So I Got That Going For Me. Which Is Nice.

And a quick posting dating back to my visit to Istanbul in December. Even though they are eminently cheesy, I always like those opportunities to "insure" that you'll return to a city - like rubbing the pig's snout in Florence or the dog on the Charles Bridge in Prague. However, I did pass up the opportunity to drink from the River Nile to guarantee that I would return to Egypt, for the obvious reason. So, I guess that this post chronicles somethin akin to the Turkish equivalent, except that in this case it relates to curing any lingering illnesses. In a corner of the astonishing Hagia Sophia in Istanbul there is the Weeping Pillar. You stick your thumb in a well-worn hole in the pillar and attempt to turn it 360 degrees without losing contact. Now, if you do that and your thumb gets wet then whatever is ailing you will be cured. Fortunately, I did manage to successfully make the spin without losing contact - or dislocating my shoulder - and my thumb did end up moist. I don't know if my creaky hip or sleep apnea are necessarily cured, but it did wonders for my mental health because the memory of it still makes me smile.