It has taken us a few days to get settled in but as always Turkey has us totally charmed already. The evening we arrived we went with the students from the airport to their residences to make sure they were all settled in. Then we took a taxi (or taksi, if you want to be all Turkish about it, there is no x in the Turkish language) to the apartment where we are staying. This apartment is all about THE VIEW that overlooks the Bosphorus, from Dolmabahce Palace on one side all the way over to the Blue Mosque on the other side. Pretty amazing. Prepare yourselves for probably a thousand pictures taken from my living room window.
Of course, the necessary flip side to this gorgeous coin is that you have to climb a considerable hill to achieve such a vantage point! I think there are over 100 steps leading up to our apartment building (with another 2 floors to go up inside, but there is an elevator for that).
Stairways like this and steep hills are common in Istanbul, except perhaps in the historic center. In an interesting bit of symmetry, Istanbul is nicknamed a city "on 7 hills" just like Rome. I am totally willing to do the climb - I can work off some of the cappuccino and pastries from Italy now :-)
That first night, even though it was late, we were anxious to get out into the city at large. So after beds were made, we set out again, walking along the water, taking a funicular up to Taksim Square. We walked together down Istiklal Caddesi, one of the most famous pedestrian avenues in Istanbul. It was a Saturday night and packed full of people. We ducked down a narrow alley, steadily making our way - oh so familiar to us now - to our favourite hole-in-the-wall restaurant Durumzade, where they sell the best durum (sort of like Turkish shawarma) and lentil soup in all of Istanbul. Ozayr discovered this place years ago and has been going for years, bringing students as well. We were greeted not only with the amazing smells we had been craving, but some familiar characters as well. "Hosgeldiniz hojam!" was our welcome, as they recognized Ozayr immediately. That translates roughly as "Welcome, Professor!" We sat down and had our meal in the middle of the hustle and bustle, now nearing midnight. Then we walked home, full and tired, happy to be back in the city once more.
It was after 1 a.m. when the girls were tucked into bed after a long day - one which started with cappuccino and cornetto, and ended with durum and chorba. More on food another day, but in the meantime you might enjoy this "No Reservations" episode if you are curious about what Turkish food is like beyond "meat on a stick." Anthony Bourdain can be a tad coarse, so a warning to sensitive viewers. Definitely consider pre-watching if you wanted to show it to your kids. The restaurant we went to on our first night is featured in the episode at about the 15 minute mark.
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