Creative Meanderings

My ramblings and wanderings through life

  • We had a little bit of a later start this morning, which was nice. It also meant that we were finished sooner, but don’t let me get ahead of myself. Our first stop was to the Basilica of St. John. Apparently, the body of John is buried still under the ruins, but they have yet to excavate it says our guide…. I’m not sure how much I believe him. The more interesting part…

  • After our first-off morning dip and such, we were back on the ‘most uncomfortable bus’ for another long day of fun. Our first stop was still in Pamukkale at the Hierapolis Antique City and Pamukkale’s limestone pools. The city was very impressive in terms of wide spread space with ruins from days of old. In fact, there was a recent article about archaeologists finding the mythical ‘gate of hell’ in this area. We…

  • We had a very long day in the bus on the fourth day of our trip. From Kapidokya to Pamukkale, it takes about 12 very long hours. Along the way we made a few stops to see a few things. For example, we stopped in Konya for a visit to the Turkish whirling dervish temple. The whirling dervish is a type of Muslim sect where the whirling causes a meditative state. Nowadays no…

  • Our third day of our Turkey tour started a little later, which was a nice relief after the long bus ride the day before. We had our less than delicious breakfast at the hotel with me barely caffeinated with the coffee. There’s no kettle in the room so I had to make do. Later, we met the rest of our group and went off to see the sights. We started at the Goreme…

  • It was a very early start as we headed to the Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen airport or the domestic airport. We joined a few more people on the same tour. Once we arrived at the airport we were left to our own devices to figure out how to check in and on the plane. Luckily, we had enough time and experience to sort it out. Still, that is one strike against the company…. [shashin…

  • This will be a quick one, but we arrived last night in Istanbul. The flight was fine, though Qatar Airways is not really the five-star kind of airlines they advertise, at least not in the peanut gallery. 🙂 It took us a while to get out of the airport due to the visa lines. It is good to keep in mind that you need exact change and dollars or Euros to pay for…

  • As I typed the title, I realized it could have another meaning…as in releasing a mental break…. I guess my darkish thoughts have not yet passed, but lie hidden underneath with moments of peace, but with occasional reminders that it is still there. Anyway, spring break has indeed begun and I take off tomorrow for an 11-day tour in Turkey with mi amiga, P. It should be good fun and a much needed…

  • _A New Earth:  Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose_ by Eckhart Tolle Some friends of ours had been talking about this book and how it helped them to change their perspectives on dealing with people and most especially within themselves. Apparently, Tolle is more famous for his _The Power of Now_ book, but our friends seemed more moved by this one. Since I always love a good recommended read, I decided to give it…

  • _The Middlesteins_ by Jami Attenberg Another novel edited by my editor friend and this one was so interesting. The Middlesteins are a family that is trying to survive despite a strong, overbearing and self-destructive central figure who has greatly affected everyone in the family in different ways. They become a typically dysfunctional middle-class Jewish American family. I felt as if there was a bit of British humor to it, but at the same…

  • _Invisible Man_ by Ralph Ellison This has been on my reading list for a number of years. It is not to be confused with H.G. Well’s _The Invisible Man_, which is quite a different story. Ellison’s book deals with the African-American situation in the south and then in NYC during the ’20’s and ’30’s. It is a typical story of the struggle of the black man in a white man’s world. However, from…

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