Muddy Christmas

It's been raining for two days. The only snow that is left is in muddy patches here and there. Not exactly a pristine white wonderland like the movies. Oh, and I've got a cold. Well, I had a nice quiet Christmas at home anyway. I grab a cookie each time I pass by the container. That's probably not doing much to cure my cold.

What did I get myself for Christmas this year? A flat panel TV. It was a great deal on Black Friday. I put it in the den.

What else did I get myself? New brakes on my car. Yeah, I know, sexy, huh?

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Presents

Hmm, which one do I tear open first?

Linc got a "digger" from Grandma and Grandpa Big Truck.

Linc wasted no time hopping aboard. The bucket hadn't even been attached yet.

After a brief initial conflict, the boys were able to share really well.

For a one-year-old and a two-year-old, I am always stunned at how well they behave.

Linc learned how it made noise. He would push the buttons and back up. It beeped like a real end-loader.

Nash's turn. He caught on quickly and was able to pick up toys with the bucket.



It was a really great day.
Thanks for hosting, Sarah!

Santa Claus

It was an amazing coincidence that Santa decided to visit while we were there.

Nash adored Santa. He brought Nash exactly what he wished for (a garbage truck).

He also brought the boys some animal crackers.

Linc wasn't quite sure what to make of Santa. Maybe next year.

Santa also brought some coloring books in his bags of goodies. The boys must have been extra good this year.

Family

Sarah, Brad, and the boys were a bit under the weather during our visit, but you'd never know it from the smiles on their faces.

Hope you're feeling better.

Grandma shows Nash the pictures she took.

Linc and Brad watching the Packers.
It was a good game right up 'til they lost.

These boots were made for walking...

Nash discovered my boots and decided to try them on.

Despite the fact that they were far too big, he did amazingly well! Did I mention they were high heels?!

He continued to wear them while Grandpa Big Truck demonstrated how his watch worked.

Christmas

Christmas was held at my brother's house on Sunday.

The gang's all here.

(Finally, a picture where everyone is paying attention!!)

Smokin'

I made cookies today. I gave my mixer a workout. Unfortunately, it had a heart attack and started smoking. After I unplugged it, I stuck it in the sink and watched it for a while. Poor thing. At least it didn't ignite.

On the bright side, now I have a spare set of beaters.

Mein Tannenbaum

In progress...

Finished product.

It looks best lit up in a dark room.
It's a theme tree: green, red, and gold. No blue. No pink. No silver.

Well, what do you think? I think it looks very pretty.

I need a tree topper. A star? An angel? There's one in the closet of my old bedroom at my parents' house. My grandmother made it when I was a kid. My parents have used a similar angel on their tree for many years. One might say it is an heirloom. (I probably shouldn't tell you that they use a plastic straw to give the gal a wingspan.)

Fresh pine scent

I've never had a Christmas tree at this house. The first year I was here my life was in chaos because I'd just sold my condo and I had furniture and boxes everywhere. Then last year my life was in chaos because I was getting new windows. So, this year I wanted to make things special.

I love the smell of pine forests. It only seems natural that I would want a real tree. My parents have had a beautiful artificial tree for many years. But, if I search my earliest memories, I do recall us having a real tree at some point in my childhood. I vaguely remember Dad screwing it into the tree stand. To my surprise, they're not that heavy. They're just unwieldy.

I bought it at Menards. Wow, were they busy!! I tried to get the straightest one they had. Guess I could have tried a little harder. Ah well, I'll shim the stand. It's a 7' tall scotch pine.

I'll water it and let it stand at least overnight to let the branches fall before I start decorating it. My house already smells heavenly.

Perhaps next year I'll buy a 10' fake tree to go with my 11.5' ceilings.

Thanksgiving #2 - Supper in Madison

For supper, Ma and I went to Aunt Peggy's in Madison.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Thanksgiving #1 - Lunch in Edgerton

My parents and I had Thanksgiving lunch at my brother's house.

