A Week in Review

Another weekend nears and another week has flown by. Except yesterday when the boy would. not. go. to. sleep. He awoke at 6:30 a.m. and was active until 8:30 p.m. when he was quite overtired (NOW I know what this parenting term really means!) and was so grumpy, he could not relax enough to just fall asleep. It was such a long day for his papa. I was also grumpy. Then I woke up today and realized what a great and busy week it has been and that he's allowed some days like that. It also didn't help that the PSG v. Barcelona football match was on TV the night before starting at the same time I usually go to bed. So I blame myself, really.

I'll start with Friday. Friday was a gorgeous day. Sunny and a little cold. I was on my way to take the boy north a bit to walk along the Bosphorus, when I got a call from my friend asking if we wanted to go for a walk. I decided to swing by and pick him and his little one up and take us all there. Our destination is just north of Yenikoy, a delightful little village that runs between Istinye and Sariyer. I really like Yenikoy. They have an abundance of restaurants and cafes and tree-lined streets. Most of the waterfront is taken up by private residences, but you can access it just north, as we did. It is the part of Istanbul I'd most like to live in if I lived here forever. It reminds me of a small coastal town in the U.S. It just has a nice laid-back vibe. And by that, I mean as laid-back as you can get in this city! I discovered a nice little place to park (rarity!) along the shore road, across from the gourmet grocery and near the Austrian Consulate. It's a prime place to walk and not crowded at all early in the day on a weekday.

The kids climbing around the car during carseat installation. They had a ball.

A scene out of a movie.

No better spot for a nap.

The next day was Saturday and the Consulate put on an egg hunt for the American expat community. We knew about the former, but not the latter and were overwhelmed at how many Americans live in Istanbul with small children. The boy ended up with a few eggs in his basket and seemed to know to pick them up and place them there. As he doesn't eat candy, we had to find creative ways to dispose of it. The Tootsie Rolls were particularly delicious. The pictures are on the other camera and will be seen here at a later date.

Sunday was yet another gorgeous day and our friends invited us for a walk to Emirgan to see the tulips that the city plants every spring. It was part of the first nice weekend of the year and the park was packed with people. We were luck we were able to walk. It would've taken hours to get our car in there!

He still fits in the backpack and I am still able to carry him in it.

We loved these tulips with the crazy edges.

Some grape hyacinth in the middle, but the rest is all tulips. (check it out large!)

A very happy small boy. No longer a baby.

The outline of the country done up as a Turkish flag. It was quite stunning with all that red!

The boy and I waiting to cross the bridge. All the paparazzi are taking photos of some "lucky" young chap who is to be circumcised later in the day. It is tradition for boys to get these elaborate princely costumes to help them celebrate their big day. This young man was a little fussy at having to wear so many layers on such a warm day. I was thinking the uncomfortable part is yet to come!

A tulip motif made up of tulips. There were as many cameras out as there were people. The tulips in the park are a BIG deal!

But wait! There's more! On Monday we had tickets to see (comedian? performer? funny bloke?) Eddie Izzard and were lucky enough that the venue was only ten minutes away by car. Our group met up at the mall and had a delicious dinner at an outpost of one of my favorite cafes before dropping the boy off at a friend's and heading off to the show. It was a hilarious performance and I was very happy to have had the chance to see him perform live. We returned home with sleepy boy in hand and went to bed way past our bedtime. The next day brought the playdate in Bebek and that's what I've been up to for the better part of a week. It is a good life. This post brought to you by the fact that the boy decided to nap again. Hallelujah.

Bebek Playdate

This may sound similar to a previous post about traveling TO a playdate via the Bosphorus. However, this post is about a playdate on the edge of the Bosphorus in a lovely little neighborhood called Bebek, which just happens to mean 'baby' in Turkish.

Our group consisted of us three stay at home dads from the Consulate and our children. We met up at my place and walked down to the harbor to catch the boat. As always when I take the boat, it is always just pulling in to port when I am arriving. Soon we were off to Kanlica, home of the famous yogurt; Anadolu Hisari, where there is a beautiful museum, a baby park and some lovely open green space; Kandilli, where there is supposedly a stream of delicious fresh water, and onto Bebek, known for its chichi restaurants and clubs and occasional Ferrari and Lamborghini sightings. They also have a great children's park and some other normal restaurants.

My boy was suffering from a recent cold, so he looks a little down in the mouth, but he was very excited to be out and about. He got to see boats, ships, birds, dogs and about two dozen planes where for each, he craned his neck and pointed and said his hoarse "Wow!"

On the boat. Kids stayed buckled in for safety.

A ship and a bridge!

A ship and a bridge and a CASTLE!

A castle, all by its lone.

Sometimes you get passed by giant ships. This one is a livestock carrier bound for Romania originally from Beirut, Lebanon.

We unloaded at Bebek and found our way to the park, which is quite large and very nicely kept. It was very popular and there were plenty of children, but there are enough play areas that nothing was overcrowded. The boy got to go down a few slides with his papa, which he thoroughly enjoyed. My legs are too gangly for the circular slide, so it was just the short straight ones for us.

At the park.

The boy and his accomplice spy a Louis Vuitton bag. They both love to get into bags. The owner came and retrieved it before they could pilfer anything from it.

An attempted escape!

We finally did escape and went searching for some delicious, cheap food to bring back to the park to enjoy in the shade on the grass. We wandered around for a short spell, but Bebek is so small, that you don't need to go too far to see it all. We got a hard sell for a butcher shop / deli from a man who spoke English quite well, but we weren't in the mood for what they had to offer. I wouldn't mind trying it another time, however. We ended up at a koftecisi, a place that sells kofte. We each got an order and it was so delicious and only about $6.50 for a plate with rice, fresh tomato slices, a hot pepper and plenty of kofte. The boy ate quite a few, even though the children had their own order of chicken. After that, it was a game of keep the children out of the water, away from the mean dog, let them chase the crows, but don't let them step in any piles of dog poop. We all wore each other out and headed home on the bus, where all three children fell instantly asleep.

I am excited for the warmer days to come. I plan on exploring each of the ferry stops individually and also inviting others out to join us. It's what I wanted to do all last year, but was too busy getting acquainted with everything and feeling overwhelmed. I have to thank my ever patient Turkish teacher for working with me so diligently, even when I don't study or remember my vocabulary. My comprehension of the language is growing and hence my confidence in going out to the non-touristy places (the safe ones). Here's to a great 2013 with my little guy. If only the wife could play hooky more often...

And finally, the most beautiful Consulate in Istanbul, the Egyptian Consulate. It's like a fancy French estate right on the water. It's one of my favorite buildings here, although I should appreciate the Ottoman architecture more.