Bike tour with Dad in France!

I had a great time with my dad in France! I'm so lucky he wanted to come and do a bike tour!
We spent one week in Paris visiting the sights: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Notre Dame, Mont Martre, Canal St. Martin, River Seine, and several major train stations. I think the train stations were dad's favorite part. We also rode lots of trains. We stayed a bit outside of Paris in a calm, clean and modern commuter suburb with a cute and friendly boulangerie, and a nice walk every morning and evening. We took the RER A red line every day, and different metro trains all over the city. By the end of the week, dad understood all the crazy tunnels, escalators and signs, and was able to navigate on his own.
We met my friend Marie-Helene for dinner at her favorite, local restaurant where we tasted all kinds of different foods, and delicious wine.
The bike tour was fun and gorgeous! Dad had a rough start, getting back on the bike after a week of using different muscles for only walking, and eating rich French foods. By the second day, he was in full form, having fun, enjoyibg the scenery, castles, and wine :)

Stockholm

I spent 5 lovely days in Stockholm! I took the train from Copenhagen (6 hours) which had very pretty scenery of trees, farms, rolling hills and Swedish wooden houses. I had a problem, however, with my finger. The day before in Copenhagen, I woke up with a small red bump on the tip of my right ring finger, which I thought was a weird bug bite. I walked around with a red dot on my finger all day and went to sleep like normal. I woke up at midnight with a painful and swollen version of the same finger. I went to the hostel bar to put ice on it and watched the Tour de France coverage on tv (go Froome!). The next morning it was still swollen and I got on the train for Stockholm. In Stockholm, my finger was starting to turn green and mushy.

I stayed with friends Emily and Trevor, a married couple with two small kids I had met at Texas A&M. Emily is an astronomer, and I met several astronomers through my bike/astronomy friend J-P. So the 3 of us with our various graduate degrees sat around after dinner discussing medical care and clinic options in Sweden, whether to wait for the cheap walk-in clinic the next morning or not, and decided I should just go to the emergency room, which Emily and I walked to from their apartment at 8:30pm. We got into the patient, "back-stage" area sometime after 11pm, and passed out together on the gurnie. By then, my finger was very ugly and oozing orange puss. At 2am the doctor came in to take a sample of my finger goo for analysis and to cut all the yucky skin off. He made a mess, gave me common antibiotics, a bandage, I paid $300 which I can claim back with my travel insurance, and we left. The next day, the same doctor, whose name was Einar, called Emily to tell us I had an antibiotic-resistant staf infection (MRSA) in my finger and needed to come back to get a different antibiotic. We did, and skipped the wait in the ER. MRSA can sometimes spread to other parts of the body if not treated in the first 4 days. Einar needed to wait one more day for further culture results to know which form of MERSA I had: the common community form that will go away with the 2nd antibiotics he gave me, or the more resistant hospital form which requires an IV drip of more powerful antibiotics for up to 2 weeks. Einar called Emily again thr next day, and thankfully, I had the community form, and didn't need any further treatment. A week later, the skin has grown back on my finger, and all is well.

Between an infected nostril in India, and an infected finger in Europe, it doesn't take a genius to put the two together and guess that I'm a nose picker. My friend Amanda said I picked my nose in the car all the way from Texas to California (and back) when we did a road trip together. Now I believe her, and I  really promise to knock it off, or at least to use more hand sanitizer and a tissue. I know, I'm a disgusting pig and it's no wonder I'm still single. Whatever.  :)

As far as I know, Emily and fam are MRSA-free. We did a bunch of laundry and cleaning, which may or may not have helped.
Thankfully again, they didn't kick me out, and I had enough time, and perfectly healthy feet to walk all over Stockholm. Emily and Trevor took me and the kids to a lake-side town on the train, and we also had an adult's night out at a Mexican Taqueria!!! I learned a lot from seeing them do their parenting voodoo with 2 todlers. Not an easy job! Hats off to you! They are able to strike a balance between nice, loving, fair parents who also don't let the kids pull shenanigans or get away with naughty behavior.
I told the 3 year-old that she can come visit me in 12 or so years on an airplane to see a big red bridge, and she wants to come! See you in 2025 Juniper!!

