New Faces

Picture- Welcome to Istanbul

Oct. 18, 2022- Istanbul, Turkey It was hard leaving Latif this morning. On the way to the airport he asked each of us what our favorite experience was. Some liked the mud volcanoes and others the village visit. David and I related most to the unusual nature of the Jewish cemetery. We were all impressed by the level of sophistication the country has achieved in the 30 years since it became a democratic republic. But, at the end, I told him that the best memory of our visit will be him. He was so thoughtful and helpful. He truly made our experience first rate. We all cleared security as Latife lurked in the background making sure we were ok. Doug was the only one who had issues. For some reason they didn’t know what trail mix was and needed to be reassured it was “food.” But his Clive Custler paperback with a picture of an exploding ship on the cover almost did him in. Our day was spent waiting for our flight, flying, and driving to Hotel Armada in the old city. Our new guide, Rudy, met us there. He’s the anti-Latif. He’s very tall and hyper. He’s been guiding for 22 years, so I’m sure he’s good. OAT guides are select and well trained. His English is accentless colloquial American. Haven’t asked where he learned it. He has a friend and former client in PA, Rabbi Meyer Selig, who blessed him with a Hebrew prayer. He knows a bit of Hebrew as he’s guided English speaking Israelis. Sally, our newest addition to the group, joined us. She’s a retired AP history teacher and daughter of a marine. She shuddered at the sign pictured below so she’s aligned with our politics. Rudy seems to be too, although he cautioned against talking American politics. He said we should stick to Turkish politics and he will teach us. He took us on a brief walk around the block showing us dinner options for tonight. He recommended a fish restaurant owned by his friend and we did eat there. I had bonito, a fish, and David had lamb chops. Desert was baklava and date-sugar ice cream. We won’t starve. My first impression of Istanbul is that it’s no Baku. It’s truly cosmopolitan and shows all the pimples of a city of 20 million. The buildings aren’t as dramatically modern as Baku and impoverished areas are obvious. Tomorrow is a day tour of Istanbul. Toby