The Spice of Life

Variety, they say, is the spice of life. I guess that's as good a reason as any for travel, to spice up our lives a little. The spice I got today was literal as I walked from the pier for a little over a mile, crossed the Galata Bridge of the Golden Horn and arrived at the Egyptian Bazaar, otherwise known as the Spice Bazaar. There were plenty of spices in a covered Arab-style souk. My new best friend Omar guided my purchase and I came away with some rather expensive Iranian saffron. Shhh...don't tell anyone. I think trade with Iran is forbidden. Trade is the best defense the world has against wars and intolerance. It's hard to hate someone to whom you're trying to sell something. It's unfortunate that our culture has never learned to haggle, but then it's unfortunate that other cultures have learned to cheat and take bribes in order to complete a transaction. Melting pots of trade such as Constantinople, Athens, Rome have added spice to human culture. I'm sure I've done my bit for tolerance and understanding by buying some Iranian saffron from my good Turkish friend Omar.

We got under weigh at 3:00 p.m. to the magnificent sight of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia on the horizon. Shortly afterwards we attended a lecture on the Bosphorus and Dardenelles. What a terrible affair! Everyone was curious about the history of the area and what we got was a dry academic lecture on Political Philosophy and of the importance of these areas to the Great Powers. The lecturer (a Prof. of Interntional Affairs from Florida International University) didn't even mention the monument at Gallopoli which we will be passing later this evening, and when he was asked questions about it, he couldn't answer them. I see an opportunity here. I think an exciting lecture covering Constantine to the Crusades would make a great history talk. Who do I need to talk to? There is so much history in this area, passengers are hungry to know. The history you learn in college is meaningless; the history you learn on site takes shape. It"s a shame when the cruise line writes off their passengers as people only hungry for food, and that food in excess and at all hours.

Having said that, the food on board ship is REALLY good!