Stepping out

My first weekend in Istanbul!

My house isn’t settled yet and I still have some apartmental hiccups, but I went out both days this weekend and did some exploring.

Initially, the plan was to hunt down some stuff for the apartment, because it is sorely lacking in … well, almost everything, since basically nothing is here yet. I did get my checked bag on Thursday evening, so that was nice, but I’m missing all kinds of stuff I’d counted on having in a few weeks.

I’m the first person from work living in this apartment and it doesn’t have some stuff I consider essential, like towel bars. The shower is pretty high up, therefore the slidy door thing is really tall. It’s the only real place to store the towel that’s accessible to the shower, so I’d like a hook or something.

Oddly, there is a towel rack. It can be heated, but it doesn’t look functional for daily use. It looks kind of like a closed TV tray smack up against the wall, then another beneath it. It’s just kind of odd, but I will use it in the winter. Summer, though, I hope for something a little more accessible.

Anyway, all this led to a need to go shopping, so when my neighbor, who has access to a vehicle, asked if I wanted to go to Ikea, I jumped at the chance. Oddly, even though I’ve had ample opportunity in multiple countries (including Sweden), I’d never been to one.

It was OK. I don’t see the big deal. I had a little list and couldn’t find anything that fit the bill on anything, even though I came away with seven items, three of which were bathroom rugs.

Yeah, it didn’t occur to me that I’d have guest bathrooms. I brought stuff for my bathroom, but I have two additional half baths. The odd thing about the layout is the half baths are right next to each other. One has a sink, a tiny, tiny shower and the washer and dryer. The other has a toilet and a sink. That one is dizzying – it’s tiled in one-inch tile on all four walls and the floor, complete monochrome. It makes me dizzy stone sober.

So that was Saturday. On Sunday, I went with a colleague to a small town nearby called Polonezkoy. It was settled by 12 Polish families in the late 1800s and was really fascinating. I’m always enthralled with cemeteries (not in a morbid way – I think they’re beautiful) and we just poked around at the cafes and such. There really wasn’t much to it, but it was interesting to see a Polish village in Asia. I guess it’s kind of like Tarpon Springs for Poles in Turkey.

The novelty of driving to Asia might never wear off. I love the fact that Istanbul straddles two continents.

And I get to live here for two years. I love my life.