By Bob Corbett
Folks,
Today is our last real day in Istanbul. Tomorrow we will do almost nothing here. Breakfast on our roof-top garden, pack, leave the place mid-morning and take our airport bus. Get to Barcelona in the early evening, no idea when we will actually get into the town itself and find a room.
Oh my, it is going to be very hard to leave Istanbul and I think if we had plane tickets with more flexibility we might well stay here longer. But the die seems cast.
I am a bit worried. Barcelona has for years been the fifth city in my list of five favorite cities I've ever visited. And Sally will be seeing it for her first time. My worry is -- can it even begin to measure up to Istanbul, and will it be as exciting as before.... Hard to know. Already I realize we will almost for sure be eating meals that will be decidedly less exciting for at least twice the cost of our sumptuous feasts we have here daily. I'm prepared that we won't find a room as cheap in EUROS as this one is in LIRA!!!! And then the rest. It will be very difficult in just a few hours plane flight to set Istanbul aside and be open to the magnificent city I know Barcelona to be.
We are going to be expecting weather that is 20 degrees cooler and that might be nice to have to wear a jacket or sweater for a change. It has been quite hot the past couple days, but always with a lovely breeze. Today it will be 6-7 degrees cooler than yesterday, bright sunshine, but a whipping crisp breeze. It will be in the mid 70s. Barcelona has been having weather in the low 60s lately, but clear and sunny. Yesterday here was 84 and quite hot despite the breeze. However, the difference when walking about between shady streets and sunny ones must be 20 degrees in feeling. In the shade the cool breezes just rustle your clothing and it feels so delectable.
It is unlikely I'll write again for a couple days. No more today unless something wildly unexpected takes place and actually we are planning a very low key day of just wandering around aimlessly in some of our favorite areas. Then tomorrow almost for sure we won't find e-mail it will be an exacting travel day. Then the day after tomorrow, our first full day in Barcelona -- well it will be likely that toward the end of that day we will try to find a place to e-mail.
So, it will be good-by Istanbul, with deep sadness to see this time end, it's been 12 awesome days, and hello to wonderful Barcelona. I just hope we can put Istanbul aside enough to let Barcelona ring true and clear....
It is also a great city.
See y'all in a couple days.
Bob
Bob Corbett corbetre@webster.edu