A princess forest!

After nearly exhausting an ever-shrinking list of outdoor venues for the wedding, we decided to drive over and see Cemile Sultan Korusu. The photos online looked decent and we had a few other places to see that Saturday, but since it was the closest to our house we decided to check it out first. As we gayly sang in unison to George Harrison's "I've Got My Mind Set on You" on the radio, we just had a feeling about it, and we were right. It has a beautiful view overlooking the Bosphorus, the second bridge, and Rumeli Hisari (a medieval fortress). It has a beautiful breeze. There are rolling hills of grass and winding roads through the wood and rainbows and unicorns. The pictures do not do it justice. So, we decided then and there.

We later fell upon an interesting story about the property. The gist of it is that Cemile Sultan was a princess (one of 37 children!) born in 1843. When her dad became a Sultan, he bought a palace for her on the Bosphorus. Korusu means "grove" in Turkish, and it describes the property behind the once-existing palace. Unfortunately, they destroyed the seaside palace in 1914 because the taxes were too high and the large mansion in the grove burned down in the 1952 and was not rebuilt. Well, after it has been sold from owner to owner, the property is now rented by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and is used as a members-only social club (pool, tennis courts, park areas, restaurant, etc.). We can't wait!

Turkish school: Four eyes

Dört gözle bekliyoruz (dirt GOES-lay BEK-lee-your-ooze) - We can't wait!
(literally - "We are waiting with four eyes!")