The other project -- the renovations continue

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Just to let you see the progress being made with our renos, here is what we returned to find. The new space is framed in and roofed. As June 2nd, our kitchen was torn out, and we are hiding in the basement.

The place is coming along nicely, and we are starting to see our paper plans become reality, which is really very exciting for us.

Finally, some more photos....

Well, we are starting to get into our new routine. Our return to Vancouver was punctuated by an immediate return to Baseball, school, and a move to our basement for the renovations to proceed upstairs. Throw into that my turn to have Iain's illness (flat on my back for 48 hours), and my having missed 1 1/2 days of work (the first time since I was a first year resident) it has been eventful.

The first photo here is the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. Basically when the rock was quarried for the Aya-Sofia in 500 AD, there was a big hole left. So, they covered it over and directed the waters from the 21 kilometers around Constantinopole to this area to provide for the fountains. This is a lovely cool area in an otherwise very warm city. And yes, for the Bond fans, this was the cistern in "From Russia with love."


Next, to Milano the Il Duomo. Both Tami and I have been in many a cathedral, but neither of us have been in anything so grand as this. It was, in the true sense of the word, stunning. We were both speechless as we entered. The cathedral is enormous, apparently able to hold up to 40,000 at a time for mass!



The third photo was taken below the altar area in a locked but otherwise unassuming room. We looked, and said 'Hmmm. Interesting. I wonder what it is.' Fortunately, as we were walking away we overheard someone being told that the box in the center of this room contained one of the nails from the crucifixion of Jesus! Needless to say, with that in mind we returned for a second look! Wow!


Finally we arrived in London. Our hotel was right next to the Tower of London, so we had a good look around on one of the days we were there. Having just been reading about the history of the Tudors, and Henry VIII in particular, I was quite interested in this place. They have done an amazing job with the tower tour, and Lauren in particular enjoyed seeing the crown jewels (as did I, truth be told).


All in all, the trip was a great success. I feel abit tired as I think about the amazing sights and sites we saw. Vancouver is a beautiful city, but it is very NEW compared with where we have been.

Home again, home again

So, the irony is that the only place that we could reasonably access the internet was in Istanbul! Milan was patchy, and London was a total wash. So apologies that we haven't added more photos. There will be more photos to come, but suffice to say that we had a great trip, and we are now safely back on the North Shore.

The only mishap was that Iain had a persistent fever while we were away, and we needed to take him to a walk-in clinic for antibiotics. What I can say is that if you ever want:

a. to see genuine fear, and/or
b. to be seen very quickly by the medical team

just show up and say you are from Canada, and your son has a persistently high fever. BUT, timing is everything -- you have to do this during a North American Swine Flu outbreak! I have never seen a receptionists face change so quickly....and we were in and out in less than an hour, with each of us being checked over!

Nice to be away, but really appreciate being home too!

A day of Three Empires!

Our travels from Istanbul took us to the realms of three great empires -- Turkey (Constantinopole/Ottoman), Greece (via Athens), and then the Roman Empire (albeit not Rome, but still...)

Our trip from Istanbul included a 6 hour stop over in Athens. As our bags were checked through to Milano, we took the opportunity to travel into town to fulfill Tami's lifelong dream of seeing the Parthenon at the Acropolis. A quick bus ride from the airport, and a brief walk, and we were there. Admittedly only enough to whet the appetite, but it was really quite impressive (again!) to see these ancient monuments. It really shows just how little history we have in Vancouver.



After our brief side-trip, we flew on to Milano. Our apartment is great and is in a fantastic location. We are about a 5 minute walk to the Duomo, the cathedral of Milano. Now, Tami and I have both been to many cathedrals, and we have been suitably impressed. BUT, none that we have seen has compared with the Duomo. This cathedral is the 3rd largest in Christendom after St. Peter's Basilica and the cathedral in Barcelona. This trip is becoming a trip of 'you have got to see this before you die' comments, and the Duomo is no exception!

Bond...James Bond

Last night was spent enjoying a dinner cruise up the Bosphorous Strait -- the thin strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. This is a very strategic strait, as this is where all the oil and gas from Russia comes down. It is also the divider between Europe and Asia. The bridge in the photo is the first of two bridges dividing the two continents.

