Saturday Afternoon

Well, the major shopping is over.  It’s amazing what you need when you start from two suitcases each to set up an apartment  Also interesting to know what you can really do without and don’t need.  We’re just doing the basics for now.  Probably do a peanut butter and jelly run later today.  For now, (this is Carol), I’m writing this from our 6th floor balcony overlooking the river and watching the people strolling by and the gondolas pole up the river.  They don’t have a lot of gondolas but there are some.  There is even a river taxi but not sure why you would take it. It’s somewhere in the 70’s.  Ok Ok, I know we’ll have snow this winter  while all of you in Tucson will be telling me how delightful the weather is, but for now this is pretty darn nice! 

We’re still in Ramazon in  Turkey.  Not everyone observes this period but for those who do they don’t drink or eat anything from sun up to sun down.  At sundown the restaurants are packed.  Our guide Diana says the clubs close at midnight during Ramazon and at other times of the year they are open until 2:00.  Since this is a college town apparently there is a lot of late night clubbing and dancing.  The fasting period ends next Thursday so we have next Wed, Thurs, and Fri off of school.  People tell me it’s a time to eat a lot of candy.  I need to ask why that is but we’ve seen people buying a lot of candy.

We actually have wireless internet in our apartment.  Last night the wireless didn’t work and we had to use the plug so we haven’t figured out why it works during the day and not at night.  One of those mysteries that we may not solve.

We continue to be impressed and in awe of how friendly and helpful everyone is.  Waiters help with the menus as much as they can.  Someone always gives me a seat on the tram  (at first I thought it was because I was old, but I think it’s also because I’m a woman. 

Hope everyone reading this is well and we still would love to hear from you.  My e-mail is clittle1946@gmail.com in case you have lost it.