Weather can be a petty floozy.
This I know because for a decade, I lived in western Washington, where torrential downpour comes down like America’s wrath on Lance Armstrong (This New Yorker blog post is also something like torrential downpour and I encourage you to read it because it is just…wow).
But I never expected the rest of the world to betray me. Call it naivety or ignorance, but I thought Istanbul weather was supposed to mild, forgiving, and gentle. Even weather.com had said, only a 10% chance of rain. At high noon, with clear skies and warm sun heating the cobbled streets to an agreeable 50 degrees, the day was golden in the eyes of a Northwestern girl. However, it turns out that weather is all the same (Even in New Zealand). It’s a dirty rotten double-crossing, two-timing, no good, unfaithful vicious trollop.
Okay fine. I still love you weather. I guess it was partly my fault too. As a Pacific Northwestern junky I guess I must expect nothing more than rain, wind, and wet discomfort following me wherever I go. Especially when I seasonally wear button downs, down vests, skinny jeans, and Chacos.
The day was like wearing a wet bathing suit as underwear, dressed like Björk, while walking around the office. It was wet and cold, I was throat singing, and everyone else, appropriately dressed, was wondering “what the crickets are you wearing” : sandals. And I hadn’t bothered to bring that one essential piece of survival clothing — a waterproof jacket.
But you know? The day was actually okay. I stumbled upon the Grand Bazaar. And some other really cool stuff. Just run of the mill Istanbul.
The thing about Istanbul is that once you’re at the essential tourist destination, you can walk everywhere you’d want to tour. But the thing is, I live 9 kilometers (I know, I know, call me Jane Fonda, put me in the Tower of London, stretch me on the rack several meters, shut me in a room at 0 degrees celsius, GAH can’t…STOP…) away from Sultanahmet where most of the historical tourist destinations are located. Let me tell you: when it comes to public transportation and a sense of direction, I have the mental capacity of what were we talking about again?
Child, what be thy name?
Great post, sure got us smiling and it’s only Part 1 ! 
Check out the whole post at travelingcookie !
Recent Comments