Quirky Hotel Locations, Odd Pin Ups and Helpful Travel Gear

When I traveled to Istanbul in 1996, I had heard that a new Four Seasons Hotel had recently opened...at the site of an old prison.  The hotel is built on the site of the Sultanahmet Jail.  The jail, built in 1918/1919, had great historical significance to Istanbul history.  Therefore, when the site was picked for the hotel, all efforts were made to incorporate the prison history into the hotel.  The best part about the hotel though is its location.  It is minutes from the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. But the downside is all of the tourists swarming around. 

 

The hotel we stayed at in Rome, the Boscolo Palace, a Marriott property, is in a prime location.  Our concierge gave us a great 4-5 hour walking tour and included a fantastic restaurant for lunch.  Within walking distance is the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Coliseum and a myriad of freshly unearthed ruins.  The restaurant was the Hosteria Romana.  Only 3-4 blocks from the Trevi Fountain, we were the only tourists in there and the pasta was outstanding.  The Boscolo Palace is right across the street from the US Embassy.  The Boscolo Palace is not your typical guilded cage as so many Rome hotels are.  It is noveau, small and caters to the discerning guest.  The staff was incredible.

 

Rome.  You can't shake a stick without hitting a ruin.  If in the past you've been to the Coliseum, you would know that for years it has been under renovation and cleaning.  Well, now the scaffolding is down and you can see the full spectrum of the spectacle.  My husband and the other guy in our party kept wondering where Sparticus and Crixus (sic) were.  They are Sparticus (the show) fans.  Where would Sparticus do this?  What would Crixus do?  Boys.  Anyway, if you want the "true" Coliseum effect, you can have your picture taken with a faux Roman guard.  You can now go below the Coliseum and see where the gladiators were held, as well as the animals etc.  It's a 90 minute tour and has to be booked with a private tour company (ask your concierge or any reputable tour book).  There are PLENTY of faux guides, pssst, you looking for a guide? types.  I would  suggest not traveling to Rome around Easter (unless you want to do the Easter service with the Pope, which I've had the pleasure of doing, along with thousands of others) or during the Italian school spring breaks. We were there April 17-20  and the lines for sites were 2-3 hours long and the ferries around Capri, packed.  Sorrento was mobbed (that pun was accidental).

 

This was really really disturbing.  If you went to any of the sidewalk souvenir shops or newspaper stands, they had pin up calendars of...priests.  Now I'm going to assume they were faux priests. I didn't look at the back of the calender but I'm sure that the Vatican didn't have anything to do with this but please.  For American Catholics who have dealt with the child abuse scandals, this was over the top for me.  I had to remember I was in Italy after all...My first trip to Italy, way back when, I was in a disco in Florence and there was a strip tease game show on the over head TV. It was something to see for a girl from a Texas town population 900. 

 

 

Our society today is so into  iPods, iPhones, iPads, smartphones, e-readers.  My husband and I took two Kindles, a smart phone, a camera charger and one iPod on our cruise.  Regent cruises has 110/120 outlets in the rooms but not enough to simultaneously charge all of them.  I had seen this little gadget in Mori Luggage's Holiday catalog.  It's a multi-plug (4) outlet with a USB port.  Hah hah!  I bought one and it worked perfectly! 

 

 

Crypts, Mummies and Bones...Sightseeing the Italian Way

I don't know why certain cultures or religions love their bones but the Italians sure do.  I remember my first trip to Rome in 1978, I think it was, and part of our tour was a visit to a Capuchin Crypt located under the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini.  It is located on the Via Veneto (very fashionable) and right down the street from the US Embassy.  The Capuchins are an order of friars in the Catholic church.  They are an off shoot of the Franciscans.  Anyway, this crypt contains the skeletal remains of over 4000 friars. 

The monks began their cemetery in 1631 when they brought 300 cartloads of skeletons to the church.  The soil of the crypt was brought from Jerusalem.  As the monks died during the lifetime of the crypt, the longest buried monk was then dug up to make space for a newly deceased monk.  The bones that were dug up were added as "decorations" to the crypt.  They were used for light fixtures, to trim the archways, and in intricate patterns,  to cover the walls.  And there are just piles of bones.  You may not take pictures.

