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The only other word for Istanbul…Countless mosques, ramazan, kebob, minerets, Grand bazaar, Spice Market, Topkapi, walking…walking…walking…knoshing on splendor….pronouncing our G’s…remembering our friends, cats everywhere, Asia, Europe, There goes Jimmy Ray…Loving Richard…Groovin’ on…The Golden Horn, Justinian’s countless churches…women in scarves…call to prayers, Islam, Russian Orthodox, having to pee….washing our socks…Mike the Rug Genius at the Kybele…oh! we are tired…so many laughs…thinking of Lolita…and gCarol gWheeler…wondering if this is the same Istanbul that Sudheer and Ajita visited….dinner tomorrow on the Asian side….my new leather baseball hat…missing all of our animals…loving all from afar!!!

You do not pronounce the  g here in ıstanbul.  Sorry for no photos.  We have trouble with computers here.  Know we are havıng fun.  One thing…Sudheer, are you sure you went to Istanbul?

We had another wonderful day in Berlin. Walking, walking, walking all over. We had lunch in a leafy hip neighborhood in East Berlin. The restaurant was a faux Mexican restaurant called Frida Kahlo. As p5roper expats in Mexico, we paid homage to Dear Fridha. Earlier, we viewed Checkpoint Charlie, The Sony Complex, The Brandenburg gate, and most especially The Holocaust Memorial. The experience at the Memorial was tangible and emotional. From an artistic viewpoint, the BEST!!!! Later in the evening we found a delightful restaurant in Mitte called WKD Libensmittel. It is both an Organic Grocery Store and a small restaurant….very hip…very delicious….very Berlin. Today we leave for Istanbul and Berlin has been a most delightful experience. What a City!

We happened to stumble on the Spanish Cultural Museum here in Berlin. Here is a photo of me next to one of the sculptures on view by a Peruvian artist.

The streets of Berlin Mitte are visually stunning. Years ago this was East Berlin. Now it is teaming with creativity and color. Very cool art. I am reminded of Soho in the 70’s. Here are some more photos. By the way, the graffiti rivals that of Mexico City. I am a fan of street art…and they have it down here. Riding on the trains through Berlin is a high speed tour of not only beautiful neighborhoods and parks, but an opportunity to view truly outrageous and colorful graffiti. Adios and Love!!! By the way, don’t tell anyone, but we are in Starbuck’s near Checkpoint Charlie, using the wireless…ssssshhhhh!!!!!

Well kids, Berlin is the hippest city in the world. I may be an old hippie but I am still a great judge of where the edge cuts precisely and direct. First the food. We had currywurst and pommes (only in Berlin food item) at a food imbisse (kiosk) in an underground train station. Dinner at a ultra fabulous restaurant in the gritty beyond hip East Berlin. Lunch at a Vietnamese Restaurant, small menu but rivals and surpasses the Slanted Door in San Francisco. Tonight we are going back to Berlin Mitte (East Berlin Art Area). We are having a totally divine time. We feel so very lucky. Love to all. Jimmy Ray is a groovin’ and a movin’….Lots of ideas!!! By the way, the food last night rivals any restaurant we have ever visited…but the prices were absolutely cheap in comparison to quality. Very cool.