I know, I know...too close. Blame the iPhone.
Anyway, we embarked on a round-the-world trip, from Bangkok to Seoul to Seattle to NYC. In NYC, I stayed a couple days and then went onto Berlin to Sarajevo to Korcula on the Croatian Coast to Istanbul and back to Bangkok. Sam and the kids stayed in NYC for a little longer and then will go to Paris to Rome and back to Bangkok. Even though it's out of order, the first installment of the trip will be Izaak in Europe.
Berlin
Arriving in Berlin after his 4th red-eye flight in about 9 days, I went to his friend Jeff and Nicole's apartment near Alexanderplatz. Jeff mercifully had coffee brewed and ready. After having some caffeine, Jeff had to go to work, so he left me with a bicycle and some helpful instructions on how to get around. With only a day in Bangkok and after not being able to get into the Reichstag, I decided to stay on the bike and see the city from the outside. It was a beautiful day, seemingly one of the first this year, so everyone was coming outside and enjoying the weather.
(Brandenburg Gate)
(Reichstag)
(Soviet monument in the Tiergarten)
(Holocaust Memorial)
(Inside the Holocaust Memorial)
(Bridge over the Spree)
(Museuminsel)
(Cathedral on Museuminsel)
(River Spree)
(Canal scene)
(Outdoor bar along a canal)
(Longest remaining piece of the Berlin Wall--taken from (relatively) speeding bike)
Sarajevo
From there, it was on to Sarajevo where I met up with our good friends Jim and Erin, who live there. All told, we spent a couple of days in Sarajevo, checking out its Old Town, restaurants and bars, and fascinating history, both ancient and recent.
(This was the restaurant we went to on the first night there, located up a steep hill from Old Town, serving traditional Bosnian dishes and great local wines)
(Old Town cathedral)
(Old Town street)
(Another Old Town street)
(Coppersmiths' Alley)
(A building which still shows the bullet holes from over 10 years ago)
(Windowmeat)
Mostar
On our drive to the Croatian coast, we stopped in the town on Mostar, which also has a great medieval old town as well as a famous bridge from which divers request donations from passersby to jump into the river far below.
(View of Mostar's Old Town)
(Walking through Mostar's Old Town)
(More Old Town)
(Mildly-suggestive club ad)
Croatian Coast
Jim and Erin were good enough to drive me to the Croatian coast for a few days of relaxation amid the chaos of travel. They wisely chose the island of Korcula, birthplace of Marco Polo, as the destination. Breathtakingly gorgeous with that deep blue water seemingly unique to the Mediterranean, red-roofed towns narrow little pedestrian streets and a wine, called 'grk', that is only grown there. Could have stayed there much longer...
(Korcula town)
(Korcula town)
(Korcula town)
(Narrow street in Korcula town)
(Cathedral)
(Cathedral door detail)
(Old chapel with Marco Polo's birthplace behind it)
(Narrow street leading to the sea)
(Lumbarda, closest town to where we stayed)
(Lumbarda)
(Lumbarda)
(Winery)
(Vineyards overlooking Lumbarda)
(Reds)
(Herbal liquor)
(Feast of a dinner one evening--fresh fish, homemade pasta, and sauerbraten with gnocchi)
(Where we stayed)
(The grapes that hung over our porch)
(Butterfly drinking wine)
(The town our ferry embarked from and the Adriatic)
(Sailboats were everywhere and there were 35 words for wind)
(Beach on Korcula)
(Beach on Korcula...the water was great)
(Evening view of the islands)
(Best idea ever)
Istanbul
It was a last minute decision, but my layover in Istanbul turned out to be long enough for a quick jaunt into town. I hopped the train from the airport and headed straight for the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque, which was regreattably all I had time for.
(Blue Mosque)
(Blue Mosque courtyard)
(Inside the Blue Mosque)
(Inside the Blue Mosque)
(Blue Mosque gateway and minaret)
(Hagia Sofia)
(Hagia Sofia)
No comments:
Post a Comment