Charlie and I spent the night aboard the Viking Sea and had a lovely breakfast in the morning.

Before we caught a cab around 8:30  a.m. to Sultanahmet, the historic center of Istanbul, I found an ATM at the port where I got a little more than $100 worth of Turkish lire — 4000.

Not being familiar with Galata Port and Istanbul we used one of the cabs at the port and asked the driver to take us to Hurrem Sutan Hamami (Turkish Bath).

We arrived before 9 a.m. (Our appointment at the hammam was at 10.)  After checking out the entrances to the hammam (more in a future post) we walked around the square with the Hagia Sofia mosque on one side and the Blue mosque on the other.  (I had decided in advance that visiting a mosque was not on our sightseeing agenda since we had visited Mohammad Ali mosque in Cairo last year with a guide.)

At a few minutes to 10 I escorted Charlie to his entrance to the Turkish bath then continued to my side.  We both spent an exquisite hour in the Turkish bath. (More about this experience later.) After the bath we were both clean as a whistle and really relaxed.

We headed across Sultanahmet Square to the entrance of the Basilica Cistern.  I had chosen this site because it was so unusual.

We bought an entry ticket and walked down the steps into a magical place.  (Since we were not with a tour we could make our way past groups of people who were tied to a leader.)

The Basilica Cistern is believed to have been built in the 6th century during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, and was used to store water for the city.

We leisurely walked through the area that is now used for art installations.

After emerging from the Cistern, Charlie and I walked around the area and headed in the general direction of the Galata Bridge which spans the Golden Horn and connects Istanbul with the port.

We finally found the last item on my Istanbul “must do” list which came from Rick Steves who said to have a really, really fresh fish sandwich right off the boats on the river.

We bought one sandwich to split between the two of us since we had already had a snack at the Turkish bath and were heading back to the ship for a late lunch.

Clearly the fishing boat lunch is where the locals eat.  While we were sitting at a table a loud verbal altercation began between 2 men with other men holding them back from actually fighting.   We probably wouldn’t have seen this excitement in the touristy area which is always teeming with police.

Then we hailed a taxi on the bridge to take us the rest of the way to the port so we could reboard our ship with time to spare before she sailed at 6 p.m.

Our unescorted day in Istanbul was a treat.

Jo

• Travel Plans Well in Advance
• Anniversary Trip: Getting to Istanbul

Jo

We left the house about noon for our 6-minute ride to BWI Airport.  That was the easiest part of the trip.

Our flight left at 2:03 pm for Charlotte, North Carolina, since that is the hub for American Airlines.  I’m not sure why we couldn’t fly straight to London from BWI since we were on a British Air flight (under the auspices of American). We had to move from the domestic terminal to the international terminal with our belongings.  Our checked bags were taken care of by the airline.

In any case we then flew on an overnight flight from Charlotte to Heathrow.  Our travel plans had been handled by Viking Cruises so I had little say in the flight except choosing our seats which I select with a mind to comfort as well as easy egress.

Heathrow requires all liquids be placed into plastic bags (which I had from our previous trip through London) for examination through security.  Then we waited to board our flight to Türkiye.

When we arrived in Istanbul we collected our luggage and I put on the Viking tags so we would be recognized by our escort.

As in most countries we passed through immigration and customs with no issues.

After walking from luggage pickup to the ground transportation area of Istanbul airport we met up with Viking personnel and other voyagers.

After waiting for quite a few minutes the Viking transfer staff boarded us onto large buses which drove us to the port.  Once at the port the local officials did not want to let us through the gates until we matched up with our luggage.  We (and others in line) finally convinced them that our luggage had been loaded onto an earlier bus and was already at the port.

We boarded the Viking Sea in Galata Port about 45 minutes from the airport. We were ready for 2 weeks of adventure.

Travel Plans Well in Advance

Jo

I have already changed 3 fluorescent flush-mount lights — back bedroom and laundry — to round brass fixtures.

When I ordered the above lights I also ordered another one — a little different and a little larger.  It took 3 months to arrive.

