Two Vets

 This is a tale of two U.S. Army veterans--My father and I. My father served in World War II;  he was in combat from the D-day landings in North Africa until he ended the war in Germany(See post of June 19, 2009). I was on active duty from July 1 1964 until June 30 1966--Vietnam. More about that later.

My father and I were separated from the time I was three years old until I was six. As you can imagine I thought he walked on water. I wanted to do what he did, wear what he wore, etc. He brought some things home with him that he used during the war, a few of which I still have. One of the things that came home with him was a musette bag, shown here. This is not the one he brought home, but a photo of one exactly like it.

When I got old enough to go on hikes, join the Boy Scouts, etc Dad's musette bag became my back pack. It was a lousy back pack, but that didn't matter. If my Dad used it, it must be great!

In North Africa while waiting for the invasion of Sicily he bought a pair of British combat boots at a PX the Brits had set up in Bizerte. They were great boots--very nice leather, lined with glove leather and very well made. Dad's foot was about 1/2 to 3/4 size bigger than mine as an adult, but I didn't care. They were HIS, and so as soon as I could reasonably wear them I did. I don't remember now if I stuffed paper in the toes or just slopped around. In the photo below he is on the left in these combat boots, in France after the war has ended.

They were not GI issue, but after you've been in combat awhile nobody argues with you unless you get completely ridiculous.

While he was in Sicily  waiting to go to Italy he had an Italian leather worker make him this holster for his 45. For some reason or other he didn't like the GI issue one. He brought the holster home, but did not bring his 45. I have the holster and the weapon in it is a government issue 1911 45, manufactured by Colt. It was worn high, sort of like a shoulder holster. He is wearing it in the photo below; he is the one on the right.

Also he has a pair of Bausch & Lomb binoculars slung over his shoulder. They also came home; I still have them. They are shown in the photo below with their case.

Above is yours truly camped on Mt Lemmon at about age 14. To my left is a sleeping bag, spread over some logs or something. You are correct. This was Dad's sleeping bag that he used for the duration of the war and brought home. I used it for years. It wasn't that good a sleeping bag but hey! it was his. Plenty good enough for me. It went to it's rest years ago.

He also brought back a collapsible canvas bucket, shown below, which I still have.

This next photo shows it in action on the above camping trip.

 

 This is me during college days at the University of Arizona. I was in ROTC and was part of some sort of honor guard when this photo was taken. I went to medical school after three years of  college and was given a direct commission as a 2nd Lt in the Medical Service Corps. At the end of my internship, after 4 1/2 years of active reserve, I was ordered to active duty for two years. I was stationed at Sandia Base(Albuquerque), Ft Bliss and Arlington Heights, Ill. where I ended my military career as the commanding officer of a small dispensary. For some reason or another I can find no photos of me on active duty.

This was the time when Lyndon Boob decided he needed a war(1965). I was ordered to Ft Bliss to join the 85th Evacuation Hospital which was the first Evac hospital sent to Vietnam. It turned out I had bilateral retinal hemorrhages and was pulled out of the 85th and sent to Arlington Heights.For years I felt guilty for not going; I felt that I let my father down because I didn't go. At the time he said he was glad I didn't go, but he didn't really say much about it. A few years before he died he volunteered that he was so glad that I had not gone to Vietnam. He thought it a stupid, useless war not worth the price of a single American.

Thanks, Dad. And thanks to all the other vets for your service.

Spice Bazaar--Istanbul

The Istanbul Spice Bazaar has been in existence at this location since the building was constructed in the 16th-17th centuries(see sign in photo above). The building is owned by the Yeni Mosque next door, shown in the photo below. It is second in size only to the Grand Bazaar. It is L shaped; there is a long corridor with shops on either side, an arm and shops on the outside running up the west side of the building. There are still many spice shops but it has been infiltrated somewhat by tourist shops selling purses, souvenirs and such. Some of  the outside shops sell fish, cheese, fruit and veggies, as well as some fast foods.

The photos below are  typical shops that specializes in spices. One prominently features Turkish delight.

