MY HEART WILL GO ON

Monday 30 September 2013
Tuesday 1 October 2013

MY HEART WILL GO ON

We had a 5:30am flight from Portland.  Mike and Kamio Strassmaier live near my neighborhood so we arranged to share a shuttle to PDX. Mike picked me up at 3:45am! So I didn't even bother to go to sleep that night.

We flew to Denver Airport and met up with Fr. Paul and his parishioners. A delightful reunion! I haven't seen these friends for two years and it was great to be together again. From Denver we flew to Newark, New Jersey, and from there to Istanbul. Ten hours later we landed in Istanbul. It was already Tuesday.

Exhausted but happy to be at our first destination, we settled into our downtown hotel: the Titanic! I didn't say anything but I'm sure I wasn't the only one who started thinking of the doomed ocean liner. Surely, the owners didn't name their hotel after that 1912 disaster. Or did they?

Dinner each night is a sumptuous buffet with an incredible array of foods: a meat dish and a fish dish, usually prepared with a tasty Turkish twist; rice pilaf, potatoes, and/or a pasta; vegetable-of-the-day au gratin; soup du jour; and a variety of breads. And don't get me started on desserts.

The salad bar is an equally impressive cornucopia that would rival the spread on a cruise ship. Speaking of which, there on top of the salad bar is the piece de resistance: an incredibly detailed 3-foot model of the HMS Titanic! Ohhh-kay...

Back in my room, I turned on the TV to sample the local programming. I was amused to discover that the hotel's Channel 3 shows James Cameron's "Titanic" movie continuously, 24/7. "Near, far, wherever you are, I believe that the heart does go on . . ."

I wondered if there was a lifejacket in the closet. This will surely be an adventurous two weeks!

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The packed pace of our itinerary and my spotty Internet access means my blogs will be posted a few days after the events discussed. But I'll try and get these posted as soon as I am able.