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It was a wonderful but, a very tiring trip because of all the walking I had done. I am getting older and I think, I should enjoy travel more since it looks like it is going to be harder as I age. Honestly, given my current condition, I do not see myself traveling much after 70. So, in these 14 years ahead of me, I should travel more to the places I really want to see.

Here are some do's and don'ts in Edinburgh

1. Take the City Sightseeing tour on the first day of your visit and purchase only the Green Line. You really do not need the Red Line and the Purple Line. I did them all in 48 hours and saw that, it wasn't necessary.

2. Use the Lothian buses. I loaded the app on my cell phone and it was great. They have what they call Tap Tap Cap which is an inexpensive option to travel around the city. 

3. If you want to go see the Royal Yacht Britannia, you can take the tram or a Lothian Bus. No need for the Purple tour. If you haven't watched The Crown, I would recommend you to watch the few episodes Britannia was shown and talked about especially the Queen's bidding farewell to her beloved yacht before visiting.

4. I think, Maid of Forth is an overrated tour. I did it but, if I hadn't, it would not be a loss. Couldn't see any puffins. Bummer. It was interesting to see three bridges built in 3 different centuries though. 

5. I chose not to drive but, now I think, I could have driven to places like The Kelpies, The Stirling Castle and Inverness etc. I will do it next time. I stayed in the City but, I could have stayed a little out of the City, took the buses in and drive out to the places above. Next time. 

6. Even in July, it was cold and it rained almost every day but, the showers were short so, they weren't joy killers at all. I had a cotton sweater and a lightweight winter jacket with me and I am glad I had them. And yes you need an umbrella and a raincoat. 

7. The Holyrood Palace is a great place to see. The gardens are awesome.

8. Didn't go up the Edinburgh Castle or Arthur's Seat or Calton Hill. If you are young and have good knees, by all means do it.

9. Most museums were free so, enjoy as many as you like.

10. Try haggis. It is quite tasty in fact.

11. Can't drink hard liquor so, I had no whisky and gin tastings but, I heard, they are really good.

12. Bring really comfy shoes. I love my New Balance 990s and I could not have survived this trip without them. I walked between 10K and 15K steps every day. I am also glad I brought some Voltaren with me to rub my tendons after a nice shower each day. If you forget it, it is available OTC by the name of Voltrol or something?

13. I used Expedia to book my flight and hotel as a package and it worked well. The direct flight from Istanbul to Edinburgh on Turkish Airlines takes about 4 hours. 

14.A lot of friends asked me why I did not join a tour. Here is the reason: I am notoriously independent. I just can't deal with other people on vacation except for my SIS and BIL and a couple of friends. They know me well and even when on vacation together they know when I need my space and do my thing. If tours are your thing, I am sure there is a lot of value in joining one.

15. Took a day trip to Glasgow. The University of Glasgow was breathtaking. It is a must see in my opinion.

16. I stayed at YOTEL Edinburgh in a Premium Queen Suit. It was tiny but enough for one. For two, it may be overcrowded. They also have a design problem with shower stall. Each time you shower, water finds it's way out of the stall. It is annoying. I had seen this in the comments but, I thought that it would have been fixed. Not. 

I will be posting pictures soon.

Good to be back home and take a long nice shower in my own bathroom.

Edinburgh Part 1

 I arrived in Edinburgh yesterday. My flight was delayed for an hour but, it was not so bad. Took the tram to Princes Street stop and walked to my hotel in 10 minutes. Honestly, I walked longer at the Istanbul Airport which is monstrously big. I was exhausted by the time I reached my gate.

After checking in, I took a short shower and walked to a nearby pub for dinner. 

I got in bed around 8:30 and watched some TV. I do not know when I fell asleep but, I haven't slept so well, may be in the last 5 years.

I bought a 48 hour Hop-on Hop-off tour ticket and rode on all three buses. I visited the Royal Yacht Britannia. If you have watched The Crown, you may remember how upset the late Queen was when Britannia had to be decommisioned. I must say, I would be upset too. It is an elegant boat with humble furnishings. Has a cottage like feel. There were luxury things too of course but, I guess nothing beats taking your Rolls Royce and Land Rover with you on the boat. 

Tomorrow I will visit some museums and Royal Botanical Gardens on my sightseeing tour routes. Luckily it did not rain today but, I can't be sure about tomorrow. Let's hope, it will be a good day. After the heat wave in Istanbul, the cool weather felt good. I wore a sweater and a light winter jacket. Early in the morning, I wished I had packed a scarf and even a pair of gloves. Lol!

Here are some pictures from today: 

Top picture is the Castle of Edinburgh. The Rolls is one that has been on the Britannia. Bottom picture is the late Queen's bedroom on Britannia.