My cooler was the perfect height for the boys to climb up to the counter.

Linc is thinking, "I did it myself!"

Sarah and Linc cheer for the Packers.

Nash was fascinated by "Grandpa Big Truck."

Look! It's not your mom taking pictures!

I'm thankful for my wonderful extended family.

Deer hunting

This past weekend was the opening of gun deer season. I spent it at the Farm with my extended family. There weren't many deer, but the weather was beautiful. Unfortunately, Pat and Norm could not join us this year. Norm had a bad fall down some stairs while on a hunting trip in Michigan and had to spend time in the hospital. I hope he's recuperating well.

The birthday boy, Troy, gave his mom a smooch.

Beth made some excellent bread.

I joined DJ for the afternoon hunt on Saturday. We sat in Norm's stand.

Norm's stand is a deluxe model. Not only is there room for two, but it even comes with stairs!

On Sunday, we did a "drive" to push the deer out of their beds and into the line of fire. Peggy and Debbie joined in. Sadly, we didn't find any deer to push.

I love the woods. The smells. The sounds. The flora and fauna.
Debbie pointed out this interesting fungi formation.

We missed you, Norm. Get well soon!

Lessons Learned

This post doesn't have any pictures. It's just a laundry list of things to share with future travelers.

Must-Haves to carry in your purse or day-pack:
1.) Camera (mine is a Canon SD 1000 with an 8GB memory card; I love it!!!)
2.) Mini bottle of hand sanitizer (Purell, Germ-X, etc.)
3.) Guidebook and/or pages (see more about guidebooks and extra info below)
4.) Itinerary (see more about itinerary below)
5.) A small compass (they make ones that can be affixed to your watch or pinned to your jacket, too)
6.) Sunglasses
7.) City-specific cheat sheet (see more below)
8.) Scarf (maybe not every day, but it comes in handy for mosques, churches, chilly nights, etc.)
9.) Pen
10.) A small packet of tissues
11.) Extra camera battery
12.) Bottle of water (carry a couple in Egypt)

If this list seems like a lot, that's true. However, I easily carried every item on this list in my little purse at the same time. I used every single thing. I also carried a tube of roll-on sunscreen although I didn't find myself using that. I slathered up with a big bottle in the morning and was fine the rest of the day. I also wore a wide-brimmed hat, long pants, and long sleeves in the desert, so there wasn't much of me left to get sunburned.

Money Belt
A money belt is also essential. It goes under your clothes and keeps your passport, credit card (for emergencies), cash (also for emergencies), a debit card (for ATM withdrawals), and a copy of the photo page from your traveling companion's passport. I also brought an expired debit card of the same account just so I would have a backup in case the real one got eaten or demagnetized.

Money
I am fortunate enough to have a Visa debit card through my credit union. They do not charge an exchange fee for foreign currency transactions. That easily saved us 2-3%. Except at ATMs that we suspected may have been out of money, I never had a problem using it.

Packing list:
1.) A bandanna (this could serve as a quick-drying washcloth, or as a cooling rag to wear in the desert and Egyptian Museum)
2.) If you bring a swimsuit, remember to bring a plastic bag so you can carry it wet
3.) Sunscreen (see above)
4.) Hat (see above)
5.) In Egypt: a wedding ring (women are treated better if they're already married)
6.) For the Egyptian Museum: a fan (paper or electric)
7.) If visiting a pyramid, especially the Red Pyramid: a head lamp
8.) Socks and undies that you can throw away as you use them (makes room for souvenirs)
9.) Cleanup kit in a waterproof pouch or ziplock bag (you'd be surprised what effects air pressure and luggage handlers will have on an otherwise "sealed" bottle).
10.) Emergency poncho. It only takes up a few inches of space, and you'll have it if you need it.
11.) Butter knife. I'm ashamed to say, I took one from the Economy Hotel to use for the rest of our journey. If I ever go back, I promise to return it.
12.) More camera batteries. I took four in all. It was just enough for the 1,300 pictures I took. I did not need to bring a charger or an electrical converter/adapter.
13.) An extra copy or two of the itinerary (see below)
14.) Addresses for postcards
15.) Tape flags. These are a 3M invention that act as page markers. The night before, bookmark each page or section in the guidebook that you think you'll need the following day. Small post-it notes would also work.
16.) A battery-powered alarm clock with a fresh battery
17.) A bigger bottle of hand sanitizer to refill the little bottle

