Our Pictorial Tribute to Istanbul, Turkey.............

This is our 1,800th entry and we are dedicating to the city of Istanbul, Turkey, which was struck by what appears to be an ISIS terrorist. Ten people lost their lives yesterday, including reportedly nine German tourists and a Peruvian tourist. Another 15 people are reportedly injured.

The images from top to bottom are of: 1) A bus stop; 2) a Beyoglu streetcar; 3) simit, the pastry that is sold by hundreds of vendors throughout the city; 4) the gate of Dolmabahce Palace; 5) Burgaz Island, one of the five Princess Islands and 6) The Maiden's Tower in Uskudar.

http://www.kizkulesi.com.tr/

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/turkey/istanbul

https://goturkey.com/

Virtual Postcard of Turkey (in honor of Republic's Day): Burgaz Island, Istanbul

Since we were not online on Oct. 29th, we wanted to share this image of Burgaz Island, near Istanbul, it is one of the secret gems of the city. Oct. 29th was Republic's Day in Turkey. The Republic of Turkey was established on Oct. 29, 1923, by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Very Expensive Things to Buy Online.....A Private Island

I've been meaning to ask my cousin Mike in Tulsa, Okl. (not actually where he lives), what is the most expensive thing he is selling on E-bay.

While I have not gotten around to that or deciding if I want to see the "Death at a Funeral" remake with Chris Rock at the multi-plex at the White Flint Mall in Rockville, Md. (which is a good eight-hour drive from here), I did get a chance to see what expensive-as-can-be items are available for consumer pruchase online.

Apparently, for a 'mere' $12 million one can get their own private island somewhere in Brazil. This reminded me of the famed Kasikadasi (Spoon Island) off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey, (pictured here) which is in close proximity to Burgaz Island where one can ride a horse buggy (also pictured here).

I'm not sure how much it would cost a horse buggy driver to take one around Burgaz or the other three Princess Islands (Kinali, Heybeli and Buyukada) but I'm guessing it would be less than cab fare to JFK from Winston-Salem, NC.