Istanbul

Not much to tell, save that I’m in Istanbul for a couple nights, while Azure and Emelyn are keeping an eye on things in Cambridge.

I think I’ll have to chalk this up as one of the weirder 48 hours in my life — this is an unapologetically business-y business trip, and as such, I haven’t seen much apart from hyper-modern office buildings and exceptionally nice restaurants.

My room, though, is directly on the Bosphorous, and this morning I ate my breakfast right on the water, watching a panoply of tankers, ferries, and yachts ply the channel. And when I got back to the hotel this evening, I had a tiny bit of time left to wander around Bebek — I’d been hoping to find a suitable gift for Emmie, but the closest thing I could spot was a onesie that read, “My other car seat is in a Porsche”.

Had to pass on that one. (If only for strictly factual reasons.)

Dinner was pleasant enough. I needed to avoid a repeat of last night, where I dined awkwardly alone in a very fancy fish restaurant, Poseidon. So tonight I wound up eating a köfte sandwich, instead, from a snack-hut-thing about a block off the main strip (and maybe 15 yards east of McDonald’s). As far as I could tell, this place had everything going for it — harsh flourescent lighting, a group of old men smoking and sipping tea, Rubbermaid furniture, and a flow of bus drivers who kept darting in and running back out clutching hot dogs.

Like I said… ‘twas pleasant enough. I even topped off the meal with a wee dram of Turkish coffee. Though I made the same mistake as I invariably do at Don and Lorna’s, namely, I got greedy and took one sip too many, and hence wound up with a mouthful of coffee grounds. Cleanses the palate, at least.

Anyhow. Home tomorrow AM, and now it’s the weekend. Whoo-hoo!

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