We spent the last eight days in Turkey most of which with the family of a guy I have known since pre-school. That is now 50 years ago and this was a terrific reunion. To visit the mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent with your oldest friend is pretty special. So was Christmas Eve which we spent at the home of a Jewish family my friends had met on a previous trip. I knew it was going to be special when they sent their drivers to pick us up at the hotel. It was dinner party for 20 counting the seven of us with their neighbors and oldest childhood friends. All were sophisticated, educated, highly westernized, worldly successful business people who had grown up in Turkey although one of the neighbors now was an art dealer in Europe. The home was gorgeous in the hills overlooking the Bosphorus. Dinner was prepared by the chef of the probably the most celebrated restaurant in Istambul. Unbelievable dishes like a Michelin 3 star in Paris. Learned a lot about the current divides and politics of Turkey. Never really had a night like this before. 4 hours sailed by and taxis brought us back to the hotel well after 1 AM.
Had a nice 10K the next morning to begin working off the 3000 magnificent calories I consumed. Nice thing about vacationing in a Moslem country, everything is open on Christmas! But miss the movie and Chinese food that is the hall mark of a Jewish Christmas in the United States.
Happy New Year everyone.
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