New York to Istanbul

September 16th New York to Istanbul
We have just taken off from JFK, about an hour late, but it was a good takeoff and we seem relaxed and ready for a nine hour trip. We got to the airport very early, about four hours before our flight, so we had to wait to check in. It’s a good thing we were early as Evie was able to get us the emergency row with lots of leg room. What a luxury, rather than being stuffed into chairs like sardines in a can. We hung out at the airport, walked, ate some, but time went fairly quickly and it’s fun to people watch. Our drive to the airport was much easier than we all expected, taking less than an hour, and Beth had no trouble getting back to Darien. As long as you go at the right time, the ride through the city is no big deal. We talked with the stewardess during our take off, a cute young girl who has been flying for a few years, two years domesticate before flying international. There are two babies to our left, quiet for now, and there are cribs in front, so I hope we can sleep later, as it gets dark. Two meals, a dinner and breakfast, and we will be in Istanbul.
We are about two hours out of Istanbul and I have hardly slept; it was quiet enough but I just could not get comfortable. We had a quite nice dinner, with a shrimp and eggplant cocktail, salad, chicken breast with rice, and a pudding cake for dessert. The flight has been calm, though there has been lots of commotion on the plane with at least three or four infants, though it really didn’t bother us. The women across the aisle, a Hassidic Jew, has a lovely daughter, and four boys all under ten, dressed like Hasids, with bald heads and long sideburns. Though we ate four hours ago, we are hungry once again, and I am sure breakfast will be served within the next hour. It is strange being on a long flight again, my last one with Senor to Peru about five years ago. Everyone has a screen in front of them, with a remote like those used with a TV to choose a program. I have seen people watching movies, playing solitaire or backgammon, among other things. As I finish, I can see the breakfast cart coming down the aisle; it’s 8:00 in Turkey, 1:00 NYC time.