Turkey – Page 3

Selcuk: Pinar Pide and a couple of cold ones……

June 16, 2011 mmm-yoso Selcuk, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

After an ok dinner at the hotel, the Missus and I still felt a bit unsatisfied. And the Missus suggested we take a walk, which sounded like a great idea, since it was either that or reading. And I'm glad we took that walk because halfway down the hill we passed this part of the Roman Aqueduct and I took one of my favorite photos of the trip.

I'm not sure why I enjoy this photo so much, but I do. If you click on the photo to enlarge it; you'll see a stork's nest on top of the pillar. The aqueduct runs right through the main part of town, and adds a "little something" to the place.

We headed to the place that the owner had recommended to us earlier in the day. It was right behind the place we stopped at for lunch. And while the scent of grilling meat was somewhat intoxicating, we made our way to Pinar Pide Salonu, a little shop specializing in that Turkish speciality Pide, a leavened flat bread usually topped with ground meat. The version here was stellar.

The crust was crunchy without being hard, the flavor of the leavening came through without interfering, and it just seemed perfect. The meat topping the pide was mildly rich, well spiced, and somewhat gamey tasting. This was very satisfying….

The lahmacun, the very popular (and cheap) thin and topped flat bread, wasn't so good.

The crust didn't stand up too well and just cracked when I tried to fold the vegetables in it. The meat over-powered everything on this making it seem kinda greasy. Actually, the version at Sultan in El Cajon is better in my opinion. Still at 2.5 TRY (about $1.50 – the pide was 3.5 TRY – $2.20), it seemed like a bargain to us.

And of course I had some ayran, the yogurt drink, which was a typical market brand. Not bad……. for reason, I really took to ayran.

Here's a photo of the shop we took the next day. The smiling young man in the front was grilling up meat the night before, and was always smiling at us. When we passed on this day, he gave us a smile and waved…… Man do I miss the people…. After our "snack" we strolled around a bit, then dropped by one of the little stores to buy some water. That's where I really noticed beer for the first time in Turkey.

They only had cans, and we didn't have a bottle opener anyway, so I got a can of Efes Pilsen, which had a mildly sweet upfront note, but was kinda "skunky" and stale in flavor. I think this was a bit past it's due date. The Tuborg Gold, a Danish Malt beverage brewed in Turkey was just plain nasty. Yuck. I know that Turkey is overwhelmingly Muslim, and alcohol is forbidden, but man, there's no excuse for brewing such a bitter, kind of strangely grassy flavored, with weird sour notes, and a tin can finish beverage. I'd try Efes again later on in bottle form, and it wasn't too bad.

Oh well. We hit the sack early since we had a full day ahead of us…….

Selcuk – Ephesus: The Temple of Artemis, Basilica of St John, and dinner at the hotel

June 14, 2011 mmm-yoso Selcuk, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

After spending a bit over an hour at the Ephesus Museum, we walked a few hundred meters, to a place that Greek Poet Antipater of Sidon, along with several others declared as the Seven Wonders of the World. It was such a grand sight that Antipater wrote: "But when I saw the sacred house of Artemis that towers to the clouds, the other Wonders were placed in the shade, for the Sun himself has never looked upon its equal outside Olympus." We walked down a short driveway, and viewed the Temple of Artemis…..

Yes folks, all that is left of the Temple of Artemis is a column of fragments, standing down a dusty driveway, in a field. A sad sight of something that Philo of Byzantium said, " He who had laid eyes on it will be convinced that the world of the immortal gods has moved from the heaven to earth." So what happened to this Wonder of the Ancient World. In an act that goes to show you the quest for fame at any cost isn't something new; on July 21st, 356 BC (supposedly on the very day that Alexander the Great was born) a young man named Herostratus, seeking immortal fame, set fire to the Temple of Artemis. The temple was eventually rebuilt, but never to the same level of grandeur. Eventually the temple was sacked by the Goths, and when Christianity became the religion of state, destroyed.

We circled back a bit, and walked back toward our hotel, passing the Isa Bey Camii (mosque), coming up in a future post. Here's a photo of the mosque from the Basilica of St John.

So of course our next stop was the Basilica of St John.