The photo above shows a shopkeeper weighing out a spice. There were a lot of locals buying in the spice bazaar.

The photo below is about halfway along the main corridor. As you can tell, there are many tourist type shops in this part of the bazaar.

 The shop above is featuring dried fruits.

This shop is featuring sponges and strings of red peppers..

Above is a kebab shop where the shopkeeper is cutting slices of meat to make a Doner Kebab. All over Europe you will find Doner Kebab shops run by ex-pat Turks. They are excellent!

Above is a fish market. This and the other shops below are on the west side of the market on the outside.
Below in order are a cheese shop, a fruit and veggie shop and a shop featuring olives.

The photo above shows a man with a large basket on his back talking with a shopkeeper. I couldn't tell if he was a shopper or a supplier.

This street vendor was cooking and selling corn on the cob.



We didn't buy any spices because we didn't know what the USDA regulations are regarding bringing spices into the country. It was very tempting, however.

The Frari Church, Bellini and Jesus Christ, Superstar

There is a church in Venice called the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, built by the Franciscan brothers. Completed in 1338 it is usually referred to as the Frari church. It is second in size in Venice to St. Mark's. Below is a photograph of the church showing the main entrance. As you can tell it is made of brick, and is very plain on the outside. Inside, however, is a whole other story. There are three pieces of artwork that are original and done by the artists specifically for this church. They are in situ in the positions they were intended to be.

The first of these is behind the main altar, The Assumption of Mary, by Titian. Unfortunately both times we were there it was largely covered by scaffolding for cleaning. The photo shown here is off the web.

No photos are permitted inside the church. What we could see was brilliant, particularly the reds.

There is also a statue of John the Baptist, carved out of wood by Donatello in 1438. It is the only Donatello in Venice.

Giovanni Bellini painted an altarpiece for the sacristy in 1488. The center of the tryptych is Mary with the Christ child standing on her lap. This is a wonderful piece of art. The Christ child looks like a real baby, which most of the renaissance infant depictions of Christ do not. Mary also seems to be a real woman. Bellini has done a wonderful job with perspective to make it appear three dimensional. The frame is thought to have been made by Bellini.

The Frari is a working church; apparently two masses a day are said in he sacristy. We sat down to look at the Bellini and contemplate both the artwork and the meaning behind it. We had been sitting quietly for a few minutes when all of a sudden a band started playing quite close outside the church. I thought at first it was a school band practicing, but there were no starts and stops like in a rehearsal. They played a couple of Sousa marches and then came “Jesus Christ Superstar”. All this was a bit much when one is in a church contemplating the eternities and Jesus Christ. Just a bit of irony.

We went outside and followed the sound of the music to the back of the church where there is a small square, with another small church and a council hall. Lo and behold there was an Italian Navy band playing away with a number of passersby enjoying the music. We joined them and took some photos.

This little girl is running back to her parents after trying to get into or closer to the action.

The photo below shows the Navy honor guard. The brick building in the left background is the altar end of the Frari church; I believe the Bellini is in the sacristy behind the window to the upper left. No wonder we heard the music so well.

 After the band left a street musician showed up and proceeded to sing opera and some other Italian songs. We tried to convince Alan, the Old White Haired guy, to join in but he wouldn't. He claimed he had a cold. Oh, well. A good time was had by one and all anyway.

Basilica Cistern-Istanbul

Some time during the reign of the Emperor Justinian(527-565 AD), a large cistern was built near the Haggia Sophia, on the site of an old basilica. This was used to store water brought by aqueduct, also built by Justinian, from the Belgrade forest, approximately 19 kilometers away. The water apparently was used mostly by the palace. Other cisterns were also built for water storage in the city.

The cistern was used for water storage for centuries. It was apparently unknown to the Ottomans for about 100 years after they conquered the area(approximately 15th century AD).. It was rediscovered when some people were found to be getting water through holes in their basement floors. It has undergone restoration and was opened to the public in 1987.