Poland

Poland is a nice place! It may evoke thoughts of a decaying, Eastern European country, but if you remember your WWII history, Poland was never part of the USSR. Poland was attacked on West by the Nazis, and on the East by the Red Army. I have found it to be a lovely country, with helpful and talkative people. I started in Warsaw to meet up with an old friend Angelika. We met during my junior year abroad in Grenoble, France in 2000. Angelika is German and lives with her British husband Roderick in a very nice apartment at the North end of the city. Roderick also studied with is in Grenoble, where he and Angelika first met. I can't explain it, and I've never had friends I've known for 10+ years until now, in my 30's, but it's so neat to see old friends again!!

Angelika took me around to see different monuments, including the sidewalk markings of the Warsaw Ghetto, the place where the Jews were loaded into the trains going to the concentration camps, museums, the hall of justice, the old town and it's ramparts, among others. I was delighted and impressed by Angelika's knowledge and enthusiasm for her adopted city. Warsaw is in a positive, upswing position as a city, with cute colorful hisyiric buildings, a thriving live music and busking scene, and many building and the metro under renovation or new construction.

We had a copious meal of typical Polish foods (yummy pierogis!) and beer before it was time to leave for Krakow.
I took the train the 3 hour journey south, and found a very friendly youth hostel a few blocks from the station. The central square is gorgeous, and there are beautiful old buildings everywhere. I got a kebab, walked around in the sun, then joined a free walking tour of Krakow's former Jewish district, and also visited the Schindler's list factory site, which is now a museum about Krakow during WWII. I got to talking with a dairy farmer and his wife from Northern Ireland in the group. They said there are lots of Polish immigrants in Ireland who moved there seeking higher wages when the EU opened up the borders for working.
I visited Auschwitz and Birkenau yesterday, and the salt mine today. What impressive sights!

Liege train station (Belgium)

So awesome!

Lyon

I lived in France for 3 years (10+ years ago), and never made it to Lyon until now. It's a 1 hour train ride from Grenoble, and a few short hours south of Paris by TGV. It's pretty, has 2 rivers that run parallel very close to one another, has a huge 2-level cathedral perched on a hill, the biggest square (plaza) in Europe, and Fernicular trams! I like Lyon. But, it has fewer trees and mountains than Grenoble, and feels more impersonal, like big city Paris.

Grenoble

I took an all day and all night bus from Sofia to Milano, Italy. The bus dropped me off at what looked like a random highway gas station, and I was the only person to alight. But, the gas station attendant, who spoke French, explained to me from behind the bullet proof glass that I could easily walk toba metro station very nearby, which I did. I waited for it to open at 6am, and took ot to the Gare Centrale, a huge building in carved stone with great big arches. The ticket agen there said to go to Garebaldi, 2 metro stations farther, and take the Grench TGV to Grenoble. I did all that, and with a change to a regional TER in Chambery, I arrived in Grenoble in the afternoon in time to meet my friend Anne after work. Anne was one of my flatmates when I lived in Grenoble for a year on study abroad in college. She is now married to Sebastien, with 2 kids: Justin 3, and Sara 18 months.
Anne and Seb took us all camping for the weekend to a beautiful place that reminded me of Yosemote but without any people! Snowy peaks, herding sheep on the hill, and a gorgeous hike. It was easy to foeget that it rained almost the whole time. We met up with several other couple friends, some also with children. We ate yummy sausages, cheese, and drank wine and beer brewed in the village.
The last night, Anne invited over a single guy friend (hint hint) Didier, who I remember from 13 years ago. A whole gang of us spent new yeara up in the mountains in a refuge you have to hike to with snowshoes, and Didier was a loud one with camp songs and games to play with everyone at the table. We hooked up the laptop to see my pictures of Bhutan, and they liked them, and all the unusual stories I have.
Anne's 3 year old is having trouble going to sleep, and throws fits, but during the day, I had loads of fun with both kids, who say the same things American kids say, like "and then, and then" and "caca poo poo". Seb speaks very good English, and I want to send him the clip from the Steve Martin Parenthood movie, the part where the kid sings the diahrrea baseball song: "when you're sliding into first, and you're feeling something burst, diahrrea, plop plop, diahrrea!"

