Hazel and Philissa in İstanbul

On the fırst day of spring, Hazel arrived in İstanbul with her friend, Philissa, for a visit. Hazel was the first member of my family to visit me in İstanbul. It was strange and awesome to see her. We set their bags at my place and then started on a tour of the city. I loved them around and not just because I had taken the day off work. One thing that became quickly apparent was that despite the weather being a bit gray that first day, they both seemed to absolutely love the city.

It was impossible to walk very far in the city without seeing pastries! One thing about a visit to İstanbul is that there is almost never enough time to try all the food. 

I took them to the modern part of the city, to Europe's biggest shopping mall. In the upper left of the photo, you can see the "3" of the world's largest mechanical clock which makes up the ceiling of the mall. In the lower right is a stage sitting next to a small pond.

One evening I got to introduce Hazel and Philissa to my friends, Pınar and Kerem. We met up in a part of town with which Pınar is very familiar. She took us to a couple of different cafes/pubs. On the way back from dinner and coffee, we stopped in a pastry shop to buy some delights for the following morning. Somehow we got to talking with a couple that was in the shop. They were getting a cake for a birthday party and invited us along. We agreed and followed them to a pub where there was live music and the birthday boy (just turned 21), sitting with a group of friends. The whole experience of that evening with them was really quite excellent. We were all pleased with our luck.

We spent the last full day together exploring some touristic places such as Dolmabahçe Palace. It had been years since I was there. Somehow I had forgotten the sheer impressiveness of the Ceremonial Hall with its 4.5 ton chandelier.

We also went to the Büyük Mecidiye Mosque in Ortaköy. There are scarfs just inside the entrance for women who don't have one and wish to enter. Sporting them gave Hazel and Philissa a noticeably different look.

Hazel and Philissa's visit was short, but it was packed full of fun and adventures for all three of us. I was glad to have had their company, and hope to see them both again sometime soon.