Flash forward to a trip my husband and I took to the lake region of Italy.  This is a great place to have a rental car.  Although the narrow roads "drove" my husband crazy.  While I was exclaiming, "Look at that!" (like George Clooney's Villa)  he couldn't because he thought a huge truck might hit us.  But what's great about all parts of Italy is that you can be driving around and then see a sign that says "13th century church".  You turn quickly and drive down a small dirt road to a small church that inevitably has...bones in it.  I think we saw these skulls in a church close to Bergamo.  Of course there is a care taker there who has been around as long as the church. 

Our newest contact with the Capuchins was on our latest trip to Sicily.  We were on an excursion to Savoca, where parts of Godfather Two had been filmed.  But also located in the town is the Cappucini Church (wonder if the word "cappuccino" comes from them?) that was finished in the 1400's.  Here you will find the mummified bodies of some 37 monks that died somewhere between the 18th and 19th centuries.  As you can see, they are fully clothed.  If I remember correctly our guide told us they covered the bodies in salt, to extract the fluids (nice) and then when mummified, clothed them and put them in this crypt.  There is also a convent here that is in charge of the church as well as the crypt.  They are Indian.  I thought that was interesting. 

So, if you're looking for some "bonefied" things to see in Italy, you won't have far to look...

Warmed Toilet Seats, Old Coins and Cheaters...

If you've not been to Ephesus, Turkey, it is one spot you need to experience.  Started as a city in 550BC by the Greeks and then dominated by the Romans, it is the largest active excavation in the world.  It is compactt therefore, easier to experience.  We had been there in the early 1990's and at that point our guide told us that at one time the city had 330,000 inhabitants the majority of which were slaves.  On this visit we were told 400,000.  Maybe they adjusted the number, who knows.  On both of our trips we had highly educated guides.  On the first trip our guide was a professor of history and this time our guide was an engineer.  Yes, we believed them because of the quality of the tours we booked.  Anyway, this time we had friends with us who hadn't been. We get out of the bus and the heavens open.  What should have been an hour to an hour and a half  was 30minutes. Here's some of what my friends missed:  The Greeks and Romans were ingenious and sneaky engineers.  They built cisterns on the tops of the hills to catch rain water.  It then flowed downhill to provide running water. At right there is a picture of the latrines.  The seats were marble and therefore, cold in the winter.  So, the slave owners would send their slaves down to the latrines and have them sit on the marble to warm it up.  When it was warm, here came the owner.  At their feet was running water for them to clean themselves.

  

 

There was also a beautiful library.  The sneaky engineers dug a tunnel from the library under the bath houses which then led directly to...the houses of prostitution.  I guess they thought their wives wouldn't know anything about this.  Right.  If you go to Pompeii, you can see penises carved in the roads to show the sailors and merchants where the houses of prostitution are and then once you get there, there are actually murals outside the rooms depicting what sex act the prostitute specialized in.

 

Our guide told us that when we left the back entrance of Ephesus that we should be prepared for hawkers who would particularly try to sell us 'antique' coins.  Now I like to have fun with these guys.  It has got to be a tough job to stand there all day and try to swindle people.  But, hey, it's a few lira.  So a guy comes up to me, it's one of those, pssst, want to buy an antique coin?  Very very old.  So I looked at him and said, pssst, I've got a very old coin I'd like to sell you.  A friend of his who is nearby cracks up laughing.  I said that I had a 1786 George Washington penny that was worth $5 million US and I'd sell it to him for 500 lira.  His friend is practically rolling on the ground.  I wish I could describe the look on the guy's face.  Maybe I shouldn't try to engage them but for me it's fun and they laugh, more often than not. 

 

Now on to Olympia, Greece,  home of the Olympics.  Once you've seen Ephesus it kind of puts a damper on other sites with multitudes of ruins.  What was interesting here is that at the entrance to Olympic Stadium, there had been a corridor of statues.  These statues were of Zeus but below the statue they were identified as cheaters.  The inscription not only listed their name, but their offense and their fine.  (Huh.  I know of quite a few athletes that could use this treatment.)