Sozopol and Sofia, Bulgaristan

All of my photos are on the Kodak, and I was not able to upload them in Grenoble, but here's a short update in words:
I took a night bus from Ankara to Istanbul, then a day bus to Burgas, and a local bus to Sozopol, Bulgaria. I arrived at 5pm, and wandered around town with a fellow backpacker from Argentina, Frederico who I met on the bus. We never found the listed youth hostel, but an old lady on her portch waved us in and let us stay in her house, filled with rooms containing twin beds, and extra bathrooms in the hallway, as if in this pretty seaside town, she does this kind of thing all the time. She spoke zero English, but we got on like a house a fire, and and she even did my laundry for a small fee.
I met up with my old friends Sonja and Joerg, German pals I met at TAMU, who now have a 20 month-old todler Jonas. It was so good to see Sonja and talk about life and urban planning stuff, and to see Joerg and her with a baby! I thought they were skillful, ready parents and managed the kid very well! So impressed! Solid rules for behavior and safety, but also lots of time at the playground, in the sand, reading and fun.
This part of the trip is going very fast, and is chock full. I was in Sozopol only 3 nights, then zipped off to Sofia for 24 hours to walk around, see gorgeous buildings, quickly replace my broken sneakers, and take a bus to the next place...

Wild Turkey

I ended up in the middle of the Ankara protests yesterday without trying.
I watched the news, but it's only in Turkish and it didn't show Ankara, only Istanbul and Izmir (I escaped the protests in Istanbul and Izmir, without trying). I asked at the hotel before going out for the day if there were protests, they said no, only in Istanbul. I went to the Archaological museum and the Citadel in a quiet part of town with.normal shopping and Saturday activities until about 4pm, then went to the subway to go see the last major monument, the big Kocatepe Camil mosque in Kizilay, which is south of where I was staying in Ulus, one of the largest mosques in Turkey and the symbol of Ankara. There were crowds in the subway, but it was Saturday, and the station agent sold me a ticket like normal. I got down to the platform and the train going North was crowded, with passengers crowding that side of the platform. When that train arrived, the air filled with a funny smell and everyone started coughing and covering their faces.
When my southbound train arrived, police appeared and told me in Turkish not to board, and to exit the station. I went up with everyone who was required to alight the train. The station agent didn't have any information about trains not letting people on and wouldn't give me my money back (I'm so damn cheap! It's not healthy). I didn't try longer than 30 seconds, it was clearly time to leave, and get fresh air.
I walked a couple of blocks South into Kizilay and found myself in the middle of the protest, which was thrilling. I took some video that's better than what's on the tv news here. I saw the hoses and teargas cans being launched from far away and up on an overpass. It just got shitty when the teargas blew in with the wind. It made me cough and made my eyes sting for a little bit, but nothing serious. I had a hospital mask and my mosque headscarf around my face. No harmful or long term effects. Other people had swollen red eyes and needed lemon juice. The crowd had an ebb and flow of movement of people and a varying of intensity of chanting, yelling and clapping. Some people had firework flares, some people had ski or swimming goggles and bicycle helmets.

Not many Turks in Ankara speak English. One guy in the street said "hey mister, I mean lady, where are you from?" Turks are basically white (not Asian, not Indian) but they can tell I'm whiter, Western European, or Swedish they guess. That guy thought the riots are good, the gov is too conservative, it's just a waste of money when they break glass bus stops, burn garbage and benches in the street, throw litter, break the windows of a bank, break windows on an abandonned police car... My response was that's the value of an urban planning charette, listening to what the people want/need, consensus. Plus what all that police manpower, tear gas, riot vehicles, trash clean up, ambulances and ER care all cost. That's the value of the Democratic process. That's what I learned in Turkey.

