Memories and happy New Year🥳.

 The weather in Colorado this winter is so unexpectedly mild, that we have been really enjoying the outdoors.

My granddaughter hates to take pictures but I was fortunate to get her in a couple.😊.

Now it's on to 2026♥️

Hope all my friends and family have great health, happiness and success in the new year and beyond.🎊🎉💞.

Love the advice below.😁

Istanbul-Europe

Modesty dressed and ready for Islamic Turkey.

Istanbul has a population of almost 21 million people and the 3rd or 4th largest Airport in the world.

Some pics in airport.

Interestingly,  sections of this exotic city falls into two separate Continents, Europe and Asia.

The European section is larger, with around two thirds of the population living in  that huge, bustling city.

Huge crowds in the Grand Bazaar.

The European side also attracts the vast majority of visitors, so traffic jams are the order of the day.

Incidentally, we paid around twenty Euros more from the airport to the city, than when we were returning. The explanation for this anomaly was that airport taxis use toll roads while regular ones don't. 

I don't believe tolls make such a big difference though!😡

To tell the truth, I can't see why so few people travel to the Asian side, as while there may not be as much to see over there, I find it calmer and the food is just as good.

On the ferry, heading to the Asian side.

 The bridge joining both sides is visible behind me.

And talking about food, the Turks treat their stray dogs and cats as well as the Greek do, so you don't see any mangey, skinny animals in either country, as all are friendly and well fed.

This cat had dinner with me.

 There is no difference with how people are treated on either side of Istanbul (whether Europe or Asia) for all are Turks, regardless of where they were born or live.

(I have a separate blog on the Asian side at :https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2024/04/istanbul-asia.html?m=1.)

 Below are pictorial memories of the European side.

They seem to be very patriotic, as huge flags are on buildings all over the city.

We melted in with the crowd😁

Whoever is delivering the 'message ' in the mosque each day, stands atop the stairs 

Mosques galore all over the city. Loud recordings from the tower remind Muslims of their prayer times. 

 It's 5 times per day.

Everything under the sun is available at the Grand Bazaar.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised that things are not as restrictive in Istanbul as the western media implies about Muslim countries.

Women pray behind this partition

In Istanbul women are active in every profession from the army, police, taxi drivers immigration, everywhere, and they don't have to be modestly dressed or covered from head to toe, unless they wish to or are attending prayers. 

So I saw lots of women roaming around skimpily dressed. No problem at all.

The Sultan who built the famous Blue Mosque and his family are buried in this special area next door.

Hot, freshly roasted corn is very popular there.

A favorite of mine😊.

The guys selling ice cream cones made it into an hilarious ritual🤣

Everyone entered the Grand Bazaar here. I guess giris is Greek for entry . We thought it was girls and wondered why men were entering through that side.😁

Check this blog for further info.

https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2024/04/proud-of-turkish-women.html?m=1

Animals everytime!

 If I had to make a choice between humans and animals, it would be animals all the way. 

No hesitation. No apologies.                                                                                       Maybe it's because my first memory of life on this planet was seeing cute kittens in my bed. 

I don't know if that's why I love animals so, its just what it is. 

I guess that's also why my first choice of profession from as far back as I can remember, was to have become a vet.

 That dream was only frustrated when I inadvertently killed a baby duckling.😭.

I still occasionally think about it. 

Especially since it is possible that I had buried the poor creature alive when it was only drunk. 

That question will haunt me forever I guess.

So what the heck could have taken me on this path today, you could very well ask?

It's the hoopla on social and other media, accusing an elephant of killing an American woman in Zambia!

It is a blatant lie.

What the elephant did was to charge a safari jeep, overturn it and the wowan died from either something like an heart attack or maybe she was crushed to death by the jeep or other passengers.

Regardless, it was an accidental death and while I am always sympathetic to the families when humans die, THE ELEPHANT DID NOT KILL HER. 

I feel very passionate about this, for unlike humans, so-called wild animals don't kill humans or other animals willy nilly. They usually only resort to killing when hungry, or (they or their babies) are threatened. 

I am a bit uptight about the issue, mainly because I interact with these animals whenever it is safe to do so and get impatient at times when people react with the unnecessary "aren't you afraid" hymnal. 

Elephants, the gentle giants often protect smaller animals.

It's as if they think I am stupid and would put myself in unnecessary danger! 

Elephants are among the gentlest giants in the world. I saw them being used in Cambodia like how we use donkeys and mules in the Caribbean. I actually rode one but found it uncomfortable.  (I don't enjoy riding horses either!)

But to each its own. 

I also learned a bit about those gentle giants in Kenya when I spent a few hours observing them while on safari there.