So, the Bosphorous was important as a sub-plot in James Bond's "The World is not Enough" in which the baddies were going to blow up a nuclear submarine at the entrance to the Bosphorous, and prevent oil and gas from being brought down the strait.

This is only one of two Bond films set in Istanbul, and today we will visit the site of filming of one of the other movies -- "From Russia With Love" in which they are in the underground "Basilica Cistern" -- basically the excavation site for rock used in the Ayasofia, which was filled with water via an aqueduct system gathering water from 21 miles around the city. Some of these ancient aqueducts are still visible around the city.

How Bazaar?

Today was the first day of my meetings, so unfortunately I had to go and work -- but I wound up at 16.00, and missed out the social events of the evening so that I could rejoin the family.

They had a good day, visiting the Topokani Palace, one of the great Sultan Palaces in Istanbul.

After meeting up, we paid a visit to the Grand Bazaar - a 1500 year old covered market, divided (albeit roughly) into streets of trade (jewelery, leather, clothing, and believe it or not, belly-dancing costumes! I tried to get Tami interested in the latter, but so far no luck.

The Bazaar was an experience. It actually wasn't as crowded as I would have expected, but the vendors are certainly persistent, and the haggling adds a touch of the exotic to the experience. I was disappointed having hoped to find a nice leather bag, and being quite unsuccessful. I did look at one which was (reportedly) camel leather -- who knows if it really was. But for YTL 570 (~$500), it wasn't on. I did quickly get down to YTL 420, but wasn't getting anything better than that. Oh well...I'll keep looking.

This photo is a view of one of the laneways in the Bazaar - I think you can get a sense of the activity.


After the visit to the Bazaar, we wandered slowly back to our hotel. En route, we visited an Islamic cemetery (I enjoy a nice cemetery as much as the next man). I think I mentioned that there are stray cats all over the place, and the cemetery seems to be one of the main cat haunts (no pun intended). We spoke with the caretaker who has adopted these cats. He feeds them daily, and currently has 21 cats in his care (up by 1 after having found a stray kitten, which he is now raising on milk). Something very touching about this episode. Here is a photo of one of the cats lounging on one of the grave markers.


I continue to observe and comment upon the people of Istanbul. Although they are quite pushy with their shops, they are a warm and friendly people. They really do seem to love the kids -- one very funny episode occurred after having eaten dinner at the Bazaar, when Iain's ubiquitous baseball cap was 'stolen' by a 20-something year old street-side food vendor. This was followed by a quick game of keep away, which Iain handily won by reaching up and tickling the armpit of the fellow (the same way he does with me). This resulted in peals of laughter from both Iain and the man, as well as more than a few people around us.

Today is Ataturk Day -- the Turkish Independence day, named in honour of Mr. Ataturk, the founder of the republic of Turkey. The plan is to enjoy a boat trip on the Bosphorous tonight (weather permitting).

The Coplands meet Istanbul!

Well, today has been our first day in Istanbul -- we arrived after a LONG travel day (Vancouver - Istanbul via London). Fortunately, we arrived at about midnight, so we all crashed immediately, and woke up this morning refreshed and ready to tackle the day.

So, the first laugh of the morning was Iain waking up and announcing very loudly that "For breakfast today, I'm going to have bacon!" I guess the discussion we had about Muslims not eating pork neglected to clarify that bacon doesn't actually come from that mythical beast "The Bacon"

An executive decision was made that the meeting would begin tomorrow, and that I would spend the day with the family exploring. Wow, is really all I can say. What a sense of history to be walking 3000 year old streets. Istanbul is really a beautiful city, and both Tami and I have commented about how safe we feel here (other than crossing the street, which really is a gamble).

We managed a visit to Ayasofia, a Christian church converted to Mosque and then to a Museum. This was truly awe inspiring. It was built in 547 AD, and was simply stunning.

We walked all afternoon, and we accosted continuously by persistent but pleasant street vendors. My shoes have been shined at least once!