Roman Catholic history believes that the Apostle John fleeing from Jerusalem, ended up in Ephesus, where he wrote his gospels and the book of Revelation. Theodosius had a church built over what was believed to be the tomb of St John. Justinian had an even greater temple built on the site during his reign.

Much of the basilica was turned to rubble due to earthquakes and was just a pile of rubble when restoration began. Enough of it has been restored so that you can get some idea of what a grand structure it once was.

What really makes this site worth visiting are the views from Ayasuluk Hill.

After spending a bit of time here, we walked across the street to our hotel. It was time for a short… and at least for me, a well earned nap.

When we awoke, the sun was starting to set, so we walked back across the street to the parking lot of the basilica.

And took a photo of our hotel.

We had heard that the food at the Hotel Bella was pretty good, so we thought we'd enjoy the views from the terrace and have dinner.

Dinner goes like this, you can choose a protein and meze for a set price, or just a choice of three meze for a cheaper set price. The Missus didn't feel like meat, so I ordered a Adana Kebab and the Missus just mezes. Of course, this being Turkey and all, everything started with a ton of bread.

My meal came with a soup; in this case tomato, which was in serious need of salt…..

Knowing the Missus loved celery root; I chose the celery root with vegetable hot meze. It was very mild in flavor. My Adana Kebab, this one a combination of beef and lamb was not very spicy, tender, but not especially moist.

The eggplant stew was also pretty bland.

The best two items were the stacked tomato and eggplant. The tomato added a nice sweetness and acid to the wonderful eggplant flavor. The olive oil gave a mild layer of fruity richness to the dish.

The stuffed eggplant was also quite good.

The slightly bitter greens and the mushrooms were my favorites in the dish.

I had this pegged as "tourist food". But in Turkey, it's not the usual bad renditions of European/Western cuisine even for tourists. Most times you'll get Turkish food, even if it's toned down a bit. Of course, no meal is complete without some baklava and tea…..

All of this was ok, the views were nice, the sun was going down, and I was feeling a bit unsatisfied. So what to do?

Stay tuned!

Selcuk-Ephesus: Our Arrival, Lunch, and the Ephesus Museum.

June 6, 2011 mmm-yoso Selcuk, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

Getting to the town of Selcuk from Izmir was an absolute slam dunk….. into the kiddie baskets (though at my age, that ain't exactly a sure thing anymore). You land at the airport in Izmir (Selcuk doesn't have an airport) and walk to the train station, which is attached to the airport and catch the train (4TRY – about $2.50 per person), which takes about an hour. Finding our hotel was even easier. For some reason I got off the train and proceeded to walk North past the gentlemen who spend their day having tea, smoking, and playing backgammon. Up the cobblestone street, and lo' and behold, there was Hotel Bella! Just halfway up the hill.

The hotel is quaint and colorfully decorated with paintings, rugs, and pictures that would usually seem gaudy. But here it works. After a short wait, we were led up the staircase (like many of the smaller hotels in Turkey, there's no lift) to the roof terrace…….. this clinched it. We really loved the view:

That's the view of Selcuk.

On the other side of the terrace you can check out the Basilica of St John (an upcoming post), which is across the street from the hotel and further in the background is the old fort which is closed to the public.

A few feet from the ledge of the terrace is this.

Here's a closer look…. it's a pair of storks!

We were told that the storks return to Selcuk every year to nest, often staying until the early fall. We were also told that the same couple will return to the same location of their nests year after year. Storks nest everywhere above the ground; on pillars, the old aqueduct, telephone poles….

One of the owners of the Hotel, Erdahl, sat down with us, and explained that our room wasn't ready yet. He mentioned that perhaps we'd like to leave our bags, and take a walk down the street (everything is down the street in Selcuk!) to check out the Ephesus Museum, Temple of Artemis, and the Basilica of St John. He explained that the walk was 2 kilometers….. which by now was a piece of cake. So we set off…… in about a minute we arrived at the main street, Ataturk Caddesi, and decided to grab something to eat. Erdahl mentioned a Pide place, but the Missus was fascinated with this place.

