Last minute preparations on the eve of a trip to Turkey. In that special time of aggravation, wondering why I’m not more ready, how can all this stuff take so much room and weight and I’m not even bringing everything I want?

And this reluctance to commit to what I am ACTUALLY bringing. There’s always this tiny yet delicious moment of uncertainty and terror before setting out. It’s part of the journey. And I treasure this moment .

– with love for the journey.

Old Postcard, Galata Bridge, Istanbul, Turkey

My heart sings as I contemplate a return.  Istanbul or Constantinople or Byzantium,  this beautiful city straddling the Bosphorus at the crossroads between Europe and Asia has called to me for many years.

Such an aura of mystery and intrigue, a blending of exotic and known.  At this gateway to the unknown, I come again, and ready for another adventure.

It has been eight years, and I saw so little the first time.  Even this next time, in September, it is only a few days, and as part of a larger trip including Kusadasi, Konya and Cappadoccia.

I set forth with intention, to be open to the spirit of this ancient city, and the lingering essence of the many travelers who have passed this way before me.

– with love for the journey

Photo and postprocessing by Lou Ann Granger