Adventures With Patti

Reunion activities started with a walk through of the school on Saturday afternoon. Rod picked us up in his rental car a bit ahead of time so we could visit a few familiar spots around town. Our first stop was the new medical school building at the Australian National University, where Gauss's father had worked. This was en route to the Australian Academy of Sciences, a building commonly referred to as the "Martian Embassy."   Canberra has a reputation for cutting edge architecture, so we had to photograph the structure. Curtin School of Medicine, Australian National University The "Martian Embassy" did not disappoint—it screamed "Jetsons!" And herewith, a shot of some of my favorite Martians. They look so normal. Our next destination was more earthly in nature, the top of Mount Ainslie that rises behind Gauss and Rod's old neighborhood. As kids, they often climbed the rugged path to the top, but now a road has been built...

My time in Istanbul was drawing to a close; my plane would leave on Wednesday, November 7. Unable to control myself in the bazaar, I had bought more than would fit in the small carryon I had brought with me. I confessed to Sue that my inner thrifty environmentalist was feeling like the rest of me had sold out, but I was having a blast, enjoying the beautifully designed and crafted items for sale. “That's OK,” she reassured me. “You ate your vegetables: You visited all the cultural sites. If you want to shop some more, it's fine with me. You can buy a wheeled duffel near the market and carry your stuff back in that. We'll bring your suitcase when we move back to Minnesota in January.” The Grand Bazaar was uncharacteristically quiet early on Tuesday morning. That's all the convincing I needed. We set out again to buy a last few items at the main bazaar and the spice market. Umit, always polite, smiled a little when Sue told him to drop us off at the ...

Spices in the background, pepper grinders in front Handled trays with sets of Turkish Coffee cups on sale at the spice market Piles of herbs, teas, and dates While we were in the spice shop, a runner, balancing his handled tray, came in with tea for some of the customers Piles of nougat and Turkish delight in the background, dried fruits and dates, and colorful tulip glasses for serving tea in front Just when I think Istanbul can't get any better, it does. Sue I began our day at the Bead Market. To get there, we had to walk through groups clustered behind their flag-wielding tour guides at the Spice Market. We stopped at her spice vendor, near the back of the market, so she could pick up some saffron for an American friend. The vendor pointed out which pepper grinders were made of solid brass, and the price was reasonable, so I bought a couple as gifts. From there we dodged the throngs and a few aggressive merchants to get to the Bead Mar...

After my language struggles on Thursday, I was happy to take a day in Milano mostly to myself. Even before leaving Minneapolis, I had made reservations to view the Last Supper, located at the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. It was about a half hour walk, so I took the opportunity to go at a leisurely pace, enjoying the activity on the street along the way. I've come to the conclusion that Milanese women are impossibly thin and chic and get that way from walking everywhere and smoking entirely too many cigarettes. I don't know how many women passed me by, walking with apparent ease in stiletto-heeled boots, looking beautifully put together while pulling drags off their cancer sticks. I arrived at the church where the Last Supper is located with plenty of time to spare. The rectory where the Last Supper is located is in the lighter colored restored building to the left of the main church. A small open air market was set up in the square opposite the church, s...