
Life in the Boomer Lane suspects that there is some kind of disorder in which people keep having “accidents,” well beyond what would be normal. For that reason she hesitates to relate to readers the first couple days of her trip to Turkey.
The trip started out in the most positive way possible. LBL was able to get through the airport and the plane ride with no major disasters: no being smacked in the face with a belt buckle, no getting her arms caught in a vending machine, not even any Kindle mayhem. She arrived in Istanbul in one piece and ready for everything the trip had to offer.
She started by registering at the hotel (a giant plug for the Ambassador, where she always stays), dumping her suitcase in the room and immediately heading to the elevator to go up to the rooftop to greet the city (the Ambassador’s rooftop being one of the reasons LBL stays there). The elevator doors opened. LBL looked back to see if Now Husband was behind her. The elevator doors started to close. LBL stuck her arms out, knowing that the doors would immediately reopen.
The doors were not aware of what their role was in this scenario. They continued to close. Or, rather, they smashed into LBL’s outstretched arms. When LBL recovered normal feeling in her arms, she went up to the rooftop. The next day, the sides of both arms had bloomed in various states of black and purple.
The following day, the group visited the Aya Sofia, a true wonder. LBL was giddy with excitement to have her friends see this amazing place. She was so distracted, in fact, that she didn’t notice that several of the stones in the path leading to the mosque had become, over the centuries, quite uneven. Her shoe hit the stone and she flipped backward, slamming her body back into the path.
She certainly felt the slam, but for some reason, didn’t feel any pain. She jumped up and continued on. That night, she started to turn over in bed and realized that this movement was a great mistake. She had to lie as still as possible in order not to shriek in pain. The next morning, there were giant bruises over whichever parts of her body weren’t bruised in the elevator incident.
LBL now looked like she had been caught in a human-size pinball machine. She continued on her trip, hoping that each day would be uneventful in a physical sense. She allowed elevator doors to close without being obstructed by any of her body parts, was careful where she walked, held onto railings and didn’t climb to the top of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. She managed to get through the rest of her trip without mishap. Or rather, without physical mishap. She’s not yet ready to relate the story of how she left her wallet on a tour boat in Dubai.
Taswegian1957
June 14, 2018
I can feel for you having had a pratfall of my own in Singapore when I fell off the end of a bench, don’t ask me how. Hopefully your husband and friends were more sympathetic than my sister who laughed herself silly.
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 15, 2018
Bad sister. Yes, Now Husband and friends were concerned, but I think they are getting tired of my antics.
aginggracefullymyass
June 14, 2018
Ouch! On more than one level… Hope you’ve healed!
But “the Ambassador, where she always stays”?? “Always stays” implies visiting often. Do you go to Turkey a lot? It’s on my bucket list – take me with next time! Is Turkey something the first time visitor can do on their own? Tell all…
P.S. Can’t wait to hear the wallet story. Hubs lost his wallet last September in Beaune, France. It was turned into the Beaune TI office with all cards present but minus the unusually large amount of cash (both euros and dollars) he was carrying. It kinda sucks the breath out of you!
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 15, 2018
Now Husband was born in Istanbul and all of his family still lives in Turkey. this was my fifth trip. Each time, it gets even better. Sorry about Hubs’ wallet loss. Mine was retreived with everything intact. In Dubai, people don’t break the law. Period.
aginggracefullymyass
June 15, 2018
Or they cut your hands off of something lke that right? And I do remember you explaining the Turkey connection in the past. Sorry – old brain. So is Turkey something we could do independently?
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 16, 2018
Yes, the Turks are friendly, welcoming people. Many speak English. My experience is that Americans, in general, tend to be a bit cautious/fearful about travelling to Muslim countries. But, honestly, Turkey is a joy. I heard the hand-cut-off story while I was there. Supposedly, it happens in Saudi Arabia.
aginggracefullymyass
June 23, 2018
So guess who’s going to Istanbul for 5 days in early November and staying at the Ambassador? First visit. Suggestions?
momshieb
June 14, 2018
Oh, dear! Well that decided it for me; packing my arnica gel before I leave the country in a couple of weeks! I once went ass over teakettle on an eBike in Germany. The bruises were definitely something to write home about!
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 15, 2018
I’m sorry about your mishap in Germany, but glad I’m not the only one like this. I have a long history (like lifelong) of being distracted as I go about my day. Amazing I haven’t walked over a cliff already.
Ilona Elliott
June 15, 2018
Based on your photo LBL, I’ll bet you look awesome in purple and blue bruises…glad you made it through without any blood.
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 15, 2018
Yes, I generally stop short of blood or broken bones. Too unsavory.
Andrew Reynolds
June 15, 2018
No I’m afraid to read about the wallet normally one wouldn’t think bodily injury would be involved in the misplacing of a wallet, but somehow you’re story puts a bit of fear out there. And purple bruises could be a fashion statement …
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 16, 2018
Laughing. No, the wallet had nothing to do with injury. It was a case of me doing something incredibly stupid, which I excel at.
Sandra Parsons
June 15, 2018
I always fail to see the funny side of people getting injured (whether by their own incompetence or because others hit them over the head). I cannot laugh, for instance, at The Three Stooges, but when I read your description I had to snort a little 😀 Hope your bruises have healed by now.
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 16, 2018
So happy you reacted that way. I’ll admit that before writing this, I did hesitate. Injury isn’t funny, and I’ve had friends that seriously injured themselves in falls. But I do manage to get myself in riduculous situations, without serious outcomes.