Roamin' The World: Europe And Beyond...

I am in heaven!!! Literally, I feel like I have been dropped into the astral world! After arriving at my friend Dhuti's house in the countryside near Assisi, I went for a chilly but beautiful walk at sunset... couldn't believe the magnificence of the views in all directions! So clean, green and gorgeous!!!  Here is how it all came about:   I left the guest house in Fiumicino yesterday in the a.m., after the lovely Sabrina had an employee give me a complimentary ride back to the airport and the train station there. I caught the Leonardo express commuter train to the Rome Termini... had a short wait and long walk to train #2, which took me most of the way to Assisi... but I had to take train #3 for the last little bit.  Seriously comfy seats, clean trains... smooth travel... absolutely peaceful and infinitely pleasant!  Nice view of the beautiful countryside the train passed through...  A little hard to see, but there were large fields of yellow wildflowers.....

Pegasus Airlines: the cheap way to go in Turkey, but you get what you pay for... or..NOT!The view looking down as we flew over Europe was quite lovely, as you can see.    I had arranged for Ilhan to pick me up at 6 a.m. to take me to the Istanbul airport... and I have to say that man is PROMPT! He arrived at exactly 6 on the nose! Good start! Or so I thought, but...  ... about 20 minutes into the 40 minute drive, he had car trouble. All of the dash lights came on and he started losing power! He thought he needed oil, which he had a supply of in his trunk. So...he pulled over and added oil.  It didn't do the trick. Most alarmingly, the car kept going slower and slower, until he was driving on the shoulder. Of course I expressed my concern... but he wouldn't really talk to me or tell me anything, so concerned was he about what was going on.... Then, when we got within a few minutes of the departure terminal, the cab kept stalling out completely. I had visions of r...

 All caught up! Today is Thursday, April 27th.   It is a very rainy day outside. I have been fortunate so far; I was told by Baris that spring rains in April are quite common. It rained a bit in the afternoon yesterday, but all the preceeding days of my visit have been lovely and clear. So... I cannot be TOO distressed by the fact that my luck ran out today... the rain is consistent, along with the cold.  So... what better choice for the day than to go experience a traditional Turkish bathhouse, otherwise known as a "hamami"? Thus it was that I set out to have this classic experience on my last day here in Turkey (I fly out, and on to Rome, early tomorrow morning.)  The first amusing thing about this excursion was my Uber driver, Ilhun. An attractive man in his 50's, he was clearly tickled to be able to practice his fairly decent English with me. (In the 15 minute ride to the Hamami, I learned that his ex-girlfriend of a few years was British). I couldn't tell if he ...

 Wednesday, April 26th: Rain was predicted all day, but thankfully, it only sprinkled off and on in the afternoon. The morning and midday were sunny and glorious! Thus it was that I spent another happy day of solo touring. I meandered more this time, and limited my destinations to the three mentioned above. Thus, my pace was more relaxed... I took in the street scenes (with throngs of people everywhere!), enjoyed a leisurely picnic lunch next to a mosque, bought Turkish Delight and a couple pretty cushion covers at the Grand Bazaar. I chatted for a long while with a older Turkish man--who spoke excellent English as a product of living in the U.S. for many years--and we commiserated with each other about our mutual dislike of Trump (and disbelief that the criminal buffoon could ACTUALLY be running for president again in 2024!)  I really love taking the ferry back and forth across the Strait... I will miss these pleasant excursions, as well as how polite people are. I have been ...