white hue. Maddy ate fries, which is her main staple food next to mac and cheese; she almost doesn't eat meat. We all got a little whacked on the Raki and Maddy and I danced to the live music for about 1/2 the evening much to Arif's amusement! Arif took some blackmail videos of me looking pretty silly dancing with Maddy. Needless to say, we were wiped out that night and slept like babies....
Dec 22nd
That morning we again piled into Arif's car, hit a Starbuck's, stopped at a couple of shops and bought Pat a sliver rin
g (Arif bought me a Turkish CD, too! Thanks, A!), and then went to Topkapi Palace (Topkapi is pronounced /tohp kahp eh/). This palace was home to the Ottoman Sultans for generations and was modified by many of them. It is built as a seri
es of square courtyards and each one served a function such as administrative headquarters, fam
ily area (harem), diplomatic area, etc. Most of the Palace was open to view, but the Harem required a tour with an additional admission. Unfortunately, we didn't start there and missed out on the elaborate and lush family quarters since it closes a bit earlier than the rest of the complex. We did see the 
original kitchens which used to feed thousands of courtiers daily and now house a huge collection of Chinese porcelain. We also saw the treasury which hold some of the vast wealth of the Sultans. There were several golden, jewel encrusted thrones (the one in the photo is literally made of solid gold and covered gems); so elaborate that they almost seemed unreal. They were quite unlike the European thrones, and specifically England's, because they wer
e short and wide seats that could fit 1-2 people cross legged. There were jewel encrusted goblet & daggers and tons of jewelry. They Sultans also owned the 
Spoonmaker's/seller's diamond; one of the largest in the world. We saw the various gates, meeting rooms, fountains, etc. All were tiled, elaborate and ornate with geometric patterns usually. 
They had stained glass windows and velvet upholstered furnishings or exquisite bejeweled coverings. We had lunch at the Konyali Restaurant which is on the premises and overlooks the Bosphorus. We were given a table with a wonderful view of the Roman and Byzantine fortifications and the passing boats on the water. We had lamb dishes or kebabs, tea and coffee and baklava. Afterward, Sadegul read our coffee grounds; Sumru said Sadegul is quite good at this. 
So, my reading, thanks to Sadegul, went something like this: STRESS. You are under a great deal of stress she finally said after studying it for a few minutes. It freaked me out a bit that it took so long, I thought she saw something bad. Then, she said, "You will receive news resulting in a series of phone calls." I a
sked if the news was bad or good. Everyone explained that "news" in this context is always good. Then, she said, "You are sitting on a fish. A really big fish. You are sitting on a really big fish...A whale. You are going to have something really big and good happen to you." I was excited by this. I can only hope that it means something related to work and that it's true! Pat, of course, said it's b.s. The bill at this restaurant for all of us was TRY270.00 ($231.10); and P and I picked up the tab! What an expensive lunch. :-( But it was for friends who were so amazingly hospitable to us and it was delicious. It was nice to treat them.
After lunch, we walked around a bit, but Maddy's slow as molasses walk slowed us down a lot. 
We made our way toward the harem, and Maddy had a total melt down. She threw herself on the marble sidewalk and started screaming and crying. When we tried to get her up, she wouldn't budge and refused our help! She told me to go away! lol All kinds of people were looking at her and just walking around her like a sea parting. Once I finally got her on her feet, a man handed her a chocolate and just kept walking with his family. No matter where we went in Istanbul, people were understanding of the difficulties of traveling with a child and they were kind and understanding to Maddy. By the 
time we got to the harem, it was closed for the day. Oh well. The whole museum was closing, so we headed out. We had to carry Maddy on our shoulders. There were sellers of all kinds of souvenirs on the streets leading out of the Palace, so we bought Maddy a top from Topkapi.
We went to the car while E popped back into the silver shop. We'd played a game all day of "Find the Sultan" to keep Maddy entertained. She asked us randomly the entire day where the Sultan was and carried some coins with her to give him. She was very serious about it and wanted to give the Sultan her tribute.When we got to the car, the man who owned the parking lot wa
s nice to Maddy. So, I told her that he was the Sultan. He was a very nice grand fathery type. I just wish she really had an active grandfather... She gave the man the coins with all kinds of solemnity. It was adorable. He thought it was very cute and handed me the coins on the sly. All the while we were loading the car and pulling out she waved and blew kisses to the Sultan.
Back at E's, Maddy and I napped while P, A, & S went to the Asian shore through the increasing traffic to pick up their kids. Sumru went home. They brought back the kids hours later with a huge bucket of fried chicken from KFC. Pat was in hog heaven. We lazed about and chatted for hours that evening while the kids played, danced, sang and bickered. It was actually really nice. At the end of the night, the Altun's took off for Ankara and work, etc. They were sorely missed!
Dec 23rd
We got up a bit late so we walked down to Ortakoy to meet 
Sumru for a brunch around 11am. We had shish kebabs of lamb with salad that were great. Then we went to the dock to take a boat tour of the Bosphorus. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the sun light sparkled off the water. There were thousands of small jellyfish in the bright blue water and Maddy, slightly afraid of them, called them jelly beans.
