Some Final Thoughts...

I've been back in the USSR for a little over a week now. I've had some time to gather my thoughts, sort out my technology, and reflect a little on the trip.

I'd like to put up one last post with some photos with comments , links to my full photo albums, and some closing remarks. Without further adieu...

Thanks to all the supporters and fans of this blog. It was my pleasure to provide the photos and the field research. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed posting.

Bike Day 1 - Gocek to Cirali
Bike Day 2 - Cirali to Pamukkale
Bike Day 3 - Pamukkale to Sirince
Bike Day 4 - Sirince to Datca
Bike Day 5 - Datca to Gocek
Istanbul
THE Wedding

The Turkish Flag - a beauty

its like the Cold War Era in some places.

Turkish Pride! (from an outsider)

the eternal flame...cool.

You can pretty much milk anything with nipples.

zen, on the beach.

Ricccccccooollaaaaaaa!

European Mankini's in full effect!

Thoia Thong - European Ladikinis in full effect too!

Camels, in the snow?!

You can see the one melon ready to jump ship.

A familiar scene on this trip...

One of the 7 ancient Wonders of the World, Ephesus.

Turkish baristas have a lot to learn.

Self portrait in a reflective pane...

man hands on these women rowing these boats!

Bike Turkey/F800/Phil = good combination!

Men shoveling dog shit...

Men shoveling elephant shit.

"Where's the beef?!"

The Grand Bazaar

I have them in purple too.

what a good looking crew...

team photo....p.s. how often do you get (2) Phil's in one photo?!

the impetus for the whole trip...THE HAPPILY WED COUPLE!

The recap, aka "The Hangover"

Some sore heads, slow risers, sensitive stomachs, and two fresh baptisms were all present among our group the morning after.

We spent a good part of the next day recapping the whirlwind that we had just been on in the last 18 hours (total time spent in wedding mode. Dressing, pregame, church, interlude, cocktail hour, party...) The recap included a photo inventory (over 700 shots from 3 cameras), some blackout recovery storytelling, and a general high fiving of each other that nothing untoured had happened...at least that was caught on film!

Some shenanigan photos did slip in...

Full photos @ Wedding Photos 

Black suits coming, nod your head...

As a followup to the church ceremony, Eric and Marianne had a reception scheduled, as is the norm. But that's right where it stopped being "the norm".

Full photos @ Wedding Photos


The Scene
Ciragan Kempinski. Just your standard 19th century Ottoman palace converted to hotel and reception hall. Perfectly situated on the Bosphorous River, looking on to the bridge to Asia and beyond. The cocktail hour stared at 8pm, coinciding with a beautiful sunset and a nice dusk falling over the Ciragan as the crowd gathered.

The Crowd
And what a crowd that showed up! Worthy of a red carpet it was, as this event had all the glamour and sophistication of the Academy Awards. Black Tie was the easy choice for me and the boys. We looked daper, no doubt, but we all knew that was going to be the standard. The ladies at this party upped the wow factor by 10x with each one that walked through the grand entryway and out the back staircase to the cocktail party. The dress code for the women must have surely read "couture", because that's truly the most appropriate word to describe it. Pictures are probably the best way to describe what my feeble words cannot...

The Party
Eric & Marianne's first appearance as married couple could not have been more regal or memorable. They appeared for the first time of the evening to close the cocktail hour. With a bustling crowd below, to what must have been an Ottoman era royalty welcome march, our hosts joined the party. Perched above us on the staircase, and to a "fireworks display" ( an understatement I promise!), they come out of the Ciragan to greet everyone! The crowd is delighted to see the newlyweds, and welcomes them with a large round of applause. Eric invites everyone inside with a classy and welcoming wave of his arm.
The room is done up in white. It looks like what Puff Daddy WISHES his white party looked like! Bar height seating surrounding the sunken dancefloor, traditional round tables, and booth seating are all a mixed and matched part of the floorplan. Very original and innovative!
The pictures, both attached and linked to below would do best to describe the rest of the night and into the morning hours. A special nod should go to the very talented and entertaining group of singers that performed until 2am. They, along with the scantily clad shotgirls and a talented DJ had the party rocking in no time and ready to continue going until the sun came up!

Full photos @ Wedding Photos