No, not the water closet, but the restaurant that was sending wonderful bursts of the scent of grilled meat down the street. Actually, I really tried to discourage the Missus from stopping here…. this place only sold two things, beef on skewer (cop sis) and meat balls (kofte), and these were beef, not lamb…. and the Missus was trying to stay away from most meat. But we ended up taking seat behind the grill area…. a very nice little courtyard. There we encountered a very positive sign. Everyone eating here was local…… all business men in suits.

The Missus ordered the Cop Sis, basically beef shish kabobs, which smelled heavenly, but was hidden under four huge slices of bread….. ubiquitously Turkish.

Instead of huge chunks of meat on a skewer, these were tender and juicy slices of beef….. with a rich gamey flavor like good grass-fed beef. The shaker of spice provided was not sumac like I thought, but ground cumin…. making this like a wonderful Niu Rou Chuan.

The missus actually enjoyed my kofte even more. Very moist, holding firm until melting into your mouth once you got past the charred exterior.

Along with the pile of bread, the other usual accompaniment for this type of meal was pickled cabbage, tomatoes, and peppery arugula.

By the time I finished sipping my all too salty ayran (yogurt drink), all the guys in suits had left…. back to work I guess.

And it was time for us to be on our way……. just a couple of blocks down Ataturk Caddesi, taking a right turn on Dr Sabri Yaylar Bulvari, and you'll come to the Ephesus Museum. The museum houses many statues and artifacts from Ephesus and what little there is from the Temple of Artemis.

There are a couple of items that are famous in the museum, the first being the statue of Priapus, a god of fertility…and well something else. For more info, you can check out the Wikipedia entry. IF you don't understand, think of the medical condition priapism. The other are the statues of the Greek Goddess Artemis. That photo to the right is of I believe the statue they call "The Beautiful Artemis" or the "Small Artemis".

One statues, or part of a statue I found interesting was the head and arm of Imparator Domitian taken from the ruins of The Temple to Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian in Ephesus.

You can't tell by my photo, but that cabeza and forearm are huge! Plus, for some reason, that face, sort of babyish, kinda spooky looking, stays with me…..

It was great spending about an hour and a half in the museum, but there were still a couple more places to see this afternoon!

Istanbul: The Basilca Cistern and Kokorec

May 31, 2011 mmm-yoso Istanbul, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

The Missus and I took a much needed nap after a fairly busy day that included two lunches. I managed to wake after about forty minutes, refreshed. The Missus, well, She was reluctant to drag Herself ot of bed. Deciding to let Her rest, I was going to take a walk, or do something…. but what, and where?

Earlier in the morning, as we walked back to the hotel, we passed by a stone structure known as The Million Stone. Built by Constantine the Great in the Fourth Century, the structure literally marked the center of the city, and was used as the landmark by which distances were officially calculated from Constantinople. A couple of yards away, and just a few steps from our hotel was this pretty humble building.

The sign said it was something called the Basilica Cistern…… we really hadn't read anything about it, and the Missus really wasn't interested in checking out water storage. But now, with some time on my hands, I opened my Lonely Planet Guide and what I read was interesting enough to motivate me to check it out while the Missus continued Her nap. Just as I was about to walk out the door She told me "wait, I better get up. Hold on a couple of minutes and I'll go with you." And I think She's glad to have made that decision.

When Constantine the Great moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople in 330 AD (or somewhere thereabout) he had the Great Palace of Byzantium built. According to what I've read, the complex was huge, and stretched from the current location of the Hippodrome and Hagia Sofia, all the way down to the old sea walls. Not much remains of the Great Palace, but the Basilica Cistern still remains. It's called the Basilica Cistern because it lay beneath the Stoa Basilica, a major square in Constantinople, and is believed to have stored water for the Great Palace. The cistern might have been lost to time if not for French Scholar Petrus Gyllius who was in Istanbul searching for ancient texts. According to the story, which I just love, Gyllius was told that people in the area would fetch fresh water from holes in their basement…. and they even caught fish through those holes! After doing some exploration, Gyllius found some stone steps in the garden of a house which led to the cistern. Man, that's some story…..

