Ortaköy

The first time I went to Ortaköy was before we even moved to Istanbul. I tagged along with Paul on a 48 hour visit in order to confirm that I could indeed live in Turkey. While we were here, we got in a Bosphorus boat cruise and made a pit stop in Ortaköy. We were greeted by the hustle and bustle of Istanbul on tiny streets packed with restaurants, jewellers/artists selling their goods and people taking it all in.

  Back alley in Ortaköy with restaurants and bars along it

Since then I have been hooked and it is a favorite place to take visitors when they come into town. On the weekends, they have some great street vendors selling art, jewelry, books and more, in addition to the usual stores there.

Ortaköy also is a great place to have a meal and enjoy  the views. Whether you sit down at Mado or the House Cafe, or grab a kumpir to go and sit by the water, you won't be disappointed by the atmosphere. There's even a guy selling mussels if you want something "fresh" and slimy (I may be biased as a non-seafood eater, but there's something fishy about this).

 Kumpirs! Basically a baked potato + salad bar

 For those who are brave and have strong stomachs

But, like I said, the best part of it is the view. Right up on the Bosphorus and right under the Bosphorus bridge, you get a fantastic view of the ships, water, bridge, birds and everything else that makes the Bosphorus so unique.

Six Months

Today is my six seven month anniversary of living in Istanbul. Wow. Time really does fly. It seems like both just yesterday and forever ago that we packed up, sold off our junk stuff, rented out our house and got on a one way flight to Istanbul.

Has everything worked out perfectly according to our well laid plans? Of course not, life is funny like that. Still, looking back, there are absolutely no regrets. I love the life of an expat, travelling the world on weekends, exploring a country I had only thought about visiting but I now call home. I love my friends here, and even as some of them head back home to 'real' lives, we will always share memories of this crazy, fantastic, sometimes trying experience of living as yabancılar (foreigners) in Istanbul.

It has been six months full of lots of firsts - first time living overseas, first time haggling in the bazaar, first time getting lost on the subway (or the bus or just in general), first time living by the water, first time missing Thanksgiving in Texas, first time.......  

So, what has the last six months brought us?

• Five new countries stamped in our passports
• Three visitors from home with whom we got to share our city
• A little bit of knowledge of Turkish
• More snow days than I care to count
• Many, many visits to the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya and other city sites
• Two Turkish rugs  (and that's only because of my wonderful shopping self restraint!)
• An appreciation for a new culture

 Turkey bound! And yes, that is one of those plane face masks. I love them and may or may not use them at home too. Just saying they're great.

Visiting my first mosque in Istanbul (Nov 2011)

 Hanging out in Ortakoy (December 2011)

 Driving through Tekirdağ - having some of their special kofte (December 2011)

 Celebrating the New Year in Gelibolu (January 2012)

 Family portrait at Troy (January 2012)

 Official resident of Turkey - and yes, I look terrible, just ignore that part (February 2012)

First trip to the Asian side of Istanbul and almost made it to the Black Sea (March 2012)

 First tulip festival (April 2012)

What will the next six months have in store for us? Well, besides the 4 sets of visitors, and lots of trips, only time will tell!

Update: I apparently skipped one of those basic math lessons. This was my seven month anniversary! Time really does fly.