With our whirlwind of craziness, I haven't finished about my wonderful visit with my SIL and friends.
That Wednesday, I planned a trip to the Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Whenever anyone comes for a visit and wants to go to the Grand Bazaar, we have to take my friend Ilknur. She loves to bargain!!! Plus if you go with us, you are less likely to get the tourist price. So Joel was wonderful and drove himself to work that day so we could have Murat drive. Parking is such a pain in that area. We have been lucky a few times, but never something you want to risk during tourist season. And Joel was truly wonderful for not complaining, as the bridge had been under construction all summer and his easy summer drive turned into a nightmare. I think that night it took him 4 hours to get home.
Anyways, we left a bit after 9 that morning for the Bazaar. It's a good time to miss all the traffic. Plus since August is the hottest time of the year, the much cooler weather would help. I was actually expecting a cool day in the Bazaar but I was truly disappointed. The humidity really made it too warm. Didn't matter how deep into the Bazaar we got, it was still too hot for me. I had a couple things I wanted to get but I was mostly there to just hang out. We didn't get in too far before Russ and Annie found a place to shop! Russ was really great fun the whole time he was here! I let everyone look and I just kind of wandered. I was hot and being so pregnant, I was uncomfortable. I got to talking to the store manager at the next shop when he offered me a seat and something to drink. We got to talking and turns out he didn't live too far from us and was attending the University down the street. We had a very nice chat and he worked with me on some Turkish. Very nice guy, even Russ ended up buying a water pipe from him. For the most part, these are the type of people you meet in the Bazaar. Plus they seem to relax when they find out you are living in Istanbul. Always very curious as to what brought you.
Two of my favorite things I hear in the Grand Bazaar are: How can I help you spend your money and Where do you live? The first makes me laugh every time. I always respond, I never need help! But the second one lets me taunt some of the more rude store keeps. I tell them I live in Istanbul which causes this very confused look on their face and to become speechless. Then they recover and say no you're an American. Well yes, but you asked where I live and I live in Istinye. By this point, they give up and walk away. Makes me giggle every time!
We spent about 4 hours walking around shopping, mostly my fault, before we gave up and headed to lunch. I couldn't find what I was looking for at the Bazaar and then had a shopping list for in and around the Spice Bazaar. Elly LOVES this cheese that looks like string cheese. For some reason, this one shop has the best we have found in the city. Then I spotted the olives. After trying all of them, I found the most amazing ones and bought 2 kilos! I must tease Justin at this point! We went to one of my fav stores in the Spice Bazaar. They are always spoiling the kids, so I've become loyal. I wanted some tea and dried cranberries (hard to find here) too. Justin had bought a Turkish tea set, so he wanted some tea. I had gotten them Apple tea while shopping and he decided that is what he wanted. I let them shop as I sat. During the walk from the Grand to the Spice Bazaar, I was having some rough contractions. Had to sit once, so I was placed upon my stool at our arrival. Justin finishes his order and then comes over to me and says…. I forgot about the metric system and then holds up a KILO of apple tea! LOL I laughed but only because I have been there! I probably won't have to pick up any tea for him until we leave!
Murat had found this great little restaurant by the Blue Mosque. Ilknur and I had planned to sit at a cafe while the others visited Hagia and the Blue Mosque. Beautiful places but only so many times can you see it. We had a very wonderful lunch. Probably some of the best Piliç şiş I have ever had. That is grilled chicken on a skewer. After lunch, the gang headed off to be tourists and the rest of us headed next door to a cafe. Murat had met the owner while he was outside for a smoke. The owner was from San Francisco! Very nice guy and great drinks! It was a very warm day but a good breeze so we sat out front. I ordered a Banana Split Smoothie. Oh it was heaven! Finally the crew returned and we jumped in the car to fight rush hour.
