Spring Break with Bailey and Mom

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the delay in writing, but I've been busy catching up on work in preparation for this week. Unless I'm feeling super ambitious I probably won't write about each day that Mom and Bailey were here in this post, but I will soon.

So on Sunday I went to the hotel, the Sirkeci Konak, to meet Mom and Bailey. I really had no idea how long it would take me to get there/where the hotel was so I left with lots of time to spare. Getting to the hotel was easy and required only a bus, tram, and a 5 minute walk. I arrived at the hotel around 11 and read the newspaper in the lobby (first newspaper I've read in 3 months!). It seemed that every few minutes I would look up to the front door opening in hopes that Mom and Bailey were arriving. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity one of the guys at the front desk lit up in a huge smile and started waving frantically at me to come to the front door... there they were! Looking a little tired, we settled in to the hotel and went out for a walk in the nearby Gulhane Park. The park is absolutely beautiful and runs parallel to the Bosphorus. Unfortunately, it also happens to be the worst place for people with allergies. It was literally raining pollen. I could have walked for a couple hours, but I had to keep reminding myself that Bailey and Mom had just come off a 10 hour flight. After about an hour, we headed back to the hotel where Mom took a nap and Bailey went for a swim. I embarked on a mission to the gym to determine if I had lost any endurance since I arrived... I have not! As a nice perk, the hotel offered a free dinner at any of their five restaurants. We went to Imbat, a restaurant on the top floor of a nearby hotel. The view was spectacular and the food was quite tasty.

Monday was a beautiful day in the low 60s. After enjoying a splendid breakfast buffet of both traditional turkish cuisine like olives, cheese, cucumbers, etc. and american cuisine such as danishes and cereal we set out for a 6 hour bosphorus boat cruise. It was a little chilly on the water, but the views more than made up for the cold. Mom and Bailey were able to get a glimpse of my university for the water. We took the ferry to Anadolu Kavağı on the Asian side of Istanbul. Anadolu Kavağı is a traditional fishing village situated on the banks of the river. After hiking up to an old fortress where we were able to see the Black Sea we walked through the village and had lunch. Unfortunately for Bailey, a stray and very unfriendly cat kept following her wherever she went hoping to get the crumbs from her meal. Next, we took the ferry back towards our hotel about three stops before getting off to take the bus back towards the hotel. Personally, the Bosphorus tour was the highlight of the week as it was really cool to see the city from the water. You can't really picture how large it is until you see just how spread out everything is along the water.

We were planning to head to the university on Tuesday; however, I mistakenly led us in the wrong direction from the hotel. By the time, I realized the mistake we decided to postpone the university to Wednesday and visit the tourist sites in the area. First, we went to the Grand Bazaar. I can't even begin to adequately describe the Bazaar, but it seemed to be a never ending maze and sea of people. Every few steps another shop owner would yell at you in English to come to their store. As Mom and Bailey shopped for scarves, I listened intently to the various shop owners speaking a multitude of languages like French, Spanish, English, Turkish, and Chinese. I think the shopkeepers must pick up the basics of each language so that they can talk to all their customers. It was really fascinating to watch and listen to. We also visited the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the Basilica Cisterns (underground water chambers). That evening we participated in backgammon lessons taught by a few of the staff at the hotel. Backgammon is much more of a strategic game than I anticipated and I can't wait to play when I get home. Whereas what took us about 20 minutes to play a game took two of the staff members about 5 minutes. Luckily, they were quite patient with us and always willing to answer our questions. Although, I do think they found our initial ineptitude and curiosity quite amusing.

I'll write more about our adventures tomorrow.

Love,

Brett