Some Days Are Perfect

Our days are woven together with the excitement of the new and the familiarity of everyday family life. Turkish culture is one of great hospitality ...

WEDNESDAY - A Day On and Around Bağdat Avenue & Family Time
We started our day on Bağdat Avenue. Turkish Mother, Turkish Mother's Sister and I shopped while Youngest Son and American/Turkish Friend browsed in book store. My Makeover Part 2 (Part 1 was the previous day) continued. I now have several pieces of stylish clothing that fit so nicely!

We lunched by the Sea of Marmara and took a walk along the colonnade where huge houses from the Ottoman Empire faced the sea, the blue bike lane was filled with relaxed riders and children played in the parks.

Youngest Son and American/Turkish Friend are very excited to look at islands through the seaside scope.

Turkish Mother, Youngest Son and American/Turkish friend pick out yummy gelato after our seaside stroll.

We spent the afternoon with Turkish Father's mother i.e. Turkish Grandmother. Turkish Grandmother and Turkish Mother's Sister (kids' aunt) both live off  Bağdat Avenue on the Asian side in city apartments.

Turkish Grandmother's three bedroom apartment is on the 10th floor.

The most wonderful park is down the street. The park has state of the art equipment (some I have never seen in US), sculpted flower beds, a large rose garden, water fountains and a pretty pond. Youngest Son, American/Turkish Friend, Turkish Daughter and Turkish Prince played and played and played ...

Youngest Son is swirling around on the left and Turkish Daughter is finishing her ride on the right - this is so fun!

 

All four kids, ages 3 1/2 to 11, play tag on the ship. See Youngest Son in yellow on middle stairs. Children have endless energy!

Youngest Son, Turkish Daughter and American/Turkish Son happily walk and chat with Turkish Mother's Sister on the walk back from park.

The evening brought a homemade Turkish feast at Turkish Grandmother's apartment. Once again Youngest Son and I thoroughly enjoyed the ten different Turkish dishes! At 9pm, the whole neighborhood started beating pots and pans and whistling from their apartment windows and balconies to support the protests. Youngest Son, American/Turkish Friend and Turkish Prince happy joined with chorus from Turkish Grandmother's balcony.


Youngest Son holds the pot while American/Turkish Friend bangs it loudly with a spoon.

THURSDAY - The Grand Bazaar
Thursday was the perfect girls' day and I will remember it forever. Turkish Mother, Turkish Mother's Sister and I crossed the Bosphorus on a ferry to get to the Old City. We climbed the steep and narrow streets to arrive at the Grand Bazaar. Grand is the exact right word.

One of many gates to the Grand Bazaar.

Turkish Mother and Turkish Mother's Sister guided me through the hundreds of indoor shops to those select merchants that that they have visited most of their life. We started at the bag and purse shop - let's just say I am set. We were then taken to a secret door - seriously - that opened into luscious scarves of all colors and fabrics. The 23 year old Lebanese/Turkish man who assisted us was incredibly handsome and completely charmed us with his scarf tieing magic.  We sipped on Turkish tea as we played among the silks and cashmeres. We then lunched at a quaint cafe and chatted about our family histories which included sad, watery eyes at some points but mostly exemplified the feminine strength on which we and our families depend.

Our lunch finished with an impressive presentation of Turkish Delight, water with mint & lemon, liqueur and Turkish coffee.

Our afternoon brought a visit to the rug dealer, jewelry shops and general browsing. Turkish Mother's Sister helped me find the rare items with a Star of David. An antiquities shop had some intriguing Jewish pieces from 19th century Ottoman Empire - while tempting were far beyond my pocket book. The day of Grand Bazaar shopping completed My Makeover (Part 3) - Turkish Mother and Turkish Mother's Sister made me feel so incredibly special in a way that only true friends can do.

Handmade pillow cases with vibrant colors at the rug dealer.



The gate we exited from the Grand Bazaar - notice the year.

As we made our way out of the Grand Bazaar and down the streets, Turkish Mother's Sister guided us into the Armaggan which was an art gallery and an upscale department store. The modern art was fantastic.

What do you think? (get it?)

We caught the ferry back across the Bosphorus and browsed the ancient city streets. We made a few more purchases of sweets and finally rested our weary feet with an excellent Cafe Latte.

View of Haydarpasa Train Station from ferry.

Shop is hundreds of years old . I got a walnut and grape confection that I love.

Traditional Turkish sweets ...

And the grand day concludes with a family walk through the forest. Turkish Father, Turkish Mother, Turkish Mother's Sister, all four kids and I listen to the birds, look over the fields of wheat and admire the wild ferns growing under the trees. Peaceful and perfect.