Charlie and I took down the large fluorescent fixture that was mounted over the kitchen island.

It was a little awkward because the stove top was in the way.

Hanging this new light directly to the wooden ceiling called for an unusual mounting technique since there is no box in the ceiling to hang the bracket on.

• I snapped Wago wire nuts onto the black and white live wires.
• Charlie screwed the bracket directly to the ceiling as tight as he could with the green ground screw facing out.
• While I held the fixture over my head Charlie twisted ground wires together around the green screw.
• Then, while Charlie held the fixture I snapped the fixtures wires into the wire nuts slots matching black to black and white to white.

The most delicate part of the installation was screwing the holes of the fixture into the oval slots on the bracket.  Normally, bolts would have already been attached to the bracket and the fixture would have clipped onto the bolts.  We used screws directly into the wooden ceiling.

The fixture has a lovely brass finish and illuminates 3 bulbs — nice and bright in the kitchen.

I need to choose and replace a lot of other fixtures which I’ll focus on in due time.

Jo

Way back in the middle of August I chose some new flooring for the ground floor of the Bay House.

Charlie pulled up the ceramic tile/Pergo boards/wall-to-wall that covered most the open-plan floor.  Only the bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry are not included in this plan.

Our new flooring, Glenwood by Talamar, was delivered on Wednesday.

On Friday two flooring installers arrived to lay the floor.  They started near the picture windows that overlook the Chesapeake Bay.  I had wanted the floor floated but after beginning we all decided nailing it would be a better idea so the underlayment had to be changed.  Happily, they had some in their truck.

After covering the living room/dining room area one of the installers continued into the front hall.

The other man went left into the downstairs bedroom and finished that room.

I was very excited to get this project finished.

I still need to paint the baseboards white and add shoe molding.

I eagerly started laying my room rugs to see how they might work in this new space.  More on that later.

Jo

We’ve been busy selling The Glade while trying to maintain an organized life.  It is tedious and tiresome.

As this is posted we’re on a ship somewhere in the Adriatic.

Our friend Sug is taking care of not only The Glade but also our Darling Dash.

Here’s the 10-point plan I have for the month of October:

1.  Work on a project at the Bay House.
   

   I’ve already painted the downstairs bedroom “Yarn” — a pale gray — next the trim, new curtains, etc.

2. Explore new stores, activities, opportunities at the new house.
3. Visit Greece.
   

   Can’t wait to explore the Acropolis in Athens.

4.  Read a book.
5. Get rid of Halloween costumes.
   

   I’m down to a final few.

6. Continue monitoring  the potential sale of The Glade.
7. See a movie.
8. Pack all belongings and furniture.
   

   Charlie has already loaded and unloaded a 16-foot pod.

9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: ANCIENT.
10.  Write a goal list for November, 2024.

Jo

This has been a month to test my diligence and patience.  Every time I left the house it had to be in perfect order just in case a potential buyer came to take a tour.

Anybody that knows me KNOWS I am not a perfectionist.  Most days I’m an 80 per center. Charlie on the other hand is an all or nothing kind of guy so he thinks good enough is good enough.  Our lifestyle has been challenged by selling the property.

In September I had planned to:

1. 1.  Celebrate our wedding anniversary.  We celebrated on the actual date by exchanging small gifts on our crystal anniversary.
      

      I gave Charlie 16 man-sized glasses since he thinks we never have enough of them.

      We celebrated even better on our cruise from Turkey to Greece.

   2.  Travel to Turkey and Greece.  We had an exhausting flight from Baltimore to Istanbul via Charlotte and London.
      

      Part of our trip will be on British Airways.

      I didn’t take a computer so details when we return.

   3. Read a book.  I read the classic play The Seven Year Itch by George Axelrod.  It opened on Broadway in 1952.
      

      Tom Ewell won a Tony award for his portrayal of  Richard Sherman.

   4. Put The Glade on the market.
      

      Wait until the new owners experience The Glade in autumn.

