Okay so I am actually in Austria by now...but I catch up whenever I can get a good WiFi
signal, okay?

I went from Paris to Cologne, Germany.  My plan had been to see the
cathedral and then take of down the Rhein River to arrive in Munich
 in time for the opening of Oktoberfest.

Two things I decided...I was packing too much into my schedule to really enjoy anything and I really liked Cologne and wanted some time just to wander around.  So I skipped the river cruise...have
 to do it next time.

When you come out of the haupbanhof (main train station) in Cologne
you walk out the door unaware...look to your left...ahhhhh!
Giant Cathedral looms right next to the station.  It's impossible
for a picture to show how tall this church is.  Very dramatic.
I went into the cathedral the next
day and stayed for a service.  All in German
but you can follow the rhythm of the Mass.
I sat in between two sweet old German ladies who said something kind and Christian to me after the service but i'm not sure what it was so I just smiled and nodded.
 Here are some pictures of the inside:

I walked around that night enjoying the peaceful atmosphere in the smaller city.  It was a welcome change from the bustle of Paris.
I had a relaxing beer at a outdoor bar lining a cobblestone square.

    The only bad thing about Cologne was my horrible hotel room.  No lift(that's elevator in European) so I had drag my luggage up 4 flights of stairs, then when I got to my closet room in the attic of this old building it was REALLY warm up there.
The bed was awful...sofabeds are much better and creak less....then to top it all off some guy came back at 1am and began snoring loudly on the other side of the paper thin wall...he would snort and then moan loudly "Oh God" or something equally dramatic.

Wasn't fun.  On the other hand, I did finally get my first German pretzel and
curry wurst...YUM!!!!!

On to Munich...

Here's a short little post about my second
day in Paris.

I have settled into my little shoebox room
with the creakiest hallways known to man,
and I am starting get into the rythm of traveling.

I went to the Notre Dame Cathedral after breakfast.
It is quite striking from the outside and the inside only gets better.  The square in front of the church is a
favorite gathering spot for tourist and French
people.  In the pavement you can see the outline of
buildings that used to surround the Cathedral
in medieval times.  Musicians play and there is an
air of anticipation.

The inside is hushed and awesome.  The rose windows radiated color in all directions. Beautiful carvings and inlaid marble floors.  Candles flickered in chapels.
I wandered through in awe at the beauty that love of God can inspire man to create.  Beneath the main altar is a crypt area which seemed cold and barren in comparison to all the drama and ornamentation above.



It took nearly 300 years for
the church to be finished...using very primitive methods.
There was, in an alcove, a small display of the construction
methods.  Imagine the faith it must have taken for those
first people to break ground on a building that wouldn't be finished until their great grandchildren were old.

At the front door there were nuns from Mother Theresa's
order taking donations for the care of the elderly in one of
their homes.

After the tour I went and had a quick lunch at a little cafe overlooking the square.
Just a baguette with ham and cheese.  The baguettes are very flavorful and chewy.
It makes me wonder how they do it.  Maybe the water they use is different.

After lunch I went to the Louvre Museum.  I had been anticipating this visit
for years.  The building itself is quite impressive.  It was the royal palace
before Versailles was built by Louis XIV.  There is a mysterious and lavishly
decorated hall where royal serving vessels and some crown jewels were on
display.  Walking down that hall my imagination went into overdrive.
What would it have been like to dine surrounded by such opulence?

I saw many famous statues and paintings.  I was a little disappointed by the Mona Lisa though.  The painting is MUCH smaller than you would think.  It was so crowded
you could barely see it.  I did see the famous painting of Napoleon crowning himself.
The colors are so rich.

By the time I made it out it was dark.
The Pyramid entrance was glowing beautifully.

I managed to drum up some more energy
and took the metro to Trocadero Square
to see the Eiffel Tower at night.
The square has a stunning view of the tower.  Aggressive vendors with jewelry, toys and handbags line a large open platform overlooking the tower and downtown Paris.  It was a bit windy and I
could hear my mothers voice telling me I
should have brought a jacket.

To warm myself I bought a crepe filled with
sauteed bananas and melted chocolate and enjoyed
 that as I waited with the crowd for the top of the
hour and the light show.  I filmed the light show with
 my iphone video camera as it sparkeled from afar.

The next day I talked to my friend Michael and found out they had
evacuated the Eiffel Tower that day due to a bomb threat.
Who knew?  It looked fine to me from my vantage point that night.

Here's a video:

Well here I am...finally getting to post on my blog.

I am writing this from Munich, Germany. My short time in Paris
and Cologne went by fast in a whirlwind of activities.

In a day and a half I managed to see the Louvre and Orsay Museums,
watch the Eiffel Tower light up like a sparkling christmas tree
and see one of the most glorious cathedral in Europe-the Notre Dame.