Turkish Father, Turkish Prince and Youngest Son ... no description required.

Authentic Turkish Days

This time in Istanbul is really about visiting and catching up with friends. Turkish Friends have embraced Youngest Son and me in every sense. Of course, the location does makes it incredibly, super duper special.

Over the past couple days, we have had many authentic Turkish experiences:

- Attended 8 year old Turkish Daughter's Musical: Youngest Son and I enjoyed the musical (even in Turkish) and Turkish Daughter was delightful.

- Took a Pilate's Class: Turkish Mother generously took me to her Pilate's class. It was in Turkish but my "hamstring and gluteus maximus pain" apparently had no language difficulties!

- Shopped on Bağdat Avenue: Yes you read that right - me shopping (I rarely shop) on a very cosmopolitan street that is the heart of the Asian side of Istanbul. The best part was having Turkish Mother's Sister be my own personal shopper! No exaggeration. I am wearing my new black & white patterned tights and a sparkling red bracelet as I type this - feeling quite fashionable I am!

Turkish Mother and American/Turkish Friend help Youngest Son pick out Turkish Delight from the one and only Divan Patisserie (Oldest Son was thrilled when I told him of our acquisition to bring home.)

Youngest Son now collecting Trashies ... Fairly certain he cannot catch up with American/Turkish Friend's multitudes.

All is not shopping ... Protesters are placing their "demands" on this spot on Bağdat Avenue. This is where we marched Sunday evening.

- Relaxed in the Garden: Turkish Mother's Father brought a bottle of blush wine to share just with me (no one else drinks alcohol) as Turkish Mother, Turkish Mother's Sister, the kids and I gathered outside in Turkish Family's garden this afternoon. Turkish Mother's Father is a man of stature physically and with a bigger than life personality to match. Turkish Father does not speak English but we all had vibrant and flowing conversations thanks to our patient Turkish Family translators.

Our afternoon in the garden with Turkish beef, cheese, homemade quince jam, olives, walnuts, bread and wine.

Turkish Prince (age 3 1/2) LOVES to wrestle. American/Turkish Friend, Turkish Daughter and Youngest Son are thrilled to oblige this afternoon. Miraculously NO tears!

- Eating Sea Fish on the Hilltop: Turkish Mother's Father also took us to dinner in the most spectacular setting on an Istanbul hilltop. We had four different kinds of fish from the Black Sea! I honestly have never seen Youngest Son eat so much food: fish, more fish, then more fish, then dessert, then fruit and more fruit and more dessert and Turkish tea ... it when on and on and on ...

Turkish Mother's Father picked out our obviously fresh Turbot Fish.

Turbot fish velvety white meat cooked perfectly.

Our marvelous meal and day ends with Turkish Tea, fruit and baklava ...

Not So Ordinary Sunday



View from the kitchen looking over the Sea of Marmara 

 Today:

We are deep into the European side of Istanbul in a home that overlooks the beautiful Sea of Marmara. Turkish Family, Youngest Son and I arrive at 10:30am to spend the day with two other Turkish families. This is a Sunday gathering of school friends who have known each other ... well forever. There are seven children who quickly separate into two groups: the older four boys (ages 10 to 11) and the younger three kids.

The day is like many that happen all over the world when great friends gather. We ate too much amazing food, we talked, we laughed (allot), we took a walk and the children played all day. The conversation includes many topics such as family, schools, politics, jobs, vacations, recipes, religion, etc. And ever present is the easy banter and playful teasing that only friends of many years can achieve.

These Turkish adults succeed at weaving English throughout the conversations so I feel included. But I am also okay just listening to the rhythms of the Turkish language and the frequent bursts of contagious laughter. Youngest Son fits right in playing soccer, shooting Nerf guns, swimming and even creating Coke/Mento Rockets! American/Turkish Friend plays translator for Turkish boys and Youngest Son when needed. As local custom dictates, Youngest Son and I naturally slip our shoes on and off as we move between the inside and outside.

The house is normal sized but the setting is lovely. The modest sized yard has these items planted: peach tree, olive tree, apricot tree, apple tree, pomegranate tree, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, mint, sage and a mulberry bush. The host describes to me in detail how she cured her own three month supply of fresh olives!

There is no sense of urgency or need to be at the next obligation and genuine hospitality rules the day. We stay until 6:30pm. Today may look like a normal gathering of friends but for me it is an extraordinary day. I loved today.

Just part of our breakfast!

Our host cooked for two days - Turkish food is so wonderful ...

Youngest Son obviously quite relaxed eating his Tiramasu

Youngest Son and another guest picking and eating black mulberries. Imagine purple ALL over their faces and hands!