Guidebooks
My local library (Skokie Public Library) is an excellent resource for travel books and guidebooks. I checked out everything I could get my hands on before the trip. I compared them all and picked the best one (I thought) for each city.

I found that most guidebooks fall into one of two categories: good for planning or good for traveling. The Rick Steves' guides were pretty good for both. They had a good overview of the city and its history, (usually) gave excellent directions, had several good maps, and acted like a tour guide in your pocket at the major sites. They were also smaller to carry than most other guides. So, I chose Rick Steves' Athens and Rick Steves' Istanbul to take with me on the trip. I also printed off some extra info that wasn't covered in the guidebooks (see below). If you are more visual, DK's Eyewitness guides have excellent color cut-away pictures that show you the outside and inside of buildings. They don't tell you much about the history or practicalities though.

Rick Steves doesn't have a Cairo guide (he should!), so I was left with several unappealing options. The Rough Guide was huge, and it covered too many little sites that we didn't intend to see. And it didn't go into depth on the big sites we did intend to see. I made copies of some pages in the Cadogan guide for its tour guide information (e.g. to your left are the earliest examples of...). It also had a good section on history/chronology and a good glossary. It was especially good for Saqqara. The only bad thing was that it was very out-of-date for practical stuff (hours of operation, cost, etc.). If there had been an updated Cadogan guide available, I would have taken that in a heartbeat. Instead, I bought the Lonely Planet Egypt guidebook. It is huge (over 500 pages), and it covers all of Egypt (which we didn't need). It glosses over some really important stuff, but it was great for timelines, culture, travelers' tips, etc. The Egyptian Museum chapter was decent. The Eyewitness guide was good for its map of Coptic Cairo, Khan al-Khalili, and downtown (Midan Tahrir), but its depiction of the Giza Plateau was off-the-mark.

I did a lot of research for good places to eat before we left. As it turns out, we didn't really need these recommendations (especially Egypt where we ate at the hotel). We had better luck just wandering around, looking in windows, reading the posted menu, and picking a spot at random. With few exceptions, we had great success.

Extra Info
I brought along a lot of info I didn't end up needing. Restaurant recommendations were one example. Language guides were another. I think it is important to try to learn at least a couple words in the local language. High on the list: a few essentials (yes, no, how much), a few numbers (especially one and two), and a few pleasantries (hello, please, thank you, excuse me, goodbye). I also hope you'll learn the alphabet. For reinforcement, and for the other stuff you don't want to have to memorize, put together a cheat sheet (see below). I did not end up needing the binder full of Greek, Arabic, and Turkish that I had brought with me. I also didn't need the Arabic phrase book/dictionary I brought. The cheat sheet was enough.

What I ended up needing most was transportation maps. The Rick Steves' Athens guidebook did not have a complete color guide for the metro. (I think I'll email him about that.) I was so thankful I had printed one from the Internet and brought it along. I also had a big Athens bus map (shrunk to one page), plus a stop-by-stop route guide for several specific buses, namely #035, #200, and #024 (for bus terminal B). I was also grateful to have an excerpt of Cadogan's Greece guidebook for the Roman Forum.

Rick Steves' guidebook for Istanbul was much better for transportation (perhaps because they make it so easy to be a tourist there). But his guidebook had no information on Üsküdar. It was helpful to have a couple pages from Lonely Planet Istanbul so I would know what I was looking at.

