This has been a whirlwind Christmas season for me, as I'm sure its been for all of you as well. Time seems to fly so fast, especially in that chunk between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and now New Year's is right around the corner. This was my first Christmas away from my home and family, which was difficult, but it was still a wonderful time. There is such an amazing crowd of people here in Antalya who included me, so I didn't feel lonely for a minute.
Alli went home on Monday, so she and I and Ashley went to Istanbul for the weekend, to see a little of it before Alli left for good. It was a wonderful trip! Unfortunately it was pouring down rain the whole time, but somehow that made it feel more like Christmas to me. It also made it easier to keep track of each other in the rain - with Alli's yellow rain coat, and my red one, we stood out like obvious tourists in the crowd of brown and black Turks. There is so much 
to see in Istanbul, its absolutely crazy! I think one could live there year-round, and still not experience all the city has to offer. I hope to go back again before I leave. That said, we did manage to do most of the very touristy stuff in our two days there. I was in Istanbul a few years ago for about three days, and I am trying to remember what we did on that visit, because except for the Grand Bazaar, everything that we did this weekend was completely new to me. Our hotel was in the heart of the old section of the city, within walking distance of everything we wanted to see. We saw the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar, Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet), the Basilica Cisterns, and Topkapi Palace. We even managed to squeeze in a few wonderful meals, a walk through a gorgeous park, and a ferry ride on the Bosphorous and Marmara seas. The only item on our list that we missed was the archaeological museum, which I hear is also fantastic. And on top of all that - we learned how to play the game "Okey", which all the old men play for hours and hours, sitting around in all the men-only tea houses around the city. This was a lot of fun, but confusing to learn, because the name of the game is pronounced "OK", which we found ourselves saying frequently in response to the instructions. 
to see in Istanbul, its absolutely crazy! I think one could live there year-round, and still not experience all the city has to offer. I hope to go back again before I leave. That said, we did manage to do most of the very touristy stuff in our two days there. I was in Istanbul a few years ago for about three days, and I am trying to remember what we did on that visit, because except for the Grand Bazaar, everything that we did this weekend was completely new to me. Our hotel was in the heart of the old section of the city, within walking distance of everything we wanted to see. We saw the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar, Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet), the Basilica Cisterns, and Topkapi Palace. We even managed to squeeze in a few wonderful meals, a walk through a gorgeous park, and a ferry ride on the Bosphorous and Marmara seas. The only item on our list that we missed was the archaeological museum, which I hear is also fantastic. And on top of all that - we learned how to play the game "Okey", which all the old men play for hours and hours, sitting around in all the men-only tea houses around the city. This was a lot of fun, but confusing to learn, because the name of the game is pronounced "OK", which we found ourselves saying frequently in response to the instructions. 
There is so much to say about Istanbul, and the sights that we saw - so much history and beauty in one location, that I can't possibly begin to describe what we saw. Out of everything we saw, I think my favorite part was walking through a beautiful, rainy park, laughing with friends and munching on freshly roasted chestnuts.
Laughter was a constant throughout the weekend, up until it was time to say goodbye to Alli. From the beginning of the trip, I knew that I would have to continue what we had started on my own, but her three and a half months here just went so fast. Since September 8th, we have been together 24/7, literally. I miss her already, but its been good to have Christmas this week to throw off the schedule. When I am back to a regular routine next week, I know I will miss her even more.
Christmas eve was a busy night for me, as it usually is at home. I joined the Christmas choir, so we had an early practice, then sang at both the family service and the traditional service. 
Afterwards I went to Karn and Jorge's house with Ben and Verna and a couple others from church. It was a very pleasant evening with great company! I shared Christmas morning with Nuran, and then we both went to brunch at Ben and Verna's house. Crepes are so good! Then I walked home along the water - so beautiful! Winter has definitely come to Antalya, but yesterday was a clear, sunny day, and in the sun it was about 45 degrees. Lovely! I had Christmas dinner with a young family from church, along with a few others from Paul's Place. They have three adorable little kids, the youngest of whom just starting walking a couple days ago. I had so much fun playing with them - kids are so open and easy to befriend!
Afterwards I went to Karn and Jorge's house with Ben and Verna and a couple others from church. It was a very pleasant evening with great company! I shared Christmas morning with Nuran, and then we both went to brunch at Ben and Verna's house. Crepes are so good! Then I walked home along the water - so beautiful! Winter has definitely come to Antalya, but yesterday was a clear, sunny day, and in the sun it was about 45 degrees. Lovely! I had Christmas dinner with a young family from church, along with a few others from Paul's Place. They have three adorable little kids, the youngest of whom just starting walking a couple days ago. I had so much fun playing with them - kids are so open and easy to befriend! I took the day off from work today as well, and used it to sleep in, as well as finish figuring out my visa renewal. I first applied to renew my tourist visa almost a month ago, and it took five trips to the station and 250 YTL, but I finally got my residence permit, so I am legal for the next 3 months! Yay! I think in the future I will just leave the country, instead of trying to go through the whole process again, it took forever. The system was really inefficient, but apparently it is that way to make work for a lot of people. Greek Islands, here I come!
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