The sun was shining and the sky
clear when we were getting ready this morning.
Such a welcome change from yesterday’s dismal weather. We still had a few admin matters to sort out
which always take more time than they should.
Number one on our list was to sort out the internet. We have had endless problems this time and
have asked the airbnb host several times to rectify the problems as we need the
internet for schooling, banking, planning and communicating. It is essential and the apartment was
advertised as having Wi-Fi and it is one of our strict criteria in choosing
where to stay. Now it seems the host is
trying to get away cheaply with minimal usage but that is not ok by us.
Tim got a rude shock this morning when he poured what we thought was milk on his cereal! It was buttermilk - delicious but unexpected on cereal!! Eventually he could laugh....
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| First snow ever! So exciting! |
As the day was sunny and we
thought we were just popping around the corner to a phone shop, Annika and I
dressed fairly minimally. MISTAKE! The
dark clouds came over and before we knew it we were surrounded by flurries of
snow. It was really exciting, especially
for Annika who had never seen snow and was now experiencing the flakes on her
nose and eyelashes….I embarrassed her just a tiny bit by singing: “My Favourite
Things": from the Sound of Music. And the snow continued….We waited for one
phone shop to open and when it finally did, they had no new Sim cards left and
so we wandered along, in our less than appropriate clothing, to Turkcell where I
got a Sim card and 250 minutes of local calls for 69 Lira. Connected at last! We contacted Mustafa, the airbnb host, who
assured us he would sort out the Wi Fi soon.
When we got back to the
apartment, Luke was in full flight over required spelling work and it was not a
happy scene. Finally, he finished the
work (AGONY) and the kids went down stairs to make and throw snowballs while I
made sandwiches for our day out.
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| Pomegranites sprinkled with snow |
The snow kept drifting down much
to the kids’ delight. It is lovely when
it starts, but having lived in snowy places before, I know the novelty wears
off and the cold sets in and it is pretty miserable at times. When we are exploring, we are out for more
time during the day than the average resident who either goes to work or school
and doesn’t spend hours in the biting wind and driving snow.
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| Archway in part of the remaining old town walls |
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| Back streets of Eminonu |
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| Suleymaniye Mosque |
We took the Metro across the Golden
Horn to the old part of Istanbul. We had
three long escalators up to exit the station as Istanbul is so hilly. We walked in the direction of the Suleymaniye Mosque, set in beautiful
gardens which were sparkling with their new coat of snow. The kids continued their shining eye delight
at the snow and despite my wise warnings not to get really wet at this stage of
the day, they were drawn to piles of snow like magnets. The sun came out and
warmed us a little, the gutters started dripping furiously as the snow melted
and the puddles on the white marble lent themselves to magnificent
reflections. The problem with visiting
mosques in this sort of weather is the mandate to remove shoes when feet are
already struggling to maintain warmth.
The interior was unique and ornate and a little warmer than outside.
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| First sprinkling of snow, Suleymaniye Mosque |
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| Narnia? |
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| Snow elf! |
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| Still loving it! |
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| Not many tourists funnily enough! |
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| Trussed up like Michelin Men! |
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| SO Beautiful - reflections in the melted snow. |
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| Courtyard. |
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| Couldn't resist another photo |
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| NB Luke scraping snow off the bin to make another snowball! |
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| It always pays to look up! |
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| Interior Suleymaniye Mosque |
We gobbled down a bit of lunch
but it was really too cold to sit and we kept moving. Just as we reached a great lookout spot, over
the Bosphorus and over the town, the snow clouds descended and blocked our view
and the snow fell thickly and horizontally on us. By this stage Luke and Annika who had inadequate
shoes were really chilly. Tim and I have
Kathmandu hiking boots/shoes and our feet stayed dry until mid-afternoon by
which time it was so slushy and wet with icy snow under foot that it was nigh
impossible to stay dry.
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| Note 2 things: no customers and snow on TOP of ice cream vats! |
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| Looking towards the river which completely disappeared. |
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| The sleet was just starting up again |
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| Istanbul roofs |
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| Mysterious stairways through the old city walls - love the intrigue! |
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| Not a whole lot of people about! |
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| Arty mosaics - love it! |
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| "I think my rider took the Metro..." | |
We finally found Sultanahmet
Square and the famous Ayasofia (Blue Mosque) and the surrounding beautiful snow
sprinkled gardens. Tim, Karl and I
decided to go into the Mosque so the shoe removal process began again! Luke and Annika said they couldn’t take their
wet shoes and socks off and put them on again.
They were indeed wise. The shoe
removal area was wet of course and so our socks got really wet and cold and
there was no space in my mind to reflect on the wonder of the famous blue interior
or contemplate the contrast between Christian and Islamic worship. My FREEZING
FEET dominated my every thought!
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| Sultanahmet Square and gardens leading to Ayasofia, the Blue Mosque |
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| STILL loving the snow! |
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| Slushy ice in path to mosque |
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| Blue tiles in the Blue Mosque for which is it wellknown |
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| Light from outside dulls the photo but the amazing tiles can still b eappreciated. |
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| A palm tree covered in snow and benches where no doubt people sit and eat ice cream in summer! |
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| Boys having fun. |
At times the snow turned to sleet
and the boys continued to make snowballs to the point that their gloves were
saturated…What did mother say?...grrrrr…yep, freezing hands now.
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| Twisted snowy branches.... |
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| The Grand Bazaar |
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| Note beautiful ceilings |
We finally found the Grand
Bazaar, a labyrinth of small alleyways and vendors offering carpets, jeans,
amber and silver. A feast for the eyes
but we were really too cold to drink in the atmosphere. At least it was undercover and slightly
warmer than outside. Our search for
shoes for Luke and Annika seemed to be in vain.
Right at the exit, we found some terrific boots for Luke and paid the 90
Lira ($45 AUD) for them. With his dry
socks and new boots, he was skipping along merrily!
We bought one of the delicious flaky
warm pastries sprinkled with icing sugar and scoffed it quickly and bought
another (4 Lira). Now we had just enough
energy to find the Metro and get home.
So, so glad of the warmth of the flat with its heated floors and
efficient central heating and several cups of tea.
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| Turkish flaky warm pastry treat! |
After another struggle to get
Luke to do some school work and the frustration of no Wi Fi connection yet, Karl and Annika still offered
to go to the supermarket to get vegetables and also some warm waterproof shoes
for Annika. What soldiers! I could NOT contemplate going outside in the
biting cold again. They returned, both
having slipped over on the icy paths. I certainly
wouldn’t want to drive in these conditions.
We have heard lots of sirens tonight which probably indicate accidents.
And the battle to get Wi-Fi continues….a friend of Mustafa's dropped off a 3 G Wi Fi stick at 2230 hrs which finally gave us a connection but was really late for the big kids who want to submit their homework for school.
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