Can you feel that in the air? The NHL playoffs begin at 2 AM Istanbul time, and I will be up, listening to internet radio, and rooting for the perennially-underachieving Ottawa Senators. As Dr. Diamond said today, "They're always the bridegrooms, never the brides." My sentiments exactly (well, not exactly, but I understand what he was attempting to articulate).

This last week, by the way, has been rather entertaining with Captain Malaprop unleashed upon the city. In addition to my daily Turkish class, we have been dining like sultans and visiting hotspots and monuments alike. One of the more interesting days included a field trip with my Turkish class, upon which Dr. Diamond tagged along, engaging in his customary antics. This included regaling my bemused Turkish teacher with his advanced theories of etymology and historical linguistics. And in the prior sentence, by "advanced" I mean "half-baked".

But all in all, it has been immensely satisfying to see Dr. Diamond and my mother understand why this is city is so unique and fascinating. And we got a couple of decent pictures.


The Bosphorus viewed from Anadolu Kavağı, a northern suburb of the city.