Rainbow Umbrellas

Our lovely stroll through the Küçük Ayasofya neighborhood finally ended in the Kumkapı Quarter in the Fatih District in Istanbul where we met with some other members of our German-Turkish family and eventually had dinner (yes, food is quite important in Turkey!). The Kumkapı Quarter is crowded with fish and seafood restaurants. Good thing we had our Istanbul family who knew which ones were worth a visit!

But it was the umbrellas in the colors of the rainbow that drew my attention.

How lovely to see this special style of street decoration in this part of the old city. This is so much fun, a light-hearted way that lets everybody smile, whether you want it or not. I felt like dancing through the alleys, passing by all those restaurants with their outdoor seating, light and without any worries.

I simply loved all the outdoor restaurants in Istanbul. It gets really lively in the evening and further into the night. It is a joyful atmosphere with lots of laughter and delicious food.

Turkish people like color. You can see it in their handmade rugs, often in their clothes, the umbrellas of course and all the beautiful lights that are hanging from the ceiling.

When it gets darker, the light starts to glow and it's almost magical. Oh how much I miss this!

A propos umbrellas - we're finally expecting some rain over Thanksgiving and on-shore winds that hopefully blow away the smoke. It's been almost two weeks that we have been living in extremely unhealthy air. I can't wait to finally open the windows again and get some fresh air into the house. Something to be deeply grateful for.

The wildfires have been devastating for the people in Butte County and especially the small town of Paradise (not Pleasure!). With 76 people dead and still over 700 unaccounted for this has been the most destructive wildfire in California. We only suffer from poor air quality, but their lives are forever changed.