Author: mochatruffalo
As we travel more, we begin to appreciate that the journey is often more rewarding than the destination. When you pick a destination, you already have some kind of expectation of the place. However, the journey there is often full of surprises. We decided to walk to Ortaköy today to check out the Ortaköy Mosque … Continue reading It’s The Journey
We have settled into a routine after a week. No more jet lag, and no more 2-hour naps in the afternoons. I go to bed around 8PM and wake at 4-5AM. We don’t venture out the door until after 9:30AM since Joe usually has a later start in the mornings. We tour the city, have … Continue reading Our Turkish Routine
Sidebar - We spent a good hour in the morning to reschedule our Malta flight because we were set to fly out Nov 4th AM, which is when the US election results would be coming in. Joe needed to make sure he has access to good WiFi in case he needs to make trade adjustments. … Continue reading Fiscal Responsibility
Since we’ve covered the basics of the Old Town and New District, it was time for us to venture out into the surrounding neighborhoods. Senem, our food tour guide, had recommended the Fener neighborhood, which is close to the Chora Church (Kariye Müzesi). Chora Church/Kariye Müzesi We were told to take a taxi to Chora … Continue reading A Walk In The Neighborhood
Today was a day off for us. Traveling can be tiring, especially when we’re moving nonstop. So the day was spent lounging in the apartment and venturing out for lunch and dinner. The cats of Istanbul have taken lounging to the next level. Here’s a collection of them... Chunky Trying to block out all the … Continue reading The Cats Of Istanbul
Saturday was forecasted to be a hot day, so we decided to go on a cruise and get out of the city. The word ‘cruise’ conjures up images of a multi day voyage in the open seas on a mega ship with hordes of people lining up in the buffet line. The Bosphorus cruise is … Continue reading Bosphorus Cruise
As Americans we have largely benefited from decades of a robust currency, and as a result, we can make our dollar stretch when traveling to most countries. Due to poor economic growth, policies, and large foreign currency debt, Turkey is now one of those countries where Americans can really make their dollars go farther. The … Continue reading The Depreciating Lira
We finally made it to some of the sights today. Unfortunately, there was not much to write home about. Haifa Sophia was recently converted from a museum to a mosque, and the interior of the Blue Mosque is currently undergoing renovations. The only place we actually got to have some fun with was the Basilica … Continue reading Three Puddings
Retirement changes how one travels. Not only does one travel more casually and leisurely, priorities change as well. Prior to retirement, our vacations would center around must see sights. A trip to Turkey would have meant hitting Sophia Hagia and the Blue Mosque on day one. Now with ample time on our hands, the urgency … Continue reading Istanbul Food Tour
Vicky would not have approved how we did our first day in Turkey. There was no itinerary that we stuck to, nor did we visit any of the museums or mosques. We instead meandered our way around town to explore to get a lay of the land. Since our Airbnb is right off New District’s … Continue reading Turkey – Day 1
After a 13-hour flight, instead of taking a taxi to our Airbnb, we of course opted to prolong the misery by taking the Havaist-14 bus to Taksim square and then the Metro for one stop. A cab costs 25-30€, whereas the bus only costs 50 liras ($7) for both of us. It was a no … Continue reading Our Home For The Next 2+ Weeks
There is definitely a different vibe while traveling during a pandemic. First of all, a US passport no longer confers one with the freedom to travel anywhere anymore. Thanks to this country’s botched response to COVID, Americans have had doors shut in our faces for valid reasons. Now, a US passport is about as good … Continue reading International Travel During Pandemic Era
We will be leaving for our 2-month trip to Turkey and Malta tomorrow. Unlike trips of the past, where we’d rush from sight to sight trying to cover as much as we can in 7-10 days, we’ll be doing some slow traveling for a change. Luckily, packing for a two-month trip is really no different … Continue reading Packing For A Two-Month Trip
Double "O" Arch in Devil's Garden When people imagine announcing their retirement, they expect being on the receiving end of 'congratulations' from co-workers. That is exactly what Joe got. Additionally, he got a few inquiries as to how he was able to retire at such an early age. My experience, on the other hand, was … Continue reading Tale of Two Retirements
It’s official. Joe’s retiring. He finally gave his two-week notice today. Due to delay in our refi, which we started the process in mid-June and is at this point still pending, Joe had to push back his retirement date. As a result, our trip is postponed by a week. I, myself, have 7 more work … Continue reading Two-Week Notice
Four more weeks. I have 4 more weeks before I get to say goodbye to morning commutes, Sunday evenings sense of dread, and Friday mid-morning stomach pangs from a week's worth of stress. Gone will be the days of counting down the days to the next big vacation or mini getaway. It's going to be … Continue reading The End Is Near
FIRE'd @ 47 