Jethro Tull, in Istanbul. It is a 12 hour bus journey, or a far shorter but more expensive flight. Truth be told neither is really expensive. But then there is the ticket cost, hotel cost, and the money for food and fun in Istanbul. It quickly mounts up.
Or
A few days away in Eğidir. We can go riding, spend time by the lake, go to Sagalassos, visit canyons, caves and all manner of other natural scenery.
Hilary first saw Jethro Tull on February 26th 1971 at the Kilburn State – that was the Aqualung Tour. Steeleye Span were supporting. We saw Ian Anderson at the Hammersmith Apollo and somewhere in the Barbican on an evening for young flautists. He turned up to play with Joe Bonamassa at an extremely memorable gig – again in the Hammersmith Apollo. He’s good, yes, love to see him live, but Hammersmith Apollo was a ten minute walk from one of Hilary’s workplaces and accessed via the season ticket on the Oyster card.
In the past we would not have faced a choice we would have done both. Tickets to a big gig and having a long weekend away a week later was never a problem assuming we could get time off work. Now it is different…. The pensions, as opposed to the salaries, dictate reality. The costs of the two are roughly the same, so initially it was a tough call until we sat down and thought about it. 4 or 5 days of fun, nature, scenery, riding and Sasgalassos, or 2 hours of the wonderfulness of Tull performing Thick as a Brick Locomotive Breath and a day in Istanbul.
So sometime in September we’ll be going to Eğidir.
Pul Biber (with everything) 
Not too difficult a choice…either would be fantastic..but I think you’ve made the right one. I’ve also made choices during the past few years. I go without a lot of things I once would have taken for granted, to enable me to make 2 or 3 trips to England each year to see my daughter and grandsons. And for me it’s not a difficult one to make. Anyway, living here all year round is a better choice than staying in the UK isn’t it?
We too are keeping money back so we can get to see family in the UK, and yes, living here is so much better than living in London. Very much looking forward to Eğidir which will be great.
Of course had it been December when going riding is less fun, or Jimmy Page, things might have been different.
. . there’s some super exploring to be done, especially a little south of the lake. Here’s a link to a post that you should consider; there’s an village so isolated you won’t believe it with unbelievable views and with great walking. You’d have easier access with a bike than I had with my Doblo! Onwards and upwards!
http://archersofokcular.com/cimenova-to-beydili-walking-st-pauls-trail-by-car/
Thanks for the link. Our research says there are loads of things to do and places to see in the area. Very much looking forward to it. At some stage I might invest in a quad ATV, the Harley is not the best thing for dirt tracks.
Ian Anderson played in a beach cafe in Gümüşlük a few years ago – I was so upset to miss it.
That would have been amazing. Sorry you missed it.