Istanbul, April 18

I had a great "last night" in Istanbul - walked with Aybuke and one of her friends to visit the castle I saw from the boat (and added several pictures of it) then walked back along a really lovely waterfront promenade, stopped for seafood at one restaurant, then stopped for a dessert waffle (covered with chocolate and several kinds of fresh fruit); weather very nice after showers earlier in the day.

Unfortunately, when I awoke this morning and logged onto my computer I discovered that it was not my last night in Istanbul - my flight to Dublin had been cancelled, as had LaJean's flight. She just asked for a refund and elected to stay home, so unfortunately I will not see her for a couple of months. I checked flight availability and, assuming the ash cloud clears, the earliest I can get to the British Isles is next Thursday to Dublin or Saturday to UK - both business class (several hundred more). I decided to try telephoning a ticket agent before booking either fight, but will probably take whatever I can get to London and be glad of it. Fortunately, Aybuke seems okay with me hanging out in her apartment for another week! I have most of the files I need for my work on my laptop, and this is a pretty comfortable place to work, so that's what I will have to do. I'll probably do a bit more sight-seeing, but I'm beginning to feel the itch to get some work done. I feel so lucky that I am stranded here in a comfortable place in stead of in some in-between airport somewhere like so many are.

It is an interesting experience; puts me in mind of novels I've read about people caught up in wars, revolutions, and various kinds of natural disasters. Wish I were reading about it instead of living it. It brings forcefully to mind a sense of our helplessness before the random forces of geology and weather - as well as of history etc. Istanbul, with its 2000+ years of intense history, is a good place to be having these reflections.

A few hours later... After listening to bouncy music on "hold" for a half hour I finally made contact with a harried (but very polite) ticket sales agent who rebooked me on a late evening flight to London Heathrow for next Sunday. No extra charge; my esteem for Turkish Airways just went up several notches. Lucky Aybuke, she gets to have me underfoot for another week. I am so incredibly grateful that I'm not camping out on an army cot in some airport in between! Now if that ash cloud will just cooperate by quietly going away... So I am finishing up my photoblog from yesterday, finishing a book I began 3 weeks ago that I need to cite, preparing to restore a sense of "normal" by getting some work done next week. Another test of my basic attitude of flexibility, I guess.