Back in Canakkale

My last few days in Istanbul were nice but relatively uneventful. I visited the last couple of places that I wanted to see - a huge mosque complex, a return to the Topkapi palace and a Turkish bath. The latter was an interesting experience and unlike anything I've ever done. Bathing and other bathroom activities are things that I generally insist on experiencing alone behind closed doors, so it's a bit disconcerting for me that there is a now woman in Istanbul who knows my body better than I do. I think I could get used to it after repeated visits but it's a fairly pricey venture so can't imagine it becoming a regular part of my ablutions. I certainly was clean by the end of it.

On my last day I took a ferry across the Bosphorus to a nice neighbourhood that doesn't really cater to tourists. It was Sunday so there were lots of locals milling around doing their marketing and shopping, and it was nice to walk around and catch a glimpse of Turkish life with any hassles. I figured that I needed to actually cross the Bosphorus which I hadn't previously done - quite the novelty to cross from Europe to Asia over the course of a 20-minute ferry ride. I've actually done the inter-continental trip twice here in Canakkale, both times crossing the Dardanelles by ferry, but it seems more intriguing to do it where you can be in two different continents while staying in the same city.

Last night I said goodbye to my regular bartenders and drinking buddies - it was a bit sad to be leaving them as they've all been such good company and provided many hours of entertainment during my stay in Istanbul.

I met up with my tour-mates yesterday, all of whom are substantially younger than me. There are four Canadians, a couple of Aussies, a Brit and a Yank. So far, all seem great but I am most enjoying the company of two Canadian guys and their female companion, all from Edmonton. Kyle is a martial arts instructor with a great wit and Jared is a magician who, needless to say, will be forced into entertaining us throughout the tour. He got off to a great start with some spectacular card tricks last night. It's great to hear the familiar "eh" in their speech as I haven't heard it for so long and think that I have largely dropped it myself. People I have met recently have told me that I don't sound Canadian so I am wondering how much my speech has changed over the last year. Maybe my tour-mates will help me re-Canadianize.

I am back in Canakkale and the rest of the gang are currently out doing the Gallipoli tour. I found out last night that contrary to the posted itinerary for this tour, visits to both Gallipoli and Troy are included, so my previous visit here was unnecessary. It kind of ticks me off that I made the trip for nothing, but no harm was done and I have a free afternoon today as a result. The weather is really lousy so I'm rather glad to not be traipsing around battle fields and cemeteries in the cold and rain. Tomorrow I'll revisit Troy with the group but will pass on the guided tour and just wander around myself. There is lots of signage there that I didn't get a chance to read last time and I'm interested in learning more about the site and the excavations.

That's it for now...will try to post as often as time permits during the tour.