The Chill.

I arrived in Istanbul on September 1, at the end of the summer, in the middle of a massive heat wave.

Or maybe that's just normal for Turkey....

Thank goodness, the place we where we were staying in Taksim was well-equipped. By which I mean... it had air conditioning.

However, after the few days in Istanbul, I returned with Ryan to Bursa -- the first major capital of the Ottoman Empire, the fourth largest city in Turkey, home to the mountain Uludağ and the Iskender Kebap -- my new home.

My new home is also on the top floor of a five story apartment building and... wait for it.... has no AC.

Boo.

So, it's been pretty hot.

After the first few 100º days, the temperatures began to drop slightly and I began to get used to the heat (as much as I could, being from Vermont).

But I've been a little jealous of all of my friends posting pictures of apple-picking and pumpkin spice lattes (which they actually have in Turkey, strangely enough).  I guess it's made me kind of nostalgic for autumn on the East Coast, especially in New England.

Then, yesterday, it rained.

All day.

Halle-fucking-lujah.

Because right now it's 63º.

Ryan is wearing a sweatshirt.

I didn't wake up in a pool of sweat at all last night.

I went for a run this morning and had to wear a long-sleeved shirt.

And, right now, I am happily (not to mention comfortably) curled up on the couch, with a hot cup of coffee, wearing long pants, and not positively dreading the idea of going to stand over the hot stove to cook breakfast (brunch?).

So, happy fall from a happy girl.

Endless love.