1. Added the dove and Ecuadorian fragrant wood to my Wood Is Good shrine back home in Iceland:

    (The lego figures are of a scientist and pizza delivery person, representing wood science and delicious wood-fired pizza ovens, respectively)

  2. Barely noticed the Turkey-wide power outages this morning as the building I’m staying in has a redundant power supply. Istanbul seems to be mostly back on line now.

  3. This is the view from our hotel in Istanbul. Apparently it’s also the site for the 2016 world satellite dish counting championships.

  4. Lesson learned this evening: If a waiter offers you food, and there’s the tiniest, slightest sliver of a chance it might be off menu, ask how much it’s going to cost up front.

  5. Getting ready to leave Eskişehir @ Rixos Hotel. Thanks to everyone at ICWS and to all the wonderful people I met in Eskişehir for making this part of the trip such a great experience! Next stop: Istanbul.

  6. Successfully re-booked! A member of security staff asked to see my hurdy gurdy purely out of curiosity, which is a first for me. Usually they either don’t care or require a swab and search.

  7. Currently stranded at Stockholm airport following a delayed flight causing me to miss the connection to Istanbul. Airport bureaucracy knows no bounds! Talked to 6 (all very friendly and helpful) different people at 4 different desks, accumulated several additional sheets of paper, called people in three different countries, and now I might be able to rebook a later flight (crosses fingers).