Politics & History in Instanbul

The last two days in Istanbul have been full of the present and the past.

THE PRESENT
Turkish Mother says to me: "Should we go to the protest or have a peaceful night at home?"

After some thoughtful deliberation, we find we cannot resist. Turkish Father, Turkish Mother and I head out to participate in a peaceful protest march through the neighborhood in which Turkish Mother grew up.

The street was filled with the sound of energy through the chants, songs and patriotic waving of meaningful Turkish symbols. The future of Turkey may change if the voices of these passionate Turks simultaneously shouting from all over Turkey are heard ...

The flag is everywhere you look and is proudly waved by Turkish Mother.



From the van, Young Turks lead the smiling and responsive crowd.

Afterwards, we sit at a side walk cafe drinking tea and snacking on savory buns. I am completely fascinated listening to Turkish Father explain the history and present state of Turkish politics. And his speculation of the motivations.

THE PAST
We have seen many ancient sites already and my understanding of Byzantine, Roman and Turkish history takes a giant leap ...


Youngest Son looking over the Rumelian Castle (1451) on the Bosphorus. Boys climbed to the top of that tower!



American/Turkish Friend and Youngest Son pick mulberries off the tree and eat them while exploring the Castle.

Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople from this Castle which sits on Bosphorus's European side.

Hagia Sophia with a 1,400 year life-span! A cathedral then a mosque and now a museum.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque commonly known as the Blue Mosque for those blue tiles inside.

Youngest Son on the return fairy ride from the Old City. I chatted with an observant Muslim woman who had formerly lived in Pittsburgh ... new experiences in high gear today!



Not all is history and politics, Youngest Son plays tag with Turkish Prince (the baby of Turkish Friend's family) in a park on the Bosphorus.



Words for Any Occasion

My cheat sheet ..

Our Turkish Friends are hosting Youngest Son and me in their beautiful home on a hill overlooking Istanbul. Youngest Son and American/Turkish Boy have been friends since age two when they met at preschool. Through the years, our families have become family.

Tamila helps Turkish Family with household items and childcare. I do not speak Turkish so Tamila and I do what people have done since the beginning of time - we use facial expressions and we point and we nod. However, I wanted to be able to say a few words so I asked American/Turkish Boy to help me. I wanted to say Yes, No, Thank You and Please.

As I wrote these words down, it occurred to me that these four simple words have a greater meaning - in particular, please and thank you. We teach our children to say please and thank you from the time they can speak. I have probably reminded my kids thousands of times to say these two words. Please and Thank you conveys respect, gratitude and humility. These are fundamental words to use in any language and in any country.

Today I was fortunate to say sağ olun for these scrumptious snacks while I worked virtually:

Almonds, dried apricots, homemade chocolates, Turkish coffee and water - heavenly!

A type of tart Turkish plum and sweet fresh cherries - feeling pampered for sure.

So sağ olun to our dear Turkish Friends for welcoming us into your home. And lütfen invite us again!

Amsterdam En Route

Youngest Son and I had a 7.5 hour layover in Amsterdam today and got to spend a few hours in this truly unique and lovely city ...

We started with a City Tour via van with likable guide Hank.



Picturesque. So. Much.

The first windmill from 1632. Gelato vendor is busy on this warm day.

Anne Frank's house is behind tree to the right. Not seen are the children playing and families relaxing in this park - as it should be ...




Youngest Son waiting for Canal Tour via boat!



Youngest Son looking at oldest canal house on right - 1530.

After umpteen hours of traveling ...



IN ISTANBUL!! Both of us jet lagged: Youngest Son fighting off jet lag reading Big Nate and I am blogging.



We are in Istanbul visiting our dearest friends. Youngest Son and I are listening to the call to prayer at 4:30am ... it is all so surreal ...

Breast-Free & The Swimsuit



My Summer Beach Look!

In December 2012, I made the decision to live breast-free after my January 2013 bi-lateral mastectomy. Commuter Husband supported me 100%. I have lived breast-free for almost five months. It was and is the absolutely right decision for me.

Today I got past THE clothing hurdle. Breast-free in a swimsuit. Giant shout out to Land's End! Last week I ordered swim shorts (I quit wearing regular bottoms years ago) and this super nifty swim shirt. Given I have had breast cancer and skin cancer in the last year, it seems prudent to cover as much skin as possible! Hopefully the shirt will hold up well in the water ... that test coming soon ...

How do I feel? I am happy with this comfortable and modest look. I am relieved to have a swimsuit that fits both my new body and my personality. I hope other women will see pictures of this middle-aged woman and see that it is not so bad to be breast-free  ...

Front On and Close Up

Side View

Feeling good about it!