My flight from Dulles to Paris' Charles De Gualle Airport was a long one.
"Packed like sardines" took on a new meaning. I didn't manage to get any sleep
on my overnight flight (but I did watch 2 movies- Robin Hood and Babies)so it
was an exhausted Leslie that rolled her luggage off that plane.

I thanked God that I had only packed my little weekend rolling bag and my camera
backpack as I went up and down long flights of stairs in Paris' maze of subway
tunnels. Le Metro reminds me of New York City subways. Slightly grimey, completely
scaled in white subway tiles and huge fashion ads everywhere. Very hectic.

Once I got to my little hotel I took a short nap and headed out for dinner and
some night shooting with my camera. **My room was your typical shoe box with worn
carpet- but the location was great.

I took the metro to Monmarte Hill in the north of Paris. Getting off the train at
dusk I walked up a long medieval-looking street lined with shops. I could see a carousel
at the top, lights sparkling.

The carousel is at the base of Monmarte. There were crowds of people
from all different countries there. Crowning the top of the hill is the
 beautiful Sacre Coeur Basilica. To the left there is a funicular to ride
but I decided to tough it out and climb hundreds of steps to the top.
 The view from the very top is amazing. Paris is spread out before you,
glowing with the warm light of sunset.

The Basilica at Sunset

The Basilica has a very Byzantine look to it with rounded domes and arches. On the steps in front groups of students from different countries sang boisterous songs and snapped photos. Musicians and drummers played competing tunes from every corner.
I sat and ate two oranges I bought at t little market on my way out, watching the last colors fade from the sky.

Inside the church the mood was hushed in contrast. Upon entering you are overwhelmed by a stunning mosaic of Jesus over the altar. As you walk around the back of it the mosaic seems to
follow you. Nuns in long white, flowing robes with black habits were busy setting up for the last service of the evening. Soft music played in the background-very etherial.

I felt tired but happy at the end of my first day as I made my way home to my little shoebox.

Leslie

Okay folks...I am off to Europe again!

I swore in 2007 that I would be back ASAP and it only took 3 years...
not bad for someone with a limited budget and a new mortgage.

I am leaving on an overnight flight from Dulles Airport to Charles De Gualle
airport in Paris on the night of Spetember 13th....

Keep an eye out for updates and pictures.

Be sure to leave lots of comments. That keeps me from becoming
too homesick.

Leslie

cheese Platter from our Thanksgiving celebration

"Hello beautıful lady where are you from? Why you walk away you break my heart...
You lıke carpets?"

I ıgnore the young teenager who is posted on the side of the road and continue uphill.
I have been here two full days now-so I know the drill. I dont take it personally.
I just cant see myself carting a carpet home-even if I did have the money.

**Note-You may notice some missing punctuation as I am attempting to use a Turkish keyboard**

After I got up the nerve to venture out I have found Turkey to be very enjoyable-even a bit magical at times.

Yesterday (Friday) I went on a tour of the Aya Sofya, a Christian church truned Mosque turned museum built by Emperor Justinian in around 527 AD. It was on the sight of two previous, much older churches going as far back as the 300s!


When I got to the ticket line a tour guide wanted me to hire him at only 40 Lira. I told him I couldn't afford it but if he could find some more people to share I would do it. He found a couple from Ireland(lots of Irish people here-dont ask me) and we set off. The tour was worth it. He was officially liscensed by the museum and had a masters degree in religion. He also spoke Turkish, English and Russian!

The Aya Sofya was one of the most beautiful and unusual churches I have ever seen. It was a fascinating mix of both Christian and Muslim architecture and art. Our guide told us that the Ottomans did not destroy the golden Christian mosaics when they conquered Istanbul-they just covered them with plaster. In the 1970s a group of students from the US spent almost a year painstakingly uncovering the works of art.


I have also seen the Basilica Cistern. It is an atmospheric underground well that was used in ancient times to provide fresh water for the Sultan and the palaces. I wandered around in the cool depths for at least an hour, trying to perfect my low-light picture taking techniques and getting dripped on. Pretty cool.


This afternoon I went to the Topkapi Palace. Me and about 6 million other people.
It was a huge complex consisting of four courtyards starting with the sultans publics areas where he received other kings and potentates and moving further and further into the private places where only the royal family and the Eunichs were allowed. The gardens were shady and cool. Manicured beds of flowers lined the paths and fountains were everywhere. At the end, where the Sultan had his private apartments, the gardens end in a sweeping view of the Bosporus.

The food here has been mediocre with the exception of one delicious meal that I had yesterday. It was at a small cafe about two block up from the Blue Mosque called the Rumeli Cafe. The dish was called Islim Kabapi and it was marinated lamb chunks wrapped in grilled eggplant with a wonderful spicy tomato sauce. Incredible!