We got to see all the mosques, monuments, 
palaces and fortifications along the waterway as well as the mixture of housing styles in brick and wood. The buildings were narrow and tall and built up the steep slops. There were Mediterranean-like pine trees interspersed everywhere. 
There was an interesting looking cemetery as well. We saw the Dohmabace Palace on the waterfront and the gigantic tankers competing with tiny fishing boats on the waterway. It was so picturesque. 
I couldn't believe how beautiful it was. The weather was perfect, too. The warmish wind whipped around and was like we were on the ocean. We took a boat called, "The Purple Elephant, " 
which wasn't too crowded. It had a purple elephant
mosaic on the exterior floor that Maddy fell in love with. I fell in with the salep that Sumru introduced to me. I just wish that I had purchased some of the mix before I left. It was like thin, creamy, cream of wheat with cinnamon on top. It was warm, slightly filling and VERY
satisfying. I took the liberty of having 2 on the boat that afternoon. The boat ride was about 2 hours and delivered us back on the docks where there were market stands set up around the mosque.
We browsed a bit and I bought Maddy some "Hello Kitty" mittens to replace her lost pair given to her last Christmas from Sophie (Michael's new wife). We had out fortunes chosen by little bunny rabbits; it's a new thing to do there and the bunnies were so cute!
P and E found a nargileh (hookah) cafe and set
up shop playing backgammon, smoking and drinking beer. Maddy hung out with them, while I walked around taking pictures and shopping for gifts for the UWEC Powerhouse ladies. I found the prices VERY high and that was partially because I'm and English speaker, but also due to the falling dollar and rising new Turkish lira.
So, basically we were screwed in terms of purchase power. I eventually told people I was from Ukraine and they then didn't gouge me as badly.
I looked for some ite
ms Antonina wanted, but $. I did meet a nice woman who gave me a deal on scarves. She was very kind and tried hard to be nice to me. When I came back about 45 minutes later to find the others, they were quite content.
We sat for a while longer, we danced, and I even smoked a puff or 2 of the hookah and had a beer.
We then moseyed back toward E's and stopped at a little borë
On the way back to E's, we got some beads at a bead store :-) We ended up taking a cab up the super steep hill to her apartment at about 8-9pm.
Dec 24th
On Christmas eve morning, we said our regretful goodbyes to E, her kitties and cool pad and moved with Sumru's help by cab across town to the guest house, The Kennedy Lodge, on the Bogazici University Campus.
We installed ourselves there for 2 nights and set off with Sumru for a tour of the gorgeous 125 year old campus that overlooks the Bosphorus. Like everywhere else in Istanbul, there were a ton of cats around. 
People feed them pretty well. Sumru took us to the room where I was to speak the next day and then to her office. Her office was shared with 2 others, but they were in temp quarters while their building is brought up to earthquake standards. They had state-of-the-art computers and printers, and a small library of famous, field-related professional books. Some of the buildings in the complex were a bit run down, but others were really old, nicely kempt and rather Victorian. I did a couple things to 1) make sure the presentation was perfect, and 2) make sure it worked, and 3) make handouts.
Then, she put us in a cab costing TRY25.00 ($21.39) to take us across town to the Grand Bazaar. We got there and immediately we were lured into a carpet store. We looked at about 30 room-sized carpets of 
various styles, makes, colors, and materials (silk, wool, cotton, etc). We looked at kilims and carpets, but the guy was pushy and outrageously high priced- $4,000.00 per carpet but 4 for $5,100.00. "That's a deal." "Yeah, right!" {Can you hear the sarcasm streaming through the computer?} Although we saw some we liked, he served 
us tea, etc, he was applying too much pressure and the expense was far beyond our modest means. So, we couldn't and didn't buy. It had been a little dream of mine to purchase 
a Turkish carpet there, but this little dream sadly wasn't to happen. P was feeling a lot of pressure and he didn't really want to be there. We searched for the t-shirts and purse that Antonina requested, but it was very challenging to get anywhere in the vast, winding alleys of the Grand Bazaar with Little Miss Molasses-Walker, so we settled on 2 t-shirts and pretty much gave up the ghost.
At one point, we had to take Maddy to the potty, which meant going all the way back to the entrance. Once we got there, I had to pay TRY5.00 ($4.29) to use the filthy Turkish toilet. Maddy ended up peeing on her pants and unders while being suspended over the hole in the ground. I literally carried her out of it with her pants around her ankles. People were staring, but what could I do? And I didn't care what people thought.
We made a final attempt at the Grand Bazaar by heading down the main hall, but that was the most expensive area. Once we got off to a side alley, I found a pretty pink patterned Pashmina scarf for myself for TRY15.00 ($12.82). A little further on, after several refused temptations of ivory inlaid backgammon boards, leather tuffets, etc, Pat found a nargileh dealer and bought a whole kit including tips, coals, and tobacco for TRY120.00 ($102.52). After that, we headed further in past Turkish carpets, blue eye pendants, knick knacks, etc and found a cafe.
