February brings the Toronto car show

If you’re finding February is dragging and you are looking for something interesting to do, take in the Toronto Auto Show.  While I was in the city on the relatively new provincial holiday – Family Day – I did just that.  The theme of the show is ‘Life is in Motion’ but on this holiday Monday, life at the car show was in a crowded slow motion.  I guess everyone decided this day off would be a great time to go to the car show, and many had their families in tow, being their day.  As cold as it was outside on this bright, sunny day, the temperature inside the Metro Toronto Convention Centre was tropical.  The coat check was a good idea.   Every auto manufacturer from Acura to Volvo was represented.  Make sure you pick up the official site map, because you will need it to find your way around the many displays on various floors in the south and north buildings.  Literature on all the new models  was available along with many free-to-enter contests by merely filling in an electronic form and thereby giving away your email address to possible future solicitation.  If you do go, be sure to pick up the free information-packed souvenir program in english and not the Chinese version as I did.  The International Auto Show in Toronto runs from 2015 February 13-22.  Adult admission is $23 and senior discounts for $11 are available only on a couple of select days.

          

     

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2014 The Year in Pictures

…and a few words.  After all a word is 1/1000th of a picture.

JANUARY

Grandchildren, lots of cold and snow, Toronto outdoor rink, Sunway Pyramid Mall indoor rink, teacher training, KL skyline, Hanoi, Halong Bay

      

FEBRUARY

Sydney, Bruce Springsteen, the three sisters, Bangkok, visitors from Canada, driving in Singapore, Marina Bay Sands, Taylor’s College Apple room

          

MARCH

Rolling Stones in Singapore, Irish Ambassador on St Patrick’s Day no less, KL Tower, Jalan Alor, chicken fish, Flight MH370, Chow Kit Market

 

APRIL

Reclining Buddha, Palm Oil Plantation, walking friends, Amaya sunset, Dutch Ambassador, Malaysian railroad author, my poor hip, Kellie’s Castle, Sue & Fong, tin mine dredger, Ipoh

 

MAY

Tennis at Amaya, hockey in Malaysia, Sultan & Sultana on their 34th anniversary in Sumatra, mosque, market, normal adult, KL Zoo, Ng family, Ho Chi Minh City, dinner at KL tower, 1st birthday

JUNE

Subang traffic jam, Pat’s big birthday party, Oasis Square, muslim men at Amaya, Jane Goodall at Green School in Bali, McCrindes back in Canada, bullet train, Mt Fuji, Tokyo, visit from Lexi, A & D underwater, Chiniah family, Arlene’s last day at Taylor’s College, walking friends, old bus at CPU

 

JULY

Ng sub family, farewell to our condo at Amaya, Hani & Yazid our landlady & landlord, friends from Taylor’s, Subang picture framer, Dave’s Lambo, Fort William, Ottawa River, cottage life, Cato, Josie, newborn, new hot tub, Kane’s last days, painting, roofing

       

AUGUST

Father & daughter, roofers, landscapers, flowers on the bridge, new paint, old Chevy in Killaloe, music in the park, memorial for a friend at the ‘bog’, Fr Bill’s pig roast, sawmill ruins at Barry’s Bay, double Baptism, Josie & her grandmother, Roy brothers and their families, Ralph having a drink, ‘rice-capades’, live music in the evening

        

 

SEPTEMBER

First day at school, 1st Birthday, newest granddaughter, fall colours, wooden church near Deep River, St Hedwig’s church turns 100, sky tracks, Kamaniskeg Lake

   

OCTOBER

Aya Sophia, Istanbul, Bucharest, cruising, Trabzon, Mikonos, Athens, Ephesus, laughing granddaughters, Maple Avenue, Orville, chocolate face, Ron the bus driver, bath time, Jack’s Lake, Ralph at the door, Shampoo Room lady with cigarette and curlers, Hallowe’en

NOVEMBER

Remembrance Day, Uncle Art and his great granddaughter, turning 99, 10 stitches, John Fogerty, R & D in Barrie, the snow comes, the snow goes

    

DECEMBER

Wylie Road horses, Canadian Parliament Building, Peace Tower, War Memorial, turning 4, turning 65, annual family Christmas portrait

And did I mention grandchildren?

Port of call – Istanbul

This is the city from which we started and ended our Black Sea & Aegean Sea cruise.  We arrived from Toronto a few days early so we would have plenty of time to explore this interesting city which straddles two continents.  The city is divided by the Bosphorus Strait which puts Asia on the east side and Europe on the west.  The strait flows from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, and can lead through the Dardanelles to the Aegean Sea and eventually to the Mediterranean Sea.  Our hotel was in the Old City on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait.  From here you can walk to such tourist venues as the Hagia Sophia Museum, the Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet Park, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Egyptian or Spice Market and many more attractions.