450 years later, I think the Missus is glad that we paid our admission and walked down the 52 stone steps….. you could here dripping water in spite of the voices around us. The air is cool, the ceilings high, the lighting makes you feel like you've entered one of those adventure movies………

You walk along and elevated wooden platform, sometimes staring a huge carp swimming in the water. There are several of the 336 columns in the cistern which garner a lot of attention. The first one you'll come across is the Hen's Eye column. These match the Hen's eye's on the column's of the Triumphal Arch of Theodosius.

But the two columns that garner the most attention are the two "Medusa Head Columns".

No one really knows the origin of the two Medusa Heads. As for the upside down and sideways placement, one explanation is that the heads were placed in this manner to neutralize the effect of Medusa's stare. There is of course the theory that the heads were placed in their specific position simply because they happen to fit that way. I dunno 'bout you; but explanation number one sounds a lot more fun!

Speaking of fun, we were glad that we visited the Basilica Cistern.

Those James Bond fans out there will recognize the cistern from the 007 flick From Russia with Love. I got a strange feeling that I had seen this place recently….. and was right, I saw the courtyard of the Blue Mosque, and the cistern in the movie The International.

After visiting the Basilica Cistern, we decided to return to Eminonu (by the Galata Bridge). The area around the Spice Market is full of food stands and carts. I saw, well actually first smelled something I wanted to try earlier in the day. Kokorec, basically organ meat wrapped with the intestines of lamb, looking like a spool of yarn…. well grey-brown yarn, at this stand it was sliced, then stir fried with peppers, then placed in a rather bulky roll, ready to eat….. Half a roll with Kokorec (Yarim Kokorec) is just 3 TRY (appox $1,75 US).

I didn't know what to expect, but man this was delicious……salty, rich, almost fatty, crunchy bits, with a nice bit of spice this stood up to the large bread real well.

There was a almost buttery taste to this….. and after returning home, I did a search on Gala Kokorec; and low a behold, the place is mentioned in a post on Istanbul Eats! (You can find a nice photo of Kokorec there) Apparently, this place wraps sweetbreads in the tendrils of intestine! No wonder it tasted so good.

The Missus loves a good deal; so when She saw the sign, and the line in front of Sadik Bufe, Doner Kebab and Ayran (yogurt drink) for 2 TRY (think $1.25) She couldn't resist. I did tell Her that this was chicken….but that moratorium went by the wayside for sake of a bargain.

And though the sandwich was mostly bread……

In spite of the huge bread, the meat was super flavorful, smokey and crisp, so you could actually taste the stuff in all that bread. It wasn't going to make anyone's tastebuds do the "happy dance", but for a bit over a buck? The ayran on the other hand, was the most absolute worst I had in Turkey……. tasted like slightly sour salt water…..

We sat on little kiddie stools, which reminded me of Hanoi. After finishing off our sandwiches, we headed into the Spice Market and though most of the shops were closed or closing, the Missus got some nice tea and something for Her sweet tooth from here.

After which we headed back to our hotel……. The Hotel Ares. You really couldn't beat the location; literally feet from everything. The room were a bit small…..check out the location of the toilet. I'm betting if you were fairly large, you wouldn't fit.Also, the placement of the bed was kinda strange….

Due to the location of the wall, I literally had to step/climb over the Missus to get out of bed. Yes, the room here were pretty small….everything was clean though. We thought the price at 133 Euros ($190) a night was kinda steep, and after the front desk told us it would cost us 50 Euros for an airport transfer (we did the tram and metro thing – and found out that other places charge 5 Euros a piece!) we decided on other accommodation on our trips back to Istanbul.

After listening to the final call to prayer in the evening we both fell into a sound sleep……… a woke ready for the next leg of our trip!

Thanks for reading! And my next post will be on San Diego, I promise!

Istanbul: The Spice Market and Pastirma

May 30, 2011 mmm-yoso Istanbul, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

Following our lunch in the Fish Market we walked back across the Galata Bridge. One can easily spot the (Egyptian) Spice Bazaar as you cross the street from the bridge.

Originally built in the 1660's as part of Yeni Mosque, it is commonly called the Egyptian Bazaar because during the Ottoman era, the bazaar, which support the Mosque next to it, sold many items from Egypt.

It was pretty funny, we entered the market via one of the side streets drawn in by the lack of a huge crowd……

And the enticing food stalls…….

You know I just can't resist a market……

You learn so much about the what folks eat…. and in turn the culture…..