If you can, print a map of each airport before you leave. I ripped the Cairo airport map out of the EgyptAir magazine on our way there. I hope to scan it and post it on-line for other travelers to use.

I also printed a picture of the front of each hotel from their websites. That helped us find them.

Cheat Sheet
For each city, I made a half-page, laminated sheet. OK, so I was a bit of an overachiever. One side was a language reference. The other side was a map. I used the Frommer's map for Athens, the Lonely Planet downtown map for Cairo, and the Time Out map for Istanbul. I scanned them and shrunk them down to size. The language reference included the alphabet, numbers, key phrases (yes, no, hello, goodbye, please, thank you, excuse me, I understand, I don't understand, where is...?, how much...?, more, less, enough, too expensive, entrance, exit, open, closed, right, left, good, without), some nouns (stamp, ticket, airport, and toilet), and some restaurant talk (water, tea, orange juice, bread, cheese, chicken, lamb, rice, potato, and the check). Almost everyone spoke English, but I think they really appreciate you trying. Because it was small and laminated, it was an easy thing to whip out at a moment's notice.

Itinerary
Our itinerary was positively invaluable. I spent many months putting it together. It listed each day separately. It told us the sites to see, how to get there (mass transit connections, walking directions, and address), how much it should cost (in local currency), hours of operation, how long I thought we'd spend there, guidebook page numbers, and any other pertinent info about what to do. For transit days, it listed our carrier and flight number, confirmation code, scheduled departure/arrival times, probable terminal. Plus, it had the hotel, how to get there, and our confirmation/voucher numbers. At the top it had a rough budget, so we'd know about how much money to withdraw. It was so incredibly helpful. We brought several copies with us. I kept a separate sheet for each hotel voucher (which you surrender at each hotel), and a confirmation page for each flight. As we went, I wrote down little notations about each place so I could remember what we did and blog about it.

Before You Leave
1.) Get yourself a web-based email account (like gmail or yahoo), and email yourself a PDF copy of your itinerary, a scanned copy of the photo page in your passport, and all of your confirmations for hotels and flights. Fill your on-line address book with email addresses and mailing addresses for postcards. While you're at it, email your itinerary and passport to someone not going on the trip. If something happens, they'll know exactly which city you are in, where you are staying, what flight you were on, etc.
2.) Print weather reports for as far into the trip as you can. If you want, you can even check the sunrise/sunset times so you don't get caught in the dark. It can be very different from city-to-city. Watch out for daylight savings time changes.
3.) Let your debit card and credit card companies know you will be traveling abroad. If you don't they may put a stop on your card, and you become stranded with no money.
4.) Eat or freeze everything in your fridge. Empty the dishwasher and washing machine.
5.) Turn down the furnace. (I meant to do this, but I forgot at the last minute.)
6.) Lock the doors and windows. If you trust your neighbors, let them know you'll be away.
7.) Stop the mail.
8.) Water (but don't over-water) your plants


What's Next?
My company's vacation accrual policy is changing yet again next year, so I have about five weeks I need to take before December 31, 2010. So, where will I go next? Ireland? London? Thailand? China? I want to see them all! Who wants to come with me?

Day 15: Homeward bound

All good things must come to an end.

We packed our bags and headed for the airport.

We took the reverse tram+metro route we used upon arrival in Istanbul. Here's me at the Zeytinburnu station where we transferred to the metro.

TRAVELERS TIP: The metro direction you want is Airport. So, you'll have to go up and over the metro tracks when you transfer from the tram. The escalators are not broken; they're just sleeping. To get the escalator going, just push the button. Also, it takes an hour or more to make the journey to the airport. Plan accordingly.

