Good Friday 2009 – April 10th 2009:
After a half day at work I left for lunch with Gabriella and Valeria. It was again a solemn reminder of this lifestyle although on an accelerated timetable. Today was Vale’s last day. We had a going away party for her. She received a certificate from the consular section and a few other gifts as well as a bunch of candy.
After the party Gabri, Vale, and I went out in search of food. We found a small restaurant and sat down. The girls ordered salads and I got a plate of ham with artichokes and grana formaggio. As we sat and chatted we enjoyed one of our last moments with Vale. We hope she’ll stop by for lunch these next few weeks, but I’ll be leaving in two weeks as well. It’s a valid example of life in transition. The best part of it is that in this day and age there are tools to help us all stay in contact. The use of Facebook will allow me to stay in touch. Wonderful.
Friday evening I headed to Tropicana and stayed from 10:30 until 3:15am. An excellent evening! The first four hours were spent dancing salsa, bachata and cha cha cha. Then, after was a bit of goofing off for the last half an hour.
I ran into some nice young Turkish girls who were there dancing with their friend. They were all from Istanbul (made me want to go even more) and I asked them for advice on where to go and what to see. I look forward to seeing them next Friday and getting another view of Istanbul. My friend Korhan has already stepped forward and done a colossal amount of work to help me. All without me asking…a great deed. As soon as I finalize the dates I’ll be there, I will have native guides and an inside look at the city. What a trip!!
I’ve been reviewing some of my photography and one my favorites is this foto from an abandoned transit center:
Another is this:
Interesting what a propensity I have toward finding and enjoying abandoned and condemned buildings. I don’t quite understand it but whenever I see them I want to go inside and explore the ruins. Fun.
I’m looking forward to an Easter spent with a beautiful young Italian woman and her friends. Appertivo today…Easter lunch tomorrow…cooking dinner Sunday and another lunch together on Monday.
Ciao Ragazzi! In boca a lupo!
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