Germany and Turkey

Coming Home: a man walks the street near the Asansör

I'm nearly finished with my around the world jaunt. I head for home tomorrow. It has been a good trip. My Austrian Air flight from Shanghai to Berlin (via Vienna) was uneventful, but it was neat to watch the map and see what I was flying over. Mongolia. Russia and it's former states. That was a first for me.

Berlin was nice. I didn't have any time to look around unfortunately, so I must go back. I was staying and working in the former East German side of the city, which I found quite intriguing. Berlin, at least to me, always seemed like the epicenter of cold war espionage. As you walk the streets, it is easy to pretend that you have some critical microfiche that you must get to your contact, or else... There are many cold, Soviet-era buildings that are being infused with bright galleries and bars. A fun dichotomy. And, I experienced all this just in the three block walk from my hotel to the office. I need to go back.

The weather in both Berlin and Turkey has been wonderful. Berlin was cold and clear. Peoples breath could be seen like steam from a landscape of factories as they briskly walked to their destinations. Turkey was clear and warm. The temperatures in the mid to upper 60's in the day. It seems that fall is just reaching the Aegean. It was fun to watch people in jackets watch me back, wondering why this guy wasn't bundled up. It would be fun to transport these people to Montana and see what happens.

Miriam, from our Berlin team, and I had an afternoon to walk around Izmir. We got to hit a few of the places that I haven't seen. First, a pedestrian mall that I didn't know about, then to the Asansör, an old outside elevator, that I had read about. The near sunset light made me grab for the camera, and I got a few shots.

I met and spent time with my landlords, the Karakaplan's. They served me tea and pastries, and we talked about the world. They gave me their re-account of the recent earthquakes, how they miss their daughter (who is in Oregon, oddly enough), and how politicians aren't really the best of people.

Looking forward to coming home.