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.