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Hellos from Istanbul – Istanbul'dan Merhaba!

Entrance of the Istanbul Culinary Institute, Istanbul

A very warm welcome to you all from Istanbul! It’s been a few days since we have been here, and it feels fantastic to be back home:) There are so many special moments to share, and I will try to give you a little glimpse of the few days in this fascinating city.

I visited the wonderful Istanbul Culinary Institute, we are all set for my Turkish cooking class at the Institute on Tuesday, 7th August! They are still taking enrollment for the class, so if you are in Istanbul and like to join us, please sign up for your spot at Istanbul Culinary – Classes

Istanbul Culinary's cafe and our friendly host

Istanbul Culinary has also a wonderful cafe, with seasonal fresh produce – a great spot in Beyoglu for a delicious lunch or drink.

Anyone for a freshly squeezed orange juice?

And this has been my daily, freshly squeezed orange juice – can’t get enough!

Cheesy toast - peynirli tost with salad

And this has been a favorite lunch – peynirli tost; cheesy toast with a salad of tomato, cucumber, greens and olives. Coban Salata, Shepherd’s Salata is a wonderful traditional salad of sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, green (pointy or bell) peppers, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil; so refreshing.

Pera Museum, well worth visiting

If you are in Beyoglu area, Pera Museum so well worth visiting; they now have the “Intersecting Worlds; Ambassadors and Painters” Exhibition.

Tram is a great way transport in Beyoglu

Once you are in Beyoglu, Istiklal Street, you can go all the way up or down the long Istiklal Street with the traditional tram – fun too!

it was wonderful to meet with Joy from My Turkish Joys

I was delighted to meet up the fellow blogger Joy  from the wonderful blog My Turkish Joys at Galata Kiva, sampling delicious, regional Turkish dishes.

Delicious spread of local dishes, sini oruk (ground meat and spices between layers of this bulgur mixture), stuffed onions and many more Galata Kiva

Galata Tower, worth visiting for a panoramic view of Istanbul

While you are in Beyoglu, you can easily walk to Galata, and visit the Galata Tower for a  spectacular view of Istanbul.

Irresistable Turkish Breakfast spread

One thing I can’t get enough is our traditional Turkish breakfast consisting of white cheese, kasar – Turkish cheddar cheese, delicious olives, slices of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, fried egg with Turkish sausages – sucuk, local honey, sesame seeded simit – bread rings. We met with friends by the Bosphorus and enjoyed this feast!

Here we are with happy smiles after the wonderful Turkish breakfast 🙂

 

Cafe with a view; I am grateful to be here and taking all these precious sights in

I loved this painting of the Vapur, local ferry with passangers on

The Rumeli Fortress by the Bosphorus

If you can, take the local ferries – vapur – along the Bosphorus, wonderful way to see and appreciate both sides of Istanbul.

I hope you enjoy the photos, and one day, have a chance to visit Fascinating Istanbul.

Best wishes for happy travels from Istanbul : )

Ozlem

 

 

 

 

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12 Responses to Hellos from Istanbul – Istanbul'dan Merhaba!

  1. CuisinedeProvence August 4, 2012 at 4:07 pm #

    Wishing you a wonderful time in Istanbul (if only I could be there too) and much success for your cooking class!

    • Ozlem August 5, 2012 at 8:57 am #

      thank you Barbara, wished you were here too:)

  2. joyce August 4, 2012 at 6:32 pm #

    everything looks wonderful. that turkish breakfast is to die for. what fun that you got to meet joy!

    • Ozlem August 5, 2012 at 8:57 am #

      it really was lovely to meet with Joy, so much to share and talk:) thanks for the comment!

  3. Peri August 5, 2012 at 5:35 am #

    What a wonderful post, my dear Ozlem,felt like I was right there! Time spent with friends, family and good wholesome food:) Istanbul is beautiful and worth a visit some day!

    Good luck with the class on Tuesday, how I wish I could join in this cooking fun! Will be there in spirit…Much love.

    • Ozlem August 5, 2012 at 8:56 am #

      many thanks Peri, wished you were here too:)!

  4. Phil in the Kitchen August 6, 2012 at 9:09 am #

    Best of luck with the cooking class – I’m sure it will go well. The breakfast does sound excellent and that’s a great view from a café.

    • Ozlem August 7, 2012 at 12:11 pm #

      Many thanks! The class is today and fully booked:)

  5. BacktoBodrum August 6, 2012 at 10:05 am #

    Are you planning any trips South?

    • Ozlem August 7, 2012 at 12:10 pm #

      Merhaba, we plan to go around Kas and Kalkan area, really wished to be able to pass by Bodrum, would have been nice to say hello to you.

  6. deniz August 7, 2012 at 1:10 pm #

    Gorgeous photos! I finally visited the Galata Tower for the first time last summer – what a wonderful view!

    • Ozlem August 7, 2012 at 1:32 pm #

      thanks Deniz, Galata Tower offers spectacular views, as always:)

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