This past August, my mom and I travelled to Istanbul, Turkey. We spent almost a week exploring/eating our way through different parts of Constantinople (AKA Istanbul).
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Cindy mesmerized in front of the Dolmabache Palace
While walking around the Dolmabache Palace, we smelled snacks from nearby street carts. The fire roasted chestnuts were my favorite street eat!
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Turkish street cart boys selling roasted chestnuts and corn
The views of the Bosphorus Sea were incredible from every direction.
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New Mosque in the distance
We found a spot near the sea where fisherman congregated to sell fresh caught fish.
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Fresh not smelly fishes
There were plentiful options of fresh and cheap seafood so we decided to have lunch with the locals.
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| Mussel man sells hand opened mussels with squirts of lemon in the street |
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Cindy sampling a fried sardine from the fish fryer man
Gorgeous atmosphere for a peaceful lunch |
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Later, we walked to the New Mosque, we had to take off our shoes, cover our legs and wear scarves on our heads.
| Pretty lights, stained glass and bundled up Cindy |
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It was breezy as we walked under the Galata Bridge which spans the "Golden Horn." |
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| The Golden Horn is the 7km long bay of the Bosphorus |
Finding our way around the city was a bit confusing. The Turkish people were very friendly and helpful when we asked for help with directions.
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| Street car and Cindy (above) who was not successful asking for directions since she tended to ask other tourists |
Turkish ice cream is called dondurma and has an unusual sticky consistency so I prefer gelato.
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| Ice cream men whirling around the dondurma on sticks to attract tourists |
One of our favorite treats was baklava with Turkish tea.
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This combo will energize any tired traveller.
We went to dinner at 360 for the best views in town. |
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| Beautiful setting with a beautiful momma (and neat comfy white furniture) |
The next morning, we took a ferry to Buyukada Island, one of the Princess Islands. We planned to go there to get away from the hectic city atmosphere since Buyukada does not allow any cars.
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Turkish tea boys photo bombed us as we drank tea at the local cafe
When they make coffee in Turkey, they grind the beans very fine (more than espresso) and boil it with water in a small pot and then serve it in a cup with the grounds still in it.
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Turkish coffee (left) is clearly an acquired taste, black Turkish tea (right) is succulent
Horse drawn carriages dominated the central part of Buyukada Island so it was nice to ride bikes away from the crowds and scent of manure. We rode for hours and hiked a steep hill to an old monastery. The views from the top were superb but the pics were not clear.
Istanbul is located in the "fertile crescent" so there is a glorious array of produce.
Everything in the pic is grown in Turkey except the bananas
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| I became obsessed with fresh figs (purply green top of pic were superior) |
We left Buyukada and went back to the mainland to stay at the Premist Hotel in the Sultanahmet area. It was a really great hotel with flavorful Turkish breakfasts, comfy beds, and super helpful staff.
We explored the famous Topkapi Palace and Museum, home to many Sultans for 400 years since the 15th Century.
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| Entrance to the palace |
We took a private tour with a knowledgeable man named Murat. We paid extra to see the famous Imperial Harem or what is often called the "private pleasure palace of the Sultans."
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Cindy and Murat excited to see the Harem
There were 800 women imprisoned in the harem at one time and it was known as the "golden cage." |
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Pretty tiles
We learned that the Eunichs were men brought in from Africa to be servants for the Harem women. The Sultans had them castrated so they were "safe" to protect their concubines and wives. |
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More pretty Delft tiles in the Palace
The Sultans had many women kidnapped from distant lands. These women were allowed to continue to practice different religions and traditions.
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Jewish Stars in the window created for one of the Jewish Harem women in the "courtyard of concubines"
The Palace was huge and interesting so Cindy's idea to hire a tour guide really paid off. |
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| View of the Bosphorus from the Palace |
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Strolling along with massive Blue Mosque in the distance
Later, we saw the Basillica Cistern, built by the Byzantine Emperor (527-565), which is known as the "Sunken Palace." The cistern is really huge and has the capacity of 100,000 tons of water storage (it was dark so unsurprisingly the photos of the Corinthian and Doric columns did not come out).
The Basillica Cistern's Medusa heads are considered masterpieces of Roman Period sculpture art.
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| They say the Medusa head (above) was placed sideways so she cannot look at people and turn them into stones |
Our favorite dinner outing was to Lokanta Maya in the Karakoy area.
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| Cindy (walnut decorated wall in background) with Turkish wine and the most delicious bread and spicy spread |
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| Char grilled octopus with roasted onions and herbs |
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| Caramelized Sea bass with FIGS and bitter greens (on left) Soft milk cheese with roasted beets (on right) |
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The most memorable part of this wonderful trip was the epic food tour we went on with a local food expert named Ugur Ildiz who works for Culinary Backstreets.
The tour began at 9 am with a traditional breakfast in an alley near the Spice Market where we were served Turkish tea, achma (croissant like doughy bread) and simit ("turkish bagel" with crispy outside topped with sesame and doughy center).
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| Freshly baked |
In addition to breads, we had olives, spicy pepper spread, sheep cheese, goat cheese, kaymak (heavenly clotted cream from water buffalo milk) with honey, and fresh FIGS.
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| Kaymak is pictured above on paper birthday plate |
Next we walked to the stall of Mehmet, a world famous pita maker.
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| Mehmet, the most common Turkish name, is equivalent to Michael in the USA |
Mehmet invited me to help him bake the pita.
