December 1998 – Chasing Sunsets

Twenty Years Ago Today, Saturday, December 19, 1998: DS-Antalya, Turkey; Panes – Istanbul

2107 December 1998 Istanbul snow Blue Mosque Carole & Ryan

LOG: Snow, then flight to Los Angeles

CHASING SUNSETS: p234, “There was no way we could be blasé on our last morning when we woke to see the first snowfall of the winter, with the Blue Mosque, snow covered and magnificent, rising above a white landscape.”

And that afternoon we flew home for Christmas. I will remain with my mother for a couple of weeks in January, while Laurie and Ryan visit his family in Australia. From now until we return to Turkey on February 10th, posts will be sporadic and will only drop in with interesting events like when Ryan plays with tigers.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all from the captain and crew of DOLPHIN SPIRIT.

Twenty Years Ago Today, Wednesday, December 16, 1998: DS-Antalya, Turkey; Panes – Istanbul

LOG: Topkapi Museum

CHASING SUNSETS: p232, “The Topkapi Dagger, centerpiece of the Emerald Room in the Topkapi Palace Treasury, was stunning. The three huge emeralds in the hilt almost take attention away from the scores of diamonds that cover the rest of the hilt and scabbard, each one of which even Elizabeth Taylor would gasp over. Thrown casually under the dagger were more emeralds, one bigger than my fist. In other displays, emeralds and rubies bigger than hen’s eggs were common, and pearls were scattered with gay abandon. Want a snuff box – here, carve one out of this emerald, add a little gold trim, not much, but it will do! Baby’s cradle – well of course it is solid gold, and we had to do something with those couple of hundred pearls, emeralds and rubies that were left over after we made the Sultan’s writing set!”

2107 December 15, Topkapi Museum cradle 2107 December 15, 1998 Topkapi emerald dagger 454

Twenty Years Ago Today, Tuesday, December 15, 1998: DS-Antalya, Turkey; Panes – Istanbul

LOG: Topkapi

CHASING SUNSETS: p233, “…in the cold and the rain that dogged us all day, we toured the Harem in the Topkapi Palace. Contrary to your (and our) immediate Pavlovian reaction concerning orgies and debauchery, the Harem was simply the private living quarters of the Sultan, his four wives, hundred or so concubines, children, eunuchs (black and white, the black fixed early and coming voluntarily, the white through capture and subsequent part removals) and servants, some 400 to 500 people in total. Apart from the Sultan’s quarters and those of his mother and his heir, the place was something like a plush rabbit warren. Hollywood’s Sheiks would never have found the swooning maidens, and if they did, would have been lost getting back to the horse.”

Twenty Years Ago Today, Monday, December 14, 1998: DS-Antalya, Turkey; Panes – Istanbul

2107 December 1998 Black Sea xxx270

LOG: Bosphorous at sunset

CHASING SUNSETS: p233-4,”We made all the tourist stops…….. the sunset ferry ride over the Bosphorus…”

Twenty Years Ago Today ,Friday, December 11, 1998: DS-Antalya, Turkey; Panes – Istanbul

LOG: Yesil Ev

CHASING SUNSETS: p231, “Our hotel, Yesil Ev, or Green House, was a converted house, painted green, right in the middle of everything we wanted to see in Istanbul. The big three (Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi, together with the Yerebatan Saray, were all within 300 yards of the front door.

Who needed a TV (there wasn’t one anyway), when the misty blue, flood lit, Blue Mosque filled the window. Who needed alarm clocks (you guessed it, none in the room), when the call to prayer boomed at us, from at least six mosques, at first light. They seem to practice call- and-respond, or we-can-be-louder-than-you, or both, randomly. Although these were more strident than most, we have been woken by similar calls for almost two years, since Indonesia, so our response was to sleepily note that it must be six o’clock, and roll over for more snooze.”