Is that Asia over there?

Why YES!! It is indeed Asia over there! And this photo is being taken from Europe. This past Saturday, after getting most of our basic bearings for our house, Noah's work and the grocery store we decided that we wanted to branch out a little bit and explore. We got a few tips from our great neighbors and headed out on foot! It turns out that we can actually WALK to the Bosphorus!! Incase you don't know what the Bosphorus is, it is the channel of water that divides the city of Istanbul, and the continents of Europe and Asia. It also connects the Black Sea with the rest of the Mediterranean Sea. In general, it is a BIG deal around these parts, and it is breathtakingly beautiful!! We loved just taking a walk down to the water and just enjoying the scene. The coastline is fabulous and we are excited to go on our first Bosphorus cruise here very soon!

The far side, hilly looking terrain is the continent of Asia!

Daddy and the boys just chillin, we will definitely be frequenting this spot more often.

Now we actually ended up at the Bosphorus by accident! We were originally intending to just walk to this other fabulous park- Emirgan Park. We apparently missed the sign though and just kept walking. Now we know I guess. Anyway, it has beautiful old villas that used to be summer houses for the Sultans (although I didn't get any pics this time) and tons and tons of picnic tables and multiple play structures. We are also told that this park is the main venue for a massive Tulip festival in the spring!!!! Apparently there is some question as to the fact that Holland is really the main tulip country. Here in Turkey, the Tulip is king-there is even a tulip on their coins! Now, if you know me then you know I am THRILLED with this news. We've even heard that the Turks were the ones who gave tulips to Holland. Hmm. Who knows, but all I know is that I love it! I can hardly wait for spring!

We also discovered that they like to stay in shape here apparently. Or, at least they like to provide people with the tools to do so! All over the city and at parks they have these big "workout stations" I guess you could call them. They were right by the toys, and Porter especially spent most of his time here. They all loved them though!

I thought P was going to pull a muscle here though, Yikes! It almost got away from him there!

That evening we were invited by a friend from DC to dinner down in a different neighborhood. We decided to be adventurous and took our first taxi ride! It all went well thanks to some tips from others more in the know than us, and we truly enjoyed our night. After a tasty American style dinner at TJI Fridays, yes, we did go there to appease the boys need for fries...and it was delicious, I'm not ashamed to admit; we finished off our day with an extra special treat! We went for ice cream at this awesome place called MADO. It is essentially an ice cream cafe from what I gather. It had awesome outdoor seating and ambiance, and the cones were delicious!

It seems that everywhere here has tons of great outdoor seating. We LOVE it! The weather here really has far exceeded my expectations. The nights have been a near perfect temperature. It was fabulous to sit and relax with my boys and let the atmosphere of our new life soak in. It was a wonderful night, and we WILL be going back here again.

I think the boys will agree to that:) And do you think Porter could have gotten any more ice cream on his face? Seriously-he hasn't made such a mess in a very long time! I guess the excitement just got to him! (p.s. they spoiled the boys rotten here with these awesome baby ice cream cones and these great push up crayon things while we were waiting-which was only about 2 minutes btw. Seriously, these boys are getting some fabulous treatment!)