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| Natural |
There was only one part of the food tour that didn't seem totally appetizing. Ugur convinced me to try the kokorec , which is sweetbreads (lamb intestines) roasted on a spit and served on a roll with chopped up spices.
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| Kokorec is supposedly a delicacy and greasy hangover treat |
As we ate our way through the back alleys of Istanbul, we observed many local customs. Ugur explained that Muslim women usually pray outside while men go inside the mosques to pray.
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| Muslim women praying outside the Sehzade Mosque |
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| Muslim men praying inside the Sehzade Mosque |
Ugur took us to the Rustem Pasa Mosquehich which has gorgeous blue Delft tiles (similar to the Blue Mosque)
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| We really blended in with the locals at the Rustem Pasa Mosque |
The next stop on the tour was a famous old candy store that dates back to the 1860s. They sold homemade halava, made with tahini (sesame oil), sugar, and molasses. Cindy calls it "Jewish taffy" since Ira loves it like a fat kid loves cake.
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Blocks of Halava - also known as Turkish Nutella since its a popular spread and snack
This family owned candy store called Altan Sekerleme is known for the best Turkish delight in town. |
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| Ugur and 4th generation candy man holding a bag with our Turkish delight |
| Turkish delight was more delightful than I expected! The pistachio and rose flavors are the most popular. According to Ugur, Turkish delight is best when it is 1 month old so not necessarily "fresh". It should be chewy but not stick to your teeth. We bought enough to share with our upcoming visitors but should have bought more. |
The rose tasted like rose, the pistachio had real pistachios, but sadly there were no... shnozberries
I was intrigued when we got to watch a man create his doner lamb kebab. He is famous because he uniquely layers in fresh tomatoes and onions to add flavor and moisture to the lamb. According to Urh, most kebabs in Germany and the USA are mass produced and inferior to this local doner.
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| Famous kebab stand in a back alley near the Grand Market |
We slurped a delicious drink called Bosa which is made from fermented bulgur It was served with roasted chickpeas and cinnamon. It tasted like a creamy eggnog lemony applesauce with a kick.
This delicious drink is a popular beverage in the winter .
It is interesting how so many cultures have special fermented foods and drinks which provide lactic acid and other healthy bacteria shown to aid digestion.
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| Turkish gentleman pouring the Bosa from a massive metal vat |
When we walked by a cemetery, Ugur told us that headwear (turban or fez) used to be depicted on the gravestones in the older days, which reflected the occupation or religious order of that person, in turn indicating the social ranking of the bearer.
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| You can always date the gravestones with fez from 1830 to 1920 because it only came in fashion for the Ottomans during that period, then was abolished due to a reform in clothing. |
According to Ugur, "real" baklava is made with pistachios not walnuts.
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Turkish baklava is not mushy like other kinds since they use syrup instead of honey
We got to try a delectable treat called katmer which is a baked flaky pastry stuffed with clotted cream, pistachios, and sugar. |
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Katmer (above) is usually a breakfast dish (sure beats Dunkin Donuts any day of the week)
The food tour finale was a massive lunch at a Kurdish restaurant with roast lamb, chicken with rice and currants baked in a crusty bread. I was so full at this point that I didn't have the energy to take any pictures. The popular frothy white beverage called Aryan was served in special goblets. |
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| Top left circular plate is KUNEFE |
Istanbul is called the "crossroads of the world" because it connects the continents of Europe and Asia. On our last day, we took a ferry to the Asian side of the city.
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| View of Topkai Palace from the Ferry boat |
The Asian side was not seemingly very different from the European side but just had less tourists. We strolled along the markets admiring the olives, spices, dried fruits, and random objects.
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| Colorful olives sold from a street market |
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| dates, seeds, dried figs.... |
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| A Turkish tea contraption with saucers and sand which keeps the tea warm |
I devoured fresh figs everyday which has led to a fig addiction.
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| Figs are full of fiber and very affordable (in Turkey) |
We enjoyed a tasty vegetarian buffet at a cafe called Ciya in the Kadikoy area.
Cindy's friend and many travel resources raved about a shop called Jennifer's Hamam as the best place to buy organic hand woven Turkish towels, scarves, and bathrobes. We spent a lot of time at this store with the helpful salesmen.
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| Cindy holding a blanket with the "baklava" diamond shaped pattern |
On our last day, we returned to the best baklava shop in town called Karakoy Gulluoglu (established 1820) to bring some back for Scoots and Iris.
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| The menu has about 50 different types of baklava - chocolate was perfect! |
Another favorite called Kadayif- shredded wheat pastry with pistachio
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Our last dinner was at a tourist trap in the Sultahamet area. According to Trip Advisor, this historic part of the city does not have optimal dining options.
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Universal travel tip: pictures of food advertised on wall (above) = obvious sign that the food will not be delicious
While we were in Turkey, Scott was busy working and he travelled to Belgium for a music festival called La Triute Magique.
Festival grounds
Scott and his buddies also visited 4 neighboring Belgium breweries: Phantom, Lupulus, Hypallology, and La Chouffe. Belgium has approximatley 90,000 breweries!
Beer sampler from at La Chouffe headquarters
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A few weeks later...
Turkish figs are just not the same in Germany. Perhaps they are harvested and exported before they are ripe or maybe they are more enjoyable in a warm climate. Fortunately, I have eased my fig withdrawal symptoms with wild Italian figs from the Stuttgart open-air market.
I gained 5lbs reading this!
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