San Francisco-September 2010

Three days in San Francisco to eat and relax.

San Francisco-September 2010 San Francisco-September 2010

Paris and Dordogne 10/08

Kristina's Big Fat Fortieth in France 2008 (a.k.a. "Nice Church, what's for lunch?")

Paris and Dordogne 10/08 Paris and Dordogne 10/08

Rome 2009

Mozzarella, Museums & Macchiato; A Week in Rome, October 2009

Rome 2009 Rome 2009

Vietnam & Bangkok 2009

Vietnam & Bangkok- 17 days July 2009

Vietnam & Bangkok 2009 Vietnam & Bangkok 2009

San Francisco April 2009

Four Fabulous Days in San Franscico April 2009

San Francisco April 2009 San Francisco April 2009

Rome March 2008

The Big lasagna Tour- Rome March 2008

Rome March 2008 Rome March 2008

Capture the Color Photography Contest

August 5, 2012

I’m really not one for entering contests. Primarily because like most people, I think my chances of winning are so small, why waste my time? But this contest buzzing about the interwebs, Travel Supermarket’s Capture the Color, got me to change my mind. Plus, I was nominated by the awesome Christine Gilbert of Almost Fearless, so really, how could I refuse? The prizes of an new iPad 3 for individual photos or the 2000£ grand prize are a pretty nice incentive too.

Here’s the deal; there are five photos, one for each color; blue, green, yellow, white and red. Each color will be voted on by an individual judge (blue: Ken Kaminesky, green: Abi King, yellow: Dave & Deb, white: Christine Gilbert and red: Daniel Nahabedian) so don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything. You the reader just get to enjoy. And maybe, if you’re new here, you’ll find something interesting in one of the older posts from which some of these photos originate.

Blue:

This photo was taken over a wall behind the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul Turkey. I love the contrasts in this photo; the bright blue workman’s uniforms with the faded blue of the building and the softness of the white blossoms on the tree with the stone wall behind it.

Green:

These are leaf cutter ants in Panama. The sheer industriousness and organization of these ant colonies in the jungle is absolutely mind-boggling. They can completely dismantle a tree and move the it to their home in a matter of hours.

Yellow:

Cambodia holds a very special place in my heart. I’ve been three times in the last ten years and if I’m fortunate, I’ll make a fourth trip next summer. While most of my time in Cambodia focuses on …

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Visiting the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul

July 30, 2012
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During the planning process for this trip I did a lot of reading, both online and in the DK Eyewitness Istanbul guidebook. I also discovered Rick Steves’ app which I downloaded to my phone and then listed his podcasts on Turkey (and Italy) in my car. I’ve never been a huge fan of Rick Steves’ books or TV shows, but I’ll admit I really enjoyed listening to the podcasts. On one of the podcasts he interviews the couple who wrote his Istanbul guidebook. One of the things which stayed with my from listening to that program was that Lale Aran said she thought the most beautiful mosque in Istanbul is the Suleymaniye Mosque. So of course, I made it a goal for to see if for myself while we were there.

We walked to the Mosque after walking through the Spice Market. While a part of the walk is uphill, it’s not difficult and we wandered though a neighborhood which sells (wholesale) all the trinkets sold in the tourist areas (note, this is a great place to buy a set of 10 key chains for the same cost as 1 or 2 in the grand Bazaar, but more on this in a later post). I believe this street is called Uzuncarsi Caddesi, and if you stay on it, it will take you right to the Grand Bazaar.

We arrived late in the afternoon, right as the call to prayer was happening. View the video to hear the call to prayer and see the outside of the mosque where the fountains are for ablutions.

We checked out the courtyard and then entered the mosque from the main entrance as there was not separate visitor’s entrance.

Suleymaniye Mosque

It really is stunning inside. Built between 1550 and 1557, the mosque is a memorial to …

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A Visit to Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace and Harem

July 24, 2012
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Visiting the Topkapi Palace is like peeling back the layers of an onion. No, wait. It’s more like one of those Russian dolls, with one inside of another getting progressively smaller. Ok, sort of but not really, but you get my point, don’t you?