 

All of this looking at ruins reminded me of my first trip to the Louvre in Paris.  I'd say it was 1978 or so. I had taken some high school students on an "if it's Tuesday it must be Belgium" type trip.  When returning, I showed some folks(let's just leave them nameless) some of the pics from the Louvre, particularly the Venus De Milo. Honest to heaven one person asked me, "Why did they always make those sculptures with either no arms or no legs?"  When were were looking at the statues at Ephesus, I did say to my guide that in Egypt, so many of the reliefs in the temples had many naked body parts gouged out by early Christians.  The Greeks and Romans were very fond of naked bodies.  I noticed that so many of the female statues seemed to have their nipples off. Was this also a form of Christian defacing?  No, she said.  It's a matter that when a statue falls, it usually falls on it's face and the breasts land first.  OK.  I thought it was a good question...

 

I just liked this guy's face:

 

 

Song List for The Fifty Shades Trilogy

I should have included this in my last post.  These lists are from EL James' website:

Fifty Shades of Grey:
Lakmé (Act I): Flower Duet Alain Lombard, Mady Mesple, Danielle Millet & Orchestre du Théâtre National de l'Opéra-Comique 50 Classics for Beginners


Sex On Fire Kings of Leon Only By the Night (Deluxe Version)

Adagio from Concerto No 3 in D Minor, BWV 974 James Rhodes Now Would All Freudians Please Stand Aside

Misfit Amy Studt False Smiles (New Version)

I'm On Fire Bruce Springsteen Born In the U.S.A.

The Lightning Strike Snow Patrol A Hundred Million Suns

Heitor Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasilerias No. 5 for voice and 8 cellos: Aria (Cantilena) Ana María Martínez, Prague Philharmonia & Steven Mercurio Soprano Songs and Arias: Ana Maria Martinez

Witchcraft Frank Sinatra Classic Sinatra - His Great Performances, 1953-1960

La Traviata - Prelude Italian Wedding Music Italian Wedding Music

Toxic Britney Spears In the Zone

The Blower's Daughter Damien Rice O (Deluxe Version)

Canon and Gigue in D Major: I. Canon English Concert & Trevor Pinnock Pachelbel: Canon & Gigue

Spem in alium Harry Christophers & The Sixteen Tallis: Spem in alium - Music for Monarchs and Magnates

24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 4 in E Minor: Largo

Fifty Shades Darker:
What Is This Thing Called Love? Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cold Porter Songbook


Like a Star Corinne Bailey Rae Corinne Bailey Rae

Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: “Adagio Sostenuto” Hélène Grimaud The Ultimate Most Relaxing Classical Music In the Universe

Lover, You Should've Come Over Jeff Buckley Grace

Principles of Lust Enigma Love Sensuality Devotion: The Greatest Hits

Possession Sarah McLachlan Closer - The Best of Sarah McLachlan (Deluxe Version)

Try Nelly Furtado Folklore

The Scientist Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head

Every Breath You Take The Police The Very Best of Sting & The Police

Heartbeats Jose Gonzalez Veneer

Homelands Nitin Sawhney Cafe Del Mar Volume Six

Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis André Previn & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 in D Major- Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis

Chan Chan Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club

Crazy In Love Beyoncé Dangerously In Love

I Put a Spell on You Nina Simone The Best of Nina Simone

Bailero (Chants d'auvergne, 1st Series, No. 2) Academy of St. Martin In the Fields, Edward Gardner & Kate Royal Kate Royal

I've Got You Under My Skin Michael Bublé It's Time

Come Fly With Me Michael Bublé Michael Bublé

Songbird Eva Cassidy Songbird

Nocturne No. 1 In B-Flat Minor, Op. 9, No. 1 Vladimir Ashkenazy Ultimate Chopin

Weather to Fly Elbow The Seldom Seen Kid

King of Pain The Police Synchronicity (Remastered)

Moondance Van Morrison Moondance

Someone Like You (2007 Remastered) Van Morrison Still On Top - The Greatest Hits (Deluxe Version)

This City Never Sleeps Eurythmics Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) [Remastered Version]

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Fifty Shades Freed:
You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine Michael Bublé with Laura Pausini Caught in the Act (Live)


