A bit like our time living in Southern California, the winter months in Istanbul bring some overcast, cold rainy days. It gets colder here and occasionally we see traces of snow. Once in a blue moon we get some real snow. If we lived up on the tepe (hill) we would see a little snow every year.
As a big family in a big city, sometimes we need to make use of things we might not have otherwise thought of to entertain ourselves. We’re used to having a yard of some kind, so it has been a bit of an adjustment for us here, to say the least.
We have a great square not far from our apartment. Just 3 years ago when we first moved here, this was a crossroads of 2 major local thoroughfares. It was busy and felt chaotic to us at the time. Construction was already underway to transform it into a pedestrian walkway with a tunnel road underneath it. By American standards, the project should take 10 years (or so it seems). They finished it in 2 years or less, leaving a beautiful square, a pedestrian area, and new shops opening up. We were shocked by how quickly such a project could be finished.
Until this area opened, there weren’t many places to roam as a family. We have our version of Central Park down by the waterfront, but for our smaller people in the family, we still needed to go by car to get there and back.
Living in big city with a big family isn’t always easy. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference.
Along the Silk Road 