A Palace Fit for a Sultan...

Istanbul, the former capital of the Roman Empire, is the largest city proper in Europe and with 12.6 million people, is the 4th largest city in the world. We actually only saw a fraction of the city. One evening we ventured outside the historic center across a bridge and ate dinner on a rooftop terrace with an excellent view of Topkapi Palace.
We really enjoyed visiting the Palace, built in 1459 and used as the home of the sultans for 400 years. The harem was especially interesting although the many wives, concubines and eunuchs are long gone. The treasury was impressive with several items belonging to the prophet Mohammed, the hand of John the Baptist and a 86-carat diamond.

A Unique 9th Birthday...

Ashlynn’s birthday this year was definitely different from past years as we flew to Istanbul. We booked a family room in the quaint Apricot Hotel in the historic district of Sultanahmet, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We knew almost nothing about Istanbul before arriving, but were instantly enthralled. The weather was fantastic, the people friendly and the environment entirely different from the rest of Europe. Luckily a friend warned us that Ashlynn’s blonde hair would get a lot of attention (Veronica’s now old enough to make this kind of attention creepy.) Ashlynn was a very good sport as she was approached by a lot of men patting her head, touching her hair or kissing her hand. She wasn’t impressed with the restaurant the hotel recommended for her birthday dinner, but did like having dessert in a courtyard in the shadow of the spectacular Blue Mosque.

International Day in 3rd Grade...

There are over 80 nationalities represented at Ashlynn’s school, so it’s only fitting that there should be a big celebration for International Day. The funny thing is that most of the students don’t actually wear the national costume of their own nation, but choose a random one. Here you see Ashlynn in a native dress that her daddy brought her back from Sandland. And Iyala, who’s Kenyan, but born in London and raised in Holland, is a Spanish flamenco dancer. The day was full of special activities with an international potluck and ended with a parade for the parents. 

Off to the Islands with 6th Grade...

After a late night due to The Young American’s performance, Veronica headed out the next morning on a 4-night school trip with 140 6th graders. First, there was a 3-hour bus trip north. Then, there was a 45-minute ferry ride to the island of Ameland, one of the Netherlands’ most northern islands. Here she is with best buddies Ma’ayan and Kelly.
Once on the island, the first stop was to get beach cruisers for each student so they could cycle 5.5 miles to the youth hostel. Sadly, on the first day, one of the boys fell off his bike and hit his head into an electric fence; he got a free helicopter ride to the hospital and had to miss the rest of the trip, but luckily he’s OK. Veronica had a great time visiting the lighthouse, museum and village, as well as going on a boat ride to seal island, having her team win the sand sculpture contest with their treasure chest, and going to a pirate party and disco on the last day. Definitely a memorable trip.

She’s Our Young American...

When it was announced that The Young Americans would be visiting Veronica’s school again, she quickly signed up for the 2 1/2 day performing arts workshop. We also signed up to host two of the performers for three nights; Whitney was a 19-year-old singer from Oklahoma and Anne was a 21-year-old dancer from Germany. Thankfully, Darlene loaned me her car so I could shuttle them back and forth with their giant suitcases for their summer-long tour through Holland and Germany. It brought tears to my eyes when Veronica surprised us by singing a solo line during the performance with over 200 students and the 48 Young Americans. She was especially excited since she shared the riser with Whitney. Now Ashlynn can’t wait for them to come back next year when she’ll be old enough to participate.

An Air-Raid Shelter at School?

The final portion of 1940’s day was to learn about Anderson Shelters, air-raid shelters made out of corrugated steel that were widely distributed throughout London for use in gardens during WWII. While the real shelters were designed for just 6, we crammed in 22 kids and 4 adults into this one for about 20 minutes. While listening to a tape of planes overhead dropping bombs, we closed our eyes to imagine ourselves in a real shelter. Afterwards, we sang some songs. If you’re wondering, Grace, in the front right, is wearing a real gas mask as her brother collects them.

1940’s Day...

One of the coolest things they do each year at the elementary school is to bring over a group from the UK called History Off the Page, which helps to bring history to life. As part of their 20th century studies, the kids dressed in 1940’s school uniforms (we found
Ashlynn’s dress at a local shop and borrowed the shirt and tie.) They started the morning in a classroom setting using quills and ink then a slate. In the afternoon, I came to help. We looked through suitcases filled with authentic artifacts from a few of the 1 million children that were evacuees from London sent to the countryside during WWII. I loved that I also learned about a part of history I’d never studied before.