Well it’s good be back! We are finally unpacked and settled into our home with our precious sidekick. It feels good. Before arriving in China, we decided to break up our flights and spend a few days in Istanbul, resting, recharging and reflecting on the past few months.

Istanbul was really beautiful. Beautiful weather, beautiful landscapes and beautiful, friendly people. It was like no other place we have ever been with cobbled streets full of history and spectacular mosques everywhere. Each morning we woke to the call of prayer, Phil went to get breakfast and the three of us enjoyed coffee and croissants in the warm breeze (sounds great, right!?). When Phil and I do a break we do just that and this time we really enjoyed having Summer with us (scroll down to read more about that!). During the day we used the tram and walked a whole bunch, stopping for lots of apple teas and baklavas (please do not go Istanbul and not try these…Aaa-MAZING!!). Thanks for the memories Istanbul.

Side note: Traveling with Summer was actually a delight, making airports a little easier, she helped us skip a few queues and make some friends along the way but here’s a few tips we learned, traveling with a baby:

1. Be flexible!!!!! and take it easy (suits me )
2. Travel through the night. Summer left Istanbul and woke up in Beijing! yay! We flew Turkish airlines and they were wonderful, providing great service and a bassinet for Summer.
3. Feeding during take-off and landing are recommended for sucking and swallowing while the plane changes pressure, also puts everyone right to sleep.
4. I would suggest packing light…since we did the exact opposite and that was tricky!
5. Take a stroller; ours was put to the test with all those hilly cobbled streets but provided shade and a place to nap along the way. Also the wrap was super useful for night time.
6. Travel at off season and at cooler times of the year. Turkey gets HOT but was just nice in May.
7. If possible get a room with a view/ balcony…means you can enjoy a few evenings in with take away. win-win.
8. Oh and one thing I couldn’t live without; milton sterilizer tablets (oh how times have changed!)