The drive from the Ataturk International Airport takes about an hour but probably doesn’t cover that much distance.  Inside the old city, the streets are cobblestone, narrow and winding.  Suddenly our driver pulled the van over, and without saying anything disappeared down an alleyway.  He returned about 15 minutes later with a porter who then took our bags and led us through an even narrower street lined with restaurants and shops to our hotel.

Despite the city being old, the transit system is modern and efficient with its tracks embedded in the cobblestone and powered by the overhead electric wires.  On one excursion we took the train to the area of the Dolmabahce Palace.  Built between 1843 and 1856 this palace has the largest ballroom in the world and is still intact with all its inner decoration, furniture, silk carpets and curtains.

A short walk from the palace is where we took the funicular up cliffside to Taksim Square, a commercial area of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants.  The cobble stone continues from the square down a wide lane packed shoulder to shoulder with shoppers, vendors and tourists.  You could easily be mistaken in thinking this was a pedestrian walkway, until the toot of a horn warns you of an oncoming vehicle, usually motorbikes or commercial trucks taking wares to the various shops.  Just before you head downhill back to the Golden Horn (a flooded river valley), stands the Galata Tower which provides exceptional views of the waterfront and city below.

The heart of Old Istanbul is Sultanahmet which borders Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque.  Hagia Sophia is one of the most amazing religious monuments built in 537 AD during the Byzantine era that still survives.  In his novel Inferno, Dan Brown describes the Hagia Sophia; “Not so much a building…as a mountain.”  …”the colossal silhouette of Hagia Sophia appeared to be a city unto itself.  It’s central dome – impossibly broad and ribbed in silver fray – seemed to rest upon a conglomeration of other domed buildings that had been piled up around it.  Four towering minarets – each with a single balcony and a silver-gray spire – rose from the corners of the building, so far from the central dome that one could barely determine that they were part of a single structure.”  He continues, “For nearly a thousand years, it had been the largest church in the world, and even now it was hard to imagine anything larger.”  “The emperor Justinian, upon the completion of Hagia Sophia, had stepped back and proudly proclaimed, “Soloman, I have outdone thee!”  “The walkways were lined with the ancient cannonballs used by the forces of Mehmet the Conquerer – a decorative reminder that the history of this building had been filled with violence as it was conquered and then re-tasked to serve the spirtual needs of assorted victoris powers.”

“The mosaic was a ninth-century image of the Pantocrator Christ – iconic image of Christ holding the New Testament in his left hand while making a blessing with his right.”

“The building is seven hundred years older than Notre-Dame.”

…”more than a hundred and fifty feet overhead, to the the sprawling golden dome that crowned the room.  From it’s central point, forty ribs radiated outward like rays of the sun extending to a circular arcade of forty arched windows.  During the daylight hours, the light that streamed through these windows reflected and re-reflected off glass shards embedded in the golden tile work, creating the “mystical light” for which Hagia Sophia was most famous.”

Across the square and facing Hagia Sophia is the Blue Mosque, built between 1609 and 1616.  Again in Inferno, Dan Brown talks of the building’s “six fluted, pencil-shaped minarets, which had multiple serefe balconies and the exotic, fairy-tale quality of the Blue Mosque’s balconied minarets had inspired the design for Cinderella’s iconic castle at Disney World.  The Blue Mosque drew its name from the dazzling sea of blue tiles that adorned the interior walls.”

The Grand Bazaar is also nearby as is the Egyptian or Spice Market.  Both worthy of a walk through although it was not a short walk and crowded at the best of times.

 

Also off of Sultaahmet Park is the Basilica Cistern which was begun by Constantine and then expanded by Justinian in 532 AD for storing the imperial water supply.  Again in Dan Brown’s Inferno it is described.  “The cistern is enormous.”  …”a cathedral-size subterranean room – nearly two football fields in length with a ceiling spanning more than a hundred thousand square feet and supported by a forest of 336 marble columns.”  “Rising out of the water, meticulously arranged in seemingly endless rows, were hundreds upon hundreds of thick Doric columns, each climbing thirty feet to support the cavern’s vaulted ceiling.  The columns were lit from below by a series of individual red spotlights, creating a surreal forest of illuminated trunks that telescoped off into the darkness like some kind of mirrored illusion.”

Istanbul is a city of diversity in religion, architecture, history, people, and even geography with part of the city being European and part Asian.  Two long bridges cross the Bosphorus Strait to connect the two continents.

 

Note:  Text in quotation marks describing Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Basilica Cistern, are from the novel, Inferno by Dan Brown.  Doubleday Press, 2013. 

 

Ports of call – Kusadasi, Turkey

Kusadasi on the Southern Aegean Sea coast is one of the most important tourist centres of Turkey.  Tourists arrive here mainly to visit the many historical sites such as Ephesus, Priene, Miletus and Didim, as well as some of the Turkey’s best beaches.  Kusadasi is a major harbour in Anatolia that leads to the Mediterranean Sea.  Remains of ancient cities are still visible underwater.  The name Kusadasi meaning ‘island of birds’ named after Pigeon Island in the harbour, now connected to the city by a breakwater.  The fortress on Pigeon Island built in the Byzantine era, and restored in 1834 is one of the first sights you see from the ship as you approach the pier.

