Daily Archives: August 30, 2011

The toast last night was “Here’s to bitumen! May it stay in its proper place!” And we raised a glass of fine Chablis, thoughtfully provided to us by Paul and Stuart Foley who, when not stocking our little car fridge with Snickers, Toblerone and Cuban cigars, take superb care of Brunhilde when she’s in dry dock.

The reason for the toast was an unfortunate strip of oozing, gooey black pitch newly laid on the dirt road which led to our modest lodge at 6,000 feet altitude on the windswept Turkish steppe. Poor Brunhilde’s nether regions are now coated with the black, sticky stuff and there’s nothing we can do about it. Except to drink wine, that is.

The road up till then had been an ideal sweep of tarmac over high, bare dry hills, through modest villages, with swatches of green now and then showing where a stream provided enough water along the valley bottom for fields and gardens to be planted. So it was a shame to end the drive feeling both relief that we’d finally arrived and dismay at the condition of our car.
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