The Scoop My Father's Shop
is a cute, easy to relate to, story about a boy helping out in his father's carpet shop in Morocco. The illustrations do a great job of transporting the reader to a bustling Middle Eastern market and the story has a wonderful message ...
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You never know what your kids will be into at the time of your trip, and with small kids, it's usually the details. On our trip to Istanbul, Everest had an obsession with rain gutters - on eaves and streets, and was fascinated to watch how the water flowed through ...
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My heart skipped a beat every time the kids walked up the open, curving stairway to our vacation rental in Istanbul, but somehow we all made it home in one piece.
Related Links
Bereket Apartments Vacation Rental
Istanbul with Kids
What is Photo Friday?
- Post a travel photo on your ...
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Charms to ward off the Evil Eye seem to be available in every shop in Istanbul. You see them hanging in windows, dangling near the cash register and adorning jewlery. Still, one of my favorite uses is these small candy boxes, meant to be handed out to announce the arrival ...
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Here's what E at through much of our trip to Turkey
I'd complain, except that his willingness to consistently slather a little sunbutter and jam on the local bread freed us up to eat pretty much anywhere.
About Photo Friday:
You are invited to join us for Photo ...
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One of the things I love about traveling is that sense that anything might be around the next corner. That's especially true internationally, where things tend to be less controlled than in the US. Here's the relatively quiet street we walked down every morning in Istanbul - all of ...
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At home in Seattle, I often find myself rushing the kids from one activity to another. On vacation we can take the time to check out thing the kids are interested in. I suspect that's why they're willing to go into so many tourist sites with us - they ...
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Finding great children's books to help set the stage for this trip to Turkey was tricky business. Most of the books I found were research books, geared towards older kids. E and D are willing to look at a few pictures but they lost interest quickly when I tried ...
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Everything described in this post was paid for at my own expense, and I did not let anyone know in advance that I would be blogging about my experiences.
According to every Istanbul guidebook and website I checked out before we arrived in the city, the Spice Market is one ...
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Earlier this week, I wrote about visiting Istanbul's Grand Bazaar with kids. We loved our tour through the bazaar, but I was mindful of the fact that those shops are heavily touristed (though many also serve wealthy locals who can afford fine gold jewelry, rugs or other traditional items ...
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Of all the ideas I got from friends, family, and folks on the internet, the Grand Bazaar was by far the most frequently recommended place for me to take my kids in Istanbul. Perhaps it is because the Bazaar is so iconic, or perhaps it's because it is easy ...
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One of the things parents often tell me is that they are either a) worried that their kids won't find a single thing to eat in a new destination or b) they'll spend every single meal on their trip at Pizza Hut. E is an incredibly picky eater ...
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I stayed at the Darussaade Hotel at my own expense. Nobody at the hotel knew that I had a website about traveling with young children, and I did not receive a "press rate" or freebies. The kids, on the other hand, received all sorts of sweets and small toys from ...
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When you are really stuck for an activity, window shopping can be just as interesting for kids as it is for adults. Istanbul's felt making tradition makes for some interesting window displays, including this window full of felt hats. I wonder what dress-up games the kids were imagining as ...
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Everything described in this post was paid for at my own expense, and I did not let anyone know in advance that I would be blogging about my experiences.
Istanbul's Topkapi Palace is supposed to be one of the hilights of any trip to Istanbul, and the kids were ...
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I love mirror photos, but so rarely remember to take them. In this one, you can spot Me, D (in the stroller) and E (twice!). This beautiful old mirror in graced the entrance to the Harem in Istanbul's Topkapi Palace.
Related Links:
City Guide: Istanbul with Kids
Arriving in ...
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Somewhere amongst our souvenirs is a posed family portrait of us dressed up in traditional Turkish clothing. E refused to participate (he doesn't like dressup), Eilan was scared of the headgear and cried through the whole thing, and D refused to sit the way the photographer wanted to pose ...
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I'd like to pretend that my kids were appropriately impressed with the thousand year old mosaics at Hagia Sofia. They weren't. What really caught their interest was this cat, who was warming itself in the spotlights.
So there we sat, in front of some fabulous mosiacs, with me ...
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Everything described in this post was paid for at my own expense, and I did not let anyone know in advance that I would be blogging about my experiences. E and D were treated to complimentary desserts at the Four Seasons Hotel in celebration of E's fifth birthday. I ...
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E was absolutely fascinated by the gutters in Istanbul - they came in so many shapes and sizes, and sometimes even ran down the middle of a sidewalk! Whether there was water in the gutters or not, that fascination made it easier to keep him moving as we trekked between different ...
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Everything described in this post was paid for at my own expense, and I did not let anyone know in advance that I would be blogging about my experiences.
Lost bags seem to be a way of life for us. At least one bag has been damaged or delayed on ...
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