Deeper into Istanbul

Yesterday afternoon, the four of us wove our way through narrow twisting cobblestone side streets considering our dinner options.  Just before we approached a point where three streets converged, a door in one of the white washed walls to my right flew open revealing a long dark interior corridor that led to yet another street.  A motorcycle whizzed by just missing the young boy carrying a tray of small tulip shaped glasses full of steaming tea.  The first of many James Bond moments, I’m sure.

The second happened today at the Basilica Cistern, where I learned To Russia With Love was in fact filmed.  After our morning tour of the heavenly Hagia Sophia, we descended deep into the bowels of the earth to find this incredible underground sanctuary devoted to water.  The cistern was built by the Romans in around 500 AD and was one of many (but surely the grandest) underground water reservoirs throughout the city.  Rows upon rows of ornately carved marble columns support the arched brick ceiling.  

Photo credits: Booker McCann

We learned that the most of the columns were salvaged from other buildings throughout the empire.  The most striking has carved Medusa head resting at the bottom.  

Imagine the labor, the slave labor, it took to bring this masterwork to life.  As well as the aquaducts that carried the water from the far-away Belgrade Forest.  Something for us visitors to contemplate as we watched the fat goldfish slowly circle in the (now) shallow coin-filled water.

What we came for

While Bryan was busy from crack of dawn onward with his Brazilian Studies conference, the boys and I explored London for the first two days.  Like me, they loved the part where we wandered between the landmarks.  Those long walks felt like quests, where we were happily thrown off course by little treasures that we stumbled upon along the way.  Like the leaning onyx jelly bean positioned half-way between the Tower Bridge (there in the background) and The Shard (of which many many photos were taken).

Bryan got in on the action at the tail end of the visit, just in time for some good London downpours.  We spent most of our last day indoors visiting to the Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe and the Borough Market.  As the rain let up, we grabbed a double decker bus and alighted near Russell Square and wandered by this enclosed garden with an outdoor cafe and lovely fountain.  Another treasure.

Given my time and bad wifi-contraints, I have to fast-forward from England where we saw so many beautiful and very old structures and had so many good times with the Sweidan family.

View of Big Ben from the London Eye

Jessica and Adam's 600-year old farmhouse in East Sussex

Yes, check out the Sweidan farmhouse - it deserves its own post for sure

But we must go even farther back in time to the ancient city of Istanbul, where we landed last night, and where we spent this afternoon walking along the eastern tip of the western, or European, side of the city near the Blue Mosque.  It is edged on one side by the Sea of Marmara and on the other side by a protective wall built during the Roman Empire.

The boys happily scampered for over a mile along the rocky coastline.  There were clumps of deeply-bronzed older men sunning themselves on the rocks, and occasionally jumping into the bracing water for a swim.  When we finally all sat down to gaze out at the large container ships pushing their way through the aqua waters of the Bosphorus, Booker declared "This is what I came here for."

T-minus 3 Hours

It's suddenly quiet here in the McCann Hunter house as we wait out our last 3 hours before a Barwood taxi will whisk us away to Dulles International Airport.  We have spent the last few weeks shoving piles and piles our possessions into the stack of plastic bins up in the attic, though I'm sure there are at least a few stray dirty socks (or worse) lying in wait for our future tenant.  Sorry in advance Erin!  

It was a struggle for Bryan to accept that our family of four is bringing five huge suitcases.  I countered that the inconvenience of dragging all these falling apart suitcases around the globe will be worth it once we're settled for a four-month stay.  We'll burn through some of our clothes and then have an extra bag to bring a few treasures back home, right?  In any case, he humored me.  And here is our life in suitcases.           

And the boys.  Well, this picture captures how we are all feeling just about now.  Thrilled that an unbelievable adventure is just around the corner!  Gripped with anxiety about leaving our happy life behind!  Toggling between these two emotions at the moment.   

In 9 days we'll be landing in Turkey, our new home country.  But first, of course, we have our week-long layover in London, England.  That jaunt to London made a lot of sense when I booked the tickets 6 months ago.  But as the departure date neared, I questioned my sanity.  Between London and the 9-day Turkish orientation, our family will be living an extended nomadic life.  I know any doubts will fade away when I meet up with my wonderful friends Jessica and Adam, and the boys get to take in their favorite Dr. Who film locations.  I am very excited to explore the city, and even to brave the notoriously long line to get a birds eye view from the top of the London Eye!

Most of us know where London is, so I'll jump straight to the map of Turkey.  That little red map marker down there on the bottom coast of Turkey is our apartment.  It's in the Oba neighborhood of Alanya, which is where lots of German and Russian tourists stay, and is a 4-block walk from what will become our own sandy slice of beach on the Turkish Mediterranean sea.  Wow!  I am feeling very lucky and incredibly grateful for this opportunity.  More later my lovely friends and family, from the other side of the pond!  Until then, Kolay Gelsin!