Istanbul

We are in Istanbul. It was a major effort to get here: Paris to Barcelona, Barcelona to Munich, Munich to Istanbul. Four countries in two days.

But Mr Toddler was an angel the entire trip. He even fell asleep in the airport in Munich which allowed us to enjoy a mid-afternoon beer!

And now here we are.

View from our apartment

Looking out our window the first morning

The call to prayer five times a day, streets packed with people, taxis, buses, mopeds, more people.
Minarets, palaces, mosques, gorgeous buildings everywhere.

Roasted chestnut stands, Turkish pizza, candied pumpkin with tahini, Turkish delight, tea in pretty glass cups.

Yesterday we drove around the city on a bus, today we hopped on a boat and floated down the Bosphorous River which divides Asia and Europe....everything made more magical by the fact that we're being hosted by a great friend.


Oh, and lollipops. Because everything's better with a lollipop.

On the cheap

The view from our apartment window

We've been in Paris for almost a week. It's incredible, of course. More incredible that I imagined it would be. It is also very expensive. Surprisingly, we've make it work, even though we are on a very limited budget.
Here are some things we do to keep costs down:

1. We stay in apartments instead of hotels. This means we can pay as little as 30 euros a night, and cook our own meals, which keeps things more manageable. It also cuts down on little expenses like wifi and laundry, which are usually included.

2. We don't eat in restaurants. Well, we might split an entree at lunch every once in a while, but we very rarely sit down for a real meal at a restaurant. Instead, we'll go out for coffee or desert, grab something from a bakery, or just cook at home.

3. We do free things. We went to see the Eiffel tower, but we didn't go up. We spend lots of time at free parks. We walk around and window shop. Today we walked around Montmartre, saw the I Love You wall, and let Mr Toddler go on the carousel (they're everywhere here). Total cost -- 5 euros! And I still have two carousel tickets for tomorrow!

4. We know what's important to us. We want to travel. We want to see friends and family. We need space to chill. That means we accept that our main expenses will be for plane tickets and accommodation but we are willing to pinch pennies when it comes to food, entertainment, gifts, shopping etc.

5. We travel with a 3 year old. I want to buy Naf-Naf dresses, drink bottles of wine in luxurious cafes, go to the theater, stay out all night dancing, and go to the spa in the morning. But 3 year olds hate shopping, and don't understand wine. They aren't allowed in theaters, and babysitters charge by the hour. It's a great way to save money!

Paris

We've been in Paris for three days, and wow.

Best things so far:

1. Visiting the Eiffel Tower at night and seeing it all lit up and flashing
2. Unlimited weekly metro passes that make getting around the city seem easy and cheap
3. Little groceries, bakeries, Vietnamese food vendors, meat markets, cheese shops, vegetable stands everywhere
4. The Montmartre train that took us to the top of the hill-- to the Basilique du Sacre Coeur-- and back for 6 euros. We loved the scenery, Mr Toddler loves all things train..

5. Cafe des Deux Moulins, right around the corner, where we've eaten twice

6. A babysitter!! The teenager across the courtyard likes to babysit!
7. Hammam Pacha, the Tunisian spa where we spent several hours this afternoon.

Magical....