Only part of the drive was rough and we got home at a decent time. Bea had watched the kiddos for us that day. After the trip to Topkapi, I was not attempting to wrestle all three thru the Grand Bazaar. She had fed the kids already, so we just had to feed us. Joel was still stuck on the Asian side as this time and said not to worry about him. We decided the olives and cheese would be a good dinner. Our 4 guest decided a trip to Carrefour was needed for some more stuff and they would stop and pick up more bread. And off they went, walking to the grocery! I haven't even done that! LOL. They were really enjoying walking around. But as a normal tourist, you probably wouldn't get the chance to see how every day people live. The funniest part of the whole thing, not only did they run into Joel (getting Burger King), they also ran into Murat and his family, who drove them back! Pretty funny running into the only people you know in the city!
That night we ate and had a marathon game of Mario Brothers. Good times!
Thursday, Russ, Annie, and Justin were off to visit the Asian side of Istanbul. Rachelle and I were going to spend some time together and do some birthday shopping for Jocy and get mani pedis. Ilknur came along, so we had a lovely girls days!
Joel had taken Friday off and we decided that you can't come to Istanbul without a trip to the Black Sea. We headed up to Kilyos for a day at the beach. It was a perfect day besides the water being a bit too rough. Great way to spend the last full day with our guest. After that, we decided to take them to our favorite hole in the wall restaurant by the water. We made the walk down since parking on a Friday night would be crazy especially with the Ramadan carnival going on across the street. It's kind of a rough walk… surprisingly not pedestrian friendly. But I always enjoying walking thru "downtown" Istinye. The owners of the restaurant know Joel well. They have a lentil soup that I love and craved quite a bit during my pregnancy. And its on the way home, so nights I didn't want to cook, he could pick up a tasty and inexpensive dinner for us. Russ had been very adventurous trying all kind of Turkish foods during his trip. And we knew he would love this place. It really is just a shack on the side of the road. They love the kids and were happy to see us. We ordered a TON of food. One of the owners was highly impressed with Russ and all that he tried! Traditionally, it is the head of the family that always pays the bill. It took me a while to discover this because I wondered why everyone was so weirded out that I was paying the bill. It became a habit after the last time Joel lost his debit card and I wouldn't get him a new one. :) And guest never pay here. Even if everyone is a local, whoever invited everyone is who pays. Definitely a lot different than the states. Forget about asking to split the bill!! LOL. So when Russ snuck over to pick up the bill, the owner leaned over to Joel to ask if it was OK. Made me giggle. It was sweet that Russ wanted to pick up the tab, so Joel wasn't going to argue. American vs. Turkish culture…its impressive! The only downside to this whole evening…. the walk home. Our street is a pretty steep hill. My car never leaves 2nd gear trying to get up it. So walking it was killer. Well to me at least… and Russ. Luckily, there are plenty resting stops on the way up. LOL. I will NOT be making that walk again until at least 6 weeks postpartum!
Since it was the last night they were going to be in Istanbul, Annie and Russ decided to venture out into the city. Murat had told them how beautiful it is at night. I was highly impressed they managed the public transportation system and got back about 1:30am. The next day they said they even found a water pipe bar! I couldn't imagine my parents being so adventurous!
Saturday was Jocy's 8th birthday party. She was very excited to have Aunt Rachelle there. Aunt Rachelle parties are always fun. Especially, when we make the cake! LOL. Everyone helped out, it was a great time! Even had a great water balloon fight. Sadly, they had to leave for the airport before 4pm.
I am really lucky to have an awesome Sister in law that I have a blast with. It's been since Christmas since I have seen her and it will be Christmas before I see her again. But we do talk most days. It was nice to finally meet the boyfriend. Justin was great fun and the kids loved him. And Annie and Russ were just wonderful guests. They are welcome back anytime…. just not in August again! Too hot!
So that was our fun time! It went way too fast. But I'm really looking forward to Barcelona with Rachelle and Justin in a few short months!!
We took the kids to the park then had lunch at a place Joel's been wanting to go for awhile. It's supposed to be one of the best Manti Houses. The food was great. We had a lovely lunch and will definitely go back. There was a nice breeze off the Bosphorus, which helped my pregnancy hot flashes that finally have started.