Don't want to cook!

It is so hot today. Did not go out.

I also don't want to cook. I have been eating salads and wraps lately but, I'm running out of ingredients so, I will have to go shopping tomorrow. I like to buy fresh produce from the farmer's market since everything lasts a lot longer compared to the grocery store. After that, I still need to hit a grocery store for yogurt and some spices.

I haven't been buying any meat products and trying to use up whatever I have in the freezer. My goal was to finish all the chicken and fish before next Sunday but, I do not think I will be able to. That's OK.

Just soaked some chick peas for tomorrow's salad. I like beans in my salads. They add texture and make salads more filling. One of my favorite combinations is iceberg lettuce, arugula, goat cheese, chick peas and apples but, I always use whatever I have on hand.

I arranged the linen and towel drawers in the guest room because they were practically overflowing. I am not getting rid of the excess because, it would be a waste. I will just keep them elsewhere. There are some ideas of the minimalists and guru de-clutterers I do not agree with; one of them is getting rid of perfectly usable items. 

Wishing everyone a nice and comfortably cool weekend.

Guests came and went

I had a good time with my buddies during the last two days. It was a nice visit.

Today, I started laundry after they left. Other than putting the guest bed back together (it's a trundle bed) and doing laundry, I did not do much else. The cool days are over and the weather is hot now. I have been ignoring my walks lately due to the heat but, mornings are quiet manageable still. So, I am hoping to go walking tomorrow morning.

I have leftovers for tomorrow so, no cooking for me. However, I may want to tackle some clothing items and part with them. 

Nowadays, whenever I come across something that I do not need or use, I get rid of it immediately. It can be a small item, or a large one. Tackling bigger de-cluttering projects is all good but, if I find something that is not needed, why not get rid of it at once? The other day, I was initially happy to find two hair clips but, as soon as I tried putting them on, I realized that they are very uncomfortable and actually hurt my scalp. Tossed them right away. 

My friend has many hobbies and one of them is jewelry making. I gave her some items I no longer wear. She can use the beads and the hardware and etc. She will also fix a broken silver necklace I like a lot. I got rid of things that I do not use but, I know that they went to someone who will use them. 

Hope, everyone is having a good week. Take care!

Home is Guest Ready

It has already been an exhausting weekend. Tidied up my home, vacuumed the floors, made the guest bed, cleaned my kitchen, bought groceries and stockpiled a bit. 

The Government of course upped the Value Added Tax on everything to try to get out of the stupid economic crisis they drove us into. Paper products and personal hygiene products will get more expensive. So, I added more TP, paper towels, tissues, toothbrushes, shampoo and body wash, toothpaste and dental floss to my stash. It is hard to find storage spaces for stockpiling in an apartment. Therefore, I de-cluttered a bit and found a sensible home for everything. This effort made me clean and organize my vanity drawers in the bathroom. I will attack the upper cabinets and mirror cabinet next week. 

Today, I emptied the dishwasher, mopped the floors, cleaned the bathrooms and took a shower. Then I found an easy crackle cookie recipe and made the dough which is resting in the fridge as of now. I think, I will save some of the dough in the freezer for later use. 

I am expecting my friends to show up for dinner but, if they come early, the cookies will be ready for tea time.

I have recently been hooked to Frugal Fit Mom and A to Zen Life Channels on YouTube. Christine and Marissa are totally different characters but, I like them both.  If you are looking for shopping tricks, easy and inexpensive meals, budget slashing ideas, Frugal Fit Mom is a good source. If you are curious about de-cluttering, attempting minimalism (your way) and watching something that gives you peace, Marissa is one of the best.

Do you have any favorite YouTube Channels to recommend?

Fridge Cleaning Day

I decided to clean my fridge today. I always wait for a time when the fridge is near empty which is usually before or after a vacation but, right before a vacation, cleaning the fridge is the last thing on my mind. When I come back to an empty fridge, I want to go and buy food so, apparently the best time is now. 

I am satisfied with the work I have done. Although, I have been very good about buying and consuming what is necessary lately, I ended up tossing two lemons and one tomato which had successfully hidden from me. I also realized that, I forgot that I had an extra container of yogurt and bought another one so, I am going to use them before they go bad.

On Sunday a good friend of mine and her husband are coming to stay for a couple of nights so, I must dust, run the vacuum cleaner, make their bed and clean up the bathroom before they arrive. They are both former co-workers of mine. 

I will make dinner as well. May be Chicken Francese with pasta and salad? Easy and tasty. I have tons of lemons to use up. I may have enough chicken but, I will have to check out my freezer. I always marinade my chicken in portion sizes. Lately, I have used a soy based marinade and that doesn't go well for Chicken Francese. 

