VERY EDIBLE SOY: Istanbul Family Reunion (1 of 4)

We're just back in Tbilisi after a week-long vacation in Istanbul with the Pitheys. It was the first family reunion for Julie's family in quite a while. Mom, Rita, and brother Jim with his wife Irma flew in from Los Angeles on Turkish Airlines flight 10 -- one flight and about 12 hours on the plane. Our daughter, Erica, and her husband Giga arrived at the same time from London, and the five of them spent one night in a boutique hotel near Ataturk airport. Julie and I came in the next afternoon and Julie's brother Ed, who lives in Istanbul, met all of us in a van with his whole family; wife Teri, and kids Hannah, Abram. Makenna, and Valor.

It was a long commute over to the Asian side of the city, but we arrived safely at Ed's new apartment where we settled in for a couple of nights. That first afternoon Teri made a great Thanksgiving style dinner with turkey and fixin's.

Teri Making Dinner

Sitting Around the Apartment

Giga Relaxing

Jim & Erica

Grandma Rita at the Apartment

The next day, Saturday, we hiked out to the bus and rode in to Kadıköy where we caught a ferry across the Bosphorus to the European side. At Eminönü we walked through the Spice Bazaar. It was horribly crowded, but we made it out alive with olives, nuts, cheese, and apricots.

Waiting at the Bus Stop

Julie & Erica

Having a Snack at Kadıköy before getting the Boat

Ed & Rita

Snacking at the Spice Bazaar

Shopping Done, Goodies in Hand

A Cup of Turkish Tea on the Ferry

Jim & Irma

Riding the Ferry

Dinner was at a nice cafe where Ed was invited to play the clarinet with the band. We had a sampling of exotic Turkish specialties and a nice relaxing evening.

Our Dinner Restaurant

Jim, Irma, Giga, Makenna

Erica & John

Julie, Rita, Teri

Ed, Julie, Jim

Ed Playing for his Dinner

Rita & Jim

Short Video of the Restaurant Atmosphere

Easter Sunday we attended services at Ed's church and moved our bags into Taksim. Jim, Irma, Julie and I took up residence for six nights in a two-bedroom apartment on İstiklal Avenue, and Erica and Giga checked in to the Suzak Residence Hotel nearby. Teri and Rita headed back home while Ed took us to over to his old neighborhood, Kanlıca, and then on to Bebek to his favorite pizza place.

At Church

Riding the Ferry, Again

Monday was our first day of hard-core tourist activities. We started out (John, Julie, Jim, Irma, Erica, Giga) by catching the funicular down from Taksim and the tram to Sultanahmet where we wandered into Topkapi Palace. From there, dodging the carpet salesmen, we picked up Ed and Rita at the tram stop and walked to the Basilica Cistern. Feeding cat food to the fish and wandering among the columns underground made us hungry enough that we had to stop at a nearby cafe for lunch.

Julie & John

Irma & Palace Guard

Strolling outside the Palace

Rita in the Cistern

Our Lunch Cafe

After lunch we strolled into the Blue Mosque before Ed and Rita headed back home.

Blue Mosque Interior

Blue Mosque Ceiling

Erica, Rita, Giga Outside the Mosque

Julie with Brothers and Mom

The six of us had enough time to wander through the Grand Bazaar, looking and shopping. By the time we finished, we were all on sensory overload and headed back to the apartment where our dinner consisted of cheese, olives, nuts and various other snacks we picked up along the way.