Waterholes are for all

One thing that has stuck in my mind is how polite they are to each other. Like many humans, they tend to travel around in groups and stick to their herds. When they are enjoying themselves in their water holes, the minute another herd approaches, they leave the waterhole so the newly arrived can enjoy it. 

No holding out or fighting for space like us humans. 

The only time elephants made me feel a bit antsy was in Botswana when a huge herd was approaching our jeep. When they seemed determined to come right up to us, I admit I was kinda nervous. But they simply walked right up to our vehicle, one or two looked at us curiously, then they proceeded on their merry way.

Had this been a group of strange young men, I might not be here today to tell the tale! (especially if they were white men.)

In short, I am not at all suggesting we should put ourselves in danger around so-called wild animals, but in my book, they are far less dangerous than so-called civilized or tame humans!

Love those in the ocean too😊.

                                          

Youtube Link; https: https://youtu.be/4Tf4fwQ87wg

Little Acts of Kindness

Litte things can really make a big impact in our lives.

Recently my friend Camille and I took an Amtrak train from Hollywood, Florida to Sebring, Florida to visit friends. When we got there, we noticed that a sign on the door of the station declared that it had been temporarily closed by the fire department. When we saw it, the sign did not make an impact us, as our friend was there waiting on us so we did not need a rest room, water or an air conditioned place in which to escape the close to  90 degree weather outside.

However, on our return journey two days later, when we arrived at the station and checked the status of our train, we were informed that it was running an hour late. (Smart people check these things before going to the airport, railway station etc. so I suppose we do not fall into the category of smart)!😖

When you have the boiling midday sun to contend with, an airconditioned waiting room and water are big deals!

A good idea

It was therefore a wonderfully welcome surprise when an African American man in a back truck, started to walk around asking if anyone wanted cold water or cold drinks. My friend Camille got two ice cold bottles of water and on asking how much it was, the smiling reply was "its free."

That's the reason for this title, for I personally had never experienced such an unsolicited act of generosity from a stranger since moving to the USA some six years ago.

At first, I thought he was an Amtrak employee who had come to relieve our misery as the train was late and the waiting room closed. However, it turned out that he was just a kind gentleman who saw many passengers waiting in the sun at the station and decided to help.

He left shortly afterwards, after ensuring that whoever needed a thirst quencher had been supplied.

Amtrak was a disappointment in general.  

I love travelling on trains but the one we took up to Sebring on the 28th of May, 2022,  had a cafeteria that didn't work and at least one ticket agent who didn't care whether the information he gave out was correct or not.

 I didn't know such workers existed, and unfortunately, he was the one I sought to get information about the cafeteria from!

Instructions at the dog bathing station

When we asked him if it was open yet, he said it had opened long ago!                                                                                                                                                                      It never opened during the entire, almost three-hour trip, because of 'technical problems' according to an announcement.                                                                                                                                                                  Unfortunately, we again encountered that lousy ticket agent on the return trip. For we saw his at the door of the train going north which arrived before ours, going south, was due. When we asked how long our train was delayed for, instead of saying he didn't know or checking with his headquarters, he told us 'it was running about "ten minutes late." 

When we checked the Amtrak one eighthundred number, we were informed it was delayed for over an hour!

Amtrak really needs to hire ticket agents on their trains who care about the type of information they give to passengers or others who are more like the agent in their office in Hollywood who was so pleasant and helpful.

Anyway, since the scenery in Florida is so boring, I don't see myself ever again taking their train to go anywhere else in the state.

Despite Amtrak, we had a great time in Sebring with friends.

I even got the opportunity to revisit Lake Placid, aka the town of murals. It is so called, as all available walls in the tiny town seem to have great murals painted on them.

I had first visited the town a few years ago to attend the annual Caladium festival with my Meet Up hiking group. Joan, my views: Caladiums galore (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

This time I went there with my hosts to bathe their dogs! 

Thats right, for at a farm store, there is a very convenient dog bathing facility which I found very unique.

I had never seen such a public facility in any other pet-loving town and was so impressed with it that I declared that if I were younger, I would set up some 24 hour stand alone stations like that in other cities!😏

So despite the lousy Amtrak experience , we all had a wonderful Memorial Weekend in Sebring in 2022.

I will admit though that although the train for the return trip was an hour late and the waiting room was closed so we had to sit outside, that trip was far more pleasant.

 To begin with, the cafeteria worked and there were agents calling out the upcoming stations and the time it would take to get to each, on this train. 

Nothing like that was done on the trip from Hollywood to Sebring. 

Amtrak Florida needs to not only overall its service, train its staff properly and have its waiting rooms available, but they also need to upgrade their stock. For I have travelled by train in other states, Canada and Europe and this was really the oldest, slowest and creakiest train that I have ever traveled on!

Thank heavens it couldn't spoil the weekend with friends for us though.