Nights and Days in Istanbul

The Bosphorus from my favorite roof-top bar

In keeping with my "great life" theme of one fabulous vacation every year, in 2011 the destination was Istanbul.

In the immediate days preceding my departure in late June, I grew a little anxious. News about Syrian refugees flooding across the border;  Turkish Prime Minister  Recep Tayyip Erdogan's domestic problems and concern about my comfort zone in a culture totally foreign to me combined to give me the jitters.

But once I settled-in on my non-stop Turkish Airlines flight to the Turkish capital, I felt just fine. And when I stepped off the plane at Ataturk Airport and found my friends waiting for me with the biggest (and most artistic) "welcome" sign I'd ever seen -- I embarked on the most fun vacation I've had yet.

It'll be hard to beat this one, but I'm already planning for my next great adventure in 2012.

Here are a few vacation snapshots:

Vacation, 2011