This is one of the places you can go to when the weather is bad.
Located in the Forum Istanbul complex on the European side, in the Gaziosmanpaşa district.
On a weekend, if you set on your trip early (around 10am) you shouldn’t get stuck in a traffic jam.
Keep in mind though that around 12-13 pm Forum Istanbul will start to get crowded as there are always customers for Decathlon, Ikea and Media Markt.
The place was very enjoyable for the kids and despite some beautiful … continue reading
An ideal place for a weekend to escape the everyday Istanbul.
Literally Polonezköy means “a Polish village” and according to the available sources around 100 Polish people still live there. Previously known as Adampol, it was funded in 1842 by Adam Czartoryski - the Chairman of the Polish National Uprising Government and the leader of a political emigration party. At that time, Poland was partitioned by its former allies at the Vienna victory: Austria, Prussia and Russia – Poland as such did not exist on maps. The Ottoman Empire, however, did not … continue reading
Theoretically, this question shouldn’t be an issue in Istanbul. There are so many places to go and so many things to do.
True. But if you are with the kids the options are fewer.
How about a walk?
If you have a small kid which will want to be carried after a hundred meters, you need a stroller.
I hate to use a stroller in Istanbul, though. The sidewalk is so narrow, often bumpy, there are cars parked on it so you can’t pass, or there is none. To cross the street you need … continue reading
An interesting solution is an “au-pair” – quite popular among, at least middle-class, Turkish families. Often, a foreigner, a Philippine, an Uzbek or another yabanci stays with the family or actually lives with them to look after the kids and the house. It gives the parents, or the mother, to work and do things for herself. An au-pair will cook dinner, do basic cleaning (there is another lady for full house cleaning), play with the kid (s), spend time at the playground, lay the table and do many other tasks.
It’s quite comfortable.
And … continue reading
When taking kids to the playground, you wouldn’t see many parents there. Well, unless you go to the playground at Bebek, on a weekend, before or after lunch at one of the popular places along the coast.
There, at the playground, you can admire a real fashion show. Mummies don’t fall short of celebrities, neither when it goes for brands nor outfits. On a weekday, though, you’d rather see kids with multi-functional nannies. The ladies are not dressed in such a sophisticated manner and come from various places. You can see the … continue reading