I am thinking of making a marble cake to go with coffee or tea as well. I am not much of a baker but, the recipe I have is pretty easy. Or, I may end up ditching that idea and buy some ice cream instead. Using the oven these days doesn't sound so appealing.

I have been having some trouble with my new computer or rather the MS Office. I have an Excel Sheet for my budget, important info, trip planning and Net Worth calculations that I have been using forever. For some stupid reason the new Excel keeps saying there are circular references and messing my calculations. I think, I have finally corrected everything but, I don't get why this happened. I do not feel good when I cannot find the reason for something. Is my fix a band aid for an important problem or was it just a glitch? I need to know.

Decided to get ready for my trip in Scotland. I am making notes for transportation to and from the airport, public transportation, food to eat, places to see and etc. I think, the first two days, I will do the Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Tour to get an understanding of the city and see the major attractions. I am prepared to walk a lot but, I do not like uphill walking. I need to find out where and when to walk or to use public transportation. 

I am going to park my car at the airport when I leave. There is a 7-day membership which is a good deal in closed parking. It will be like 7 days+1 day. I wish I were able too book a flight from the smaller and closer airport in Istanbul but, that wasn't meant to be.

I cannot believe we are almost half way through the summer. It has been rainy and cool such a long time that, I really did not feel like it was already summer. Crazy.

Storks... For Bobbie

Bobbie commented about not having seen storks flying. I guess if you're living in the American Continent, it is very difficult to see storks. A quick Internet search told me that there is only one kind of stork in America and it is called the wood stork and that bird hangs out in Georgia, South and North Carolina.

In our case, here is the migratory route of our storks. The blue oval is Turkiye (or Turkey) and the navy triangle is where I usually hang out. So, you see I am right on their way. It is hard to miss them during Spring and Fall.

And here is a fun fact about one particular stork who has befriended a fisherman and who has her/his? own Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaren_(stork)

Yaren means buddy/comrade/friend in Turkish. This is the 11th year Yaren came to visit Fisherman Adem. He named his little boat after Yaren. Here is a picture: 

Storks, Travel and a Personal Dilemma

I do not know if this is a thing in any other culture but here in my country, they say, if you see a flying stork or a flock of them flying, then, you will travel a lot during that year. I know, believing such a thing is kind of stupid but, I swear it works for me. May be just because I already like to travel. Lol!

Anyhow, I saw flocks and flocks of storks this year and now a couple of people are trying to talk me into long vacations in the UK and in the US respectively. A month or more in each case. I do not think either of them is sensible when our currency is now so much weaker than anytime before. 

I have missed my beach vacation early this year so, I want to go stay with my uncle which is a very economical vacation.

2 weeks in London may be something I wanna do but, I am very hesitant about a whole month in the US early 2024. I see no value in it. She wants to go to Florida in February and I can go to my friend M's later on but, how much fun can it be in March in NY State? 

So, I must gently let down this person and also, hide the London trip from her. I am still contemplating about what to do. 

Any ideas about how I can handle this situation?

Mini Vacation and Home, Sweet Home

My dad's cousin F invited me over to her older sister's little farm. I was reluctant to go at first because the farm is in this little town where our summer house used to be. Mom loved it and she always regretted selling the summer home. Besides, during our last trip with her, we had stopped by the town and she had told me I had made her very happy because she missed the place so much. So, yeah. I wasn't sure whether I should go but I caved and went. I spent 6 days there.

I had a good time. The place is like a botanical garden. All sorts of flowers and trees. And bugs. I had a lovely time enjoying the beautiful flowers and the bugs had wonderful meals off of me. 

I picked cucumbers, peppers, raspberries for our meals. F's sister S gave me zucchinis, eggs and a ton of fresh grape leaves. I do not know how to brine the grape leaves but, she told me to just blanch about a dozen at a time and roll them up and then freeze. I processed them yesterday and I think, I have enough grape leaves to last me all winter. I stuffed some of the larger ones with a rice mixture and they were divine.

We had a family dinner with their brother E and his wife. Those three siblings can't get along with each other. It was tense but, I guess they behaved themselves in my presence. They are in their 60's and 70's! I am so glad I have a good relationship with my SIS. 

I am also glad to be back home. Having used to living alone, I need my space, lots of space. I have been doing laundry since yesterday. I am on my 5th load and there are 2 more to go. 

Tonight's dinner is chicken and salad. I am trying to use up all the meat products in my freezer before I purchase any more. 

I need to buy coffee, dried mint leaves and Vitamin D and some fresh veggies on Monday. I should check my spices. I may be running out of cumin too.