On the left, Europe. On the right, Asia.
We left Istanbul this afternoon. We didn’t even get off the Equinox. Istanbul was the stop in which we were the least interested. I blame our traditional western educations. Everything we know about Turkey is about the Ottomans, which stuck around forever and always seemed to be on the periphery of our history classes.
The people were nice, but a little aggressive and I am a tad bit less wary of pickpockets on the ship. So we stayed on board and were both pleased with that decision. We slept in, read, dozed off, had a nice lunch and a generally restive day.
Which makes me think, I should buy an old retired cruise ship and just offer sea days. I do believe they’d be a big hit. No ports, no excursions, just three or four days sailing in a big circle while the passengers do little of nothing. Big hit.
Anyway. We were invited out to the helicopter pad at the bow of the ship. This is an unusual treat, there are signs that emphatically state no passengers allowed, and from there we watched our departure from Istanbul. This is in the Marmara Sea. Istanbul sits on the isthmus that separates the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea, connecting Europe and Asia. This is, has always been and likely always be a strategic part of the world.
Constantinople, the Ottomans, now the Turks (the first member of NATO) and everyone else in Europe or Asia that’s ever invaded the other have all considered this little part of the world. The land isn’t the only key, this has been a strategic area for submarines for almost a century. But even in ancient times, we were told, there are heady days of SCUBA-type, underwater sniper ninjas with blow guns ready to pick off the invaders, should they come.
If anyone knows of a good, comprehensive popular history of the area, let me know. Having seen the layout it becomes far more interesting.
Roy, our waiter.
Roy is our waiter on the ship. He’s a very nice guy from Jamaica. He brings us too much food. If you express the slightest interest in a second dish it magically appears on your table. You learn to keep this information to yourself or you’re going to float home. Tonight he started showing us tricks.
We will amaze and amuse our friends when we get home.
Tomorrow: Kusadasi, Turkey.
