The inception of 2011 has come and past and I've already written 2010 as the date four times since. These changes always take time...
Like Christmas, a small group of friends and I gathered to celebrate the holiday. Unlike Christmas, though, it actually felt like a holiday. The city was a place of excitement and people were in the streets to welcome something new.
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| Watching fireworks over the Bosphorus. Photo by Hajera Azam. |
As New Year's Eve has come and past, so too, does the semester. We've just begun finals and the realization that the end of the semester is near has pushed a lot of people to make the effort to check those final things off the 'things to see in Istanbul' checklist. Despite being here for another semester, I've been more than happy to go along for the ride.
Last week, a friend and I made the unexpectedly cold (the weather has just recently started feeling wintry) trip to Kiz Kulesi. The tower, located in the middle of the Bosphorus, comes with many legends. Prohibited love or snake bites - the reality is that the tower is beautiful and apparently the en vogue place to get engaged (the friend I went with said she knew two couples who had gotten engaged there).
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| This place knows romance ambiance. |
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| The top of the tower is small with a few tables and a bar. |
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| Christmas or New Year's tree? |
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| Looking toward Asia. |
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| Dolmabahce Mosque on the ferry ride back to Europe. |