According to some historic texts, 7,000 slaves were used in its construction. It is 453 feet long by 212 feet wide. The walls are three and one half meters thick, made of firebrick. The roof is vaulted brick supported by 336 columns, 30 feet tall, arranged in 12 rows of 28 columns in a row. It would hold 2.8 million gallons of water. A special water proof mortar was used. Most, if not all of the columns were recycled from other structures; they are mostly Ionic and Corinthian.

There is only a foot or two of water now present, a walkway has been constructed and lighting put in place.

The photo below is of the cistern looking straight between two rows of columns.

The next photo is shot more diagonally.

The column shown here is quite unique. It is referred to by some as a "peacock eye" column. As far as I know it is not known where it came from.

 The next two photos show two Medusa head sculptures used as column base supports. They were brought to the site from an unknown location. Why they were used upside down or sideways is not known. These are the only two Medusas. All the other columns are on regular plain bases.

All in all a very interesting and unique place to visit.

Naples, Pompeii and Other Sights

Naples is a large(1+ million) city in southern Italy. A major port, it is a favorite destination for cruise ships and tourists. Pompeii, Herculaneum, Sorrento and Capri are all close by. There is a special train called the Circumvesuviana that runs from its own Naples station to Pompeii and Sorrento. This station is about a 15 minute taxi ride from the cruise terminal. We intended to take a taxi(15 euros) to the train(5 euros each) plus admission fees, then eat at a pizzeria before visiting the Archaelogical Museum in Naples, which has all the good stuff from Pompeii. Total cost for transportation only about 31 euros. Each.

We found a taxi driver willing to take all four of us to the train for 15 euros. We piled in and then the fun began. “I can take you to Pompeii and pick you up when you are finished. We can go to Sorrento and I will take you to the Palace and Opera House in Naples.” “Just the train Station.” “But I can take you to Pompeii and these other places, too.” Roberta got out of the Taxi. Cheryl and I said “How about Pompeii, a pizza and the Archaeological Museum?’’ “I can do that.” “How much?” “25 euros .” “Let’s go!” Roberta got back in and off we went.

The driver’s name was Ciro Palladino. I would guess he was a man of about 50; he spoke very good English. When a pedestrian or another vehicle did something he didn’t like he made a loud noise that sounded exactly like a police whistle. He would pass buses on the right while we were both making a left turn, go the wrong way on one way streets, drive down the street car tracks and commit other acts of terror that fortunately I have suppressed.As we start on our wild ride Ciro puts a CD in the player and out comes Luciano Pavarotti. Ciro starts conducting, whistling, driving and occasionally singing along. Luciano starts singing “Nessun Dorma” and suddenly Uncle Alan, the Old White Haired Guy, sitting next to Ciro in the front seat, joins in at full volume. Ciro, both surprised and delighted, fortunately manages to keep the car on the road.(The OWH is a trained operatic tenor with an excellent voice). This was followed by more Luciano, including “Core’ Ingrato”, more OWH, and then some Neopoliatan songs. There we were, careening down the road with police whistles, conducting, singing and occasionally driving. Most fun I’ve had in years. 

This photo shows the OWH and Ciro.

 He was true to his word-dropped us at Pompeii and was at the meeting place afterwords at the exact time agreed upon. We then went to the Archaeological Museum in Naples only to discover it was closed—the workers were on strike. Fortunately we caught him before he drove off and we went to a pizzeria. Naples is the birthplace of pizza. We had an excellent Margherita pizza.

Pompeii was much larger than I had expected. We didn't come close to seeing all of it, but below are some photos.

Above is an open area with the remains of an amphitheatre in the background; the amphitheatre is shown below.

The three photos above show typical streets. The streets are slightly sunken to allow for water, particular waste water, to flow. The large stones are stepping stones, carefully placed so that a chariot or cart can pass between them.

The photo above is of a bathroom in a home. The toilet is at the middle left, and the bathtub bottom center.

The top photo above is of a surviving wall painting. The bottom photo shows a mosaic tile floor.

Below is a place of food preparation. The food was stored in the jars built into the counter. Note the wall painting in the background, shown in closeup below.

Below is a plaster cast of some resident of Pompeii, as found during excavation.

The next photo is of a church and square in downtown Naples. Lastly, setting sail into the setting sun.