My story is something that made me laugh last week .

Whilst I was staying with friends in Turkey, we had a discussion one evening about regional accents, both in England and Turkey.  Several accents were replicated as near as possible and we decided which accents we liked and disliked.  I explained that the Liverpool (not too "thick"/"broad") and Newcastle accents were favourites of mine.

This isn´t funny in itself but I had to keep a straight face whilst I was on the flight home because:

My KLM flight from Istanbul to Manchester involved a transfer at Schipol (that´s another story and not very funny ).  I got to my aisle seat in Istanbul and, after a few minutes a young woman and an older lady came to take the other two seats.  They were in conversation with each other and, although I wasn´t listening directly, I assumed they were dutch as I couldn´t understand what they were saying and we were scheduled to change at Schipol.  After about an hour the passengers were updated on the delay to the flight and many were concerned they may not make their connecting flights.  As the cabin crew completed the announcement the lady next to me turned to me and asked me, IN A VERY BROAD LIVERPUDLIAN ACCENT "Excuse me, are you flying to Manchester?"

What can I say . . . there was a lot of aircraft noise

What a shame .

I thought it was quite funny .

Thanks for the information.  I´ve travelled around Turkey by bus quite a lot myself and I know the network of buses is extensive and easy enough to use.  I´ve never travelled along the Black Sea coastline and wasn´t sure whether DIY or a tour was best.

I thought a tour might be safer if I´m travelling alone but I do like the buzz of arranging my own itinerary.  I guess I just wanted some kind of confirmation that organisation of a DIY trip is fairly straightforward.  It´s possible that friends will be travelling with me (sometime next year) so I think a DIY trip would be most flexible.  I´ve never needed to book my bus seat ahead so I presume this would also be the case for this trip.

What about accommodation? Is it easy to find on the day or is it best to book ahead?  I´ve usually booked hotel accommodation before leaving the UK but in this instance I´m not sure.

It´s good to know that local tours and site visits are easily arranged too .

Thanks again

I very much want to take a tour of the Black Sea region next year.  I´m looking for a reputable agent that organises coach tours right the way along the coast as far as Trabzon and Rize. 

If anyone knows of any good agents (Turkish or English) and their websites, please can you post them here? 

Alternatively, I suppose I could organise my own tour by taking a series of coach journeys from one point to another. I know the bus services are good.  Has anyone ever done this?

Thanks in advance

Frustrated . . .

What´s the first thing I usually do when I return from holiday? Wash my clothes.

Unfortunately I can´t do this today because my suitcase is in Amsterdam . . . I´m in England .

I didn´t laugh out loud, but the incident did tickle me

I have lived for several years around the corner from a Jehovah´s Witness meeting hall. Never once have they knocked on my door.

Today, I was on the Metro from Havalımani and I was approached by a lady sitting next to me.  She asked me what language I spoke, then proceeded to take out a booklet and went to the English page.  It was an introduction to the Jehovah´s Witness movement.

  wearing very formal or decorative clothes in a way that attracts attention

well that´s how I always understood it but, having looked at some other references, some use it for the opposite meaning . . . "to look a mess" or

"to make a dog´s dinner of something" = to make a mess of something.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100804/tod-vimto-s-global-fans-boost-drink-firm-870a197.html

I remember this drink from my childhood.  I liked to drink it hot as well as cold.  There was also a corner shop near my home (NW England) that made Vimto ice lollies . . . delicious. When I later lived and worked in London (late 70s), Vimto could not be found in the shops there, so family always brought a bottle with them when they visited.   Later came fizzy Vimto, but I much prefer the cordial. 

More information regarding its 100 year history can be found below.  Seems it´s now doing big business in the Middle East!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vimto

Other drinks I enjoyed as a child were:

Dandelion and Burdock   -  still or fizzy

Ginger Beer (not alcoholic): I remember my father making some of this in the 60s.  He used real ginger in the process and when he tried to bottle it, after fermentation, it all exploded in his face and he had froth all over his beard and glasses .

Sarsaparilla  - still - until recently it was still sold, freshly made, at the local market.  I also loved the boiled sweets known as sarsaparilla tablets. In fact I may buy some tomorrow and take them with me to İstanbul.

Oh Happy days ! 

N.B.  For anyone who is unsure:   still = not carbonated

So ...  are these philanthropists selfish if they keep their billions or selfish if they give half of it away?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/aug/04/us-billionaires-half-fortune-gates

Seeing this news item made me ponder other questions.  How much money does one human being need in order to be happy? Do people with billions, or just simply more money than they would ever need, feel they have nothing left to work towards in business? Is this why some turn to philanthropy? A new focus.

An interesting thread Gok

I´ve managed to solve my problem