We walked down the road to get some dinner. It was a nice evening so we sat outside which turned out to be fortuitous as a cat hopped up and sat in our lap. Turkey has lots of cats and they are all used to people, Istanbul is no exception and the girls loved it. Our dinner was very good and the atmosphere was great too, made for a wonderful introduction to Turkey.
Although it was hard to leave Belgium we were all excited about getting into Istanbul. Uncle Mat's dad, Mike met us at the airport and got us started which was very nice since the airport is huge. He helped us get our shuttle to the car hire agency where we got to play with an adorable puppy.
After what was far too short of a time we had to say good bye to Auntie Naomi and her family. We got to have one more meal with them and a long play. It was such a good visit that we can't wait to see them again.
We went out to have a quick bubble tea in the morning so KT could have some quiet time. We found a place but the teas were not great, just ok at best. As we were drinking them we went for a bit of a wander and came across a stand of scooters. The kids were really keen to try them and since it was a pedestrian zone with very few people they were allowed to do so. They loved zooming around, particularly MV. SV was a bit nervous but enjoyed herself and EV was disappointed she couldn't go by herself. After scootering around we found Manikin Pis who the girls were not big fans of despite the Barcelona soccer jersey.
We went out for a quick dinner and a bit of a walk around Brussels. It was another night with people out celebrating and being cheerful. It was really fun to see some of the sights without too many tourists.
We went over to Auntie Naomi's house for some lunch and the kids played for hours. They also helped prepare some of the meal which they actually enjoyed quite a bit. It was a really nice afternoon.
We met up with Auntie Naomi and got to have a few drinks out. It was really nice to catch up and have a great conversation. There were so many people out and about it made the city feel so vibrant. Great night out.
