I woke up with sunlight steaming in through our cabin window. Dad phoned to tell us to get dressed because we were going to have breakfast. We ate at the Rigoletto dining area on deck 9. It was a buffet breakfast and I started out having some fruit salad with very thick Greek yogurt and muesli. I then had a croissant with scrambled eggs as well as a muffin. Mmmm! A girl could get used to this :)
Afterwards, we put on a very thick jacket (it was 6 degrees) and went outside to watch as the boat cruised into Istanbul harbor. Once we had safely docked, we disembarked. We were not doing the tour of Istanbul with all the other passengers, but instead meeting Carol-Anne at the harbor. She is mom's friend and has recently moved to Istanbul with her 4 adopted children because she wants to minister to the Turkish people. We were all really looking forward to seeing her and her daughters. The oldest daughter, Janan, is 12 (she used to be in Ashlyn's class.) Carol-Anne also has twins, Katy and Lara, who are six years old and another daughter, Roxy, who is 10.
When we got off the boat we phoned her to see where we could meet. She had taken a ferry across the harbor because her home is on the other side. We walked to where her ferry disembarked and there they were! After lots of hellos and hugs we decided to quickly get something to eat. We went to a stall on the side of the road and bought these rings of bread with sesame seeds called simid. We ate them while we walked around and got a feel for the city. Katy and Lara were chatting with me (they are so cute and lively). We had to keep an eye on them to make sure they were always with us.
After walking through the streets of Istanbul and looking at the interesting buildings, we needed a break. We went and sat on some benches. While we were there, the twins made me and Ash some jewelry out of the simid packets. I also made Katy an aliceband and Lara a ring.
After we had rested we went to the Basilica Cistern, which used to be an underground storage area for water. It was beautiful, but a bit eerie because of the way they light up the pillars that are there to support the roof.
Then it was time for lunch. Carol-Anne took us to a little restaurant where we ate upstairs. The decor was very authentic: bright colours, rugs on the wall, wobbly seats etc. There was a bathroom up there, with a tiny door (you had to practically crawl through it) and a string to flush. Carol-Anne said that it was one of the better toilets in Turkey. We ate delicious chicken wraps and the adults drank a sort of yogurt drink (Ayran) while the kids had Fanta. Then the twins put on a little show with singing and dancing. The shop owner even came up to watch (The Turkish are fascinated with the children because most of them have never seen a black person.) They also gave us apple tea (which was really just apple juice heated up) While we were eating lunch we heard their call to prayer wailing from the mosques. It was a very strange sound.
We then decided to go into the Blue Mosque. We had to take off our shoes as we went inside. It was amazing inside- it's so big. The walls are decorated really intricately, mostly with blue, gold and red.
Once we had exited and put our shoes on again, we carried on looking around. It was almost time for us to go back to the boat (boarding time was 5:30 at the latest) but Carol-Anne had promised the twins a treat if they behaved, so she took us all to the Burger King for an ice cream.
Then it was time for us to go. We decided to go on the tram because we were tired from all the walking we had done. We said goodbye and there was even more hugs. We were sad to leave and it was a fantastic day. They were all waving goodbye as the tram pulled away.
We got back to the harbor and boarded the boat. I posted my blog while we were still in the harbor (we need cellphone reception to be able to get Internet- so I may not be able to post my blog everyday) Then I watched a bit as we left Istanbul harbor. I read my book and finally it was time for dinner. We went to La Scala restaurant on deck 8. They brought us a selection of Greek starters (dips, bread, salad etc.) which was very nice (it wasn't a buffet dinner) then you ordered your main course from a choice of 5 dishes. I had the assorted souvlaki, which was 2 kebabs (1 with chicken, 1 with pork) with a pita and chips. Mom, Dad and Ash had the fish. Then you chose you pudding. I had the bougatsa (filo pastry with custard cream) and the kadeifi (angel hair filo filled with walnuts and almonds and a honey sauce) Then Ash and I went to bed
What a lovely post again Nicole. It is the highlight of my day!!! I wondered how many meals you get in a day???????????? big breakfast, then those simid's, then lunch etc. It must have been lovely to see your friends again and yes, sadly say farewell again... I noticed that you go down a level with every next meal! I hope the quality doesn't go down with it!
ReplyDelete6 degrees Brrr. your 3 in 1 jackets came in handy then?
Keep up the good work with the blog, it is so interesting. Not seasick??
Opa and Oma
Lovely to meet up with friends in such a far off and strange place. Must have been nice to get a bit of an insider view from them? You are going to have lots and lots to tell when you are back here. Thank goodness for you blog - nice diary and reminder. Loving it.
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