At first I thought these were pigs feet….. but really had my doubts since Turkey is overwhelming Muslim. Turns out these were Mutton Feet.

Suddenly, about fifty feet into the market, we were caught in a crush of people……which was pretty much how it was for the rest of the time we spent in the market.

Besides the thousand or so Lokum (Turkish Delight), dried fruit, nut, and Spice (Turkish Viagra anyone? Scary thing is, it looks like candy!) stands, are other stands selling everything from kitchen wares to hardware, which was great for us since I had a voltage converter, but found that all the outlets were recessed! Lucky, one of the handy dandy stands sold an adapter…. best 3 TRY ($1.75 or so) I spent!

In need of a break, I stopped when I saw this:

I asked the very friendly (like everyone else, it seems) gentleman behind the counter if this was "pastirma" and was told "yes, yes…. you want?"

Which gave the Missus time to check out the wonderful collection of mezes……

Which led the Missus to get a sampling of meze…. Her favorite was this:

I'm not quite sure what this was, as I believe Koruk Eksisi is what they call grape vinegar…….

Still it was delicious. This shop had a dining area on the second (where there was a hot food – steam table operation) and third floors. Which is where we settled in and had our second "lunch" of the day.

The Missus just had a small variety of meze…..

I had a Pastirma sandwich. Pastirma is a cured, air dried beef. I read that Turkish Horsemen used to place slabs of spice cured meat in the sides of their saddles. The process of pressing the meat by their legs would enhance the curing process…. creating Pastirma… literally "pressed meat". If the name sounds familiar; I've read from more then one source (including an article in Savuer) that this is the origin of Pastrami.

The meat itself is highly spiced, and quite strong in flavor. It stood up well to the aged goat cheese. The flavor came through real well. It was too strong for the Missus but I enjoyed it. The tomato added a nice acid touch, which cut through the spices.

I'd later find out that this place is a well known shop called Namli…. in fact, it's right there in the Lonely Planet guide to Turkey. In fact, we'd come to find that LP's guide to Turkey would turn out to be pretty good compared to other LP guides.

After eating we headed into the Spice Bazaar proper, and made our way through the crowds….

And piles of spices and tea……

Back out into the shadows of Yemi Camii……

Where boxes of tulips were set out bringing color to the crowd.

More on Yemi Camii later on, we were tired, and the walk back to our hotel in Sulthanamet put us in dire need of a nap!

Istanbul: The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and a Fish called Hamsi

May 25, 2011 mmm-yoso Istanbul, Seafood, Travel, Turkey

As happens with all our trips we awoke early in the morning, this time to the 5 am call to prayer. We got up, and headed out for an early morning walk. In contrast to the hustle and bustle of the previous day; Divan Yolu Caddesi, the main street passing through this part of Istanbul was empty. There was a bit of a chill in the air, but nothing beats walking around at this time of the morning…. especially since the Missus was drawn to the Blue Mosque.

During this time of the morning the courtyard of the Blue Mosque is empty; in direct contrast to later visits when we entered the Mosque. On this morning we just walked the courtyard…..

A view of Hagia Sofia from the gates of the Blue Mosque……

Nobody around but the two of us…. and the local dogs, who were very well behaved….

This one took a liking to the Missus and followed Her everywhere.

He even managed to sneak into a couple of photos! Here he is wondering why the Missus is smiling at nothing…..

After walking around for a bit we headed back to our hotel, I showered, and we headed downstairs via the tiny lift for breakfast. The typical Turkish breakfast is jam, honey, cheese, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, some kind of meat, yogurt, juice, and some Turkish tea…..

And bread….. lots of bread, sometimes several varieties of bread; often including the standard "simit", sesame bread. They don't fool around….. we often got what amounted to almost a whole loaf! Eggs are always offered, but come on; after eating six slices of bread…. there ain't much room left!

Compared to what we had later on in the trip; this was mostly packaged stuff….. but it sure filled me up. Later on, the Missus would often whisper to me, "just because they give you twenty slices of bread doesn't mean you have to eat it!"

Then it was off to Topkapi Palace, one of the must see places in Istanbul.

