a full day of sight seeing

Hello everyone! I am just sitting down before Senol and I go for a fixed price meal with his friends, it should be a big party and I am going to wear my big girl party dress. I don't really have on of those over here. Today Senol dropped me off in the old town and I walked around for a while all by my lonesome (except for the other tourists) First I saw the blue mosque which is the largest in Turkey and has a very holy feeling. It was on the same magnitude as the Notre Dame en Paris...except of course it is not in Paris...why did I think about that? It has a space for women to worship which is maybe 30'x50' in the back and the rest of the area is reserved for men. I bit my feminist toungue quite a lot but I always think that oppression looks differently in different places and so I must not really be judgemental. Then I went to the Aya Sofia which is across the way. The two buildings compete in grandness and architecture. The Aya Sofia actually was a mosque then became a christian church and is now a museum of the state. There is a picture of the dome which is awesome. Lastly I moseyed over to the Topkapi palace where there were many family jewels. I thought about how a diamond the size of my palm would look on my finger and then decided that it would not be very functional. really there were millions of dollars worth of jewels there, whatever floats you boat. So after all of the sight seeing I walked back to the T stop to meet Senol and on the way almost passed out from the heat and smell of fish. I made it home without much to complain about. We have had a snack of watermellon and feta cheese and so I am ready to go. Senol is perseverating on greek island plans...and I am just smiling and agreeing to whatever he finds (cus we all know it will change once I get there) Anyway the hospitality is wonderful and I look forward to the evening meeting friends and eating wonderful Turkish Delights.

chocolate and friends

Hello-
The big events of the day were in no particular order not locking myself out, walking down the street for a bar of chocolate and chocolate milk and shaving my legs. Well I am exhausted!!! I don't know how you guys do it. Kidding, this morning a lovely little bird landed on the balcony and reminded me to look for the little things today and be happy with small stuff. So I am. I have also been reading my Lets Go turkey and look forward to the weekend when Senol and I will go explore downtown. Here are some pictures of my surroundings. I didn't realize that we can see the ocean from here but infact there is a tiny ocean view, aurora posing infront of the courtyard and my birdy friend. Talk with you soon. Ciao
(I am not going to lie, getting a little bit of no plan fever...like I just need a good events website...anyone know one)

Airplanes just agree with me

Hello all! I made it to Istanbul this evening at 4:30 and Senol picked me up from the airport safe and sound. I don't have much to say except that I feel like I am still moving and wtf is with the insane masshole children all over Logan airport. UGH! That will never happen to me and if it does they are gettin shipped off to military school:) I think they are what pushed me to my mini breakdown pre takeoff on the airplane...well that or maybe it is that I quit my job and have tried to abandon most social constructs. Actually, maybe it is not that serious...I am still wearing clothes and didn't get out of my airplane seat until the flight crew said it was ok to do so.
I'll take lots of good pictures for you all, especially erin (but those can't be published on this website)!
love ya

New England

Day four on the road:
We are just leaving Bar Harbor and Acadia national park for Freeport Maine where we spend our last night in this great state. Life really slows down here, not like in the south where it slows down for a daiquiri but where it slows down for the moose to cross the road. That said it was a wonderful vacation and beautiful wedding. It was really just a small group of us with lots of love. The bride looked beautiful and the groom was very handsome. Erin looked like Jackie O with her string of pearls and matching bracelet with the elegant white gown. It was really magical.
Today Jeremy, Lisa, Janice and I hiked around the Jordan Pond then ate dinner at the café near the pond edge. That was beautiful. We were pretty much rock hopping for half of the trip but no sprained ankles here. We are all now exhausted and driving to the next place.
I take off for Turkey in two days and am really excited/scared to find myself out on the road again. I am looking forward to learning about the Turkish culture and Greek island lifestyle while exploring my own comfort with change. As much as this trip is exciting, I can’t wait to come back to all of the people that I love! Thank you for the support. This will be fun!!!

in the beginning

Post departure day 0 (for the hospital people):
It is not the best time to fly when one has a stomach bug . That said my seat was upgraded because I look so pathetic and am acting uncharacteristically bitchy. So I am sitting next to a pilot for JetBlue and we get some special treatment. The flight attendant points out when I have my feet where they shouldn’t be and she tried to make me put my luggage overhead instead of under my seat (which actually belongs to the lady behind me) but because I am a Knebel I left it right where it was. Otherwise pleasant flight. I would like to overdose on some electrolytes as mine have been depleted into the toilet but forgot to get Gatorade at the airport. Oh well, I think this upset stomach thing is blowing over.
I am super excited to be a guest at Erin’s wedding to a very loving and caring man named Ryan. These people are quality and I hope that you all have a chance to hang out with them sometime in your life. The wedding is in Bar Harbor which is also where Erin and I had a lovely Maine weekend when we were in graduate school together. It is a special place. In Acadia national park…you should check it out and maybe we can all go there one day…I do love national parks.
I hope we have some wed drama to share with you…it is annoying when everything is smooth and perfect but, knowing Erin, it will be. So to satisfy you all I will make something up. Cheers and thanks for checking this out…what a fun adventure we are having!