 

The route into the city from the piers are arranged so that cruise ship passengers pass through the markets where hawkers hassle you trying to sell their carpets, leather goods, watches and knick-knacks.

 

We were advised that passengers wanting to go on to Ephesus should be prepared for about 2 km of walking on uneven surfaces and hilly conditions.  Because I had walked quite a bit in Athens and Mykonos, I decided to stay on board the Constellation in port.  However Arlene along with Frank and Cathy were up to the task and when they returned a few hours later they raved about how great this shore excursion was.  Here are some pictures that Arlene took at the ruins of Ephesus.

Ports of call – Athens

After a short sail from Mykonos, we entered the port of Piraeus, the largest passenger port in Europe and the third largest in the world.  It is the sea entrance to the city of Athens, capital of Greece, with a population of over 4 million people.  It is also one of the world’s oldest cities and the southern most capital on the European mainland.  It has been called the ‘birthplace of civilization’ and this is where democracy was born.

Touring around Athens is like being in a living museum of civilisation with so many ruins that date back to the 5th century BC.  One such ruin is the Acropolis, the most famous archaelogical monument in Europe, which consists of the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and the Propylaea.  Throughout history it has served as a military fortress and religious centre.

Plaka is the older area of the city located on the north slope of the Acropolis.  We spent a couple hours here walking the narrow cobblestone streets with winding staircases and old mansions.  There are many eateries and taverns here to take a break and rest from the heat of the city.  The climate is one of the best in Europe with mild winters and very hot summers.  The sun shines over Athens all year long.  The mid-October day we were in Athens was 24 degrees Celsius with sunny skies.

 

 

The Greek Parliament Building had a changing of the guard every hour on the hour.  The guards protect the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and were dressed in pom-pom laden clogs, short pleated skirts and red berets.

The Panathenaic Stadium was built from the remains of the original stadium of the 19th century.  It was renovated in 1869, 1895-96 for the 1896 Olympics and again from 2000 to 2004 for the 2004 Olympics.  It can accommodate up to 60,000 spectators for special events and athletics.  This is where the Olympic flame hand-over ceremony takes place before every Olympic Games.  It is the only major stadium in the world built entirely of white marble.  It was used recently in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

There is certainly no shortage of marble in this city.  Marble is evident in many buildings, walkways, signage and even curbs.

Ports of call – Mykonos, Greece

The Greek island of Mykonos is part of the Cylades lying approximately 150 kilometres east of Athens in the Aegean Sea.  The largest town on the island is also called Mykonos, so it is common for towns that have the same name as the island to take a second name and it is known as Chora (‘the town’ in Greek).  There are just over 10,000 inhabitants on the island most of whom live in Mykonos.

The Greek flag is blue and white so many of the white buildings are trimmed in blue.  The streets in the town are narrow, with a smooth stone surface and wind their way like a maze all through the commercial area not far from the port.  Despite the streets being crowded, vehicular traffic still makes it’s way through the maze.  A toot of the horn lets people know they are coming through.  Mykonos claims to have 300 days of sunshine a year with the only rain coming in February and March.  Despite being October and the end of the tourist season most shops were open and it was pleasant sitting outside at the corner bistro.

The famous ‘Kato Mili’ windmills were built on a hill above the town to catch the strong northern winds.  The windmills are capped with wood and straw and were built by the Venetians in the 16th century to mill flour and they remained in use until the early 20th century.  Some of the windmills have been renovated and serve as homes.

There are rows of fishing houses with balconies hanging over the sea in an area called Little Venice.  Originally homes, many have been converted into bars, cafes, shops and galleries.

Everywhere you can see the steeples and bells of small white churches that look like they have been plastered and painted, sometimes two on the same street.  There is one Catholic church on the island but most are of the Greek Orthodox faith.

Mykonos is accessible by boat and ferries with daily service from the surrounding islands and from Athens.  Other than by water, there is a small international airport on the island which is open during the summer.  A flight to Athens takes 25 minutes.

Ports of call – Sinop, Turkey

Our fourth port of call on this cruise is the town of Sinop in northern Turkey on the Black Sea.  A small city with a population of about 37,000 people, Sinop is also the provincial capital.  Industries here include fishing, boat building and embroidering cotton cloth.

We wandered the streets checking out the friendly people and the shops.  We walked on narrow, cobblestone stress as we made our way to the 13th century Alaaddin Mosque.  Afterwards a short walk further down the street took us to the Sinop Fortress Prison, one of the oldest prisons of Turkey established in 1887.  It was closed in 1997 and the prisoners relocated.

Our ship sailed out of port at dusk and headed for the Bosphorus Straits.  Next stop, Mykonos, Greece.