Wacky Weather, Wacky Traffic

I had an appointment at UK's Visa Partner's Office today. My appointment was at 10:00 so, I left home at 7:50 thinking that despite the traffic, it was enough time. After all, more than 2 hours, right? Wrong! The traffic kept backing up like crazy. My arrival time moved on the app like this: 9:22-9:28-9:31-9:40-9:50...

Thankfully it was not a one-on-one appointment. I was late by 5 minutes but, it was a breeze to go through the procedures. I jumped in my car and came back home in 30 minutes!

I am so glad, I no longer have to commute for work anymore. What a blessing!

The weather has been very interesting lately. Some days, it starts with beautiful blue skies, nice warm weather, then all of a sudden thunder and lightning, buckets of water coming down and then rinse and repeat. During the last three days, it is constant rain. Early this morning, I saw a weather alert about possibility of extreme rain, hail and even snow on higher altitudes. Say what? It's almost May.

As I type this, I checked the weather report again and it is completely changed. Yes, there will be thunder showers but, it will be nice and warm in a few days. Somebody at the weather agency must be messing with our minds.

Next time somebody says global warming is fake, I will do this:

Physical

I finally had my physical today after postponing it several times. I went into the hospital at 8:40 a.m. and came out at 2:30 p.m. Ugh!

A nurse weighed me, measured my BP and drew 5 tubes of blood. Then I got an abdominal sonogram, and a chest X-Ray. After these I was given a small cup for pee and a smaller tube for the other thing. Ewwww! I hate to do these in a hospital bathroom. 

Then, they gave me a voucher for breakfast since by the time these were all done, I was famished. After breakfast, I went to see a GP who referred me to an Internist because my bad cholesterol (LDL) is elevated. Of course, the Internist wants to put me on statins. I argued a bit with him because, I honestly don't want to add another med to the stash I am swallowing every day. So, he ordered a couple of tests to check my carotids and something else. Those will have to be done on Sunday. Since some of the tests required a few more days, I will see the doctor who is in charge of the physical on Saturday. I am not happy about this.

I saw a dietician and I will probably work with him to lose some weight and manage my cholesterol. 

I will work on my diet and exercise for three months and then, we shall repeat the cholesterol tests to reach a final decision on the statins.

Then I went to see a cardiologist who gave me an ultrasound himself and who told me everything looked good but, the cholesterol needs to be worked on.

The final doctor I had to see was the most dreaded gynecologist because, the exam hurts me too much. I'd rather go to the dentist (who happens to be a HS buddy of mine). She said all was fine. I have two miomas but she said they were nothing to be worried about. The pap test will come back in a week or 10 days or so.

I then went to the bank to get a document I need for the UK visa application. I want to got to Scotland this summer. After that, I went grocery shopping and by the time I got home, I was totally wiped out. Took of all my clothes put them in the hamper and jumped in the shower for the second time today. Then I found myself sleeping with my bathrobe in my bed.

Such an exhausting day. I am glad most of it is all done.

My physical and my need for regular exercise reminded me of these:

Rest in Peace Olivia Newton John.

Best Time to Visit Istanbul

Fellow Blogger Sluggy over at Don't Read This It's Boring asked when would be the best time to visit Istanbul and I wanted to answer in a post.

Turkey gets all 4 seasons and Istanbul is to the Northwest of the country. The weather is similar to what you would see in Washington D.C. area every season. 

I would prefer to visit Istanbul between Mid-April and Mid-June and then, after Mid-September till the end of October. April showers are common so, it would be advisable to be prepared.

If you want to stop in Istanbul during a cruise, don't. It is impossible to see much during one day. I would recommend picking a cruise that ends in Istanbul and you can stay here for a few days before you hop on a plane to go back home. You need at least 3-4 days to take in the city. It is too big and the traffic is usually very congested.

Needless to say, I would love to meet all of my fellow bloggers who make the trip. I love showing people around and making sure they do not fall into any tourist traps.

There are many non-stop flights to major US destinations by Turkish Airlines. If you do not mind layovers, Istanbul is a big hub and the flight options are many. So, if you have a certain membership with any airline, I am sure you can find deals.

A direct flight to NYC from Istanbul is around 10 hours.

Istanbul has been a melting pot of civilizations and there are so many historical sites to see, great museums to visit, many beautiful sights to see. Istanbul ties together Asian and European Continents by Bosphorus channel between the Black Sea and Marmara Sea (an inner Turkish Sea). There are nice boat rides on the Bosphorus but even commuter boats are wonderful to see beautiful old palaces and mansions right on water.

The national currency TL is very weak against hard currencies such as USD, Euros and GBP so, it is the perfect time to visit these days. You get a bigger bang of your buck. That sucks for us but alas...

Here is a map of Turkey where you can see major cities. I live inIstanbul, SIS lives in Izmir and Uncle lives in Antalya. We also have a place in Ankara which is the Capital City of Turkey. You may notice that the country is actually two peninsulas. The bigger one is called Asia Minor but more commonly Anatolia which sits on the Asian Continent. The smaller is called Thrace and it sits on the European Continent. Our coastline is approximately 5,000 miles so there are plenty of beaches. The Mediterrenean Coast is the warmest and has a long beach season. 

The country is about the size of Texas in the US. It is bigger than any of the European Countries in terms of land and perhaps population too.

Sorry that this has turned into a Geography Lesson. Take care!

Spring and Tulip season in Istanbul

 

Was it me, or?

The other day I was surfing the Net and watching some random stuff on YouTube and suddenly I felt like mom was sitting right next to me on the loveseat she always sat. I felt her presence as if I could turn to her and say something and she would respond. It was not a creepy feeling or anything like that. Just her presence. I do not believe in paranormal stuff but, this felt so real.

I don't know if it was me missing her so much or her visiting me at that moment. 

I am extremely busy these days and not feeling up to writing much but, I try to keep up with your blogs.

The spring is finally here after several days of constant rain.

Wishing everyone a nice week.