.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Easter among the Muslims
It was disappointing to have to miss Alexandria, but Istanbul wasn't too bad as a consolation prize. We were there for two days over Easter, so we had a decent amount of time to take it in.
One of the first things you notice about the skyline of Istanbul is all of the mosques and prayer towers (known as "minarets").
One of the most spectacular sites in Istanbul (and by some accounts, in the world) is the Hagia Sophia. Built between 532 and 537, it was the largest cathedral in the world for almost a thousand years. It's spent time as an Orthodox cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral, an Islamic mosque, and now, a museum.
And, finally, one of Istanbul's best-known sites is the Grand Bazaar. Think of the world's most crowded mall. It's mostly indoors with row after row of shops selling clothes and jewelry, mostly. It has 58 streets and over 4,000 shops. It's jam-packed. People chase after you to convince you that they've got the deal of a lifetime for you. Here's a shot from part of the bazaar that's outdoors:
One of the first things you notice about the skyline of Istanbul is all of the mosques and prayer towers (known as "minarets").
One of the most spectacular sites in Istanbul (and by some accounts, in the world) is the Hagia Sophia. Built between 532 and 537, it was the largest cathedral in the world for almost a thousand years. It's spent time as an Orthodox cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral, an Islamic mosque, and now, a museum.
Here's another mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, known informally as the "Blue Mosque."
Here's a tomb of Alexander the Great (he's not actually buried there--they made lots of tombs for him):
I've mentioned before that the line between Europe and Asia is somewhat arbitrary. Istanbul is unique in that it straddles both continents. Here's a picture of Tanner standing in Asia with Europe in the background:
And here's a picture from our balcony, with Europe on the right and Asia on the left:
And, finally, one of Istanbul's best-known sites is the Grand Bazaar. Think of the world's most crowded mall. It's mostly indoors with row after row of shops selling clothes and jewelry, mostly. It has 58 streets and over 4,000 shops. It's jam-packed. People chase after you to convince you that they've got the deal of a lifetime for you. Here's a shot from part of the bazaar that's outdoors:
Istanbul was worth the visit. You could spend a week there trying to see everything there is to see. We got a pretty decent look in our two days there, but I could have spent several more days running around. I recommend a visit if you ever get the chance.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Rhodes
We didn't take a tour of the island of Rhodes; we just walked around for a couple of hours to take in the sights. We did, however, find time to eat a Greek lunch. (On a week-and-a-half cruise, you need to take a break from the ship's lunch selections once in a while.)
Saturday, May 21, 2011
The Turkish countryside
Our second stop was the port of Kuşadası, which is where you dock if you're going to visit Ephesus. Ephesus is a spectacular place to visit, but we had already been there in October, so Tanner and I opted for a different tour this time around.
Basically, the tour consisted of spending the day driving around on the back roads of Turkey, visiting small villages and seeing how people live outside of the big cities. It was advertised as a tour for people "looking for something off the beaten path," and it was certainly that. Only a dozen people signed up. At the end of the day, though, Tanner said that it was his favorite tour out of all the cruises he's been on. (And you have to remember that he's become quite a cruise veteran.)
I don't have lots of spectacular pictures, since the day was mostly just about cruising around the countryside, but here are a few. Our first stop was the village of Şirince, where you can buy orenges and pomegranets.
Our next stop was the village of Tire (pronounced TEE-ray). There, we visited a small museum, saw the inside of a mosque, and looked around at shops where they still make things the old-fashioned way. We heard the call to prayer, which they do five times per day. Most Muslems in Turkey aren't particularly religious, though, so everyone pretty much just went about their business.
This is the inside of the village mosque. (You'll see pictures from much fancier mosques when I get to the pictures from Istanbul.)
After that, it was time for lunch at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. (If there's a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, it must be good, or else no one would eat there.) We had lamb meatballs.
Finally, we stopped at a shop where they make Turkish carpets. Here's a vat of silkworms, which was really cool:
Then came the sales pitch. I was an easy mark because I already went in there planning on buying something. I figured that you can't visit Turkey twice without buying a carpet, right? I really liked the silk rugs that started at about $1800, but I managed to talk myself down to a cotton on wool rug that was substantially less than that. I don't have a picture of the one I bought, so if you want to see it, you'll just have to come out and visit us.
