MERRY Christmas!!

Merry merry Christmas all! As a result of my forgetful self leaving my bag with my computer cord and all of my chargers behind I am Christmas blogging a day later than I intended.
Istanbul was the perfect destination for my first Christmas away from family-- It is not so over-the-top Christian that I felt left out and yet Christian enough that I actually felt like it was Christmas. My 2:30 am flight was packed but I slept the three and a half hours and didn't even notice. I treated myself with Hyatt points and stayed at the new Hyatt Place in Nisantasi which is kind of the Newbury Street equivalent of Istanbul. I am so glad I did! Corner room, heated bathroom stone floor, gigantic tub with a remote to change the 'mood' lights in the bathroom, a sauna in my bathroom, and a seperate sink for filtered water. It's things like this that really scare me into thinking I am meant to be a princess. I headed straight to the salon for a few hours of beauty pampering then to a cafe for a big cappucino and some scrambled eggs. Then lots of window shopping... I walked and walked and walked.
I have two very good friends in Istanbul who I have known for almost ten years- since I have been traveling there for work. Sandi and Tamara are both college counselors at different international schools and both married to Turkish men. Sandi and Selim have two boys- Efren 8 and Altay 6. Tamara and Jenk have 3 year old Lara. Sandi is from Seattle and is one of those friends who you always have fun with no matter what you are doing. She will never turn down a night out drinking and was determined not let me think about being away from my family. She is one of the most giving people I know. Even though I wasn't at her house for breakfast she saved me some bacon-- true friendship! I went to a school Christmas party with her and Selim Thursday night and spent most of Christmas day with her family. Efren and Altay made me a frame for Christmas! So I could put their picture in it of course. The picture of the break dancing quartet is them (orange and red outfits) with their friends posing after a skit they performed for the adults. We ate lots of different food- dolmas, cheeses, olives... and Selim cooked a delicious piece of tenderloin beef. Oh and wine- there was lots of wine. Tamara grew up in Maine and worked in Admissions at Providence College before moving to Istanbul so she is a fellow New Englander. She is a very calming friend who I can always trust to put things in perspective. The counseling crowd in Istanbul can be very clicky but everyone always likes Tamara. She and Jenk live on the campus of Robert College- considered the oldest and most prestigious high school in Turkey. It is where Jenk went to school and now Lara will so they are right at home. I spent time at their house Christmas eve as well. Tamara made a delicious apple crisp (Jenk bought th eice cream) and Lara sang us Christmas songs. She wanted to sleep under the tree to wait for Santa. We also met at church on Christmas morning...
The Church, which I have been to for Palm Sunday services, is St. Espirit Cathedral- It is the second largest Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul and was built in Baroque style in 1846. Several popes have visited the cathedral and a statue of Pope Benedict XV is in the courtyard. When they started to sing Feliz Navidad as the closing hymn I knew I could pull out my camera and take pictures.
Another middle of the night return flight to Jeddah and I was back at work this morning- your Saturday/my Monday. How quickly time flies!
Some further picture explainations-- the first Christmas tree is at Sandi and Selim's (I couldn't figure out how to add it in the right order); the big tree in front of the white tile is in the Hyatt as is the lobby picture. The mosque is one of my favorites- it is in Ortakoy, a cute little seaside section of the city. Since it is so close to the First Bridge a lot of dignitaries who visit have their picture taken there (the old and the modern Turkey). And the Bosphorus shots are just from my taxi ride along the water to Sandi's on Christmas day.
It was nice to take the time over the last couple of days to think about how blessed I am to have such an amazing family and wonderful wonderful friends. All gifts that are more important than anything else really.