#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

“I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed:

At first there is a gentle breeze

And the leaves on the trees

Softly sway;

Out there, far away,

The bells of water-carriers unceasingly ring;

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.”

— Excerpt from ‘I AM LISTENING TO ISTANBUL’ A POEM BY ORHAN VELI

Tonight, in Istanbul, Turkey, after a late afternoon arrival. A late dinner, and Frank immediately asleep beside me. Here we are with our dear friends, almost all of our group assembled. Welcomed by those who had already arrived at our hotel. A quick fresh-up and on to dinner through the early evening traffic, the crowds. the beauty of the buildings, ancient city. Our journey begins after our nine-hour flight. We crossed, by Taxi, the Bosporus––my first time here, I have a lot to learn.

The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait (/ˈbɒspərəs, ˈbɒsfərəs/ BOSS-pər-əs, BOSS-fər-əs;[a] Turkish: İstanbul Boğazı, lit. 'Istanbul strait', colloquially Boğaz) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental boundaries between Asia and Europe. It also divides Turkey by separating Asia minor from Thrace. It is the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation.