It’s a cold and drizzly day today in Istanbul. But notwithstanding the chill in the air, the tulips at Emirgan Park are breathtaking. I get to walk past these beauties every day on my morning walk.

Did you know that tulips are not originally Dutch? The Dutch took them to Holland in the 16th century from the Ottoman Empire. Tulips are as Turkish as Turkish delight, kebabs, and kaftans.

We had a wonderful holiday vacation. Two of our three adult kids came home to Istanbul. Sadly, our soldier son wasn’t able to come home. We missed him dearly.

The other five of our Six Abroad family enjoyed site seeing around Istanbul and southwestern Turkey. Here are a few of the highlights:

Another highlight was when a rug seller suckered us into purchasing this rug. Rug sellers in Istanbul are the world’s best at getting unsuspecting Americans to purchase rubbish they don’t need. Seriously, they’ve turned it into an art form.

Early this morning, my college kids headed back to the US. I’ll admit, the house is much more quiet without them. When they were here, there were lots of words in this apartment. Words everywhere. And in that vein, the following are my favorite quotes from the holiday (in order of greatness). I have chosen not to offer any context to the quotes, because honestly, their greatness needs no context. Their brilliance stands on their own:

#3: From 22 year old Cecily: “Don’t let Mom keep my shoes!”

#2: From 20 year old Ben: “Anything for big, wooly Ben?”

#1: And the winner of the best quote from Six Abroad Holiday Vacation 2018, goes to 14 year old Elizabeth: “It’s called sarcasm, Doof Wad!”

God bless them every one!