1. We welcomed the New Year with a modest celebration--Doctor Who followed by prosecco at midnight.
40 seconds into the New Year!
2. I found a superbly unhelpful sign about the demise of "akbil," which was a popular method for paying the fare on public transportation:
The sign says:
NO AKBIL
We don't know where you can find it!
3. Margaret and Jason visited! Poor things stayed for the coldest, wettest, snowiest days of the winter!! Thank you so much for coming!!!
Intrepid travellers we!
4. The holiday decorations were still up on January 7!
5. Aya Sofya is as amazing as ever, and I spied another graffiti detail (new to me, anyway).
6. The restaurant staff took pity on us and brought over a brazier to warm our frozen feet.
7. A gentle sunrise seen from the living room window.
8. The frozen landscape in Gezi Park.
9. Topkapı Palace in the relentless rain.
10. No electricity when we got back to the apartment!
11. A beautiful day to go to Asia (Kadıköy).
12. Art! Architecture!
13. Sigh, all good things must come to an end. Margaret and Jason went back to the states. I went back to work to proctor and grade proficiency exams. The bright spot was this cat who decided to park on my lap in the cafeteria in the university.
14. Now that I am officially on vacation, I've gotten back out and about to see more of the old city.
15. Yesterday, after wandering for nearly an hour to find an Ethiopian restaurant, we were rewarded with a scrumptious meal, mesmerizing music videos (serious shoulder dancing!), and after dinner coffee with popcorn and incense, of course.
