A Perfect Day

I am really enjoying my new location. Last night I had to stay late at school, so I met my husband at the metro and we went down to Taksim together. Neither of us are much for going out in the expensive Istanbul nightlife, and so we just got some junk food for dinner, and wandered down the crowded Iskital street, popping into bookshops to look for a children’s book in English that I want to introduce him to for his coming birthday. (We didn’t find it, unfortunately) The weather is finally warm enough for a light jacket in the evenings, and it felt very freeing to wander among the throngs of people, not rushing from one warm place to the next. The lights came up, and a band played on the old trolly car, advertising for some festival of dolls this month. It was a jovial atmosphere, and both the boy and I wanted it to continue, but I am coming down with a cold, so he tucked me away for the night.

In the morning I was supposed to go to a class, but I could not bring myself to leave the bed, so playing up my sore throat I decided to stay at home. Eventually hunger drove us from the bed, and we went for a duner for lunch. The duner was spicy and greasy and among the best that I have had in Istanbul. I drank an orange juice, to counteract the sore throat, and he drank an ayran, and I was very happy. We walked down the road to do a bit of grocery shopping and the boy got an ice cream. As he ate it we strolled around the neighborhood, trying to get to know it a little better. We wandered up a side street and found a very quiet, relaxed nargile cafe. We ordered two teas and a mint/lemon water pipe. The young men working at the cafe we absolutely polite, and chill, and we played tabla, drank our drinks, and puffed away on the pipe. Everything was wooden, and lightly green due to the plants all around the windows.

I can’t capture exactly what was so perfect in that moment, in that place. Perhaps it was being able to share it with a man that I absolutely love. Perhaps it was that I felt absolutely no pressure and no stress, which is difficult to come by in a city this large. Whatever it was, I look forward to many more lazy saturdays in my lifetime.