The city is really magical at night. As in most of Europe entire families are out walking and visiting until around midnight. Little kids play soccer, women talk and men smoke these huge water pipes with apple flavored tobacco. They tried to talk me into trying the pipe but I declined.


Overall I have found Istanbul to be a great experience. The people are an intriguing mix of conservative religious people and modern Europeans. One night I saw, through the window at a restaurant, two sets of women waiting at a tram stop: Three dressed in full black Burkahs with the veil over their faces and three young women in miniskirts and jewelry going to the disco. Thats Turkey for you!

Well here I am in Turkey.

I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous coming
to a Muslim country-not speaking the language and unsure of my welcome.

I told myself over and over-"You can do this-just keep going"

Turkish airlines was modern and very organized. The flight over was uncrowded and they served a decent lunch. But once the wheels touched down I had to get up my courage.

Part of the challenge-especially at the end of my trip when my money is a bit tight- is to not take the easy way out-ie. taking taxis and eating tourist food.
I bought my Visa stamp ($20.00 in US) and then waited in line for customs.
One thing I have noticed about this entire area-from Spain to Turkey- is that you have to be fairly aggressive. If you let one person move ahead of you then 20 will push into that space. Everybody elbows for space and you have to guard yours. When crossing the roads do as the locals do-jump out into the road and trust that the cars will stop. I have taken to watching locals and going when they go-allowing for them to get hit first if they didnt judge it correctly.

After customs I wandered around the sleek, open space of the airport until I found an ATM machine. The dollar is pretty weak against the Euro right now and it is the same with the Turkish Lira.

My first taste of the good old Turkish hard sell came soon after this. First-when it says Tourist Information that often means "Let me sell you my cousins transportation service-only 50 Lira!" It took some wrangling to get the location of the light rail station I had read about in my guide book out of the guy.

The light rail system runs from the airport through the modern part of town-ending before you get to the old Sultanahmet neighborhood. Once I got of the rail line I was supposed to cross over a major street, go two blocks and there would be a tram station. Well I must have come out the wrong end or something because that was not what I found. I found a huge 6 lane highway. I wandered for a while looking for a place to cross but found none.

I went up and down. It was VERY HOT. Once again I was so happy to only have my tiny suitcase and my camera backpack. I bought some bottled water and drank it as I walked.

One thing that is really different about Turkey-there are NO signs in English as there were in Italy and Spain. Although they use a version of the same alphabet we do there are many unusual letters(ş,ç,ö,ü,ğ) which make figuring things out harder for an American. NOBODY speaks any English outside of the tourist hotels, and as you can imagine my Turkish skills leave something to be desired.
I had learned hello(Merhaba) and please(lütfen). I tried those two words out on kids on the train-I am not sure if they worked because the kids just stared at me like I had three heads.

My new strategy was to try any retail store that was staffed by young people-figuring they might have learned some English. Finally I found one guy who knew enough to point out the tram station to me. Once I figured out how to buy the tickets, and how to use the entry machine, taking the tram was easy. It dropped me off about three blocks from my hotel. I was very pleased with myself-instead of 50 Lira I spent only 3 Lira!

Needless to say I recovered in my luxuriously comfortable hotel room, absorbing the airconditioning, watching CNN and trying out all the cool little soaps in the shower.


Later that night I ventured out to get some dinner. About two blocks from the hotel I glanced up and saw an English Pub on the corner. Leaning out the window were a man and a woman from Ireland. They cheerfully invited me to come inside and have a beer.

It turned out to be great time. We sat and chatted for at least three hours. I ordered a club sandwich-which turned out to have not only ham and cheese but also hard boiled eggs and pickles in it. The beer was a little expensive but cold.
The couples names were John and Carolyn Healey from Northern Ireland. We talked about Turkey-they gave me their take and advice as they were just finishing their trip- and we compared notes on the people passing below our window.

**Note-I saw alot of women in Turkey dressed from head to toe in scarves and gowns. Several were wearing the hijab- a long black robe with a full face veil. It looks awful hot in there and rather confining. I must admit it bothers me to see them-although I am trying to keep an open mind about their feelings or choices**

John Healey, it turns out, owns a B&B in county Armaugh and Carolyn is a school administrator. We talked at length about the war, about the Troubles in Ireland and about how times had changed-social life being a bit slower and more formal when they were young than it is for their 15 year old son now. Thus it was that on my first night in Turkey I learned more about Ireland and its politics than anything else. Still I had a great time.


Istanbul is a city where cats roam around like sultans. People feed the street cats who lounge at the restaurants and many carpet shops have pet cats who live there.
One more thing- I have already been asked out by two Turkish men- one of them my waiter at the pub who noticed we were talking about some scantilly clad young girls at the tram stop going to the local disco. "You lıke to go to dısco tonıght?" He was very polite and later brought us some turkish delight candies that he had bought on the street. I don't have to tell you I didn't go to the disco. I don't think the Turks are ready for my dancing.