There is a large city in South-East Turkey that I go to every few months.  I went a few weeks ago and because of the bad guys out there, I had to ride in an armored vehicle.  Basically, a Suburban with armored plating in the walls and explosion-proof glass.  I rode in several of these before, the first time in Qarshi Uzbekistan, with a driver who only had one eye.  He drove through the city at a speed that resembles the Turkish drivers I see everyday.

Sitting in it, I tried to roll the glass down to speak to the attendant at a service station, only to realize there is a special motor that sounds like a miniature turbine to roll down the window.  When the glass (referred to as glazing) rolls down, I realize it is an inch thick.  I estimate the doors weigh more than I do, at least 300 lbs.  The engine has a turbo-charger in it, so when it drives up, you hear the whining of the turbine.  Pretty cool vehicle.  Oh yeah, it weighs over four tons. (8000 lbs.)  Most cars weigh 1-2tons.

The city is known for its food.  Perhaps the best place in the world to get baklava.  I had a driver taking me back to Adana and he wanted to stop on the way to get some of the tasty dessert, so I decided to get half a kilo.  While there, I took out my phone and took a few pictures of the store and the proprietors.

Last week I was in Frankfurt Germany for training.  I took Terese with me to enjoy the city and enable her to meet with several of our friends who live there.  We had a amazing view of the Frankfurt skyline from our hotel room.  The first image has a reflection of the inside of our room.

One of our favorite restaurants in Frankfurt is Adolf Wagner.  This were we get the pork shoulder, called the pork knuckle.  Below is the before and after pic of mine.

This was also Saint Patrick’s Day so Terese wore her green scarf.

We went with a couple we met in Moscow years ago, who now live there.  They have a little two year old who is beautiful like her mother, but ornery like her father.

And on top of all that, I found a wonderful smoking bar right next to the hotel we stayed at, so in the evenings, I sat and had drink and cigar.  Made a very nice trip.

Okay.  We will visit more later.  In the meantime, keep kicking butt.   D.