Yayayay Rohan and Tara are here this week!! I literally could not be more excited to have family visit. Let’s be real, everyone who knows me knows that I am OBSESSED with my cousins. Also it makes me feel so loved that they want to come all the way to Istanbul to see me!! Unfortunately Istanbul decided to be pissy this week and snow?!?!? WTF. Like it’s been cloudy and cold but snow? And I’m not talking dust the ground. I’m talking whirl winds of snow slapping the shit out of you. At least nothing stuck to the ground so getting around was still really easy! The only thing that sucks is that when it’s this cold outside all you want to do is download an episode of Jersey Shore, order in, and stay in bed. But Rohan is only here for three days so we made the best of it!
Rohan, Tara, and Snow??
On Wednesday he met me after class and we went to lunch where I introduced him to the love of my life named lahmacun (pronounced lah-mah-jjun) it’s Turkish flatbread covered with ground beef/lamb and spices. You spray lemon all over it and roll it up like a burrito with lettuce and tomato inside. It is delicious!! And only 2.25 lira, you cannot beat that! Anyway after that we walked around Rumeli Hisarüstü, the neighborhood near South Campus, looking for winter clothes. Unfortunately Rohan’s bag was lost by the airline so all he has for the blizzard in Istanbul is a fleece jacket! No worries though, he’s a trooper and we found a good hat! We walked to the park that usually has gorgeous panoramic views of the city, of course today it was so cloudy you could barely see the Bosphorous eh oh well.
Usually the view is much better. But oh well cousins pic anyway!
We did what everyone does in the Middle East when you’re unsure of what to do next…NARGILE!!! We found a cool café in Bebek where Tara and Marium met us for drinks and Nargile.
When in doubt, just grab an Efes and smoke some nargile!
Tara and Marium needed lots of Turkish Coffee to stay warm :)
Of course I had to take Rohan to Cevahir. I know I know, malls aren't everyone's thing. But he needed to buy winter clothes so why not go to the biggest mall in Europe?
My favorite place in the whole world...Cevahir!
Yup that's a full sized roller coaster in the mall.
My friend Molly took Rohan to see Taksim (the downtown area) and the Spice Bazaar when I was trapped in class all day Thursday and for the rest of his trip we just chilled. He got to meet all of my great friends here and eat a TON of Turkish food. So while I’m disappointed he didn’t get to see the Istanbul I know and love (sunny and warm-ish) or the Hagia Sophia or Blue Mosque, I know Rohan doesn’t care! He probably would have been bored if I dragged him to all the Mosques and Palaces here anyway. In any case I’m thrilled he visited and I miss him tons and tons already wahhhh.
I didn’t get to see as much of Tara as I wanted wahhh (not her fault her hotel was super far :( ). But when I did see her we had a great time! The beginning of her week the weather was a little better so I was able to take her to my favorite restaurant, introduce her to my friends that work in the laundry room, and show her around campus! We even made it to the biggest mall in Europe! (Of course we did!) On her last night her, my friend Molly and I met her and Marium’s family in Taksim. Surprisingly they have a French Quarter here. I know random right? But it’s gorgeous, like the rest of Istanbul it’s on a huge downhill. The street looks exactly like a street from Paris, time warp much?? I felt like I had been teleported to Western Europe! We found an adorable French restaurant and enjoyed some AMAZING French food literally in the middle of Istanbul! Haha it was really nice, I can’t wait to go back when Mom and Dad come :D I’m so sad that my cousins are gone but now I have three days to catch up on sleep and get as much work done as possible before RENE GETS HERE OMG I MIGHT JUST DIE!!!
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