Basically, the tour consisted of spending the day driving around on the back roads of Turkey, visiting small villages and seeing how people live outside of the big cities. It was advertised as a tour for people "looking for something off the beaten path," and it was certainly that. Only a dozen people signed up. At the end of the day, though, Tanner said that it was his favorite tour out of all the cruises he's been on. (And you have to remember that he's become quite a cruise veteran.)
I don't have lots of spectacular pictures, since the day was mostly just about cruising around the countryside, but here are a few. Our first stop was the village of Şirince, where you can buy orenges and pomegranets.
Our next stop was the village of Tire (pronounced TEE-ray). There, we visited a small museum, saw the inside of a mosque, and looked around at shops where they still make things the old-fashioned way. We heard the call to prayer, which they do five times per day. Most Muslems in Turkey aren't particularly religious, though, so everyone pretty much just went about their business.
This is the inside of the village mosque. (You'll see pictures from much fancier mosques when I get to the pictures from Istanbul.)
After that, it was time for lunch at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. (If there's a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, it must be good, or else no one would eat there.) We had lamb meatballs.
Finally, we stopped at a shop where they make Turkish carpets. Here's a vat of silkworms, which was really cool:
Then came the sales pitch. I was an easy mark because I already went in there planning on buying something. I figured that you can't visit Turkey twice without buying a carpet, right? I really liked the silk rugs that started at about $1800, but I managed to talk myself down to a cotton on wool rug that was substantially less than that. I don't have a picture of the one I bought, so if you want to see it, you'll just have to come out and visit us.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Athens
At long last, here are some pictures from the cruise.
Our first stop was Athens. We weren't there for too long, but we got to see some of the sites. Lindsey was supposed to go with us but threw up a couple of hours before we were supposed to go, so we left her on the ship in the kids' club. (The doctor said that she wasn't contageous and that she'd be fine.)
Here's the stadium where the first Olympic Games were held. The stone seats aren't quite up to our modern level of comfort.
Here are a couple of other shots, including the Parthenon with some of its original scaffolding:
Our first stop was Athens. We weren't there for too long, but we got to see some of the sites. Lindsey was supposed to go with us but threw up a couple of hours before we were supposed to go, so we left her on the ship in the kids' club. (The doctor said that she wasn't contageous and that she'd be fine.)
Here's the stadium where the first Olympic Games were held. The stone seats aren't quite up to our modern level of comfort.
Here are a couple of other shots, including the Parthenon with some of its original scaffolding:
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
I'm still not Switzerland
Another big difference between Americans and Swiss jumped out at me today as I was riding the train back from a Twins game. (Yes, the Twin Cities do actually have a crude form of public transportation that's useful for getting to downtown Minneapolis, but that's about it.) (And the Twins are absolutely horrible this year, thank you for asking.) As we were all crammed into the train, standing-room only, I noticed that several spontaneous conversations among strangers were taking place around me. On one side, a conversation arose about why a veteran, who was attending to his mother in a wheelchair, wanted to return to duty in Iraq. On the other side, two strangers were talking about places they'd visited in Europe.
This does not happen on Swiss trains or buses. In fact, as I mentioned in a post a couple of years ago, there are even designated quiet cars where you are not to speak to anyone, talk on your cell phone, listen to music (even with headphones), or breathe through your nose at a level above 5 decibels. In regular train cars or on buses, the Swiss will happily greet people they know, but they do not strike up random conversations with strangers.
And there was another way I knew I wasn't in Europe: people were actually orderly and considerate when boarding the train. In Europe, including Switzerland, when the train doors open, it's the law of the jungle. Europeans act as though their lives depend on boarding the train ahead of everyone else. Train-boarding behavior in Switzerland strikes me as very weird, because in general, the Swiss are much more polite than Americans. Just not when it comes to getting on a train.
This does not happen on Swiss trains or buses. In fact, as I mentioned in a post a couple of years ago, there are even designated quiet cars where you are not to speak to anyone, talk on your cell phone, listen to music (even with headphones), or breathe through your nose at a level above 5 decibels. In regular train cars or on buses, the Swiss will happily greet people they know, but they do not strike up random conversations with strangers.
