the week in review LOL

So we started our week with dinner with Uncle Neil at Oceanique - as always an really good meal.

then the next night we were at Oriole (see post - Starry Eyed)

and then the next night we were with the Chicago Gourmets at Emilio's (see post Before We Go Back)

and then last night we had a concert at City Winery - the group was Solas- and it was Phil's choice-
He liked them I thought they pretty much made everything sound the same- and I found it distracting to have the vocalist running on and off the stage all evening-

 
for the encore the sound man got to sing too (too bad they didn't feature him earlier- he had a lovely strong voice that actually was different than hearing the other (they pretty much all ended up jigs) music

This is a venue I really dislike- bad wine - mediocre food - people jammed into tables smaller than the chairs seated around them - if more than two people try to eat the plates don't fit on the table - and the cocktail list is extremely limited for those who don't want beer or (bad) wine.  They make it there- in the middle of Chicago (my Oregon winemaker friends I am sure shudder to read that sentence). My Dad used to make wine in the closet of the laundry room and I think the wine making at this facility is an expensive shiny version of that LOL.

so the week draws to an end and we ready ourselves for the next group of activities.... while we continue with planning for our future travel.  Our Venice to Istanbul by Private Train trip has been canceled for next year and so we are revisiting alternative destinations - meanwhile the website was built for that one and will be taken down (so if you want to see it I would suggest going now - LOL)

https://privatetrainjourney.shutterfly.com/

now it looks like we will be doing Wine & Food in Georgia (which is actually known for its wine- unlike City Winery) - See I can make it all come together in the end LOL!!!
Onward & Upward! So stay tuned....

starting out from istanbul

the trip we returned from only 40 hours ago started out in Istanbul.  we arrived late afternoon and had an early dinner before crashing.  the next day- the first of the "touring" days- included  a whirlwind tour of the highlights of Istanbul including the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome and the Grand Bazaar.
a quick lunch stop was included and we returned to the hotel around 6:30 for a dinner on our own.

here are selected photos from the day of sightseeing in Istanbul:

first the Topkapi Palace-

view of the city from the palace:

souvenirs for sale outside:

the blue mosque:

the Hagia Sophia:

food- lunch, then bagel like rolls with poppy or sesame seeds:

mosaic ceiling of temple structure on Hippodrome:

detail from Egyptian obelisk on Hippodrome plaza:

on to the Grand Bazaar where you can buy ANYTHING!:

a stop for Turkish coffee:

then back to the never ending shops- here, jewelry display and gift boxes being sold:

lots of hat choices:

and finally- a view of three towers that lined up nicely as we were leaving the Topkapi Palace:

we're off

again tomorrow- because we have been home too long (LOL) only kidding-

anyway- by this time tomorrow we will be winging our way to Istanbul and by this time Wednesday we will be there.... the more I read in preparation for the trip the more excited I am to see everything.  even the return to Istanbul should be a nice brief review of the highlights.

I am especially excited to be able to see the perched villages with their whitewashed walls and blue roofed buildings- oh and windmills- yes I do actually recall wanting to visit the Greek islands as far back as when I was 9 or 10 when I saw the 1964 Hayley Mills movie The Moonspinners! it looked so foreign and exotic and I was a HUGE Hayley Mills fan-

later I learned that the movie was mostly filmed in Pinewood Studios in Great Britain (how disappointing) but I was already long smitten with the idea of the windmills- I am 90% sure they were supposed to be on Crete (which remains on my "to be visited" list even after this trip) but I think I will still get to see windmills on one or more of the seven islands we have on our itinerary.

here are a few perfect pics - to give you and idea of why I am finally getting to the Greek Islands

something tells me - now that I am more savvy about science than I was at eleven- that the windmills will be found on the hilltops rather than the beach as shown in this photo above- but who knows.... will keep you posted- LOL

here by the way is the plot summary of the complex Disney movie (from the IMDB):

Young English girl Nikky and her aunt arrive at the Moon-Spinners, a hotel on Crete, to a less than enthusiastic welcome. The coolness of the owner is only out-done by the surliness of her brother Stratos, recently back from London. But then there is nice English lad Mark to make friends with, at least until Stratos and his pal take a shot at him one night. When Nikky helps him hide she finds the Greeks are after her too.

LOL and here- I find I am not he only 11 year old that was enticed by the Moonspinners-

check out this blog post of someone else altogether--

http://expect-to-fly.blogspot.com/2011/06/crete-windmills-and-moonspinners.html

wonder who she is... have to book mark it for further investigation- LOL