Santorini Sojourn

Hippie colony by the beach in a land far from Istanbul...

This doesn't do it justice.

best described as 'ahhhhhh' :)

White-washed churches everywhere you look.

Santorini from the air

(More reflections on Istanbul later).
Now on the flip-side in sunny, salty Santorini. Incredibly picturesque place - dramatic lava cliffs, meditteranean blue-green sea, black, white and red sand beaches, and of course, the quintessential blue and white-washed houses built into the moutainside. Overall impressions: too touristy (and... I'm talking the cruise ship breed), but bliss if you can manage to find a reclusive beach spot. Terrible wine (didn't Greeks invent wine?), wonderful people, incredible cheese. Albanian immigrants everywhere. 1:5 ratio of churches to houses, 30:1 (feels like) ratio of churches to schools, 40:1 (feels like) ratio of churches to libraries. Translation: if you're born here you're likely destined to serve the cruise-ship tourist. Actually kind of sad when you think about it! But no denying the beauty of this place. Absolutely stunning.

Why Religion?

(can't crop image on the road! but love the birds in this one)

Being amid a very conspicuously religious culture - call to prayer over loud speaker, men finding a solitary moment to run through their prayer beads in very public places (subway cars, spice markets, busy intersections), women staying true to their head-scarves while sporting channel shoes - all these prominent committments to religion have begged the question why religion? An overly ambitious question, and not one that I would attempt to answer, but I've always dismissed religion as a crutch people rely on when they can't find proper answers / comfort in the present reality...ie., religion and the notion of an after-life as a security blanket for those unhappy with the limitations of existence. But, while I remain an 'atheist' (a very commonly used term here, btw) and obviously disagree with the bountiful political conflicts that have resulted from extreme religious views, I very much appreciate the pause for prayer that permeates Istanbul or more accurately, the daily routine of individual relfection...as long as that prayer remains a choice and those who choose not to aren't chastised!

Laundry day by the Bosphorus

Welcome to Istanbul

World Cup!

Quantum stadium? LV trophy case? South Africa is stepping it up (if you consider an LV trophy case a move in the right direction...)

I'll be following my friend's coverage here:

Dundas Football Club

He managed to score a press-pass, so should be good.
Check it out!

I'm rooting for Brazil - I know the favorite - but can't NOT cheer for Kaka.

Diamond in the dust bunny rough

Literally found this behind my bed (amid a scary colony of dust bunnies!), while packing up my apartment. Couldn't be more apropo...

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies with us"

More on Spontaneous Beauty...

A follow-up to an earlier post - I love this poem by Frost on spontaneous beauty and the returns on paying attention:

Dust of Snow

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.