June 8-9 Lufthansa to Istanbul

June 8 flight from Charlotte to Istanbul. Lufthansa always does it right. We arrived at the airport around 3:20 for our 5:10 flight. The security lines were absurdly long. On top of that, I left my glasses in the car and had to go back to get them. Nevertheless I made it through in time and we got on the plane, an airbus 340. It holds over 300 passengers in first class, business class and coach, where we sat. It actually has a stairway down to the bathrooms where there is a large area to stretch and five bathrooms. They always had water and other beverages in this space as well. They keep the beverages coming and for those who drink alcohol there is complimentary beer, wine and mixed drinks as well. The food is good and filling. About an hour after dinner, they turn down the lights and the cabin is a subdued place with many people sleeping. About an hour and a half before arrival, the cabin is lightened and a light breakfast is served. I watched a couple of movies on the way over on my iPad, "The Pest" with one of my favorite actors, John Leguizamo, and "I'm Not There", a masterpiece about Bob Dylan directed by Todd Haynes. The Pest was a bit of a disappointment, shot earlier in John's career when he was seen as a rising comedic force. There were some funny parts for sure but few of the "laugh til you cry" moments that I expected. That said, many of John's movies, whether drama or comedy, are to be commended. My favorite is "Cronos" the story of a serial killer in Ecuador. John plays a TV reporter based in Miami reporting back to the Ecuadorian community in Miami. I would also commend John's live show for the belly laughing moments as well as moments that are poignant and sublime. I'm Not There was an emotional movie watching experience that is hard to describe or categorize. It mainly touches on Dylan's seeming impenetrability as well as his elusiveness and disdain for talking about what his songs really mean. The director uses a technique of creating Dylan personas in diverse individuals such as an 11 year old black kid who calls himself Woody Guthrie and rides the rails like a hobo. There is a compelling portrayal of Dylan by Cate Blanchett; yes, a woman portraying a man. Also intriguing is the parallel story of an actor, Robbie, who portrayed the young Dylan parallel character in a 1965 film. I'm Not There follows Robbie's career in a side story with great acting by the late, great Heath Ledger and a new old favorite of mine, Charlotte Gainsbourg, as his wife. As an aside, I highly recommend the film about Serge Gainsbourg, Charlotte's dad, and titled simply Gainsbourg. Fariba and Darius sat side by side and I sat across from them on the aisle of the middle row. My neighbor was a Polish guy flying with his wife and young daughter back to Poland for a three week vacation. They are now living in Gastonia where he works for a German plastics company that is a supplier to BMW. If you don't think this is an international economy where all businesses are looking all over the world for talent, it is time to come to this simple understanding. This fellow was looking forward to watching the European futbol championships which are being played now on Poland and the Ukraine. We arrived in Munich at about 7:30 a.m. with our flight to Istanbul scheduled to depart at 8:35 a.m. The CLT to MUN flight had been full. When we arrived at our next waiting area we realized we would have some spare seats or a small plane as there were few people waiting. We wandered the Munich airport. Most fascinating was the Porsche design store. They even had a Porsche design hookah! Needless to say, it did not resemble a hookah. They had some extremely cool shoes. I asked how much and I thought I heard the lady say 59 Euros. I blurted out that I want a pair and Fariba said "359 Euros" . Okay, I think I will pass! We were called to board the Istanbul flight and went down three flights of stairs to a waiting bus which then took us across the airport to our plane. Indeed it was only one third full. This was scheduled for a 2:45 or so flight. Promptly upon reaching cruising altitude we were served an excellent hot breakfast consisting of eggs, potatoes, fruit, coffee, bread, etc. Can you imagine getting this sort of service on an American operated airline? We circled Istanbul three times before landing and got a great view of this sprawling city, the sparkling Mamara Sea and Bosphorus River and even distant snow capped mountains. Upon landing we purchased our Visas for twenty dollars apiece and went through a very efficient passport line. We retrieved our bags and were not forced to go through any security or any questions about what we are doing here or how long we are going to be here or what are we carrying in our bag. Noticeably absent from the airport was any overwhelming police or security presence that we have come to take for granted in America as we have given up our personal rights in a sell out to fear. As we rolled out there was a long fence along which stood many drivers waiting with signs for their passengers. After some searching, we found our guy who then led us to the front to our waiting driver. There were 200 or so people protesting in the immediate loading area of the airport. They protested and everyone else was able to go about their business. I thought about how a protest of that size at the entrance to an airport in America would simply not be tolerated. I thought about how we brag to the rest of the world bout our freedom of speech and our right to peacefully assemble in protest and yet how we have co-opted these rights to fear. It became a recurring theme as we travelled throughout Istanbul and noted the decided lack of "security", not having to have our bags checked or be patted down or electronically seized just to go into a public facility.