While we’ve found good food everywhere, Turkish food is my favorite cuisine of our trip thus far: so many fresh, flavorful veggie-friendly dishes.
Here is what we ate on Saturday!
A Two-Year-Old’s View of Our Istanbul Apartment
In the last month or so, Theo has started taking pictures with the iPad. This is a heavily curated selection of the hundreds of photos he took of our apartment in Istanbul.
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Istanbul – What We Enjoyed Most
Mad About Children
About 98.8% of the Turkish population seemed to be mad about children – or at the very least, our little blond, smiley one. While this meant that Theo was given far more chocolate than we would have chosen, it was also an amazing gateway into conversations with random people, who would chat with Theo, chat with us adults, and pull out their phones to proudly display pictures of their own children or grandchildren.
Books I read about Turkey while in Turkey
Theo and a Fluffy
In addition to tasty coffee, the Auckland cafes we’ve visited will make a “fluffy” for kids, an espresso cup of foamed milk, sometimes with a sprinkle of chocolate and generally accompanied by a marshmallow.
Easy Living
Our home here is probably technically in the suburbs of Auckland (in Westmere), but it’s an area of quick transitions between residential and commercial, not an ongoing sprawl of houses. We can walk to a good cafe in two minutes and several areas of concentrated small shops and restaurants (including good Indian food!) in ten to twenty. There are plenty of nearby parks, playgrounds, and other green spaces.
Walking Break
I needed a break from working. As an experiment in talking a walk instead of indulging in a dose of coffee or social media, I visited this small reserve, about a block from our house. (Yes, I tried the swing!)
Medical Costs
During our trip, we’ve had the opportunity to test various medical systems for non-emergency issues in Turkey, Sweden, Iceland, Costa Rica, and here in New Zealand. In our experience thus far, medical care has been more affordable and personable pretty much everywhere compared to the USA.
Rainy Day Bouncing
The current weather in Auckland reminds me of our month in Ireland – rain, sun, rain, sun, repeat. As I overheard in Ireland, “it’s a beautiful day between the clouds.”
I had promised Theo that if it wasn’t raining, I would take him to the beach after preschool, so I packed a picnic lunch and some impromptu beach toys (mostly random plastic containers.)
Devonport Library
I have to admit that I judge a city in part by how well it supports its libraries. The Devonport library is a sunny, relaxing space with views of trees and water. (Oh, and it has books too.)
