Our First Day in Istanbul

Our first REAL day in Istanbul started a bit late. Matt woke me up at 11:30am as he left to talk with our future landlord (who gave the apartment we had chosen to an American diplomat since doing so relieved him of paying taxes!). Luckily, there is another similar apartment in the Istinye Park complex that we hope will be ours. Keeping our fingers crossed...

I fell right back asleep and the next thing I hear is Amelia saying, "Mom, open your eyes, we're in Turkey!" It was 12:30pm. I don't think I have ever slept in that late in my life! Felt SOO good. We played for a bit and had some breakfast (again just bread, jam, and fruit). As Amelia played with her princess dolls, she asked if Kate could come to Turkey to play with her. Kate was Amelia's best friend and kindred spirit in Portland. We miss you Kate and Laura!!

Chase didn't wake up until after Matt got home at 2:30! With the day half-over and still without a car, we decided to explore the mall attached to our residence. First stop, WATER! We were dying of thirst since we had no bottled water and you can't drink tap water here. So we found the food court and got "iki su, lutfen" (two waters, please). Of course the waters were not refrigerated and about 75 degrees, but we chugged them regardless.

Next, we found a Migros grocery store - which reminded me of Andronico's in Palo Alto. We desperately needed to expand our diet beyond bread, jam and fruit. The kids noshed on berries and olives as we shopped and picked up the basics - fruit, veg, olives, cheese, and chicken. I really wanted to get some fresh meat from the deli counter, but didn't know how to ask for anything. So I just stuck with the stuff I could recognize. Maybe next time I'll be more daring. The total came to 95 Turkish Lira (~$70), and when Matt gave them 100 TL, they gestured whether or not he wanted change. Of course, we want our change. We think they expected a tip for bagging groceries! Do they do this to everyone? or just gullible Americans who have no idea what the customs are? And when we used the public bathroom, the be-scarfed attendant pointed to the paper towels. 5 TL? That sounds about right. We have a lot to learn...


Feeling hungry, we went back to the food court to get lunch/dinner. We chose a place called "Gunyden" (good day) mostly because it had pictures of the food so we just had to say the words to order. Plus they had french fries which is all Amelia ever wants to eat when we go out. So I order "bir kuzu, bir tuvek, iki su, bir salad bar" (one lamb, one chicken, 2 waters, one salad bar - I didn't know how to say "salad" in Turkish, but luckily the sign said "salad bar" so I knew they understood that). The lamb was FABULOUS. I am going to have to learn how they season it - incredible.

Amelia has been asking us if they have a play structure in Turkey since the moment we left Oregon. This girl NEEDS to climb stuff to be happy. We found a fun toy store with rides, games, and slides and played there for over an hour.

Once back home, we just hung out for the rest of the night - playing, eating, having tea parties and watching movies on the laptop. Amelia wanted to watch TV, but we explained that everything was in Turkish. She didn't care and intently watched "Casper the Friendly Ghost" in Turkish on Cartoon Network. I wonder if she'll absorb some of the language just by watching TV? Hmm...

As long as there are bottles and potato chips, my kids are happy.

Eating strawberries in the kitchen nook - great view of the Bosphorus and the Asia side of Istanbul.

Still off track time-wise, we didn't get to bed until after midnight. Amelia was bouncing off the walls - literally. She learned to climb on the headboard and jump off onto the bed which she did over and over instead of going to sleep.

I didn't sleep too well - kept waking up every couple of hours and finally got out of bed at 6am seeing the sun was up. Having this quiet house to myself, I did some yoga and felt invigorated with my surroundings - the gorgeous view of Istanbul with the rolling hills of endless buildings, the taxi's filling the streets, the sound of the "call to prayer," and the smell of cigarettes and city-life. I am so happy to be in this beautiful, stinky place!!!!!

views from the balcony

After yoga, I felt like going for a run, but too nervous to go outside, and the fitness center is only open from 9am-7pm which is completely useless. Ugh. It looks like I won't be running anytime soon. Luckily, I have my yoga mat.

It is now 11am and everyone is still asleep. If only I could have 5 hours to myself every morning!! What a great way to start the day! Yoga, quiet breakfast on the balcony, time to shower AND get ready without interruption, and then time to blog?! HEAVEN!! If only this quiet time didn't mean the kids would stay awake until midnight.

Not sure what the plans are for today, but that's a good thing. The possibilities are endless and we are all up for anything.