full of mistakes

End of summer

The heat wave for us (coming from San Francisco), or what people here call summer is getting close to an end. With the girls, we usually try to make one big outing a day and then, in the late afternoon or after our early dinner, we hang out in our building's garden which is finally cool enough at that time. We have been doing that often enough that we are getting familiar with the fauna and the flora of the garden. The cats, snails, centipedes and the plants, trees and the weeds, and we are still collecting. I love that Lula gives me bits and pieces and tells me that it is for my art. "Mama, mama, take it..." Here is another piece:

Pine cones, needles and some watercolors. Here is Lula's version (with a little help from me) after she saw mine:

Summer is ending. Ramadan is ending. Lula's summer vacation is ending. Not there yet, but our special 1.5 year stay in Turkey is getting close to an end. We are bittersweet. Life has been great here.

In the water

When we arrived in Istanbul this time, I saw something that I did not before: deniz taksi. It is a private Bosphorus cab system run by the city of Istanbul. You can reserve a small boat to pick up at one of the city ferry stations any time of the day and drop you off at another station. It takes up to 10 people and you can either reserve it for just yourself or a group. It is not cheap but it is not astronomical either. It seems like the traffic in Istanbul is requiring more solutions and/or creating more businesses. John and I had been thinking of doing it for a special occasion and recently a dinner with friends who lived on the other side of Istanbul was a good one.

It was quite an experience. I never had a private boat ride with a 2-person crew before. They opened the gates of the Bebek Ferry Station that was done with its regular schedule just for us, helped us get on the boat and our ride started a little after 9 PM. It was all dark waters, lights and beautiful Istanbul. And a little bit of cheesy Joy FM that was the choice of the captain.

Bebek coastline at night

Bosphorus Bridge.

All photos are from the moving boat, a little helpless but also in the mood of a boat ride! We had a funny ending. Our destination was the Moda Ferry Station, which at the end of its daily schedule did not close but became a restaurant. As the boat arrived, everybody was looking at us while we were trying to hop onto the station (which was quite high up from the boat) and maneuver through the dining tables. Not the most glamorous ending...

And a little photo styling

Girls found all these pieces while they were playing in the garden. They are entertained endlessly by nature. I was reminded of the times I was doing photoshoots for Small Square Design products and got inspired. 

Trips and Visitors

Since mid July we have been either on the go or had lovely visitors. A nice way to spend the warm summer...

First, we went for a short weekend getaway near Istanbul. One of Lula's schoolmate's parents own and operate this beautiful resort by a small river. We went there with some friends who also have similarly aged kids and it was perfect vacation for everyone. Meals by the pool, lots of play time with friends, a little chat time for grown-ups.

Adele, Lula and Ada, Bora.

Then we had John's parents visiting for 10 days. We showed them our favorite spots and also went to places that were on our to-see list, too. 

Cafe Pierre Loti. The photo in between me and Lula is of Pierre Loti.

Both sets of grandparents at Santral Istanbul.

Girls enjoying the control room again. It is amazing to me how much they have grown since this visit...