Someone foolishly gave me access to this blog

Hey, I'm the other half of the eponymous "Christensens". If you're looking for a reasonable travel blog, I suggest you just read my wife's posts. I cannot guarantee I'll stick to travel or be reasonable.

Istanbul | The Blue Mosque and a food tour

For our last full day in the city, we had two big agenda items, the Blue Mosque and a food tour. We also had just enough time to see the Grand Bazaar although we only spent a little time there, just enough for some Turkish coffee and to not quite get lost.

Istanbul | Exploration

Istanbul felt exceptionally old and expansive; overwhelming to take in initially. On our first day, I had to keep reminding myself "we can do this, we can do this." Starting a two month journey in a brand new, very big very old city was a brave choice I think. With the jet lag, working on the energy to leave our suite, I admit, was an effort. But we did and I'm so glad we did. My usual technique is to just follow my feet and my stomach and see where we end up.

A cruise up the Bosphorus seemed like a good place to start. We didn't quite end up on the one I planned but it didn't matter much For 12 Turkey Lira (about $4), we had a lovely 1.5 hour tour. The weather was beautiful, the sea bright blue and the scenery beautiful.

Back from the cruise, we followed our feet up into old town to the Sultanahmet neighborhood in search of keftes (meat balls) and the Hagia Sophia. Both were found quickly and we enjoyed our late lunch in a little spot across from the Sultanahmet Square (no pictures we ate too quick! It was delicious!).

We walked directly into the Hagia Sophia with thankfully for us, no lines. Turkey has significantly less tourists this year than in years past. It made for a quiet city for us, but the locals kept telling us how much it was hurting the local economy to not have many tourists this year. The former orthodox church, turned mosque, now museum was a stunning site. Over 1500 years old, it's amazing this structure still stands.

After visiting the Blue Mosque (more on that and other adventures later), we definitely preferred the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia just felt so ancient and timeless (although clearly keeping this structure standing the test of time is no small effort).

Oh and another thing, of small note, there was a ridiculous variety of marble throughout the building, much of it quarried from around the region and some as far as Egypt and France. The floors were largely covered in white marble quarried from a special place, Marmara Island, where my family is from.

Istanbul | Sounds and of a new (old) city

I forgot how noisy a city can be. I woke our first morning in Istanbul, got up to make tea, walked into the kitchen, saw the light shining through the windows and heard the sounds of the neighborhood. The school next door with the kids squealing with delight, the taxi's and cars making their way down the hill, the seagulls squawking, the call to prayer.

It reminds me of going to school in Florence -- when the noise overwhelmed me at first. In Istanbul, the noise was nostalgic, reminding me of a special time in my life. 

We arrived in Istanbul in the late afternoon on Tuesday and promptly went to the terrace of our building and looked out towards old (really actually ancient) Istanbul. Seeing the old city roll over the hills, hearing the ferries dock and unload, seeing the seagulls fight over whatever they were fighting over and feeling the breeze and the sun around us. 

After 16+ hours of travel plus a 10 hour time difference, it's amazing we didn't fall asleep immediately upon arrival. We met our hosts figured out the lock and keys, and headed out to find our local grocery store. Things are at once familiar and unfamiliar. Dairy - you can always find it but distinguishing between varieties, types and flavors in a foreign language is always a special talent (one I apparently don't have). I ended up buying something more like goat milk yogurt, buttermilk (which is apparently what they drink here), and some fruit and cereal. We ate our breakfast for dinner and made it to 8pm (our goal for the day!) and promptly slept for 14+ hours. 

The Beginning

We depart today for two months of traveling around Europe! Our itinerary starts in Istanbul and ends in Edinburgh. We excited to explore, eat, drink and connect.

Istanbul | 4 days
Kefalonia, Greece | 10 days
Italy (Bologna, Tuscany and Florence) | 11 days
Switzerland (Montreux, Murren, and Basel) | 9 days
Denmark (Copenhagen and Ebberup) | 9 days
Amsterdam | 4 days
Scotland (Edinburgh, Islay, and Inverness) | 10 days

Any recommendations?

Brave

I decided to be brave. I decided instead of talking about changing my career, I would actually change my career. For all the confidence, planning and assertiveness I have in my life, I am actually quite risk averse (something I had to finally admit to myself!). I have always tried to do the "right" thing, be responsible,  be "good", have people like me... At the base of this, I got settled into the way things were and the longer I settled the harder I found it to break free. My booklist piled with travel books, cooking books, yoga books. Just ask Peter how many times we dreamed of travelling, taking time off, changing directions.

Last year Pete (and almost all of his co-workers), after almost 10 years at his company, was laid off (or as we say -- paid to quit!). This was a huge blessing because his job had been slowly (mostly figuratively) killing him and the company had ceased growing. He took this as an opportunity to take a break, reassess and then start his own business with our dear friend Rob. I was so so tempted to quit my job at this point, but the timing didn't seem right. I had just started a job that I LOVED (words I thought I would never say at my company!). So we waited. We invested in Peter's company.

Flash forward, end of 2015: I was getting stir crazy. When were we going to do all these things we have always talked about?  When were we going to do something different? When was I going to be brave and finally take a risk?

Turns out quitting your job at almost 30 isn't as much of a risk as I thought. Turns out everyone is wildly supportive,  encouraging, "now is the best time for you to do this!" they said...

But I did have to decide. To be willing to leave my comfort zone, a job I loved and a team of people I cared deeply about.

You know that stud of a man I married? He's been the single most encouraging person. He's on this crazy ride with me. He's still got that twinkle in his eye, listening to all my ideas for what to do our lives, willing to help me pursue my dreams and our dreams together.

So here's to our adventures... to being brave and taking risks. I can't wait!