Wherever You Will Go Charlene Soraia Wherever You Will Go - Single

The Great Gig in the Sky Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (Deluxe Experience Version) [Remastered]

Requiem, Opus 48: In Paradisium Rachel Porter Requiem & Peace

Wicked Game Chris Isaak Best of Chris Isaak (Remastered)

Goldberg Variations: Aria by J.S.Bach Glenn Gould Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1955 Version)

I Say a Little Prayer Aretha Franklin Aretha Franklin: 30 Greatest Hits

Walk on By Aretha Franklin The Queen in Waiting - The Columbia Years 1960-1965

Sexy Bitch David Guetta featuring Akon One Love (Deluxe Version)

Touch Me Rui Da Silva & Cassandra Touch Me (EP)

Sweet About Me Gabriella Cilmi Lessons to Be Learned

La Fille Aux Cheveux de Lin Ronan O'Hora Debussy: Piano Works

Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring Eteri AndJaparidze The Very Best of Bach

The Ugly Duckling Danny Kaye Danny Kaye Sings "Hans Christian Andersen" and Other Favourites

You can also go to:  www.youtube.com/eljamesauthor

Kinky F**kery: My Book Review on The Fifty Shades Trilogy

I was at my allergist’s office waiting for the time to pass after I had gotten my allergy shots. Since I was getting ready to go on vacation and looking for something to download for the long flights, I noticed another patient reading her e-book. I asked her what she was reading and she blushed. She said, “You’re going to think I’m silly but I’m reading the Fifty Shades Trilogy.” Now I had heard of the Trilogy and knew it had something to do with bondage. OK, a little light reading for the trip. I downloaded the first book and finished it within 2 days and then realized that I hadn’t downloaded the other two! Where can I find a Wi-Fi to connect to?!!! AHHHHH! Many of my friends have read the books and mostly it’s, “oh my.” And that will normally be accompanied by a huge blush.

So here’s the deal. E.L. James, a British mother of two read the Twilight series and saw the movies. She basically said “wow”. I want to do something like that but for adults. She began writing the book and publishing it on fan-published erotica sites. It became such an online phenomena that an Australian publisher won a bidding war to get them published and now Universal pictures has picked up the rights for $5 million and E.L. has script and casting approval. That’s something Stephanie Meyer didn’t even have. There is one book sold every second. Why have these books started such a craze? Well, in the US the books are being called “mom porn.” I guess that means that there are a lot of lusty housewives out there looking for something “different”. The basic premise is this: 21 year old, gawky, technophobic, Anastasia Steele meets 27 year old uber rich, extremely handsome, standoffish, domineering Christian Grey. We are repeatedly told about his stunning grey eyes, his stunning physique and his wavy thick hair. Oh my. But little is actually said about Ana’s looks except that she has long brown hair, she’s pale and has blue eyes too big for her face. So what does Christian see in Ana that enthralls him? You see he’s into BDSM, bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism. Christian has a bleak and dark past and when he was 15 he was seduced by an older lady who brought him into the BDSM world. He has no clue about having “vanilla” sex. He sees Ana as a submissive and wants her to become part of his world. Now, when E.L. was asked on 20/20 about is it appropriate to portray a young woman as a submissive she replied,” Well, women take control all day…they go to work, they care for the kids, they cook, they clean…it’s nice to every once in awhile give control over to someone else.” Many reviews have been written criticizing the novels on this level. The only thing I could say is that James could have made Grey and Anastasia older. Anastasia being 21 AND a virgin keep niggling at the back of my brain. She’s not a virgin for long…But other reviews have said that the book has great overtones about learning to compromise, that when it comes to sexuality there needs to be an openness between partners as to what is, as Christian would say, a “soft limit and a hard limit.” On a basic level (really basic) it’s about the evolving dynamics of two people falling (possibly) in love.

The writing is really, really bad. James admits this. She repeats herself time after time: Oh my, kinky f***kery, holy cr*p, Ana constantly biting her lower lip, her inner goddess is always doing back flips and his flashing grey eyes. It seems she gets erotically charged every time Christian comes around (OK, that’s loaded with some double entendres). And how many times can he grab a fist full of her hair and pull her head back?

