Lale (tulip) season lasts for about one whole month in the spring here in Istanbul.
That's why, with great anticipation, I wait for spring to come the other 11 months of the year.
Sure, I enjoy summer and fall in Istanbul. And I tolerate winter. But spring makes me want to do a happy dance all the way down Istiklal Caddesi.
This week, I planned to go to Emirgan Park to see the granddaddy of all lale displays. I had both camera lenses packed in my bag, a water bottle and my cell phone. The camera battery was charged.
I was set. I was organized, or so I thought.
But have you ever gotten so excited that all normalcy flies out the window?
Generally, I am quite organized. I print out maps and itineraries before I travel. I have all the contact information for the hotels and our flights.
But last year, I was so excited about a trip with my in laws that I forgot my passport at our apartment. At least, I remembered before we arrived at the airport and we had enough time to return home and still make our flight.
This week, I forgot something important for my photo trek in Emirgan.
I eagerly started snapping photos of the bright blossoms. I checked my camera settings. That's when I saw the error message. No memory card!
All was not lost because I at least had my cell phone.
Lesson learned.
Hopefully, I can return to Emirgan next week and still get some nice macro shots of the tulips. (For related photos, please last year's post on Lollygagging in the Lale in Istanbul.)
Has something like these moments ever happened to you?