Here is where we went: Grand Rapids | Wine and Canvas MI
This is not about that though; this is about how cool it is to run on a runway and donate money and time to a great cause. I chose this race initially because I thought it was super cool to run on a runway. The year I signed up for the first time, it was cancelled for covid and when it came back, I wasn't in shape, and I couldn't attend anyway so my race fees were just a donation- which is still wonderful! Truly and honestly, I wasn't in shape for this one either, but I knew I had to do it.
Running on an airport runway was interesting. Obviously, the airport has many runways, so planes were still taking off and we could see them over head. We ran past a private airport hangar and some private planes with a few people standing on the tarmac waving us on as the group sailed past. People at this race were very nice. The first interaction I had when I pulled into my parking space was with the car next to me. His name was Jim and he was in a wheelchair, he was using it to qualify for a different race and he was so nice. We had a wonderful little chat before I headed to the starting gate. After speaking to him I felt better. I felt less alone, less scared, and more connected to the situation at hand. The starting gate was an actual gate, with actual guards, and it was closed until about 15 minutes before the race. When I lined up at the start line people filled in quickly. It started off on a service road which turned into the runway. I never realized how big an airport runway was until I ran on it. When you are in a large plane you never really see the runway unless you are in the cockpit, and I imagine it probably looks smaller in the cockpit of a large plane then it does when you are on the ground running on it.
As I was running an old friend I hadn't seen in a while sidled up next to me. He was running too, we had a nice chat even though we were both out of breath, we kept going. Then towards the end, when I thought I could take no more, I was walking a bit and another woman, about my age said "You're doing great, just keep going, you are almost there" inspired by her breathy words I finished right behind her a minute less than the time I had chosen for myself.
When you get off the ferry at Peaks Island, immediately to your left there is business to rent golf carts. It's really the only way to travel on the island, they have cars; however, this is much easier and a lot more fun.
If you are just visiting for a day, it is best to just go with the golf cart. You must be over 18 and have a valid driver's license. It was really easy to rent, and it made cruising around the island fun. The houses were gorgeous. Huge, lovely things and they all looked like bed and breakfasts, but more likely were the summer homes of people who live in Maine or on the island full time.
There was a little grocery store, restaurants, and some other interesting businesses scattered around the island. The Umbrella Cover Museum was what drew our attention to the island. The slogan is "Celebrate the Mundane." I cannot think of a more mundane thing than an umbrella cover.
The museum is basically one room and a bathroom. It does not charge admission but has a donation box at the entrance and sells magnets. The woman who runs it is an accordion player. Her story was fascinating, and she currently holds the world record for the most umbrella covers, and she has them from all over the world.
The bathroom is where she puts the "Sexy Umbrella Covers". She ends her tours (and sometimes begins them) with a song from her accordion.
This is where we went:
The Umbrella Cover Museum
Her: You're off work this week?
Me: Yes.
Her: Where are you going?
Me: Nowhere.
Her: You should go somewhere. I want to go somewhere, and I can this week. Let's go somewhere.
Me: Wanna go to Maine and eat a lobster?
Her: Sure. I've never been to Maine.
Then after church I went to her house, and we booked a flight. It all happened pretty fast, but so does life so sometimes you just have to do things. Even if it costs you more money than you intend on spending. Even if you have things to do in your own house. Sometimes you just have to go.
So, we went to Maine. We flew into Portland, and it was dark, so we didn't see much. A lot of things close early as well, so there were only a couple of places with food open. In addition to its being late there was a basketball game playing, and everyone was watching so the bars serving food were packed. We did end up getting some really delicious food. It was like extra fancy bar food, curried wings, Brussel sprouts, and fries that had some really amazing seasoning.
The next day we walked around Portland a little bit. We found a place with Lobster rolls, oh my. Lobster Rolls are basically lobster with sauce on a toasted hot dog bun.
For dinner we went to Luke's Lobster and had a whole Lobster. They pull them out the ocean that day so they are super fresh. There is instructions on how to crack it. Our server brough it already taken apart. "Lazy Lobster" she called it. We were intending on doing it ourselves, so this was a major disappointment. She said people keep breaking the lobster crackers, which seems odd that they wouldn't have an overabundance of them considering its a lobster place.
One more thing, the pier can be dangerous, wood is uneven and it's been there a long time. There are some holes and bolts that stick up. BE careful walking around.
Walking the streets in this particular part of town there were a lot of music shops. Istanbul is full of strange, amazing instruments, many of which I had never seen. Michael was an amazing resource in knowing the names of them and I learned so much from him. I am not a musical person. I love music, but I cannot sing or play any instruments. My disability in this area does not hinder my lust for knowledge of it and wandered up to so many windows saying "What is this?" in the way a child does. Michael knew them all.
We walked into one shop, I went in to buy guitar picks for my boyfriend, and saw all these amazing instruments hung from the ceiling. The guy behind the counter was playing a Saz and started singing as well. After he finished, we chatted for a bit, but his English wasn't great so he and Michael chatted a bit more in limited Turkish. Every instrument I pointed at he would pick up, tune, then play. It was extraordinary. He and Michael also had an impromptu jam session. It was truly . I could've spontaneous and I could've stayed there for hours, but we were on our way to the tower.
