Travel-we leave the peace of Cirali and greet 15 million Istanbul(ites?)

From the outside looking in-this is how Bellerophon Hotel looks from the beach-hidden away

Back up a little more and it almost disappears.



From the inside looking out, Turkish breakfast and beach umbrellas

The reason you're in Cirali in the first place

Wednesday was a travel day for us-Tim was certain he was gonna catch the sunrise and take a jog on the beach, but of course we both slept through that. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was bright sun-the first I’d seen since we arrived. The other days had been cloudy/hazy/sunny/cloudy. So of course I was loathe to leave. It would have been the perfect beach day.
Instead of pulling our usual last-minute panic affair to get to the airport, we actually left in plenty of time, enjoying the scenery on the way back, planning a 2-week trip sometime in te future that would encompass at least 4 days of hiking the Lycian Way-the ancient footpath that linked these coastal cities. By the looks of the mountains, it would be killer. Maybe Tim can just go with Brian on second thought.
The flight was short and we arrived in Istanbul around 3 p.m. It’s the antithesis of Cirali-there are 15 MILLION people living here! All packed in apartment buildings from the look of it.
We crossed the famous Bosporus River and checked in at the meeting hotel- a blah Hilton in a blah business district. We also left behind the bright sun and 80+ weather, and since I lost my jacket in the airport last week, we ducked out for a quick shopping run. We walked by a few fast-food market palces and they also had pomegranates, but they were sad wiezened fakes comapred with the fat beauties of Cirali. Did not really get much of a sense of the town, as it was a busy rush-hour busines district, like any other big city-except that the signs are in Klingon

Dinner last night was a buffet with all the lube meeting folks. It was fun to see Tim dressed up in his suit and working the crowd-he was pretty good at it!!! I have to say I was impressed. His associate Gloria is here as well, with her husband. The salad side of the buffet was amazing-my favorite thing was a little cabbage roll-inside I think it had rice, some soft cheese and mint. There was also a couscous salad, some of the spinahc/rice dish, a cold bulghur and more of the delicious cucumbers that show up at every meal.
Tim woke me up at 8 to see if I wanted to go to breakfast of something, but I just couldn’t get up-so I slept til 9 and now I’m planning my day. I want to explore the old markets, and I’m determined to find the best baklava bakery in town, and a shop where they still make Turkish Delight by hand. I may drop in at a hammam too, although after my experienced with the Cirali “healer,” I’m probably going to pass on any kind of massage- much less “medical”
Anyway, here are a few pictures from Cirali before we left yesterday. I’m sad to leave hose remarkable pomegranates behind, those dirt roads lined with jasmine bushes and orange trees, the chickens that stay somehow convinced that your bare toes are tasty little pink berries. I’d love return someday. I would say it’s just about the ultimate chill-out place.