Security was pretty tight at the Atatürk Airport. When you get off the metro and enter the airport, you immediately hit the first round of baggage screening. They questioned me about the butter knife in my soon-to-be checked baggage. Then you go upstairs to the check-in line and they ask you more questions about your baggage (Did you pack it yourself? Any weapons? etc.) before you can check it. Then you go to passport control. Then you get to the gate area and get screened again. This was the first airport outside the U.S. that had the same restrictions for liquids on board the aircraft. We had to throw away our water bottles. I was a little sad. I'd had that same bottle since we left the States.

Don't wash your feet in the sink at the airport.

Here was our plane. We were really going to miss Istanbul. It's a wonderful city.

Our seats for the 11-hour flight to New York were pretty sweet. We had the first row behind first class. We didn't have quite as much leg room as we did on the Chicago-to-Atlanta flight, but it was adequate. Plus, we had the LCD screen with movies right in front of us.

Our experience at JFK's Delta Terminal (terminal 3) was unpleasant. What a pig sty!! When you arrive, you're herded like cattle into a tight windowless room with lots of people and told to stand in a long line. Signage is terrible. There's filth everywhere. The carpet looked to be about 100 years old. They funnel the U.S. citizens into one line and non-U.S. citizens to another, but in reality, once you get to the front of the line, the staff directs you to whatever booth they feel like. The staff only speaks English and gets rude when you don't understand. If I were a foreign visitor, especially one who didn't speak English, I'd hate America before I crossed her border. It was not a warm welcome.

TRAVELERS TIP: There are no bathrooms until after you go through passport control. And once you do get to use the bathroom, they're disgusting. Plus, you could be waiting a long time in the line to enter the country. It is highly advisable to use the bathroom toward the end of the flight.

So, we were back on American soil, but our troubles had only just begun. We boarded the plane back to Chicago on-time, but then our luck ran out. The pilot informed us that there was a delay due to weather, and we would have to wait an unknown amount of time to taxi out to the runway. In order to keep our place in line, passengers had to stay in their seats with seat belts fastened. No bathroom breaks. No food. The "unknown amount of time" turned into THREE HOURS!!! The flight attendants did come by with water, but without being able to use the bathroom, that did more harm than good. There was a family in front of us with three little kids. Of course the kids were cranky and fidgety the entire time.

We were never so thankful to see the bright lights of Chicago.

Triumphant.

Technically, this is now Day 16. We arrived home around 12:30am, exhausted. Ma went to bed right away, but I was still pretty wired. It took me a long time to fall asleep.

A single casualty: my potted palm succumbed. I think I over-watered it before I left.

Bye, Ma!! Thanks for the memories!

Turkish Bath

We were pretty sick of walking, so we headed back to the hotel to rest for a bit.

We ate dinner at a place just down the street from our hotel called Hafız Ahmet. It was cafeteria-style. You point at what you want. Ma had meatballs (köfte) and chilled potatoes. I had broccoli-covered-chicken and rice. It was more expensive than the other meals we had, but it was good and filling.

And then came the part we'd both been thinking about all day: the hamamı (pronounced "hah-mah-muh"). To be honest, I was a little nervous. I'd never so much as had a neck massage before, let alone a full body scrub. And being naked in public in a foreign country wasn't exactly helping matters.

We took the tram to Çemberlitaş. The bath is right there. They made the whole process so smooth. First, they hand you a new kese (pronounced "keh-seh") and a peştemal (pronounced "pesh-teh-mahl"). The kese is a raw silk mitten without a thumb, but with a tie to keep it on your hand. When it is wet, it feels rough like a loofah. The peştemal is a thin plaid towel. An attendant directs you upstairs to a locker room, assigns you a locker, and you put the key's band around your wrist. Everything is made of wood like a sauna. You get undressed and wrap yourself in the peştemal. Then you go downstairs, through the cool room, and into the hot room. Inside the hot room is a giant round stone with a flat top. Everything in the room is made out of marble. You could cut the humidity with a knife. The domed ceiling is decorated with stars. It was really neat. At this point, I'm getting nervous again, and to make matters worse, they separate Ma and me. Ma has no glasses on, so she's blind. And I have no clue what the attendant is saying to me. So, we're waiting our turn to be scrubbed down from head to foot. Then my time comes. The attendant tells me to put my peştemal on the stone and then lay on top of it on my tummy. She then hands me a pair of black underwear. They still have a tag on them, so I figure they're safe to wear. I relax a little bit and she begins to cover me with soap suds. And then she starts scrubbing, first my back, then my front, and then has me sit up to do my arms. It was quite enjoyable. Then she moves me off the stone over to one of the basins to rinse off and wash my hair. Afterward, I waited for Ma to get done with her scrub. Then we exited the hot room and got a towel in the cool room. We didn't sign up for the separate oil massage, so we just hung out until we were fit enough to dry off and get our clothes back on.