Most people enter through the Imperial Gate which is located behind and to the right of the Hagia Sofia. You then walk through the walled exterior palace grounds until you reach the ticket booth and along the way pass by the Hagia Eirene and the Archaeological Museum. At the time we went, admission tickets were 25TL per person.

The next layer peels back after passing through the crenelated Gate of Salutations which looks straight out of Disney movie. Be forewarned, you must go through airline style security to get inside (bags are x-rayed).

Once inside there’s a large grassy area and a number of pavilions and buildings. Many of the pavilions have been turned into exhibit rooms showing items from the Sultan’s treasury as well as imperial clothing and the Sultan’s arms and armor (this exhibit was particularly well designed).

While I enjoyed seeing all the bejewled and bedazzled kaftans, scabbards, even a baby’s crib, I was particularly fascinated by the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle which holds many holy relics of Islam and the Prophet Mohammed’s mantle. Twenty four hours a day there are holy men chanting the words of the Koran over the mantle through a microphone. Unfortunately none of these exhibits allowed photographs inside.

After visiting most of the exhibits, we headed for the Harem which requires a separate admission fee of 15TL at the time of our visit. Fortunately, with the price of admission, photographs are allowed inside.

The first thing you will learn when reading about the Harem is that “harem” means “forbidden” in Arabic and that the …

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The Cats of Turkey

July 16, 2012
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It’s no secret both David and I love our kitties. When we travel, we’re always on the search to get our fix because we so miss our three cats back home. Turkey was heaven for us. Every time we stepped outside it took less than 2.3 seconds to spot a cat, and most of the time they were friendly, willing recipients of a head scratch or belly rub.

Turkey even has its own breed of cat, the Van (in top photo). This one, complete with one blue eye and one green eye, typical of the breed, spends her days in a shop on a walking street in Selcuk goes home with the shop’s owner at night. According to the man, she’s “famous” (there was a sign up about her and her sister who had recently been killed by a car). We never came across another Van cat on our trip, and certainly not one roaming the streets. Perhaps if we’d traveled in the eastern part of the country, near lake Van where they are from, we would have seen more of them.

Some of the first cats we saw were at the Blue Mosque:

Cat at Blue Mosque

Cat in Istanbul

It’s been theorized that Turkey is a cat lover’s paradise because the koran lists dogs as “unclean” and does not say the same as for cats. There is also a myth that Mohammed himself loved cats and cut off a piece of his own cloak (or vest depending on the story you read) rather than disturb the cat sleeping on it.

Istanbul Kittens

Regardless of this, there are cats everywhere in Turkey and even the ones without homes seem very well cared for. In fact, I saw a mama kitty with 3 kittens who had blue thread on her side where she’d had a wound stitched up. Even though she …

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Visiting the Blue Mosque in Istanbul Turkey; Tips and Photos

July 9, 2012
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Determined to make the most of our sightseeing time while staying in Sultanahmet, we made sure to visit the Blue Mosque on one of our days there. Like the Hagia Sofia, the Topkapi Palace, and the Basilica Cistern, the Blue Mosque is on just about every tour and must-see list of the city and there’s a good reason why; it’s flippin’ magnificent.

The dome or the minarets can be seen from just about anywhere in the area. The entrance to the courtyard in front of the mosque is through the Hippodrome, once a giant Roman stadium, now a public square.

Blue Mosque

Non Muslim visitors are asked to enter the mosque not through the entrance inside the courtyard, but from one outside and on the right. Women are asked to cover their heads (scarves are provided) and everyone is asked to remove their shoes at the entrance. Plastic bags are provided for your shoes, but they’re tiny.

Tip #1: Bring one of those lightweight reusable shopping bags, the kind which fold up into about a 1″x2″ pouch, to slip your shoes into (wish I’d thought of this before going). The bags they gave us were small and broke easily. We could have used the reusable bags when visiting other mosques as well.

There is a large central area in the front of the mosque reserved for men’s prayers and tourists are asked not to walk through there. In the back of the mosque, behind carved wood screens is the women’s area. The visitors area is in the back, in front of the women’s space, and visitors are allowed to sit on the floor or walk through.

