It’s our six-month anniversary of travel — we left home on 25 April. 
What a very long time ago that seems now. And we are celebrating… by (knock on wood) getting over a rough few days’ bout of upset stomach, hence my brief disappearance from this blog. Well, I was expecting to have tummy trouble somewhere on the road, given my tendency to it even at home, so I’m just glad it hasn’t happened before now. Erik and I were hit with it roughly at the same time and we’re recovering at about the same rate. As travel illnesses go, this was hardly bad, but the first day of it was quite uncomfortable. It is really nice to have my appetite and energy back!! (And for distraction, it’s hard to beat a time-travel/romance/historical-fiction series where all 7 books are around 1,000 pages each — it’s like getting Harry Potter all at once.)
I won’t write much now, since I need to go to bed, but I’ll leave you with these photos from Monday:
Topkapı Palace, Harem, The Queen’s Courtyard
Yep, we did this. Erik was not eager.
Glad you are on the mend — and I love your picture! Erik looks exceedingly handsome and you sweetly demure.
Thank you, Sherry! I did quite love Erik in the giant hat. We didn’t have much of a say in our costumes so I’m glad they put him in that one rather than the gold turban-ish wrap I saw on someone else.
Hah, I think my demure appearance is due to not having my glasses on. I remember reading “demure” in a book when I was quite young, looking it up, and then trying to make my face do it. I decided it didn’t feel right.
Lisa, demure is a fun word, isn’t it? Right out of Georgette Heyer. However, it isn’t just the missing glasses, or the veil — you are so enticingly figuresque (did I just invent that word?), but it is well disguised in your custume. Please don’t visit a fundamentalist Muslim country! They would have you in a burka in a trice:)
um….that’s costume (but you knew that).
Hee. I love “figuresque.” Not sure it’s a word, but I’m delighted.
So that’s what you meant by demure… ah. Well. 
We’ll see what happens with that in Paris. 
That second photograph might be the best thing I’ve ever seen.
Oh, very good!
Ditto on the photo. Tell us how that happened! (And sorry about the stomach thing. Booooo.)
Hee. Will do, in a forthcoming post! I’m sure it’s not nearly as exciting as it looks. ;b Thank you for the stomach sympathy!
I love the sketch! And the photo is so cool — I’d never know Erik wasn’t into it if you hadn’t said so. You both look so regal. I want to know how that came about, too. Glad you’re feeling better and taking it easy.
Thank you, Ré! I love it too, though it doesn’t convey the sense of the place at all, if only because the courtyard was beautifully tiled, and my drawing doesn’t have color.
Heh. We felt considerably more ridiculous than regal, but it was fun to do. Erik’s a nice guy.
He really didn’t want to do it. ;b
Great – I love the understatement, “Erik was not eager”
Heh. Now how did you guess it was an understatement?
(It certainly was. I’m not usually one for cajolery, but I just can’t resist a costume… poor Erik!)
Congrats on the 6-month anniversary, but so sorry you two are both down!
Get well real soon!
Demure is right!
Right now, I just wish I could flip through your sketchbooks and look at all that you’ve done in the last 6 months. That would be so cool.
Your dress-up pic and the caption made me chuckle
Thank you, Munira! Our systems are still a little off-kilter but we are back to roaming the city… and eating everything in sight. ;b Can’t keep such dedicated gluttons off their feet for long. ;b
There’s not actually much more in my sketchbook than what I’ve been posting to the blog, so you’ve kind of flipped through it already.
I’m glad you’re back on your feet!
And what I meant was, I want to feel the paper and look at the actual sketches…..;)
Ahhhh… of course.
Well… if you happen to not mind sharing your address, I’ll make you a scribble on a postcard. 
Fabulous!
Thanks, Carla!
the portraits
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