And there was another way I knew I wasn't in Europe: people were actually orderly and considerate when boarding the train. In Europe, including Switzerland, when the train doors open, it's the law of the jungle. Europeans act as though their lives depend on boarding the train ahead of everyone else. Train-boarding behavior in Switzerland strikes me as very weird, because in general, the Swiss are much more polite than Americans. Just not when it comes to getting on a train.
Friday, May 6, 2011
I can tell I'm not in Switzerland anymore
I think I've written before about how I used to go through a bit of cultural disorientation whenever I went from Switzerland to the U.S. or vice versa. I got over that pretty quickly, and now I don't think much about it and I don't need to go through much in the way of adjustments as I travel back and forth, but I had a couple of experiences today that made me think of some of the small differences.
First: As I was sitting in the dentist's chair today, I had a lovely view of the parking lot through the window. I could see my rental car sitting there parked in the lot. As I was waiting for the dentist to tell me, as usual, that my teeth were perfect and that I had no cavities, I had time to contemplate again just how darned much room there is to park for free in this country.
In Europe, when you drive somewhere, you have to think about three things: 1) will there be any place to park; 2) if there is a place to park, what will it cost; and 3) will the parking spaces be big enough for me to be able to pull in and out and to open my door at least four inches (probably not). You have to go through this process whenever you take the car anywhere. In the U.S., you know there will be about ten times as many spots as there will be cars, that the parking will be free, and that there will be plenty of room to pull your car in and out of the parking spot. (Of course, if we could ever get decent public transportation here in the Twin Cities, the parking wouldn't matter so much, which is often the case in Europe.)
Second: My luxury penthouse at the Country Inn and Suites in Eagan was getting a little warm tonight. (We've got someone living in the house again, so I stay in cheap motels when I'm in Minnesota because the cost is coming out of my own pocket.) I didn't want to turn on the air conditioning, so I thought I'd check to see if I could open the window. Turns out that I could. Before doing so, I did a mental calculation of the date to try to guess if the mosquitoes had yet hatched in Minnesota. I didn't want to get a room full of mosquitoes. I decided that it was probably early enough in the spring that the mosquitoes wouldn't yet be out in full force, so I risked opening the window.
I had a moment of shock when I slid open the window and discovered that someone had cleverly placed some sort of metal mesh contraption over the window to keep the bugs out. It slowly dawned on me that this device was called a "screen." I hadn't seen one of those for several years. You see, in much the same way that they don't believe in ice cubes or cold drinks, the Europeans also don't believe in screens. They just don't exist over there. If you open the windows to cool down your apartment (because the Europeans also don't generally believe in air conditioning), you have to accept that you're inviting a whole bunch of God's creatures to join you in your apartment. That's just how it is. We all got a decent number of mosquito bites last fall in Venice because I left a window open all night to cool down our hotel room.
Other minor differences: I've been a little surprised to have people pass me on the right on the freeway. That's a big no-no in Europe. You don't pass on the right. It works out okay, though, because the Europeans are also very good about staying over to the right and letting the faster cars pass on the left. That's not the case here.
And, of course, there's the gas that's only $4 per gallon. In Switzerland right now, it's about $8 per gallon. That's actually cheap for Europe. Switzerland and Austria tend to have the cheapest gas in Europe.
First: As I was sitting in the dentist's chair today, I had a lovely view of the parking lot through the window. I could see my rental car sitting there parked in the lot. As I was waiting for the dentist to tell me, as usual, that my teeth were perfect and that I had no cavities, I had time to contemplate again just how darned much room there is to park for free in this country.
In Europe, when you drive somewhere, you have to think about three things: 1) will there be any place to park; 2) if there is a place to park, what will it cost; and 3) will the parking spaces be big enough for me to be able to pull in and out and to open my door at least four inches (probably not). You have to go through this process whenever you take the car anywhere. In the U.S., you know there will be about ten times as many spots as there will be cars, that the parking will be free, and that there will be plenty of room to pull your car in and out of the parking spot. (Of course, if we could ever get decent public transportation here in the Twin Cities, the parking wouldn't matter so much, which is often the case in Europe.)
