istanbul here we come!

pinch me!!!!!!!! we are going to istanbul!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i am so excited i can barely stand it.7 weeks from today we shall be jetting off to the land of sultans and
the most amazing history imaginable.
whilst we are there we will also be visiting the cities of bursa and ephesus and perhaps troy. though rumour has it that troy is a disappointment. i am torn between going and being disappointed and not going and being disappointed because i was so close to seeing it and didn't. will have to ponder that one for a while.
this has been in the works for several months now and i have driven my brother and husband quite mad with my questions and my hurry up and do this and that. are we going? are we not going? do i book my end? do i wait? why is it taking so long? what's up with the turks, why can't they make a decision? etc. etc. etc. i can be a pain but my steamroller tendencies kicked into overdrive with this one.
i have been told that i simply cannot bring my usual 5 or 6 pieces of luggage. i must show restraint and if possible pack everything into a carry-on! this is going to be a challenge! when we went to the island a couple of weeks ago i decided to give it a dry run and see if indeed it was possible for me to travel with less than my entire wardrobe. i din't fail miserably but then we were at the ocean so i didn't need to bring a variety of outfits either. we were gone for 6 days and i managed but just barely. now i have to pack an extra 4 days worth of stuff into the same suitcase, plus i will need at least one dinner dress and some sort of a jacket as well. will carry the jacket on the plane and have decided that i will leave my computer at home and and bring my e-book instead of several paperbacks so that will help. but................ there is always the shoe problem.
and my camera equipment. am trying to decide if i need all my lenses or if i can get away with just one or two. but the photo opportunities! what if i don't have the right lens? worry worry, stress stress!no wonder i'm the pharamaceutical queen!

and just to make it just a little more perfect, we have to change planes in amsterdam so we are going to spend a day and a night there on the way home. the art museums the canals, again the history!
altogether, a whirlwind tour!

there will be no rest for the wicked and that's fine by me.