Alone again in Istanbul

Po Chu left for Hong Kong last night. Funny feeling sending her off from Istanbul of all places. However people still smile to me all the time even if she is not here, the friendliness is the strongest impression I have from this country!
Even the carpet sellers are nice in their way, however of ourselves tiering and quite predictable.

The Balik sandwich in last post I am having in Kadikøy a ferry trip across the Bosporous from "downtown" Istanbul in Sultanameth. And there is very few of them here.

Ferry trips with public transport is a very nice and very cheap way to see Istanbul Tl 1,75 pr trip

Balik Ekmek Cola Menu

Fish sandwich (fresh Macarell) in really fresh bread, onion and some green stuff + cola Turkish Lira 4,- Nkr 14,- or HKD 18, very yummy!

Foca and the house we lived in

Sent from my iPhone

Lamb, broccolie and mushrooms

Yummy fish

And finally shrimps!

Kalamari white wine and salad

Desert

Danish beer in Ephesians beer glasses

Beef cubes tomato potatoes and eggplant yummy

Lentil soup

Just starters

Goereme nature Capadokya

Photo taken by Po Chu

Balloning over Capadokya

More pic's to follow

Gøreme

Caves, caves and more caves and a living city.
Lot of the caves have been turned into hotels.
Great little town Gøreme

No internet wifi in my cave

However they do have free wifi in the next cave called the reception. I suppose that is why it is called reception .... haha.

Cave dveller ala 2011

Gøreme, Kapadokya, Turkey 14/6 2011

A cave with Jacuzzi, electricity, central heating, Satelite TV and sofa in an adjoining cave .... Our home for three nights!
See next photo for other view.

And it is cheap! About USD 50 pr night. It is beyond cool.

Come and join this caveman and have a banana!

Cave woman 2011

Istanbul 2

Getting a grip on things, found my hotel by asking, found an ATM, ate a delicious Kebab and had a look at the Hero's of Turkey probably Mr Ataturk (Father of the modern Turkish nation) himself and helpers.

Me a bit confused at Taksin Squere in Istanbul

Some called this town Konstantinopel on e upon a time

The road to Compostella 2012

This is the road to Santiago de Compostella.
It is beautiful like this, sometimes rainy, sometimes hot and sometimes cold.

It gives you time to think about your life, remembering important lessons you had learnt and then forgotten, it gives you time to just be in that moment of time forgetting everything else.

It makes your body so tired so that you fall asleep at nine and wake up at 6 in the morning. It makes your feet burn but also makes your heart praise God for all the beauty He is creating and allowing you to experience.

Immer Weiter, Ultreia!

A short sentence in mostly German goes like this: "Ultreia! Immer Weiter an der Himmel Leiter" Ultreia is Latin and means "Always onwards" and the rest is German "Immer Weiter" meaning the same. "An der Himmel Leiter" means on the road to heaven.

The pilgrim trail is about that, spiritually towards heaven and literally like on this photo - towards the blue heaven.

However life is also always a trail towards heaven - and the wise person keeps this in his mind.

Easy riddle

"Where in the world can you fly from Europe straight east southeast for 4 h
ours and then take the buss back to your hotel in Europe in about one hour?"

Please give your answer in the comment section

P stands for Pilgrim and Prayer

Orthez 20110603

Orthez looked like a lousy town when I drove into it this morning, but seeing it's medival part made me change mind. It's beautiful!

It is also on the trail from Veselay and has a gite, self served, key in tourist office - € 7 pr night. Good starting point for next years pilgrimage as Orthez has a train from Paris.

The hierarchical society

In this castle with this tower lived the king of Bearn - an old kingdom in southern France.

His flat were on the top. Under him a city and outside the city wall the farms.

He must have been scared of his subjects to need such a casyle to hide and live in or to feel safe in so one can easily assume he could only relay on power to keep his position.

I saw the Pyrenees today 20050601

Far away in the blue and cloudy horizon. So my pilgrim days if 2011 is coming to a close. When I finish after two more days of walking in Maslacq, there is 82 km to go to St Jean which is the last stop before the border.
Could be about 4-5 days of walking as a startup next year.

Pilgrim altar

A kind of pilgrim altar with worn out shoes, scallops, compeed boxes ( bandaids for the feet) staff and crosses even a statue of St. James and Mary

Cyclist going on the Camino

Seeing cyclists makes me think of Eddy.
But today I started to see it as away to go on the Camino for the purpose of taking photos. One bag could contain the lenses and the camera.
These two were on their way to St. Jean Pied d'Port

The view from my bed

Fiches Riumayou, Chambre d'hotes Maison Lomprere
Walked about 20 more today and are now waiting for dinner in this kind of stately country home from about 1750.

Seems to be the daughters who has moved out old room.