Grandeur

This beautifully sunny but cold morning, I chaperoned nearly 30 residential students once again on their Saturday excursion - today to Beylerbeyi Palace, located on the Asian shores of the Bosphorus. Photography not permitted which is such a shame - a splendiferous example of opulent grandeur, including enormous and beautiful chandeliers - managed to snap this shot when no one was looking.... naughty me.

A leisurely afternoon spent with Caitlin at Kanyon and MetroCity, where lunch was followed by bargain hunting in the sales and concluding with an avocado and mozzarella snack before heading home for a quiet evening.

Beylerbeyi Palace was commissioned by Sultan Abdülaziz to act as an imperial summer residence. Built in 1865, with 24 rooms, 6 halls, and a hamam, it was also used to entertain visiting dignitaries.