Since Turkey is a primarily Muslim nation, there is no Christmas vacation in December at normal public and private schools. Most of the exchange students here in Istanbul had school on Christmas, which upset everyone terribly. So we asked to skip school and attend a mass at a church on Istiklal Caddesi, Taksim. The preacher was from South Africa and the choir was composed of multiple East-Asian nationalities. Since I was there with a group of exchange students from the USA, Germany, France, Mexico, Canada, and Brazil, it was a thoroughly international service. After the service we went to Molly's Cafe, a cafe/boutique/bookshop run by Molly, a Canadian ex-patriot. Molly made us delicious pancakes with real maple syrup and fresh fruits.
Church on St. Anthony of Padua
Kody (Nebraska, USA) and me really feeling the Christmas spirit
Church of St. Anthony of Padua
Church of St. Anthony of Padua
Theo (Germany) and me outside the church
A street vendor blowing bubbles onto our group (Vendor, me, Kody, Katie, and Theo)
Bubbles
Lasse (Germany), me, and Mario (Mexico)
Lasse, me, Mario, and Lauritz (Germany)
It was definitely an alternative Christmas, but not without it's charm.
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