Well, I made it back to the New York trailhead, but in the utter lunacy of exiting the country on election day, I neglected to leave a cache of fresh clothes and oranges here. Doggies. So here I sit in clothes even the orthodox Jews would shun, waiting for the car to take me to LaGuardia and the west, where the comfort and reassurance of home await me.

How was Turkey? Turkey was ... surprising. I did not anticipate the seduction, the titillation, the romance of Turkey. I did not see the discovery, the exploration, the exhilaration coming ever. I just didn't expect to fall head over heads in love with Turkey. But I did. So first things first. Introductions. Greeks Schmeeks! Romans Lowmans! These are the people that made the Hittites first utter the immortal, 'There goes the neighborhood'. People have been making community in Turkey for 9000 years and astonishingly, there are plenty of remnants of these communities for pilgrims like me to witness yet. The Greeks and the Romans came much, much later. Much later.

There is no such thing as Turkish coffee. It's a method. Istanbul is not unlike being in San Francisco. Attaturk's Mausoleum is far, far more beautiful than Red Square. The harbor of Troy exists no longer. They have Starbuck's but no laundry service in 5 star hotels. And best of all? VERY BEST OF ALL?

No freaking snakes.

More as it comes.


JBelle
On Assignment
New York, New York