Second: My luxury penthouse at the Country Inn and Suites in Eagan was getting a little warm tonight. (We've got someone living in the house again, so I stay in cheap motels when I'm in Minnesota because the cost is coming out of my own pocket.) I didn't want to turn on the air conditioning, so I thought I'd check to see if I could open the window. Turns out that I could. Before doing so, I did a mental calculation of the date to try to guess if the mosquitoes had yet hatched in Minnesota. I didn't want to get a room full of mosquitoes. I decided that it was probably early enough in the spring that the mosquitoes wouldn't yet be out in full force, so I risked opening the window.
I had a moment of shock when I slid open the window and discovered that someone had cleverly placed some sort of metal mesh contraption over the window to keep the bugs out. It slowly dawned on me that this device was called a "screen." I hadn't seen one of those for several years. You see, in much the same way that they don't believe in ice cubes or cold drinks, the Europeans also don't believe in screens. They just don't exist over there. If you open the windows to cool down your apartment (because the Europeans also don't generally believe in air conditioning), you have to accept that you're inviting a whole bunch of God's creatures to join you in your apartment. That's just how it is. We all got a decent number of mosquito bites last fall in Venice because I left a window open all night to cool down our hotel room.
Other minor differences: I've been a little surprised to have people pass me on the right on the freeway. That's a big no-no in Europe. You don't pass on the right. It works out okay, though, because the Europeans are also very good about staying over to the right and letting the faster cars pass on the left. That's not the case here.
And, of course, there's the gas that's only $4 per gallon. In Switzerland right now, it's about $8 per gallon. That's actually cheap for Europe. Switzerland and Austria tend to have the cheapest gas in Europe.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
New York, New York
This is my third time in New York City. They've all been short visits, only a day or two. Maybe it just took some getting used to, but I'm finally starting to understand why people love New York so much. I wouldn't ever want to live here, but I can see why people who do live here are so devoted to it.
During my previous visits, it just seemed smelly, noisy, and crowded. Those things are still true, but I'm starting to pick up on the vibe a little more now. Maybe I've been to enough strange places in the world that it's just a relief to be somewhere that they speak English, even if it's a crazy place. In one day in New York, I've heard more honking horns, police sirens, and people mumbling incoherently to themselves than I've heard in three years in Switzerland. But somehow, this place works. The 5 billion or so people crammed onto this island manage to pull it off every day, and it's a great place.
The funny thing is that all the stereotypes about New York City aren't really stereotypes; they're true! The accent, the attitude, the craziness, all of it. That's how it actually is here. The Swiss are unfailingly polite, if a bit cold. (The same is true of Minnesotans to a lesser degree.) I don't think New Yorkers even know what "polite" means. They're curt and almost rude, but everyone's fine with it. You just have to play along. They love you in their own unique way.
Last time I was here, I stayed near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan, so I was able to walk past Ground Zero and to see the Statue of Liberty. This time, I'm on the 40th floor of a hotel in midtown, about three blocks from Times Square. (I can see Radio City Music Hall out of my window as I'm typing this blog entry.) After my appointments today, I took a couple of hours and just walked around Central Park and then down Broadway to Times Square.
The very existence of Central Park is amazing to me. Someone had the foresight all those years ago to set aside a big chunk of Manhattan to be dedicated to the public rather than being filled with skyscrapers. It's a fun place. It's great that New Yorkers have a place like that, right in the middle of the city, where they can escape the urban craziness. It's like a completely different world in there from the rest of the city.
As I walked around Times Square, I was tempted to try to catch a Broadway play or a musical. After all, it's not every day that I'm staying within a couple of blocks of Broadway, right? But tickets are pretty expensive, and nothing that was playing really grabbed my attention, and if history holds true, tonight will be my worst night for jet lag. It's shortly after 8:00 Eastern time, so I expect to start drooling on my keyboard in about ten minutes. I guess I'll have to do Broadway another time.
I will say that I'm looking forward to heading to Minnesota, where I won't have to face the language barrier that I'm having to face here. I swear, I've had to ask everyone to repeat themselves at least once. The accents are just too strong for me. They can't understand me, either. When I got in the cab to take me from JFK to my hotel, I told the driver, "Sheraton Tower, midtown." I must have been speaking Swiss German, because he looked at me blankly. I repeated myself. He said, "Huh?" I said it one more time, and he said, "You mean the Sheraton New York?" I told him that I had no clue as to how many Sheratons there were in New York, but regardless of how many there were, I wanted to go to the Sheraton that was a tower that was located in midtown.
