Back in Istanbul

I'm settled back into Istanbul and for the most part it feels as if I've only been gone a few days instead of a month. I spent Saturday in the office and Sunday mostly in the apartment trying to nip a cold in the bud because I don't have time to be sick on this project. I did manage to take a walk in my neighborhood on Sunday to keep the walls from closing in on me, but that was the limit of my exploration so far this trip. These photos aren't from that walk, they are a batch I found from a Bosphorus cruise I took last November.

I've had a few friends and family members send me notes over the last few days making sure I was okay after they saw reports on the news about the embassy bombing in Turkey and the American woman who was killed in Istanbul while on holiday. Both events are very sad, and while I'm not impacted, they were reminders that we all live in a world that requires us to be vigilant and careful no matter where we are.

I'm here working with a good sized team. We live and work in a quiet suburb, far from the center of the city. We live in an apart-hotel - an apartment building with 20 units that is operated like a hotel. All 20 units are filled by my coworkers. We live together, work together and are even picked up and delivered to and from work together in a mini-bus. It is an insulated and protected environment - so I've always felt incredibly safe in Istanbul.

I don't think what happened this week will change the way I feel safety wise about Istanbul, but it was a sad reminder that our world isn't as peaceful as I know it can and will be someday.

"I only wanted to sing songs."

Kathleen Edwards - For the Record

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Last of the Details

Thanks for sticking around for my show and tell of the Caribbean, I hope it has inspired you to plan a trip of your own, the Caribbean is a place everyone should experience. If nothing else I've proved you can stretch a week long vacation into hundreds of photos and a slew of blog posts. But I just can't put my vacation away without sharing one last post with some of the random details I found along the way; and thanking my friend K, whose birthday on 11/11/11 inspired the trip, AND who did all the planning. K - I can't wait to do it again, maybe the Mediterranean next year?

Also, a very Happy Hanukkah today!

In honor of the colors of the Caribbean here is Amos Lee's: Colors.

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St Thomas

Our last stop on the cruise was St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and I couldn't think of a better way to end the vacation. I'll admit I've even done a bit of research since I got home to confirm that I could legally work there someday without doing a bunch of paperwork and getting a work permit - it was that GOOD.

We found a perfect snorkeling beach - so perfect that I could walk out in water to the tops of my legs and be swarmed by fish. The water was crystal clear perfection.

As a bonus for me there was patches of shade on the beach, which since I'd run out of sunscreen that morning was just what the doctor ordered.

All this sand and water has me thinking of Beth Nielsen Chapman's song Sand and Water. Pin It

St Maarten: Beach Time

The competition for our beach chair/umbrella dollars was fierce in St Maarten, which means we got a great deal on deluxe umbrellas and chairs with posh cushions - the only down side - it was the most crowded of the beaches we visited.

St Maarten was also the place that found me sobbing on the beach thanks to a great (but sad) book I picked up in the ship's library, Kristin Hannah's "Firefly Lane." Nothing like being surrounded by people on vacation, soaking up the sun on the beach and sobbing your eyes out.

When I first noticed how the water was sparkling, I'll admit I thought it was remnants of my tears, turns out it was just the perfect sunny day. The kind of day that makes you want to sing along with The Wheepies: I Was Made for Sunny Days. Pin It

St Maarten: Around Town

St Maarten was the most tourist friendly placed we'd visited, you could see the central area of the Dutch side from the ship and it was a short ferry ride away. We hadn't done a lot of shopping yet, but in St Maarten we changed that quickly. I came away with a great dress/swimsuit cover up but managed to resist buying a $200 ring (and only a little part of me wishes I'd caved in.)

Everything was colorful and fun, just what you expect to see in the Caribbean Islands. I'd love to go back to St Maarten some day, if for no other reason to make it to the French side so I can compare the two.

I've been on the search for something new to listen to and discovered The Changing Colors, I think I've found a new love, here's their: True Love Knows

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Antigua: Sunset

The sunset as we left Antigua was beyond gorgeous, the reflection on the water and the mountains to add interest - perfection.

Things are going well in Istanbul, but wow - this project may just kill me - it is interesting but oh, so demanding. Surviving til we get a few days off for Christmas is going to take a miracle. Coming back to these photos and the sense of relaxation I felt while in the islands helps me remember this won't last forever. When the photos don't work I pull out a little Florence and the Machine: No Light, No Light

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Antigua: Golden Hour

I managed to dress for dinner (I love that part of a cruise) with a bit of time to spare the evening we left Antigua, which allowed me to check out golden hour from the deck. In a word it was AMAZING.

At this point in the cruise I started to realize that it was getting better with each stop, I just kept falling more and more in love with the Caribbean. I also realized I'd listened to Sky Ferriera's Obsession about 10 times that day.

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Antigua: Halcyon Beach

I was on my own for most of the day in Antigua since my friends had signed up for an excursion to go snorkeling (and I'm not much of a swimmer.) While I was the cathedral, I stopped into their visitors center to learn more about the renovations and came away with a recommendation for a perfect beach to spend the afternoon on, proof that talking to the locals and not the tour guides as you get off the ship is the way to go.

Halcyon Beach was pretty much paradise - the water was amazing. I couldn't get over the natural ombre as the water got darker and darker the further out you got.

The only downside was an overly attentive beach butler - I'm pretty sure he proposed marriage at one point, which for some reason had me singing Bruno Mars' Marry You for the rest of the day. Pin It

Antigua: St John's Cathedral

When we arrived in Antigua I wanted to see St John's cathedral before I hit the beach. There has been a church in this spot for hundreds of years. The first was destroyed in 1683 by an earthquake, the second was destroyed in 1843 by another earthquake. The current version is in the middle of a major renovation project that has left it without a roof.

I love that the church just keeps fighting back.

I found this sheet of music tucked just inside one of the gates on the corner of the stairs. I couldn't help wondering how long it had been there.

As I walked around the church wishing I could see the inside Elton John's Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, kept popping up in my head.

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St Lucia

I've said before that I wasn't much of a beach person. I just didn't "get" the appeal of spending hours sitting on the beach, but when I got to St Lucia my perspective changed. We spent the entire day on the beach and I discovered the bliss that comes from doing nothing but sitting under an umbrella with a good book, some great music and amazing friends.

I wasn't bored for a single moment and the truth was I hated to pack up and leave at the end of the afternoon. Good thing I had several more days of beach time ahead of me.

The day ended with a spectacular sunset, the perfect end to a blissful day. This is the type of sunset that doesn't fit in with Iron & Wine's Sunset Soon Forgotten.

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Barbados: St James Church

Istanbul continues to surprise me. I was in the central part of the city today trying to find the address for a meeting I was going to, my translator and I were staring up at the buildings trying to decipher the signs when suddenly someone came up to me and said hello. The surprise was that I knew him. I've spent less than 5 days total in Istanbul (which is a city of 14 million people) so saying I know no one is accurate. But on my first visit I scouted apartments for my team to live in and met several landlords. The guy on the street was one of those landlords (and who owned the apartment I really wanted to live in but was to far away.) His memory of me, and stopping to say hello on a busy street totally charmed me and convinced me I'm going to love getting to know people here.

Now, back to my vacation.....

After spending the morning in Bridgetown, we found a driver who gave us a tour of the Island - such a beautiful place. We stopped at the St. James church in Holetown and I fell a bit in love with this little treasure.

When I was tracking down a song to go with this post I kept thinking church which led to Eric Church, but since I'm not in a twangy mood today I had to keep thinking. Then I remembered a great song from the Donnie Darko soundtrack (which I love, but I've never seen the movie, is that weird?). Here's The Church with Under the Milky Way.

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