h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've booked a few days in Istanbul in March. I'll fly over there on a Monday and fly back on the Friday. This will give me three and a half days to look around.

I saw most of the main sights last year when I went on a Guided Tour - between the guided bits and the bits I did myself I saw most of the things I wanted to see.

There were three main sights which I didn't get to, and I also wouldn't mind visiting some of the others again, so I'll have more than enough to do.

This time, rather than staying in a bland, anonymous hotel at the edge of the business district, I'll be in a small quirky hotel right in the middle of the tourist area, just south of Hagia Sophia.

On your own?

I know people who have gone there. It blew them away [in a good way ]

Yes, I'm going on my own. Mrs G doesn't get as much leave from work as I do, so I'd either be sitting at home on my own for a week or exploring somewhere interesting.

Last year, I went on my own as part of a guided tour. I didn't know any of the other people on the tour. This time, I reckon I know my way around well enough not to need a guide.

I'm going back to Istanbul soon-ish (when it's not cold and grey) but I need to work it so that I can be there on a day when there's a football match. That is something I really really want to experience.

Follow your fascination

I think I've just learned that they play football in Istanbul.

Here in Boston, the kind of football we play is being roiled by accusation that the new England Patriots cheated by underinflating their footballs. Not being a football fan, I am not understanding why it is cheating if both teams are playing with the same ball, whether properly inflated or not. The underinflated ball might favor the Patriots' opponents, might it not?

I'm not a handegg fan myself, but I was quite surprised when hearing about this so called "deflate-gate" that each team is supplied with their own set of about a dozen balls which are inspected minutes before the game.

That's just asking for shennanigans. Apparently one of the clues that led to this discovery was an interception.

The coach has denied any wrongdoing.

If you ain't cheatin' you ain't tryin'. Heard that ascribed to Lee Marvin.

Keeping track of my planned trip here: A87847140

I'll be staying at www.emzoe.com

Only six days now until my trip to Istanbul. The weather will not be great while I'm there, but I'll get a week away from work.

The weather forecasts might be wrong. But there should be some great sights to see indoors as well, regardless of the weather outside.

Going to pick up some more exotic musical instruments? What do they play there?

Galata has the street of musical instruments - the oud is a common Turkish instrument - it's the original lute without any frets. It would be too big to bring back on the plane, though.

Sure would. Funny thing is that it did have frets once. In the fifteenth century it seems they removed the frets; fretted and non-fretted 'uds may have continued to co-exist for a while.

Perhaps that was when the Ottomans came up with the system of flattening the thirds by a comma from Pythagorean to make them more consonant. Frets just get in the way.

I wouldn't fret about that too much.

Waiting for the bus to the airport.

On the bus.