Tip #2: Don’t just walk through quickly, especially if you are there during prayer time. Take a seat on the carpet, listen to the Imam chant, and …

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Istanbul At Night

July 2, 2012
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Cities always have a different feel at night. Some, like Naples, can be intimidating when you first set out in the dark, but also show their quirky side.

Istanbul lights up its most famous monuments, the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, which makes photos at dusk and dark tempting. So tempting we were willing to pay for overpriced drinks on our first night just to sit outside on a rooftop bar with a great view.

No, I have no idea why it’s there. I looked it up and it gets horrible reviews, but then again, why would anyone eat at a Mexican chain restaurant in Istanbul?

There was a full moon while we were there. Both David and I tried to get a photo of the moon itself but were unsuccessful. David took the photo above and the lower moon is a reflection in the camera lens. Oddly enough, that’s the one with the detail of the moon’s surface.

Each time before a trip I tell myself I will take more night photos and each time it’s a struggle to get that perfect shot. I really need to have a tripod, but I just can’t be bothered to carry one. This time I brought a monopod but frankly I’m not sure it was worth the weight because I never carried it. Do you carry a tripod? What are your tricks for good night shots?

…
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Visiting Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)

June 28, 2012
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Walking through the giant entrance doors is both humbling and breathtaking. There is a crumbling faded beauty here. Along with the peeling paint and missing mosaic tiles, there are graceful arches, intricate wood carvings and ironwork, and sunlight filtered through high windows. Close your eyes and imagine the electric bulbs suspended from the ceiling were once thousands of candles.

From the outside it’s easy to confuse the Hagia Sophia with just another mosque in a city which has hundreds. There’s a big dome and minarets flanking the four corners, but walk inside and it’s another story all together. In fact, many times I found myself looking at the skyline from a distance and wondering …”which is which?”

The Hagia Sophia was first a christian church built mostly as it stands now, giant dome and all, in the sixth century. When the Ottomans took over in the 15th century it was converted to a mosque, complete with minarets and changing the orientation of the apse to face Mecca.

Now, both the church and the mosque have been deconsecrated and the building is a museum open to the public Tuesday-Sunday, check for summer/winter hours and admission prices.

It’s hard to gain perspective on the center dome from photos, but from the floor to the top of the dome is 184 feet. Keep in mind this was built in 537 AD, long before the likes of St Peter’s in Rome.

The photo above shows the mihrab, placed offset at the end of the apse, indicating the exact direction of Mecca. They could not change the orientation of the church when it was converted into a mosque which is why the mihrab is not symmetrical to the rest of the structure.

Upstairs in the gallery are a number of mosaics. We went in search of one listed as “Emperor …

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Istanbul and Selcuk (Ephesus) Turkey; Travel Logistics and Resources

June 26, 2012
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I can’t say “I’ve always wanted to go to Turkey.” In fact, in thinking back to our trip around the world in 1998-99, it wasn’t even on the radar then and I have no idea why. My interest first peaked back in 2006 and for a while my mother and I were planning a trip there but in the end we chose to go to Central Europe instead.

This year, Turkish Airlines started flying nonstop from Los Angeles and offered some tantalizing deals for a 13 hour flight. I’m a sucker for any flight which will get me to my destination without having to change planes. The timing worked with David’s spring break so we jumped in and bought the tickets.

Turkish Airlines

The positives: Great seatback video on demand system. Decent, edible food. Nonstop flights. Turkish Airlines offers free tours of the city, including lunch, if you are doing a stopover in IST for 24 hours or less. We didn’t do one of those tours but they look great if you are stuck with a long layover anyway.

The negatives: Horribly uncomfortable seats in Economy class, to the point where we upgraded to their version of Premium Economy (Comfort Class) on the way home. The seat pitch is so bad David could not put the tray table fully down onto his lap when the seat in front was reclined. Forget about reaching anything under the seat in front of you. In addition, it took 2.5 months to get United Mileage credit despite given them our FF numbers and there’s a definite lack of English with staff both in LAX and at International airport in Istanbul.

Arrival at Istanbul International was fine though it took quite a while for our luggage to arrive and when it did …

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