I feel like Turkey was full of interesting, wonderful people and this was not an isolated incident. It was just amazing that we had a common language to communicate in, music.
Here's a video:
First of all, unlike most of the towers I seem to find myself drawn to, this one had an elevator to take to the top. So, good news, no major stair climbing. The way down was all stairs, which is much easier than the way up.
In a post Covid world, you must have vaccination card and negative antigen test to enter. There are testing sites all over the city and the one at the airport only costs a little over 100 Turkish Lira, or about $16 us dollars.
You can see the entire city and Asia from the top of the tower. The Bosphorus is below with boats and ferries gently making their way in between the two continents and opposite sides of the city. When at the top of the tower you can see all the bridges. There are so many bridges crossing the water everywhere.
I was lucky, it was a beautiful day, and I was able to see a woman walking her cat on her roof beneath me. It was cool because she had it on a little leash and everything. It is nice to watch people in their everyday lives move about the city peacefully. It's like a window into the life of the city.
Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country. Officially it is secular, but the population mostly practices Islam. The mosques are beautiful, and I was able to go into a couple of them. The call to prayer is heard five times a day and it's a beautiful sound. It's one of those city's sounds, like Big Ben, or police sirens in Boston. It's a familiar regularity. The smell of roasted chestnuts is everywhere!
I wanted to come to this specific place because of the water way, the fact that it crosses two continents, and the amazing foods. There was ice cream, frozen yogurt, and baklava everywhere.
I found mosques and old buildings. I found the grand Bazaar, which has been operational since before Columbus sailed to the new world. I found a public high school in the middle of the city that looked like a mansion. It was built by the French and given to Turkey as a gift.
I also made a new friend. My friend Heather's brother, Michael, lives in this amazing city. His wife, Ece, is Turkish and grew up in this fascinating place. She amazed me when she drove through traffic I would never dare to attempt. Michael is a musician, and we went through lots of stores with musical instruments, a man even played a bunch of them for us. I learned about a lot of different musical instruments that day.
There were so many things I did not get to see and I'm grateful for the things I did get to see. It was an extremely short trip and with the time difference it made it difficult to get out and about. Michael was extremely helpful and I wouldn't have seen as much as I did without his amazing helpfulness.
I decided on the last night I stayed to take a commuter ferry over to the Asian side. Just so I could see Asia and say I've been there. That was interesting.
The city is full of graffiti, trash, and stray animals, despite this, it is charming and not nearly as frightening as I thought it would be. It seems the Turkish have their priorities in line, they take care of each other, they take care of the animals, who are like tiny furry citizens. Everything else is an afterthought. They are kind and pleasant and willing to explain things, even when you don't speak their language (google translate was an excellent resource in this place). It was a wonderful visit; I wish I had more time or a traveling companion. It was definitely a place to revisit and explore more.
Interestingly enough, there was a brand-new ferry location near my hotel (Michael and Ece told me about it), so, I decided to just walk to it. According to what I could decipher on the website they were open until 11pm and it was about 8pm at this time. I wandered the streets, looking ridiculous, peering down at my map to see where I was every few blocks and I found the commuter ferry!
The dock was surrounded by little shops and amazing little restaurants with men standing outside of them trying to lure people to dine.
The next problem was, I don't speak Turkish, and other than "thank you" and "discount" I really didn't know any of it. At all. Thankfully after struggling with the ticket machine, I discovered there was a button for many languages. Apparently, I wasn't the only traveler unfamiliar with Turkish as two Russian women attempted to communicate with me in Russian and German, I explained to them in both languages, I only speak English and I was sorry. I hope they found their way.
I bought my ticket and waited for the ferry to arrive and go to Eminonu, it was the only stop at this location. I thought I saw this name on the other side, so in reality, I did not completely understand where it was going, I just knew it was possibly going to the other side of the Bosporus. I watched anxiously on the iPhone to see where I was going and when I ended up in Eminounu, I feared I made a mistake. Suddenly every fear I ever had came popping in my head. " You don't really know where you are going." My brain kept telling me, "You are going to get stuck somewhere if you keep going. You'll never get home. You'll end up trapped on the other side. You are literally going to get stuck in Asia."
I quieted these voices and sat back down. There was no map, except my phone telling me where I was going. There were no normal routes posted on the ship that I could find, I did look. Also, there was no announcement I could hear. Even if there were, I don't speak Turkish. I began to think it was the dumbest thing I've ever done.
The ship came back on, motors churning below me, and it took off. My only thought was, "what if it goes back to where I started?" but it did not. I watched on my phone as the ship took its course across the Bosporus and into Asia. I went out to the deck and watched the buildings and water. It was a beautiful night and the weather was perfect.
I made it across. I stepped into Asia. I realized I did it myself and a sense of pride, and happiness, some relief washed over me as I saw where the Ferry back to where I came from was clearly marked.