Constructed by Mehmet the Conquerer who conquered Constantinople after a 57 day siege in 1453, the palace was home to a Ottoman Sultans for almost 400 years.

The complex is designed around four courtyards, and of course there is much to see……

Not the least of which are the views of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus……

Here's the Asian side of Istanbul, right across the Bosphorus.

Of all the rooms, structures, and displays at Topkapi Palace; there were two that really caught our interest. Unfortunately, both rooms, the Treasury, and the Sacred Trusts don't allow photos. In the Treasury you'll find the Sword of Suleyman, and the even more impressive Topkapi Dagger with the three gigantic emeralds in its hilt. There's even a watch set into it! Even more interesting for us was the Room of the Sacred Relics, which include the Holy Mantle of Prophet Muhammad, along with several other holy relics. There is also the Sword of David, the Staff of Moses, and the Skull of John the Baptist. It is said that when Sultan Selim I conquered the Middle East and North Africa he started bringing the relics back to the city.

One of the areas where you can take photos is within the fourth courtyard which features some beautiful tile panels…..

The wonderful tiles decorate the exterior of the circumcision room…….

The chamber is also beautifully decorated.

All told we spent a good three hours at Topkapi Palace…. and could have possibly spent a few more, but we didn't want to burn ourselves out.

Deciding to grab something to eat, we walked the couple of kilometers to the Galata Bridge which spans the Bosphorus. Starting on the European side we crossed the Golden Horn to Asia in less then 15 minutes! How's that for pretty cool? The current location for the bridge has been used since 1845 and bridge further up the waterway was built in 1836. But plans for a bridge at the current had been in the works for many centuries before the actual construction. Back in 1502, Sultan Bayezid II solicited none other than Leonardo da Vinci who came up with a revolutionary design that was not approved by the Sultan. Another design was requested from some Italian "Dude" who turned down the offer. Today's bridge was built in 1992, and is a lively spot; not only for 2 and 4 wheeled vehicles, but for foot traffic. On a sunny day, the bridge is lined with vendors and tons of men trying their luck fishing….. and socializing.

And of course there's food……. like the folks selling the very popular "Balik – Ekmek" (fish sandwiches – more about that in a future post).

I had read that there was a fish market on the Asian side of the Galata bridge so we went in search of it. Because if there's a fish market, there's bound to be at least one place serving it!

The market itself is fairly small; a couple of stands selling fish, and one or two produce stands.

There happened to be more restaurants then fish vendors on this particular day. One was doing some good business; and his customers seemed to be all older gentleman, who tend to be more picky eaters. So this was the place for us……

But before taking a seat, I inquired about some of the fishes available, and the cook actually let me look at the fishes.

Of course being Turkey; everything started with a huge hunk of bread!

And a plate of veggies…..

I'd heard about a specific fish that is very popular, and after reading posts about it on Istanbul Eats and Eating Asia, it was all Hamsi (European Anchovy) for me.

These were nicely fried. If you love the oil-ruch Anchovy you'll like these. A bit stronger than Shishamo (smelt) in flavor, these were too much for the Missus. I considered it a bargain at 5 TRY (about 3 bucks).

The fish I selected for the Missus, was Cinekop, baby bluefish 15TRY, which She loved:

With water the entire meal came out to 22 TRY (about $13.75)…. cheaper then the previous night's lousy dinner, and tons better.

The funny thing was, even though we were satisfied, we weren't done yet…. the Missus spied the Egyptian Spice Market while crossing back….. and there would be a second lunch today!

Stay tuned……..

Istanbul: Our arrival and Cennet Gozleme

May 19, 2011 mmm-yoso Istanbul, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

I recently mentioned how we made it to Istanbul to a friend…. early in the morning we walked a couple of blocks and caught the bus, transferred to the trolley in Old Town, caught the Surfliner to Union Station in LA. At Union Station we caught the Flyaway Bus to LAX and caught the new (since March) non-stop flight to Istanbul. Twelve hours and change later we landed in Istanbul and followed the signs to the Metro, where one of the locals taught me how to use the token machine. Travelling on the metro, buses, and tram is really cheap in Istanbul. The fare across the board is 1.75 TRY (Turkish Lira – about 1.15 US). Counting stops we got off at the Zeytinburnu stop somewhat disoriented. Another really nice gentleman ("nice" is basically how we found everyone to be in Turkey), pointed to the right Tram when I asked Sulthanmet. I bought two more tokens and in a couple of minutes we caught the tram headed toward Kabatas. The tram ride took about 45 minutes; we got off at Sultanahmet Park snd stood and stared……

A few meters away stood the Blue Mosque.

