Istanbul - not Constantinople

[Blue Mosque]

Well, once again I find myself apologizing for not keeping the site as up to date as I would like. Here is a completely inadequate summary of what I have been up to.

Istanbul:

Had five days in Istanbul with my oldest brother. It was amazing. The city has such a long history, it is hard not to get swept up. I would put Istanbul head to head with Prague any day [no small statement].

[Left: The Sultan's Palace -- Right: Tile Work in the Palace]

[Left: The Grand bazaar -- Right: Greek Tablet, Archeological museum]

[My brother's pictures here (link).]

Work:

A week after Istanbul, I got sicker than I have ever been since I arrived – I think it was due to some undercooked lamb from a village. But, once I survived, it was back to work.
We have been busy getting projects finished and reports filled out - saving the world one Excel spreadsheet at a time...
The good news is that the projects have mostly gone off without a hitch and I really do feel like I will leave here having done some good.

Anyways, I hope all is well with everyone and hope to hear from you soon,

Mark

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