Tag: Blue Mosque
Good Bye Istanbul- Final Thoughts…
It was our last day in this beautiful and friendly city as I woke up and couldn’t help thinking how much fun these last eight days have been. It was partly because we traveled in a group with family, partly because of the sights, food, once in a lifetime experience of hot air ballooning, but mostly because of the hospitable and friendly Turkish people. The people in Istanbul were super nice but the people in Cappadocia were gracious and genuinely kind- the way I have never experienced before- I guess that is why I didn’t feel like leaving Turkey. Usually when we go away on vacation, I am happy to come back home after about a week- but this time was very different- I was sad to leave. I will cherish these wonderful memories for a very long time to come and look forward to going back and enjoying the amazing mix of east and west again some day.
For any of you out there thinking of going to Turkey, I would highly, highly recommend it.
Istanbul Day 3- A Palace, Crispy Potato And Grilled Lamb
Day three started with some wind, rain and a delicious Turkish breakfast. We bundled up and headed to the Topkapi Palace, which was walking distance to our hotel. We spent a few hours viewing the Blue Mosque and the Palace. Somehow walking around in museums, etc makes me hungry. We came out and immediately started looking for somewhere to warm and eat. On the way, we found a vendor selling crispy potatoes. He had a machine to cut the potato open onto a stick. He then fried the whole thing and sprinkled it with spices and salt- it was delicious! We stood there for several minutes devouring many sticks of potatoes. 
We also had some of the Turkish pretzel again- this one was not as crispy and fresh as the other one. We finally found a restaurant/cafe and ate some kebabs and lavash and drank some buttermilk.
We then headed to do some shopping. They have beautiful ceramics, rugs and stoles all over Istanbul. The trick is to bring the prices way down by haggling with the vendors- which is a skill I don’t possess but I think I held my own as I shopped.
After a few hours of rest, lots of research, we headed to a restaurant near our hotel called Tria. As we were 9 of us, we decided to order family style and instead of an entree each, we ordered lots of appetizers. They started us off with baskets of lavash, black olives and olive tapenade- delicious!
Olive Tapenade
Meze Platter
We ordered their house red wine which was also delicious. The wine I have had so far has been quite yummy- the problem is that alcohol is not served in the very down to earth eating joints- which is where I like to eat when we travel.
The appetizers kept coming- a plate of meze, which is like eating Turkish tapas. It consisted of lots of interesting things like grated eggplant in a white sauce, lentil kebab, tomato sauce with a kick, a fresh cheese spread, some kind of grilled fish, etc. The grilled squid was yummy as well! We were quite full and satisfied when the grilled lamb over mashed eggplant arrived. I was a bit skeptical about the mashed eggplant- but it was by far the most delicious thing on the table. It was soft, velvety and delicious! Believe it or not we were too full for dessert!
Grilled Lamb
We decided to walk some family members to the tram station which was near our favorite dessert place.. somehow the walk made the idea of dessert more palatable… so we strolled over and sat down for a few sweet things..
Tomorrow, we are off to Cappadocia!!
Istanbul Day 2 – Lots of Delicious Street Food
Mussels
Day two in Istanbul started with a delicious breakfast in our hotel. We came down to lovely aromas of Turkish breakfast that included a variety of different things. There was an array of different vegetables in various forms. There was fried eggplant in a yogurt sauce, mushrooms in a tomato sauce, potatoes, cucumbers. There was a selection of fresh cheeses, olives, dried fruits and pickles. It was all delicious and a great way to start our day. We walked over the bosphorus area to catch a cruise. Two hours later we got off and saw a boat of fish mongers grilling fresh fish and selling fish sandwiches. We had read in the guides that this was a must- well, the fish was fresh and delicious! Right next to the boat there was a vendor selling fresh mussels!- I love mussels.. and these were stuffed with some kind of delicious, aromatic rice. The vendor squeezed fresh lemon on each as I stood next to him and devoured a bunch of fresh mussels right by the water!
Turkish Doughnuts
A bit ahead we saw a very busy market filled with food vendors. It was jam packed with people but that didn’t discourage us to try all sorts of delights like- the most delicious Turkish doughnuts I have ever had- they were dripping in honey and topped with ground pistachios.
We had freshly squeezed pomegranate juice- what a difference between the fresh and the bottled!!
Freshly Squeezed Pomegranate Juice
We bought some candy wrapped on a stick drizzled with lemon juice- amazing! We tried some pickled cabbage which was very tasty as well.
Candy on a Stick
After eating most of that market we decided to take a tram to the new part of Istanbul. This part is filled with tall buildings and modern structures- quite a contrast from the cobblestone streets we left behind just ten minutes ago! We walked and we walked, looking at our maps and asking the very friendly people of Istanbul. So far it has been a lovely experience eating and walking around. I haven’t done a whole lot of shopping- although there are tons of things to buy.. well, I did buy some amazingly aromatic Iranian saffron from the amazing Egyptian spice market. I would like to buy some more spices and maybe a nice rug!
In spite of munching all day, I couldn’t stop thinking of the bakery from last night and all the puddings they had- so, we stopped on our way back to the hotel and picked up a almond pudding, a pistachio pudding and a rice pudding- they were all really yummy! I ate like there was no tomorrow and thought to myself- I really need to eat far less tomorrow!