*And by ‘vacation’ I mean ‘trip.’ Semantics, I know, but there is a difference.
I . . .
- cruised the Bosphorus.
- explored the Hagia Sophia (complete with ancient Viking graffiti) and Topkapı Palace.
- fell in love with the Basilica Cistern.
- discovered the Istanbul equivalent of Seattle’s Pike Place Market in the 350 year old Egyptian Spice Market.
- Darkened a few shades so that at least parts of me are no longer glow-in-the-dark white.
- found a spark of incentive to get in shape while watching tennis pros at practice (we’ll see how long this lasts).
- managed not to die in traffic. Holy hell.
- took two non-writing days.
- learned not to say “um” when trying to think of a word or make a decision, since that means “vagina” in Turkish.
Travel is awesome. The end.
Melissa Burkart 