More pictures of our trip to Sultanahmet and Hagia Sophia

More pictures

We had such a good time over the past couple of weeks, and I've been so busy that I haven't had time to blog. So there are about a million pictures and stories I'd love to tell you. First, as you may know Istanbul is very hot in the summer. Today, Marco looked out the window, and said, "It's damn hot today" We could hardly correct him because we know he's heard that from us everday since we've arrived. Next, Marco and Carolina are big time meet eaters (it's the Oklahoman in them). Marco has been in love with Turkey for its abundance of "meat on a stick." At first I was a little weary of all the meat vendors; however, after Marco cried " I want meat on a stick" about a million times, as I was trying to get him to eat a little kisir (not spelled exactly right), or some veggies, even a harmless looking baked potato stuffed with veggies, yogurt and cheese, the kids kept asking for "meat on a stick (doner) or would even settle by pleading, "can I just have some meatballs" (kofte), (The Oklahoman in them being supported by the Italian giving them uncontrollable meat cravings) I finally gave in and the kids have been eating their share of various meats with and without sticks, and hopefully all the tomatoes and fruits we're eating paired with the hiking around all these hills will head off heart disease for awhile.

Finally, here's a picture for Grandma Barb of Marco with her favorite, a yellow rose. Istanbul has an abundance of flower gardens. Sultanahmet has beautiful rose gardens. Roses are everywhere and only outdone by the hydrangeas. I thought Bogazici University had the best and most hydrangeas I'd ever see, but Topkapi Palace topped it. I hope to get the hydrangea pics up soon. I only wish I was here in the spring time to see the tulips (lale), the national flower and my favorite. We are also amazed by some of the trees. There's a sycamore/maple looking tree that lines the way into Topkapi and coastal road near Dolmabahce that we are trying to identify. We'll keep you posted.

BTW: I'm sure my brothers are terribly sorry they are missing all the flora and fauna gawking my Mother and I are doing on this trip. (we've suffered though many battles over fall foliage tours, botanical garden trips, and simple country road wildflower gazing, with Jimmy and Rickey who let's just say don't appreciate horticulture the way we do).

The halfway mark

Damian and my Dad just left for home this morning, and we already miss them. However, we had a very nice time while they were here. We did some site seeing, most notably Hagia Sophia, and an all day excursion to Topkapi Palace, in which we had an issue with our camera so we cannot post the pictures. Hagia Sophia remains awe inspiring. The Byzantine/Roman architects/commissioners really knew what they were doing. Sultanahmet and Topkapi Palace are also amazing. Its safe to say that whatever differences the various peoples who've populated this piece of the earth claim, the synthesis of culture in this city is impressive, and the evidence of cultural synthesis for thousands of years is truly inspiring. Istanbul is definitely a city for humanists of all sorts.
However, it only takes a short walk down Istaklal Caddessi in Taksim to notice the very young police officers with very big guns strolling among the crowds of tourists and locals out for a good time, or perhaps a murderous bombing at the U.S. consulate to remind you of the other side of the human experience here. The city is definitely in a lot better shape than, let's say during the Fourth Crusade, but with as much synthesis as I see the disparity between rich and poor, between the fat tourists (myself included) and the Iraqi refugees, and the near daily reminder of the tenuous relationship between the state and democracy when I keep forgetting that the government has blocked the use of youtube because someone posted degrading videos about Ataturk.
Yet, life goes on without youtube, and all in all the city, the food, the history, the sea, and our friends... they are all amazing (much better than anything I've seen on youtube!), and we really love it here. I promise to add some more pictures of the city when I get things worked out with my camera, but for now here's some more pictures of the kids and family that we took at the beginning of last week. As you can see the kids are really getting used to this summer vacationing in the Mediterranean. They'll be in for a rude awakening when we have to explain that we can only afford trips to Oklahoma or Lisbon for the rest of their life.

Traveling in Istanbul

Hello Everyone, Damian here.

I wanted to give everyone a quick update on our travels in Istanbul. First it's good to be here and see the kids. It's amazing how much they have grow in 3 short weeks. Marco and Carolina are running wild and Leila is not far behind. Marco is able to wave down taxis like a seasoned pro. Carolina is afraid of flies so tries to kill them with a fly-swatter. And Leila is crawling, well she is crawling backwards, but that counts for something.

We've spent all of our time in Istanbul so far. But tomorrow we are looking to go to Ephesus. There are many ancient ruins in Ephesus and hopefully we can make it there and back without any hassle.

Enjoy these new photos from our travels in Istanbul. We were able to visit the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia two very beautiful buildings. It's hard to understand how they put these buildings together without modern equipment. (Note: Pictures are of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia pictures to come.)

Having Fun with the Kids

In case anyone is wondering who the beautiful woman traveling with me is, I thought I would disclose that it is my mother. She took an unpaid leave of absence from her job to take care of my children while I work here in Turkey. The kids and I are so lucky to have such wonderful support from our family. Here are some pictures that mom and I took of the kids clowning around the neighborhood for the rest of the family and friends who are missing them this summer. We are already missing you too.

Our First Trip to Asia

We decided to take a taxi to Anadalu (Anatolia)/the Asian side of the city last Sunday. We spent the afternoon in Kadikoy where we enjoyed the famous bazzar. The narrow streets of the market are filled with everything from fresh fish to ipods. We were mostly just looking as it's pretty difficult to really shop with the kids. However, I would say it is must see for anyone traveling to Istanbul. The taxi ride was a bit expensive, so we opted to take the ferry back home. The view of both sides of Istanbul including the awe inspiring Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque as well as the cerulean color of the Bosporus is breathtaking. We are looking forward to taking a longer boat trip up the strait in a couple of weeks.