April 2, 2008

• Bye Bye London, Hello New York

  Hola peeps – It’s been a long time since my last post and there have been many books read and many vacations taken since then. 

   

  How ironic … I just received an email just this second as I am writing this entry from the kind people at Xanga saying:

   

  Hey andreaonmon - We've missed ya!
  We've really missed reading your blog. We've been taking care of all your weblogs, photos, and other posts for you.

  So right now I’m reading We Need To Talk About Kevin which is proving very difficult due to its subject matter.  I’m about at that age where you start to think about when you’re going to start a family and this book paints a very disturbing picture of parenthood.  I’m only about a quarter of the way through the book but so far the gist of it is: It is not a given that every parent will fall in love with his/her child.  There could be a complete disconnect from your child and no love at all.  Is the child born this way or made this way? Mmmmmm, not very pleasant and I’ve wanted to put the book down but I’ll try and persevere.

   

  And by the way, I’m also moving back to New York City with the hubs!  After living in London for 4.5 years, we are returning.  We have been constantly torn about when to move back but now it’s just kinda happening. So the move back date is July 7^th.  I KNOW.  I miss July 4^th but we are going to have our London going away party on that date.  Funny huh?  Another independence from the Brits …

   

  I’m a little worried about moving back and getting back into the Americana.  Europe has been great after getting over the initial teething problems (by the way, I still think the UK is a third world country in some respects).  I absolutely loved New York when I moved there after college but 4.5 years is a long time to be away.  Will I love it just the same?  I’m a totally different person now.  Physically, mentally, culturally…in every which way. So we shall see….

   

  One of the last places I wanted to visit in Europe before moving back was Istanbul so we went there a few weeks ago.  Next on the list is the Cote d’Azur in June and then we move back!

   

  Istanbul was a bit disappointing for us.  We both thought it would be a bit richer culturally and steeped in ancient history than it was.  It was much more on the buzzy, modern side.  There are, of course, some amazing architectural sights but it lacked a kind of authenticity due to modernization.  I definitely was not wow-ed like how I felt after visiting other Muslim countries like Morocco and Egypt. I didn’t even take that many pictures, but here are a few:

   

  The famous Haghia Sophia cathedral/mosque

   

  

   

  Inside the Haghia Sophia

   

  

   

  Inside the Haghia Sophia - Christian mosaics that the conquering Muslims covered up, now being restored

   

  

   

  The Blue Mosque as taken from inside the Haghia Sophia

   

  

   

  The Ciragan Palace where we experienced Turkish fine dining at their restaurant, Tugra

   

  

   

  Now this is why I came to Istanbul ... the whirling derviches

   

  

   

  I love apple tea

   

  

   

  Just because this is cool ...

   

  

  • 11:27 am
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