We had a break from the pressure, which was intense and from all sides. I had another salep. When P took Maddy to the potty, I met a nice couple, Joanna & husband, and their 19 year old daughter, Nora, from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Amazingly, they knew Connie M. and had studies in Pittsburgh, PA. They were super nice and l
et me sit with them while waiting for P & M to return. We all ended up talking for over an hour. After that, P, M & I managed to find our way to an exit with relative ease. The cabbies, spotting foreigners, charged us TRY50.00 ($42.75) after negotiation for the cab to the U. It took us about 45 minutes, because of heavy traffic (without traffic 10 minutes!).
At 7pm, Sumru took us to dinner at the U's Alumni Club that had a really enticing pool and terrace area...I just wish it had been warm enough to swim! Again, that night we crashed hard.
Dec 25th
My talk on Christmas day was at 10am, and Sumru's research assistant met and took me to it. She even purchased a coffee for me. We tried to give milk to a little gray kitty, but he took off. The talk went well mostly, except we had technology problems. I was speaking on "Engaging Your Learners Through Instructional Conversation." I did the best I could with it, but I was a bit disappointed. Sumru didn't seem upset though. She said that her students got a lot out of it and they complimented me a great deal. That was nice. Many people asked good questions. I enjoyed Sumru's colleagues a lot. We had some great conversations. I hope to work with them again in the future. Sumru took us to lunch at the Kennedy Lodge with various colleagues. Maddy was a bit challenging, but...
At 1pm, we went to the Spice Bazaar. The difficult-to-find cab charged us TRY50.00 ($42.75) and it took some time to get there. Once we arrived, we checked out the mosque next door for a minute and let Maddy chase the pigeons, then we went inside. It was truly a sensation overload. We stopped at one spice merchant's place and bought some tea, nargileh coals, tobacco, and pine nuts. Maddy ran around the store eating directly out of the bins! I couldn't stop her, she was moving too fast, besides some of the other men working there were encouraging her to do it, so I gave up.
The Spice Bazaar smelled heavenly with a mixture of rich and aromatic herbs and roots. There were brightly colored herbs every where you look. There also tons of Turkish-made items for sale as well like tea sets, lamps, lokum, henna dye, and scarves. The people in the Spice Bazaar were as likely to be natives as tourists. The natives still shop there. Maybe this is because the vendors sell such a wide variety of items. Some vendors even were like pharmacists with herbs and treatments for all kinds of aliments.
I love this kind of thing, but P loathes it. He finds it very stressful. So, my enthusiasm was a bit damped by his simmering anger. I wanted to spend hours there, but he wanted to be in and out as soon as possible. Oh well...
We walked on and Maddy started losing it, so I told Pat to meet me at the exit door. Meanwhile, I bought a light blue scarf for mom, some delicious apricots, lokum and some lanterns in yellow, orange and read for the patio
back home. One of the fun highlights was that I received two marriage proposals! Me, fat, old, and married! lol!
P and M had a difficult time with a young man mocking and teasing the crying Maddy. P even threatened to kick his ass, but to no avail. So they left the exit door and went to the entrance door. I went to the exit door and got a salep and waited and waited... I was then harassed by several perfume salesmen. I walked outside the market to the entrance and back, but no sign of them. I finally gave up and got some cash for a return cab. When I returned to the entrance, I finally found them.
We decided to visit a cafe before returning to the university area. P smoked a nargileh, we ate köfte and Maddy went #2 in her pants. The toilet was a filthy Turkish toilet, so I had to change her bottom table side at this cool, brick-vaulted, wooden-tabled, embroidery-covered seat cafe! Mortifying.
The cab cost TRY60.00 ($51.47) and took 1.5 hours to get back! Man, they weren't kidding about the traffic. P was furious. So, he chose not to paint the town red with E and her friends that night. We packed up our things and laid down to watch tv when we heard things, like pine cones, hitting the window pane. P looked out and it was our cabbie. He found P's wallet in the cab and returned it, but at a price-TRY30.00 ($25.67). He was pissed when P offered him TRY10.00 ($8.56) as a reward. He became furious and harangued P. During this little debacle, Sumru showed up with a sweat shirt from the U for me as a Christmas present. Isn't that the nicest? It was Christmas Day 2007. Merry Christmas.
Dec 26th
Sumru showed up with the University's car and the friendly driver took us to the airport at 6am. We waited around the super overly expensive airport for a while and spent too much money for breakfast. We did get some reasonably priced raki for P's Ukrainian buddies and a couple of small trinkets for other friends. The flights back with Maddy were pretty good.
The plane from Ky
iv to Kharkiv was a challenge-Maddy threw herself down in the aisle and almost pulled me on top of her while boarding. 
The plane itself was circa 1960 Soviet, but that was nothing in comparison to the baggage claim at Kharkiv's airport! That was an old fashioned pick up truck with the bags on it. They pulled up at the exit door where people were standing and folks descended on their stuff like vultures. We were so thankful to see A & V on the other side of the door. They were all hugs and smiles, and drove us home!
For obvious reasons, the colors of Istanbul have been much missed by us in Ukraine. Thanks, Arif, Sumru, Sadegul and Elizabeth for being such wonderful hosts! We miss you.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Stardate: 1/2/2008 Pink Skies in the City of Cats
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