Istanbul - Monday+
Jun. 1st, 2005 04:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeanvieveMom's in love, and all for the low, low price of 90 TKL. A captain introduced her to Istanbul by sea, and the romance began there on the water. We were the only passengers on a small touring boat for a three hour tour up the Bosphorus. We saw mosques and palaces and really expensive winter villas. There are fourteen million people living here, the third largest city in Europe. But unlike Athens (at a measely 4 million), they seem to prize cleanliness, decent streets, and greenery. I piloted the boat for a time as the captain went back to schmooze on mom, and for a moment was incandescently happy.
Walking back up the hill to the Topkapi palace, we were surrounded and boarded by a gaggle of children eager to try out their new blooming English skills. All wanted their picture taken, and to shake our hands. Why aren't American children at ages 8-10 being taught two or three other languages? They were all learning French and English, enough to be polite and friendly and make a person fall in love with enthusiastic and yet still well behaved kids.
So back at the promenade... Murat brought us roses and sang to us. So we went to the Grand Vesir Restaurant and Cafe, which had wonderful tea again and live music. An Anatolian Neil Diamond entertained us, so if anyone hears of Umet Zincirli, we recommend him. Murat's voice was also true and lovely, but he lacked the showmanship and passion of Umet in singing.
Walking back up the hill to the Topkapi palace, we were surrounded and boarded by a gaggle of children eager to try out their new blooming English skills. All wanted their picture taken, and to shake our hands. Why aren't American children at ages 8-10 being taught two or three other languages? They were all learning French and English, enough to be polite and friendly and make a person fall in love with enthusiastic and yet still well behaved kids.
So back at the promenade... Murat brought us roses and sang to us. So we went to the Grand Vesir Restaurant and Cafe, which had wonderful tea again and live music. An Anatolian Neil Diamond entertained us, so if anyone hears of Umet Zincirli, we recommend him. Murat's voice was also true and lovely, but he lacked the showmanship and passion of Umet in singing.