A crowd of people milled around us, shoe shine boys trying to get our attention, "Konnichiwa", "Ni Hao", "Annyeonghaseyo", "where you from?" It all felt so alive, so vibrant, the tulips in bloom.

Most folks associate tulips with Holland. From what I was told, tulips were brought to Turkey from the Steppes and were cultivated in Turkey from as far back as 1,000 AD. It was Flemish Botanist Carolus Clusius who introduced the tulip to Europe in the late 16th century.

The Missus and I searched for our hotel. We could find the street on our map; but to paraphrase that little sentence on your rearview mirror: "streets appear much larger than they are." Another really nice gentleman saw us wandering around, and using his cell phone actually called the hotel and got us instructions. The street was actually a tiny alley. We walked down the cobblestone street and checked in. The gentleman manning the desk suggested that we walk up to the terrace and take a look around. I walked up the stairs, stumbling on that last uneven stair and took my first real look at Istanbul….. and the Hagia Sofia……

That's when we first heard it; beautiful and haunting, the call to prayer which occurs five times a day. We could hear a phrase, then what sounded like a prolonged echo; it was the call to prayer from another Mosque close by. It seemed that they took turns, singing a line, then giving the other Muezzin a chance. You can get a taste of it here. During our time in Turkey, I awoke to it in the morning, and set off to sleep to it late in the evening. There are still evenings when I almost expect to hear it…..

After freshening up, we headed off to explore Divan Yolu Caddesi, the main drag in the Old Town. There seemed to be a Baklava and Kebab shop on every corner. Everything seemed very touristy, as were the prices.

Much like my previous statement, things seemed quite close. It was faster to walk down to the Grand Bazaar then to catch the now packed as sardines Tram. After walking and exploring a bit, we were getting a bit hungry, but where to eat.

The Missus saw a woman rolling and making a crepe like item…….

Called Gozleme. We decided that this would be the place. We entered the restaurant and was seated. After we were seated we noticed something that we should have noticed earlier. The woman was making gozleme fresh alright. She was also stacking them in a pile, then reheating them when an order was placed. Hmmmm

We ordered a late of mezes, which was pretty low on flavor.

The lavas that came with it was really tough, almost hard, and not very good. It reminded me of a really bad tortilla.

The Missus ordered a spinach gozleme, the amount of oil on it was a bit alarming, but the filling had a nice spinach flavor.

I ordered the mixed meat gozleme. The filling was sparse, but with a nice gamey flavor.

But it was just really hard and brittle, not very good eats.

For me the nest thing was the Ayran, which was a standards issue grocery store brand. Later on the trip I'd have Ayran, a mixture of strained yogurt, water, and salt, that was pretty darn good.

The prices were pretty high for this type of meal; 25 TRY. In the end, much like our first meal in Beijing, I wrote this off to being in a new place and a bit tired.

One thing was for sure…… Istanbul sure was beautiful……

The Blue Mosque at dusk…..

We’re Baaack…..

May 16, 2011 mmm-yoso Greece, Greek Food, Turkey, Turkish Food

Right after returning from China last year, the Missus had me planning our next trip. She wanted a trip to Greece. I thought that if we were going to be gone for a month, that it would be interesting to add another Country. The thought of visiting Turkey had been on my mind for a while. As soon as the year turned and we headed into February, I started making plans. It ended up being quite a full itinerary, just the main trips and hotel info alone took up over three pages. I emailed copies of that basic itinerary to FOY (Friend of Yoso) MG, who replied that after reading the first page she felt exhausted. Cathy told me that it read like an outline for the amazing race……. With all of the planning, work, and other stuff, I wasn't able to do as much research on places to eat as I would normally do; and we depended a lot on recommendations from folks, and our explorations. The main hubs for our trips were Istanbul and Athens…….

So anyway, here's a little run down. As always, you can click on the photos to enlarge.