      As expressed before, this is a grueling experience in terms of work but made much easier by our fabulous real estate agent.

   5.  Attend a concert.  The Sea Chanters of the U.S. Navy were fabulous.
      

      Sea Chanters of the U.S. Navy

      I have never been disappointed by any of the U.S. service bands.

   6. Try something I’ve never done before.
      

      I’m hoping to bring back some authentic Turkish towels as souvenirs of our journey.

      We had quite an adventure in Istanbul in the hammam, Turkish bath.  No photos allowed I’m afraid.  A spectacular event. Just what I needed after a month of mundane busyness.

   7. See a movie. I watched the 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch as a follow-up to my reading the play.
      

      The play is racier than the film.

   8.  Work on one project at the Bay House.
      

      I finished a wallpaper project.

      We scheduled floor replacement and I unpacked a gazillion boxes full of our precious stuff — just kidding.  Even after throwing and giving loads of things away we still have more than our fair share.

   9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: EXTRAORDINARY.
   10.  Write a goal list for October, 2024.

Until we return .  .  .

Jo

I had to remove all the curtains from The Glade when the house was put on the market.

I felt that I could reuse some of them since they were fairly generic and went along with my aesthetic.

At the new house all of the rooms with sliding doors — there are 9 total glass doors — need some kind of covering both for privacy and to filter the sun in the heat of the day.

I decided to hang the curtains I already had on the rods that were already there in various rooms even though I intend to upgrade the rods at some point — probably to brass (my nautical tribute). When I upgrade the rods I will also hem the curtains to a length just brushing the floor.

As I laid curtains on the floor readying them for hanging Dash relaxed on the pile, first in the primary bedroom.

Then in the second bedroom.

And finally in the back bedroom he chose to look out the newly draped window.

I think Dash has decided that this back bedroom will be his private domain.  Perhaps he’d like a little doggie décor with this wallpaper which has nothing to do with the wetlands/bayfront  location of the house and everything to do with our little Alpha pooch.

However I may have other plans for the back bedroom.

We’ll see.

Jo

The first room I painted at our new house was the second bedroom.

I thought it was a little bland.  .  .

Even though the view is stunning.

I bought pre-pasted “heron” wallpaper from Spoonflower.  I love the pattern but the paper is very difficult to work with.

I started at the edge of the window which was the longest piece since the ceiling is slanted.  Thankfully the window was plumb.

I worked left to right.

Finally I filled in under the windows.

I should have had plenty of paper for the wall except I didn’t figure the 3/4-inch overlap of each piece so at the very end of the job I had to fill in about an inch space at the far right-hand wall.

It needed to be pieced. Ugh!

From hence forth I will call this the “Heron Room”.

Next chore in this room: painting the trim white.

Jo

After being staged, cleaned, and photographed our house went on the market on Thursday.

One tour only on Friday and Saturday.  I wasn’t there because Charlie and I were at the Bay House.

We had to come home on Saturday night because Charlie plays the organ/piano at 2 churches on Sunday morning.

After he showered, shaved, dressed, etc., I went through the house to make sure everything was in place for the open house from 2-4 p.m.

Dash and I went out for the afternoon to allow our real estate agent to host simultaneous showings during the Open House.

When we arrived back at The Glade the agent told us six families had toured and were impressed by the location and amenities.  Now we wait to see if anyone makes an offer.  In the mean time other people will no doubt sign up to tour so everything has to remain pristine.  It’s exhausting.

Not to mention that both of us need to start getting our travel wardrobes together for our trip at the end of the month.

Jo

After an intense week and a half of cleaning, painting, repairing, and staging our real estate agent sent a team to professionally clean the house.

Believe me when I say I am not in the least insulted.

The day after the cleaners did their thing, a professional real estate photographer came with her assignment.

She arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon and didn’t leave until 5.  Before she came I was told the session would take about 2 hours.

Either this was a difficult job or she liked taking photos of the house.

At any rate the house goes “live” tomorrow. I think we’re up for an intense weekend.

Jo