start to our summer adventures

This past weekend was the first time we didn't have gymnastics, football, Turkish or birthday parties. We finally had a free weekend! Kuş had to make another trip to the Vet to get her stitches removed. Two weeks ago we had her spayed. We don't need ANYMORE puppies! She spent a week at the vet because the two are too active and we wanted her to recover quickly. Then when Joel picked her up after Elly's party, she had to wear a cone for a week! I've never had a dog have to wear one. It's horrible!! She kept getting stuck on everything. And that thing really cut at your legs. She had to spend a week like that. So we were really looking forward to that trip to the Vet. Unfortunately, the Vet said another few days…. we made it one before we took it off. She is a MUCH happier dog know.
Even though gymnastics is over for the summer, Ms. Yana has a workout that she wants the girls to follow. They are always wanting to practice, but with a house full of hardwood floors and travertine tile, its just not happening. I ask Ms. Yana where to get a mat for the girls to practice and another mom sent me a website. Excellent! It was all in Turkish but I faired well, until checkout time. Having to Google translate everything ended up giving me a headache, so I told Joel to do it and get help from one of the guys at work. Instead, he and Murat (driver) decided we would just make a trip to the place. 

Going to a sporting goods store in Istanbul is NOTHING like the US. We have these huge stores with a million options. So after Joel's trip to the Vet, we loaded everyone into the car and headed down to the Golden Horn. It's very difficult to park in this area, so we had Murat for the day. Traffic was just starting to get crazy when we got there. Tourist were everywhere around the Spice Bazaar and waterfront. UGH… I forgot its tourist season.

 By some amazing luck, we got a parking spot at the car park. It took a bit of walking to figure out where we were going, but Joel found the building! By this time, I was hot and out of breath. Not the best activity choice when you are 7 months pregnant. Then we walk up four flights of stairs in an unairconditioned building. UGH… I thought I was going to die. But we finally arrive to the sports store… its a small office. At least it was cool and had chairs! But the guy spoke limited English. Thank goodness for the iPhone and Murat! Joel bought each of the girls every gymnastics thing they wanted. Spoiled girls! I just wanted a mat and maybe two jump ropes. Now we just have to wait for their delivery!


 Afterward, we decided to grab lunch since it was already noon. We picked a small little restaurant overlooking the water. We sat on the second floor and it was kind of hot. But after they brought in a fan to move the air, it was a very nice lunch.
For some reason Nate really wanted to go shopping. So we decided to brave the Grand Bazaar. Very rarely did we get down there as a whole family. We dragged Murat to help us out if we decided to do a bit of shopping. You get a MUCH better deal as a local. unfortunately, we went the worst possible way (my fault) and had to walk up the hill to the entrance. UGH.

 We finally made it to the cool caverns of the Bazaar. We roamed around a bit not really having a plan or needing anything. My goal was just to get us further inside away from the tourists and closer to the better shops and deals. We found Nate's favorite car shop and the place we bought our rugs. I just love seeing all the crazy stuff you can find. We were walking past one store and a plate with the Whirling Devishes on it caught Joel's eye. We had just had the conversation that we really need to buy some real plates. We have been eating on our plastic outdoor stuff since we moved here. I got rid of our old stuff when we moved. We got them when we got married and just weren't our taste anymore. Plus I've been really wanting to go to Iznik to buy a set of Turkish plates!!

 So we went into the shop and spoke with the owner for a bit. Talked about patterns and what we wanted. One important thing to know when shopping for plates is that many of them have lead in them. They are safe to use but must be hand washed as to reduce the risk of removing the protective layer. But there are plenty of non-lead options that are dishwasher safe. There were two beautiful patterns that we really liked but I'm not about to hand wash every night. But we found similar patterns in the safer ones. We even got to adjust the patterns to what we wanted. So in the end we get exactly what we wanted and even though its a tradition Turkish pattern, its a bit original. And because of Murat, we got the price down quite a bit.

 It was a fun experience. We were there about an hour and the kids were entertained the whole time by everyone that worked there. It's such a nice way to shop, very relaxed and all the tea you can drink! There are a few more piece I think I will want before we move home, but this was a nice start. I'm so excited to get them! I now have two items marked off my list of what I wanted to buy in Turkey. I love knowing that every time we sit-down to eat that it will remind us of the wonderful memories of our years in Istanbul!

 After that, I was beat! We made a quick stop on the way back to the car for some Turkish Ice Cream. It's very yummy! It has the characteristics of Taffy but it's ice cream. Then we headed home. The kids didn't even make it off the Golden Horn before they all passed out. Heck, I probably could have too! Of course, that little nap ruined any hopes of us getting a nap at home. We opted for a dip in the pool and an easy dinner. It was a great day, and I'm happy to have my weekends back. Sunday was spent doing absolutely nothing, because mommy could barely walk

Nate wearing his new goggles the Sports shop gave him