Istanbul:

Was our main hub for Turkey was Istanbul. To say that we were enchanted with the city is an understatement. The sincerely kind and friendly folks really made us sad to leave. As for the the locale…… let's just put it this way. This was the first photo I snapped upon my arrival in Istanbul.

That's the Hagia Sofia. We managed to visit many of the main attractions during our stays. Here's a photo of the Bosphorus from Topkapi Palace.

And a required photo of the Blue Mosque.

And of course, there's the craziness of both the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market.

We also managed a short cruise of the Bosphorus on a drizzly day, which just seemed to add even more mystery and drama to everything.

We had heard so much about Hagia Sofia, and we saved it for the tail end of our trip. By that time we wondered if it would live up to our expectations…… And let me just say, our expectations were exceeded. It's one of the few places, along with Machu Picchu that we want to revisit.

I also really enjoyed the mysterious Basilica Cistern.

Along the way, we met a fish called "Hamsi".

And a dish called Sac Tava.

Selcuk – Ephesus:

Did you know that the ancient Greek and Roman city of Ephesus is located in Turkey?

Our accommodations in Selcuk were located right across the street from the Basilica of St John.

Where the Aposotle John is believed to be buried.

There's a lot of history in this area.

Goreme – Cappadocia:

Yes, thoughts of fairy chimney's and cave houses dance in our heads when Cappadocia is mentioned.

Among the hiking, visits to the underground city, valleys, and such. The most memorable thing we did was an early morning balloon ride.

Quietly floating amongst the clouds, over exotic looking terrain, this was simply unforgettable……

I also enjoyed the visit to Selime Monastery.

Climbing up into the monastery cut into the rocks led to a view that was amazing. I also took one of my favorite photos of the trip, which almost looked like the cover of a science fiction book.

Athens:

Athens was our hub for Greece. So of course there was the required visit to the Acropolis.

And the Central Market.

Delphi – Meteora:

The Missus wanted to visit Meteora, and the only way I could figure to keep that visit within two days was to take a tour, which included a stop in Delphi.

The cloudy and drizzly morning added an air of mystery to Meteora…….

And when the sun peeked out, the views were dramatic…..

Iraklios (Heraklios):

Next up was the city of Iraklios on the island of Crete.

We had two of our favorite meals in Iraklios, thanks to the recommendations of our hotel staff. The first featured twists on Crete cuisine, which worked very well.

The second featured more straightforward Cretan specialties.

On our second day in Iraklios, instead of visiting Knossos, the Missus requested that we rent a car and drive to some of the small villages. So that's what we did……

70% of the wine in Crete comes from this area.

Cretans also consume about 31 liters of Olive Oil per capita. We both cracked up when we requested a taste of various olive oils and the woman behind the counter almost poured us dixie cup sized portions of each! Good thing we stopped her, and told her we just wanted a taste. She replied, "this is a taste!"

This area is beautiful…….

Hania (Chania):

It's almost impossible to take a bad photo of Hania.

The Missus got an early Birthday present…..

And as a bonus; the really nice young man working at the shop gave a few recommendations, and the Missus found the octopus of Her dreams…..

Hania was the perfect place for us to take a "day off" from "activities" and just kick back and enjoy.

The next day was damp and drizzly as we took the bus up to Omalos through the fog and rain… and sheep….

For our hike down the Samaria Gorge, which, depending what you read is either 18, 16, or 14 kilometers. Regardless of the distance, the "Iron Gates", where the space between the sides of the gorge get to about 3 meters wide is quite dramatic. Looking up the almost straight sides towering at over 1,100 meters is simply awesome.

All of this ends at the ocean in the village of Agia Romelli, accessible only by sea.

You can see why we were sad to leave Hania.

Antalya:

Our last unique stop was Antalya, the largest Mediterranean city on the Southwest coast of Turkey. We stayed in the area called Kaleici, the old town. Here's a photo of the ruins that was located right out the window of our room.

Our initial plan was to use our one full day to visit Termessos, but the Missus had seen enough ruins by then, so we used the day to walk around the city.

So there you go………….

It's good to be home, and hopefully, after a few days to regroup, I'll have a couple of posts ready!

Thanks for reading!