That was my first inclination. But after looking at how much traveling she will be doing prior if she were to catch the Turkish non-stop (either from IAD or JFK) to Istanbul, and then landing in Istanbul after a long series of flights, in the middle of winter, (January--snow?), lugging 2 large suitcases and a big backpack with all her technical gear in it, then having to deal with getting to her destination in Istanbul...I thought again about it.

My husband and I recently returned from Istanbul after 2 weeks in the Mediterranean area. I speak Spanish, French, and English, while hubby speaks Spanish, German, and English, and we found it difficult to get around Istanbul, and that was without having any jetlag, and the weather was beautiful. Nor were we dragging cumbersome loads of luggage or traveling solo. It took us 5 days until we were comfortable and had begun to pick up the language. BTW where we were, in Ortakoy, practically nobody spoke English.

So, for our daughter to arrive, weary as can be, and try to navigate her way through the first couple of days in Istanbul, by herself, seemed a very unpleasant way to arrive. I thought it might be better to give her a mid-way break to adjust to the jetlag, which would then give her some fortitude to continue onwards for the final leg of her journey.

VIE or BRU might be a good choice. I would like the easiest choice possible.