He started to drive, and then he asked me, "You pay cash?" From his tone of voice, I could tell that what he was really meant was, "Kind sir, as a condition of holding my permit to drive a taxi cab, I am obligated under the ordinances of the city of New York to accept payment in the form of cash or a credit card, whichever you prefer, and I can't push you in any particular direction, but if you could be ever so kind, I would greatly appreciate it if you would consider tendering your payment in cash." In reply, I said, "credit card," which I really meant as "credit card." He grunted and didn't say anything more, but as we approached the hotel a while later, he again asked, "You pay cash?" I used a credit card. I think we bonded a little.
Anyway, tomorrow I'm off to Minnesota, where the people are much more polite but just a bit less colorful. I'll kinda miss New York.
During my previous visits, it just seemed smelly, noisy, and crowded. Those things are still true, but I'm starting to pick up on the vibe a little more now. Maybe I've been to enough strange places in the world that it's just a relief to be somewhere that they speak English, even if it's a crazy place. In one day in New York, I've heard more honking horns, police sirens, and people mumbling incoherently to themselves than I've heard in three years in Switzerland. But somehow, this place works. The 5 billion or so people crammed onto this island manage to pull it off every day, and it's a great place.
The funny thing is that all the stereotypes about New York City aren't really stereotypes; they're true! The accent, the attitude, the craziness, all of it. That's how it actually is here. The Swiss are unfailingly polite, if a bit cold. (The same is true of Minnesotans to a lesser degree.) I don't think New Yorkers even know what "polite" means. They're curt and almost rude, but everyone's fine with it. You just have to play along. They love you in their own unique way.
Last time I was here, I stayed near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan, so I was able to walk past Ground Zero and to see the Statue of Liberty. This time, I'm on the 40th floor of a hotel in midtown, about three blocks from Times Square. (I can see Radio City Music Hall out of my window as I'm typing this blog entry.) After my appointments today, I took a couple of hours and just walked around Central Park and then down Broadway to Times Square.
The very existence of Central Park is amazing to me. Someone had the foresight all those years ago to set aside a big chunk of Manhattan to be dedicated to the public rather than being filled with skyscrapers. It's a fun place. It's great that New Yorkers have a place like that, right in the middle of the city, where they can escape the urban craziness. It's like a completely different world in there from the rest of the city.
As I walked around Times Square, I was tempted to try to catch a Broadway play or a musical. After all, it's not every day that I'm staying within a couple of blocks of Broadway, right? But tickets are pretty expensive, and nothing that was playing really grabbed my attention, and if history holds true, tonight will be my worst night for jet lag. It's shortly after 8:00 Eastern time, so I expect to start drooling on my keyboard in about ten minutes. I guess I'll have to do Broadway another time.
I will say that I'm looking forward to heading to Minnesota, where I won't have to face the language barrier that I'm having to face here. I swear, I've had to ask everyone to repeat themselves at least once. The accents are just too strong for me. They can't understand me, either. When I got in the cab to take me from JFK to my hotel, I told the driver, "Sheraton Tower, midtown." I must have been speaking Swiss German, because he looked at me blankly. I repeated myself. He said, "Huh?" I said it one more time, and he said, "You mean the Sheraton New York?" I told him that I had no clue as to how many Sheratons there were in New York, but regardless of how many there were, I wanted to go to the Sheraton that was a tower that was located in midtown.
He started to drive, and then he asked me, "You pay cash?" From his tone of voice, I could tell that what he was really meant was, "Kind sir, as a condition of holding my permit to drive a taxi cab, I am obligated under the ordinances of the city of New York to accept payment in the form of cash or a credit card, whichever you prefer, and I can't push you in any particular direction, but if you could be ever so kind, I would greatly appreciate it if you would consider tendering your payment in cash." In reply, I said, "credit card," which I really meant as "credit card." He grunted and didn't say anything more, but as we approached the hotel a while later, he again asked, "You pay cash?" I used a credit card. I think we bonded a little.
Anyway, tomorrow I'm off to Minnesota, where the people are much more polite but just a bit less colorful. I'll kinda miss New York.
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