So why then read the books? It’s purely guilty pleasures. A woman’s sexuality is awakened by a very experienced man (who has a Red Room of Pain). You get to follow their sexual exploits (with kinky f**kery) as well as their developing relationship. Plus there are some side stories of some interest. But the story is all Ana and Christian’s.

Buy or download Fifty Shades of Grey and see if it’s for you. It’s definitely not hard core but even if a little BDSM is too much for you, don't waste your money. Fifty Shades of Grey introduces you to Ana and Christian and their push and pull (OK stop with that) relationship. Fifty Shades Darker leads you to why Christian is the way he is and his learning to compromise and Fifty Shades Freed gives you the climax (stop that!) to the story. James wraps the last book up nicely by ending with Christian (in real time) experiencing  his first meeting with Ana. That is where you learn what she really looks like and why he becomes entranced by her.

Final take: I thoroughly enjoyed all three books. If the movie studios follow the books, the movies will have to be NC 17. And the big question is…who will play Christian and who will play Ana? James wants unknowns and I tend to agree with her.

Hostile Cab Drivers,Helpful Locals and Mark Twain

We all have stories to tell of hostile cab drivers whether NYC, Hong Kong or ISTANBUL.  My girlfriend and I decided to head directly to the Grand Bazaar and we asked the concierge how much a cab would cost from the hotel to the Bazaar.  He said pay no more than 20 Turkish lira (1.44 lira to the dollar).  We verify with our driver that it will be MAXIMUM 20 lira.  16 lira it cost.  After having fun getting lost in the maze of the Bazaar, we head outside to get a cab.  The first cab driver:  we got in the cab, asked to verify the price, 20 EURO!  When we said no, he backed up at lightening speed so as not to lose his place in line, and shooed us out.  Next cab driver:no.  Next: no.  Next: no.  Finally I see a policeman and ask for his help.  Would he really help?  He also verified that we should pay no more than 20 lira.  He asked 3 other cabs and they all said no.  He finally shouted to a cab driver driving in the opposite direction to take us.  He did at 16 lira.  We quickly learned to only get cabs at hotels or restaurants.  We had a great seafood meal at Sur Balik on the Bosporus. Yes, there are Starbucks but no commemorative Istanbul coffee mugs.  Drat!

We are walking toward the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia trying to figure out which way to go.  A very well dressed man came along beside us and asked what we were trying to find.  We said the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia (well, you can clearly see them but trying to find the entrances is another story).  He said he'd be happy to take us there and advised us to go to the Mosque first because it was getting ready to close for prayers.  He told us he was not a guide but was going to the Mosque for prayers.  He really was a very nice man and showed us the new carpeting on the floor which has a pattern on it to show you where your feet should be placed, where your knees should be as well as your elbows, hands and head.  He did a great job of telling us the Mosque's history.  We then asked him what he did for a living.  Ready?  He sold carpets and his store was, well, just around the corner.  It seems that the local merchants are using a lower key approach to soliciting tourists.  They troll for possible tourists, ask what you're looking for and take you there, all the while proclaiming they're not guides, which they truly aren't.  But their store just happens to be close by.  Would you like to look?

It had been 10 years or more since we had been to Istanbul.  Then, it was dirty and very run down.  This time the city was very clean, lots of construction going on with upscale condos.  But, you are still advised not to drink the water.  Even in the hotels. 

Now why do you bring up Mark Twain?  Well I still highly recommend reading Innocents Abroad, Twain's diary of his year long trip to Europe and the middle east.  I began to think of Twain when we were on the island of Delos, the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Twain and his fellow travellers weren't all that nice to their guides.  Once they found out that a guide would say anything to please, then Katy bar the door.  The guide was in for some sort of foolishness (the original ugly Americans).  Back to Delos.   The island is covered in Greek and Roman ruins.  Our guide wasn't the best.   We could tell that some of the things we were seeing were replicas.  But she wouldn't admit it but then she would and then she wouldn't.  So, we got to the point of about every so many minutes asking her if something was real or not.  She'd stammer and hem and ha and yes, no, yes, no.  Unfortunately, I'm sorry to say, it became funny. The thing I enjoyed about Delos was the beautiful wild flowers.  Absolutely stunning.   