This is a photo of "The New Mosque" which was built in the 1500s. All the mosques are of similar appearance with domed roofs and a variable number of minarets from which the call to prayer is sung very loudly 5 times per day (Sunrise, mid-morning, lunch-time, mid-afternoon, and sunset). Tami was awoken by the call from the Blue Mosque, which is a 5-minute walk from our hotel. I didn't hear a thing!


This next photo was taken from the top of the Galata Tower. It is a panoramic view around the city. You can see, from left to right: Topkapi Palace, Ayasofia, and the Blue Mosque. We walked from here back to our hotel, which is just near the Blue Mosque. Not too far, but a warm day indeed (~32 - 34 degrees). In the distance can be seen the Asian half of Istanbul (we are on the European side).



Stay tuned - more to come....

Up, up and away....

So, the craziness over here continues, and I think we are all feeling a bit tired out at this point. For those of you who don't know, amid our renovation, choosing flooring/tiles/counters/doorknobs/cabinet hardware, we have been preparing for a trip to new and unusual places! We are now less than 48 hours until departure (with me being on call both tonight and tomorrow!)

Our first destination is:



Istanbul.

One of the jokes that we have been hearing a lot of is "Constantinople is a very hard word to spell. How do you spell it?"

For those of you who don't know the answer, it will come later on...Kind of a hard joke in writing, I must say!

Istanbul. Constantinople. Byzantine Empire. Ottoman Empire. Wow, what incredible history we are heading towards. I will be a delegate at the International Federation of Kidney Foundations, and my family will visit and hopefully relish this experience.

Tami is a bit nervous about visiting Istanbul, but in reading about the safety of the city, it seems very safe. Indeed, the biggest risk to one's safety in Istanbul is....wait for it.....crossing the street!

One item of interest I have discovered is that we lovable, huggable, polite Canadians aren't adored in Turkey! Oh, call a Royal Commission. How do I know? Well, it seems that almost every other nation pays a nominal fee of between USD 0 and USD 20 for an entry Visa to Turkey. Canadians? USD 70! And we are one of only a handful of countries. Holy identity crisis, Batman! Don't they know we Canadians are upset when someone doesn't like us. It isn't clear why we aren't the usual object of desire, but apparently may have to do with the fact that Canadians were the major peacekeeper force on the island of Cyprus (Greeks vs Turks).

Fortunately, it seems that the tiff ends at the customs line, as everyone else tells me that Istanbul is fantastic.

After Istanbul, we jump across the Mediteranean to:


Milano.

Home of 'The Last Supper,' which unfortunately one needs to get tickets to see approximately 2 - 3 centuries in advance, so we have put in a ticket request for our great, great, great, great, great grandchildren to see it.

In Milan, Mike will be attending the World Congress of Nephrology, and the rest of the family will....enjoy the city. Does anyone else notice a disturbing trend here? Hmmmm, I'm thinking that a serious bout of 'jet-lag' may take me away from my meetings....

After Milan, we have a quick 4 days of relaxation in London before heading home. I am already looking for temporary work for Tami and the kids so that they will work and I will enjoy the city. Work visas do seem hard to get for 7 and 10 year olds though.

Keep looking at this site -- I will try to periodically update our travels.

MAC

PS, the answer is 'I.T.' -- get it? Re-read the joke...

Our new backyard 'ornament'

Work pace continues at the old Copland homestead -- as you can see, we have a new addition on our back lawn! I am impressed with how quickly the guys are moving with the clearing and excavation. We anticipate that the first concrete will be poured early next week.

We are finding that we are fairly pressed for time these days -- to say the least. For those of you who don't know, Tami, the kids and I will be off to Istanbul, Milan, and London in about 1 week. "Ahhh, sounds great." you say to yourself. And you are correct, it will be great. But in the meantime it has put the pressure on us BIG TIME to choose the decor, tiles, etc, as well as thin out the house (ie, move stuff to the storage locker), and prepare to move into the basement within 48 hours or our return home! So, as you can guess, it has been more than a bit chaotic around here.

We've had a friend staying with us for the last couple of days (sorry for the mess, Ryan!), and that has been an OUTSTANDING distraction from our activities, so we are thankful for that break.

