Late out of the gate

6:00 AM arrived with an alarm. 99.9% of the time I wake up prior to my alarm while on vacation. This morning not only did I wake to the alarm, I hit the dreaded snooze button, multiple times. As a consequence, I learned that this particular clock only allows for a limited amount of snoozes and then the alarm ceases. I finally rolled out of bed at 7:00 AM feeling like old Rip Van Winkle. I never ever sleep that late.

Ordinarily I get bent out of shape over sleep, be it not getting enough or oversleeping. Today I had no time for crying and complaining. We had breakfast scheduled at 8:00am and a packed day of sight seeing immediately following. Off I went into the bustling and rainy streets of Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous city. Having been lost in the same area some days ago I surveyed the streets and landmarks with greater scrutiny as I hustled toward the Marmara Sea. Once there I really had a lovely run.

Along the way I shared the morning with a haggard looking and partially dressed threesome gazing at the majesty of the watery horizon, school children uniformly dressed making their way to class, and a band of old men huddled around a fire feeding a bevy of stray cats. I passed a fellow jogger for the first time since being in the country. I said my prayers and hurried back to the hotel as I knew it would be a long day and I had compromised my time by over sleeping. The day ahead held a heavy tourist agenda, not to mention my six other “streaks” for the day.

I hate being late, but my rushed run offered a world of sights I don’t see at home. It’s worth noting that this time I found my way back to the hotel with ease.

Run. Explore. Appreciate.

Tom

Pre-travel Transcontinental Turkey
Day 1 Off and Running
Day 2 Lost in Translation
Day 3 Holy Run
Day 4 No Run Zone
Day 5 Late out of the gate
Day 6 Multi Istanbul
Day 7 Last Day
Vacation Rain