And then it began to rain...



Book Review: Phantom by Jo Nesbo

There was a time when Jo Nesbo was called “the next Stieg Larsson”. Not any more. The Norwegian crime writer has sold over 14 million books worldwide as well as having been translated into 40 languages. I’m a little hesitant to write a review on a book not yet sold in the states. I ordered it from Amazon UK. It will be available in the US in September. Since I began reading Nesbo last year, I’ve found that his publisher has been playing fast and loose with publishing dates. In Nesbo’s novels featuring the detective Harry Hole (I’ll discuss the name in a minute), there are 9. But his publisher will publish a new Harry Hole novel in the UK and US before publishing an old one. It makes it very hard to try and keep up with where Harry was the last time you saw him. Now let’s deal with the name, Harry Hole. Now there are some people in the US who would put this bull’s eye of a name on their kid. I had to find out if this was the name used on the Norwegian language novels. I wrote a review on Amazon UK and asked if someone would respond to my question, “Is his name really Harry Hole or is it Lars something?” I got an answer from a UK reader who led me to the BBC Worldwide Book Club which had an interview with Nesbo. He was asked to pronounce Harry Hole in Norwegian. Here it is as best as I can decipher in phonetics: Hurree Who-la. With that bit of information out of the way, let’s get on with Jo Nesbo and his writing. He’s complex and ambitious. You need to be alert and wide awake because he likes to drop vague clues along the way. It doesn’t help that the place names and characters’ names are Norwegian. I sometimes give them nicknames so I can read right over the name. And then he mixes in some Russians, Swedes and you’ve got a true smorgasbord.

Since you can’t get all of Nesbo’s books in the states, to learn about Harry, I’d started with The Snowman. Or maybe the first in the series (at least translated) with Redbreast. Harry has got to be the most damaged protagonist in crime history. The scenes describing Harry’s bouts with alcoholism are heartbreaking. As one reviewer describes Harry: “Harry is fascinated by evil…he’s a loner, with a hard boiled sensitivity and an intuition that borders on the super-natural…he is a genuine anti-hero; an impossible character yet impossible not to like.” He has a scar that runs from his mouth to his ear and a titanium middle finger. He has a real love in his life, Rakel, but every time he gets close, something always bad happens. Rakel has a son named Oleg, who thinks of Harry as his father. So, after The Snowman, Harry was fired from his police job, and then he moved to Thailand. Rakel will have nothing to do with him. But now she needs him and, therefore, begins Phantom. Oleg is now 17 and has gotten himself into big trouble, not only with the law but with drugs. He is accused of killing his friend, Gusto, who is a drug dealer and thief. Harry returns to Norway to find out if he can clear Oleg and keep him out of trouble. With Harry there is always trouble. This time with a new drug, “violin”, being sold on the streets by a Russian gangster that no one ever sees, therefore, he is called the Phantom. He has a mob of kids selling the drugs, three of which are Oleg, Gusto and Gusto’s sister, Irene. “Violin” is synthetic heroin. The story is told in the present and then with flashbacks provided by Gusto. The story begins with Gusto lying on the floor of his drug pad after having been shot. One chapter is Gusto explaining the truth and the next is Harry trying to figure out the truth. There are a couple of side stories with corrupt politicians and airline pilot smuggling schemes which do add some details about the Phantom.

Nesbo’s books are full of violence. In this one there a brick studded with nails. It is placed strategically on a rope which faces the entrance. When the person enters, SMACK! A face punctured by nails. There is also a special type of water boarding that pales in comparison to what we consider water boarding. And there is always a way in which Harry somehow gets his body damaged. This time he sews up his cut throat with a needle and black thread. And being as claustrophobic as I am, I was squirming as Harry got himself into quite a “close” situation.

I thought I knew who killed Gusto and I thought I knew the answers to the questions. Nope. Just as you think the story is wrapped up, here comes another set of circumstances to again drive you crazy. I was yelling, no! no! no! it can’t be!

Bottom line: If you like really complex crime novels that have relentless momentum, then read Phantom, when it comes out…in the states. Or order it from Amazon.uk. I think it cost me about $30 with shipping. It’s not on US e-readers.