The coffee guy at the Istanbul bus depot had OK English. He said about the same thing. If people no like, they protest, no problem. Government is too conservative. You are city planner in America, you get consensus, that's good.

In the Istanbul bus depot, safe and sound, surrounded by old Bulgarian traveling men. On my way to Bulgaria to meet my German TAMU MUP friend Sonja, husband and todler. I have lots of old friends and babies to visit on this part of the trip. Every other shop in Turkey sells wedding dresses. White, gold, seafoam, salmon... lots of tuille, miringue, sequins, feathers, ribbons, glitter, beadazles, tacky stuff. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something: "dress like a fairy swan sparkle princess more often Karen!" and spend more time with kids, like my friend Jana's little boy. Jana calls me Auntie Karen :)

Ankara grab ass

Some dumb young guy in a plaid shirt grabbed my ass tonight when I was out walking around with an icecream cone after dinner. I was walking inbetween 2 buildings from one well lit, busy with people place to another, and he just spanked my toosh! And he didn't walk away! He kind of lingered like he had just said a polite "hello". I yelled "NO!" and punched him in the back of his shoulder. I started yelling in English that he shouldn't be doing that. He wandered slowly away, not understanding English, only slightly annoyed that I hit him. Then, an old man came over to me, who spoke no English, and asked me what happened. I made a hand gesture so he would understand that the guy grabbed my ass. He went looking for the guy, who was 25 feet away, chillin on a railing. When I pointed him out, the old man went after him, and he bolted. There was a foot chase, and after a couple of minutes, the nice old man came back winded, and empty handed. I explained that I at least got one punch in. "Bang!" He said that was good. I thanked him and we wished eachother a good night.
Otherwise, Ankara is a good city.

A blurb about mosques

I'm thankful to Istanbul for making me comfortable with mosques. For some reason, all the Buddhist temples in Asia were no nig thing, but mosques are more controversial or charged with stigma. I suppose "comfortable" isn't the right word, since most religious things make me uncomfortable, but I went inside several mosques, one durring prayer time, I wore a scarf on my head as if I knew how to do it, and I was equally uneasy as in a Catholic or Jewish or other equivalent place of worship. The Blue Mosque was a let-down because the carpet was red, and sticky with such high traffic. This was the only mosque with cover up clothing on lend, and with an employee blatantly asking the tourists for a donation, in English, on the way out. I much prefered the New Mosque, the smaller and delightfully empty Nuruosmaniye mosque, and the exquisite Suleymaniye mosque. The women have a less nice, rear area separated by a lattice partition where they pray, the men have the whole floor underneith awe inspiring domes and chandaliers suspended by long cables. Kneeling, bending, the main guy does some chanting, sometimes beads are involved. No big mystery.

Nobody´s business but the Turks´

Istanbul ıs so cool!! It´s clean, has beautıful archıtecture and water all around, hılly wıth lots of trams. It remınds me of San Francısco! I realızed rıght away that I´m not used to seeıng so many whıte people everywhere, and I really need to let my guard down wıth men on the sıdewalk. Here they just want to say hı and help me when I´m lost, or get me to eat lunch ın the restaurant where they work. The people have a normal level of frıendlıness, there aren´t 100 tuk tuk drıvers buggıng me to take a rıde. It´s peaceful and delıghtful. I walked all the way from the Taksım area where I´m stayıng (whıch has an awesome uphıll tram car wıth kınd of a crooked platform) all the way down to the rıver and to the Old Bazar on the other sıde. I bought a scarf so I could go ınsıde the mosques (fırst tıme ınsıde a mosque!!). I don´t lıke the scarf one bıt, but the ınsıde of the mosques here are so beautıful. Everythıng done ın blue! Blue tıles and blue carpet. Tomorrow I´ll vısıt the Blue Mosque, whıch must have even more blue! Sorry for the weırd characters. The Turkısh keyboard ıs dıffıcult to use, wıth punctuatıon ın the wrong places, letters lıke thıs (çöşğü) and no dot for the letter ı.