TRAVELERS' TIP: If you have a serious health condition, you might want to check with your doctor before entering the hot room.

My skin never felt better. If I lived in Istanbul, I'd go once a month...maybe once a week!

It wasn't exactly appropriate to take pictures in the hamamı, but I did manage to snap this one of the fantastic bathroom. I loved the tile!

A Lo-o-o-ng Walk

For lunch, we wandered down Divan Yolu Street where all the tourists go. We passed the Lale Pudding Shop. Fans of the movie "Midnight Express" will appreciate that we did NOT eat there (the guidebooks say that drugs are no longer available for take-out).

Instead, we ate at the same franchise that we ate at the first day in the New District (called Semazen). It was cheap and delicious. We ate in the little park across the street. Little did we know we were also storing up some energy for a really long walk ahead of us.

Thus, we began the Rick Steves' "Old Town Back Streets Walk".

This smokestack looking thing is called Çemberlitaş, or Burned Column. (Hard to see behind the scaffolding.) Emperor Constantine erected it to put a statue of himself on top. His statue was later replaced with a cross. Now it has nothing.

While we were here, we stopped by the bathhouse that we would be returning to tonight, Çemberlitaş Hamamı. No reservations needed, and they were open 'til midnight.

The walk took us to the Grand Bazaar. A bit like the Khan in Cairo, it was overwhelming and a little scary. There were swarms of touts everywhere. We didn't feel like doing any shopping with all that commotion around.

The directions in the Walk were pretty confusing at the Grand Bazaar and again on the way to the Süleyman Mosque. That was new for us. Usually the directions are excellent. We had to ask a local to point us in the right direction. The mosque was undergoing renovations. So, there weren't many tourists around, and it wasn't so easy to spot. Yeah, yeah, it's a huge building with towering minarets. But when you're right next to Istanbul University's high walls, you get tunnel vision.

So, we finally found the mosque. You could only go inside the foyer a few dozen feet, and the rest was blocked off by construction curtains. I'm sure it would have been an impressive mosque to see.

The mosque has four minarets (to represent the four initial caliphs). Two are tall and two are short. The tall minarets have three balconies each. The short minarets have two balconies each.

In the courtyard was a little cemetery with several mausoleums, including one with Süleyman himself. To go inside, remove your shoes and cover your head.

These are tombs, sort of like sarcophagi.

Süleyman is on the right and his two of his sons are on the left.

Odd side note: Süleyman strangled a couple of his kids, some at his wife's bidding.

Speaking of Süleyman's wife, this is Roxelana's mausoleum. She was first a slave and then a wife. (That was unheard of.) She was quite a schemer. Süleyman was madly in love with her.

After we were done with the mosque, we continued to Walk to the Spice Bazaar. We got pretty lost. There were some tense moments, but we eventually got back on track.

The Spice Bazaar was a lot like the Grand Bazaar except dedicated to foodstuffs like spices, coffee, and tea. Locals call it Mışır Carşışı, which means Egyptian Bazaar. It was once funded by taxes paid by Egypt to the sultans. There was a line about a block long to buy coffee at one place.