Tempers do tend to be a wee bit short as we work through our preparations -- and the gender differences of comment interpretation is a fascinating field (or it would be if I wasn't always getting into trouble!) As an example, I made the following statement:

"I know that the tile you choose for the backsplash in the kitchen will be great, so go ahead and choose it -- I know I'll love it."

Now, my intent of the statement basically was to tell Tami "I trust your choices, and I am totally happy for you to do this because I know you enjoy hunting for just the right tile." (Guys out there, support me on this...)

WELL....

....apparently, what I actually said was, "I don't really care about this renovation, and choose what you like because I'm sure I won't like it, and I'll use it against you at some point in the future."

Maybe I will write the sequel to "Women are from Venus, men are from Mars" before this is all over!

Day One...the fun begins!

On arrival home today, it was immediately apparent that something was afoot. This was the sign that greeted me in the front window -- THE PERMIT.

So far, in just one day, most of the back deck planking has been removed, and the siding has gone from the back of the house. It is really starting to happen, this renovation of ours.

Tami is excited, but I think she is losing sleep over this -- she doesn't always do well with spending money, does Miss Tami. I know that we will be really happy with the extra space, and I am really looking forward to a kitchen that isn't a flashback to the 80s!

My days are filled with work in the morning, and boxing up stuff in the evening, in preparation to move into the basement before too much longer. Our storage locker is filling, and our house is gradually emptying.

I had to laugh this morning -- big purchases, etc always seem to coincide with Tami's Birthday (May 5th). So far, she has received:

1. A car
2. A trip to San Francisco
3. A trip to Holland
4. A new house
5. And now a new addition to the house!

Lucky girl...maybe I'll get a MG Midget for my next birthday, but who knows....

Oh, and one more thing....

....the iPod was successfully used!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

So....

....despite the people who didn't think I'd pull it off, I did. I completed the 1/2 marathon today -- my first 1/2 marathon, and just squeaked it under the wire before my 40th birthday.

The weather was great, the scenery was spectacular, and the event itself was inspiring! Seeing all the people out was quite something. Having the crowds cheer you on as you go also was a real boost.

The photo with this post was at the finish line. The ladies ahead were part to the Leukemia/Lymphoma team, and talk about being inspiring! Most of them were running for someone, and I think this was very meaningful.

I'm inspired to continue, and complete a 1/2 marathon in less time...we'll see.

SO....

....what's next for 'Running on Faith" blog site. Well, we start a big renovation tomorrow, so I think I'll continue blogging on this as a record. But who knows, maybe there will be more running stuff at some point!

Thanks all for the support you've given me.

An offer of a jam-jar

So, my brother-in-law, who shall remain nameless (but is in fact Hugh) sent me an e-mail about a week ago offering me a case of jam jars, in anticipation, I can only presume, that I would 'jam' on the 1/2 marathon.

Well, 3 days to go, Hugh. What will I get in exchange for my photo crossing the finish?

My one disappointment that I noticed today is that 'headphones' are strictly forbidden on the race course -- but maybe I'll try to smuggle my iPod along...!

6 days to Marathon Day

So -- the day approaches. Unfortunately, I have had some issues with my back, and a crazy schedule, so this has had an impact on my training. HOWEVER, I have been re-inspired by my Brother-in-Law, Dan Schmidt, and his training for this effort, and his effort at using this to help raise funds for a small village in Africa that his church is partnering with (check out www.myhillside.ca/index.php?doc=boro for more details on this).

From my point-of-view, I am going to go ahead with the 1/2 marathon, but I will be doing walk/run, and truthfully, mostly a walk. From what I can gather, there are a fair number of walkers in the 21.1 km 1/2 marathon, so hopefully I won't be along. I walked 5 km in under 30 minutes this morning, so hopefully will be able to finish on that sort of pace.

Think of me at 0700 on Sunday morning. I won't be wearing my kilt, but maybe that would help!

My trusted iPod will be charged, and off I go....

Still here....

So, there has been a 'hiatus' due to injuries and poor weather here. Vancouver had nearly 1 meter of snow, which made outside labour (other than shoveling, of course) treacherous at best. But, walking 5+ nights per week now, and resuming the running this weekend (look out, Monty).

Still anticipating / working toward a 1/2 marathon this spring...Keep me honest!