Europe

Istanbul, Turkey: Turkish Coffee Moments

 

Istanbul, Turkey

 

Dear Family and Friends,

Istanbul
Please click on the image
for more photos of Turkey.

Turkey. What a wonderful country! Beautiful rivers and mountains and valleys. Excellent sites.

Istanbul. What a wonderful city! Elegant mosques and palaces. Hospitable and enthusiastic people.


London: Jolly Green England

 

From Istanbul I flew to London to visit my cousin Dorothy and her husband Roger. I thought that this would be a pleasant and uneventful week - a few days to unwind and relax after the bedlam in Asia. Wrong! It was a marvelous and exciting week.


Please click on the image for more photos of England.

Dorothy and Roger live in Brookman’s Park, a charming village outside of London. The first day we strolled into the village centre and stopped by the chemist, the greengrocer and the fishmonger. Many of the one story brick homes, they call them bungalows, are surrounded by cheerful flower gardens meticulously maintained. There are few traffic lights and not a McD in sight. I would say that very little has changed here in fifty years. I love it.


Ancient Near East: Letter to Oscar

 

Oscar White Muscarella
Ancient Near East Department
Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, New York

August 22, 2002

Dear Dr. Muscarella,


Extremadura: Spain at the Extreme

 

Madrid Spain
Saturday
30 November 2002

Sunny and Cool

Dear Family and Friends,

Segovia
Please click on the image
for more photos of Extremadura.

Saludos de España!

My guest room at the Sofitel Hotel is richly decorated with solid walnut furniture and gentle gold, brown and mint green pastel accents. First Class all the way!

I am sipping an agua minerale con gas from the mini-bar.

Today I relax. I am tired from my travels.

My flight from Madrid to Miami was oversold so I “volunteered" to fly tomorrow. I thought "volunteering" was unpaid. You would be shocked to know, in their desperation, how much the airline "paid" me. Plus I am overnight in this four-star hotel enjoying three lovely meals, all courtesy of American Airlines. Though I think I do have to pay for the mini-bar refreshments.