Day 67, Turkish Taffy

Turkey has great food and lots of excitement.  One day President Urduwan (sp?) came by after a speech by the Blue Mosque.  Photos of the crowds and the Hagia Sophia.

 It actually snowed in Istanbul.  Very rare.

These small cats are everywhere.  They run wild all over the city.

Inside the Hagia Sophia.  Rebuilt several times after earthquakes, then converted to s mosque, then a museum.

Day 63: Turkish Delight

After a day of travel (including a dishonest cab driver)  I am safely ensconsed in my hotel room overlooking the Golden Horn.  Daily calls to prayer start at around 6 a.m. so I am up early.  "It takes an Iman to move Ron Vaughn."  Sounds good.

My first impressions of Turkey are good.  It is clean and safe and the there is history everywhere you look.  Old walls from Roman times are used to form the back walls of a cell phone shop.  Women dressed in a range of fashion, from modern Parisian to burkas (excluding the eye mesh).  Men carry beads and drink hot tea from a glass. When there is a call to prayer I only see some people going into the mosque; there is no street prayer that I've seen.  If there are homeless people here they are more hidden than in Paris.

Did a lot of stuff today, including:

A walk through the spice market.  Very fragrent.

A visit to the Blue Mosque.

A boat trip from Europe to Asia.  $2.70 round trip.

This the site of the recent attack on tourists.

Day 62: Goodbye to Lovers!

Today I left Paris.

And that should be good enough for me.

I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk at 4 a.m. Paris was half awake, half asleep; early deliveries were starting, late night partiers were stumbling home.  I ignored them all as I recalled my many steps upon these sidewalks over the past two months.  I confess that I added a tear or two to seaward flow of the Seine.

Today I left Paris.

Not the first time, maybe not the last.  I left the food, the art, the architecture, the attractive people, the homeless on the sidewalks, the metro, the parks, the small shops and the giant stores.  I left a city of luxury, a city of poverty, a city under siege and a city of love.  I left a city frozen in time yet moving forward at the speed of light.

Today I left Paris.

In body, yes, but not in soul.  For now I know I have some of Paris in my soul.

A piece of my heart remains Paris.

And that is good enough for me.

P.S.  On a more practical note I realized later that I left my washcloth in Paris.  Darn!

Day 61: Conspiracy Theory?

I don't believe it.  I can't believe it.  It can't possibly be true.  I get reminding myself that correlation is not causation.  This can't be me.  I am not the cause of these distant events.

But the facts are there.  A few hours before I depart for Paris there is a major terrorist attack in the city.  Today, few hours before I depart for Istanbul there is a major terrorist attack in the city.  Is there some hidden connection here or am I just unlucky?

Mothers, hide your children.  Men, bolt the doors.  Soldiers, man the ramparts.  Everyone, beware because I am coming to visit your city, your town, your homes.  Be afraid.  Be very afraid!

I know I can not possibly be responsible for the troubles that seem to precede my arrival.  But if you reside where I am going, I am susceptible to bribes to encourage detours.

My stop after Istanbul is Jerusalem.  Should I worry?  Or should they?

Day 60(c): A Little Big Man

Never underestimate a man by his stature should have been Napoleon's motto.  He managed to conquer almost all of Europe, changed the map forever, lost an army to an invisible enemy (cold air), and led his adopted country to greatness and ruin.

Without him there wouldn't be canned goods, Germany and a French pastry.

Napoleon's tomb lies in the center of a huge rotunda attached to an ornate chapel and the military museum.  The casket is made made of seven layers of different materials (stone, wood, lead,etc.).

Napoleon wrote in his diary that he thought the British were poisoning him while he was a prisoner on the island of St. Helens (the last British territory serviced by a mail boat).  Napoleon's claim was verified over 150 years later when hair samples from his tomb were found to contain traces of arsenic.

Day 60(b): Orsay Museum

One of my favorite places is the Musee de Orsay. For many years it was an abandoned train station, too small for modern trains.  It's a great open space for art.

The museum holds some notable works by a truly tragic figure.  This artist was from Holland but did much of his work France.  He was certainly crazy, spending time in an asylum, commuting self-mutilation to impress a woman, and an abject failure while alive.  During his career he sold exactly one painting, to his brother (probably out of kindness and pity) for $500.  His art was universally scorned by critics and collectors alike.

He said he painted what he dreamed.  He commited suicide at age 37.  It turned to a lose of epic proportions.  He has been celebrated in popular film and song.  His works now sell for over $100 million.  Some of his work is shown below.

Can't forget the pointillist movement.  Some of these paintings are made up of over 250,000 dots!

Day 60 (a): I've Been Busy

Trying to get in my last tourist stuff before I leave Paris.  These are a few photos from my visit to the Louvre.

The Mona Lisa is painted on a poplar board, not canvas.  It's stored in a helium gas atmosphere, so it looks yellowish.

There is an Apple store in the underground space next to the Louvre.  Amazing!

The Venus de Millo.  The arms were probably supported by iron bars inside the stone.

Winged Victory

Day 57: January 8, 2016

The blog has been on vacation.

I blame a lazy blogger.

Issues unrelated to the journey have interfered with blog maintenance.  Sincerest apologies from Chuck and me.

Everything is fine and on track. Starting to hit some museums before I leave for Turkey next week.  Photos from the Picasso Museum below.

 The empty frames are how the Picasso paintings stored in the June de Paume were stored before they were lost (in a fire?, not sure).

I dated these three women.

I married this one.