Monday, June 05, 2006

Notes from Istanbul

Darlings, very quick as am paying by minute.
  1. Am glad that C is handsome, sweet boyfriend as all Turkish men under fifty frantically good looking.
  2. Bargaining in Grand Bazaar is fun. Shopkeeper from whom made major purchase got very angry with me but I kept starting to leave shop and he kept lowering price. After making purchase (got two things for 3/4 price originally quoted for one) he handed me bags and said, "You do this better than most American."
  3. As usual most abroad do not think I am American until I open my mouth. Lufthansa crews invariably addressed me in German, and in Istanbul was generally assumed I am Italian or Spanish. Ship's crew thinks I am Jewish, chefs keep advising me which dishes contain pork.
  4. Dolores has taken fancy to Galina, our chambermaid. When expressed surprise at this she said, "Nothing virgin about this wool, cupcake" and advised me that if I return to find beaded handbag on cabin doorknob I should sleep in ship's library.
  5. If you visit Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, do not skip Harem. Pay the extra 10 lira. Will never read the Thousand and One Nights again without picturing those beautiful rooms.
  6. There is one other gay man (British) on ship and he is pointedly ignoring me. As usual only passes come from "straight" married men. Am avoiding sauna at all costs.
  7. Woke at 6 am to watch passage through Hellespont (Dardanelles). Saw "windy plains of Troy" with own eyes. If had to return tomorrow would still always remember this as amazing trip.

Tomorrow 6 a.m. we arrive Rhodes.

22 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:28 AM

    Surely, dear, you must be visiting at least one place mentioned in The DaVinci Code, where you can dig or dismantle or generally ruin things in order to prove Dan Brown right and thwart Opus Dei?

    Perhaps Dolores has shtupped spmeone with useful info...

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  2. Fabulous details, so glad you are having a great time! Isn't it wild to visit such old places with so much history?

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  3. "As usual most abroad do not think I am American until I open my mouth."
    This is a good thing....it's sad to say it keeps you safer in your travels.

    Is Dolores sleeping on the pull down bed??

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  4. sounds like you're having a great time!

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  5. Oh, were I only blessed enough to have accompanied you.

    Starting my first little bit of lace -- a shawl. Hope to have somehting to show for my efforts by the time you return.

    Remember what I said -- stay away from Greek girls who don't shave their legs and Greek men who do.

    Other than that, have a ball. Or two.

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  6. Anonymous10:21 AM

    Sorry to bug you with a request for a souvenier, but how bout brining back one of those Turkish men for me? How about at least a bunch of pictures? Glad to hear you're having a great time.

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  7. Anonymous10:31 AM

    Glad you are having such a good time. It sounds like the trip of a lifetime.

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  8. Is said Englisman Blond 60ish wearing a lot of beige with Birmingham accent ? ( famous Brummies include Lenny Henry if you've heard him) ...probably not but now I know why my friend Tony has taken such a shine to Turkish holidays...huh as if I didn't naughty boy!

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  9. errr...that's not beige with an accent should read "and with a Birmingham accent" .

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  10. It all sounds so fabulous. The places, if not the people. Congrats on being able to dicker, I suck at it.

    Rhodes! How are your little charges doing?

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  11. 1. So unfair. On both counts.
    2. This comes as no surprise to me.
    3. LMAO
    4. Ew. Or is that ewe.
    5. Sounds so wonderful. ~green~
    6. Ha.
    7. See #5.

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  12. Anonymous3:33 PM

    Rhodes - my favourite of all the Greek islands, there used to be a good haberdashery shop just up from the harbour - wish i was there to show you my favourite places!

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  13. The hints about all the shopping are killing me!!!!

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  14. The colors must be indescribable. We want pictures! (What has Dolores been doing with the camera? On second thought, I probably don't want to know.)

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  15. Anonymous5:32 PM

    No one abroad ever thinks I'm American either. I was once firmly told that I must be Canadian. Their thought was a) I don't have an American accent (at the time I had a New England accent mixed with a Southern slowness and habit of speech) b) I was too polite and b) Americans don't knit. Hmmmm.

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  16. Oh how delightful! A Postcard from Abroad! So very literate and enjoyable...I am viridian with envy of the Hellespont. Perhaps even more of your ability to play "Haggle" so well.

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  17. One idea to save internet time is to type out your post in something like word then copy and paste it onto your blog. Of course that will only work if you are only being charged for internet time and not computer time =)

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  18. Anonymous9:39 PM

    Ha. hahahahaha. I knew Dolores twisted both ways. :-)

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  19. cool. sounds like the trip of a lifetime, mein herr.

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  20. What the hell is up with these married men? Didn't they ever learn that lesson about honesty being the best policy? It never ceases to boggle my mind.

    As to everything else, I'd say that I'm jealous, but then I'd just be repeating myself.

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  21. Anonymous7:51 AM

    Sounds like you are having a wonderful time. Enjoy evey minute of it. Can't wait to see you in July so we can hear about all the places you went and also see all the pictures you took. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

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