Elveda

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar in which Muslims fast (no eating or drinking) from before sunrise to sunset. After iftar (the evening meal that breaks the fast) on the last night, our upstairs neighbors came for a visit. After getting to know them a little bit, they said that they were “going to Europe later”. They invited us to join them, which I thought was very hospitable of them. We agreed, and after we finished our second glasses of çay, they said, “Let’s go.” So as they got ready to leave, they said, “We’ll come get you in 10 minutes.” Oh, they mean that we are going to Europe tonight. I should have clarified that earlier. And so, we went, because it’s not everyday we get an invitation to go to Europe.

So our neighbors, their two kids, Scott & I piled into their car and drove from our homes on the Asian side of Istanbul, across the bridge spanning the Bosphorus, and ended up in the Sultanahmet area (which is the tourist area). Our neighbor parked at a friend’s hotel, and we enjoyed coffee, tea, and a marvelous view of the whole area from the hotel terrace. After that, we explored the vendors who had been set up since the beginning of Ramadan. It reminded me of the county fair. We ate Osmanlı macunu (taffy on a stick) and ice cream at another of his friend’s shops. By the end of the night, I was on a caffeine/sugar high. The next day was the start of Şeker Bayram (literally means “sugar holiday”).

Apparently, I got a head start.



Notice the faint outline of the mosque in the background



"Farewell" to Ramadan