Fascinating Turkey

The over 400 year old Grand Bazaar is worth a stop in Istanbul; this ancient mall seem to capture all the colours and spirit of the city,

Colours are so mesmerising; colorful lamps, jewellery, cups and bowls, leather, you name it,it is there. You would get tourist prices I am afraid, but it is a joy just to witness all the hub there – and in the meantime, master the bargaining!

My favorite part is shops selling olive oil soaps and lovely Turkish towels. The olive oil soap is wonderful to the skin, highly recommended!

And how can you not get mesmerised at the ancient Spice Market? Wonderful spices – Turkish red pepper flakes, cumin, sumac, black pepper, nuts, Turkish delight, all kinds of tea and many more.

Make sure the soak up the atmosphere at the Spice Market and stock up all the wonderful spices!

Hellos from Istanbul again; indeed the city of the world’s desire. We visited Hagia Sophia today – I must have been there over 20 times by now and everytime I go back I learn something new and Hagia Sophia keeps on fascinating us. Completed in 537 and reigned as the greatest church in Christendom until the conquest by the Ottomans in 1453, Hagia Sophia remains as the most famous monument of Istanbul.

It is a joy to see that the interior renovation inside Hagia Sophia is now complete and you can appreciate this magnificent museum with no distractions.I keep on admiring the wonderful giant round plagues of Islam (with the name of God, “Allah” and Prophet Mohammed) right next to the mosaics of Virgin Mary and Christ, delightful at the dome.

And this is Hagia Sophia’s friendly cat that we all admired!

Next stop is the tranquil Basilica Cistern, where the Byzantians used to store water for the great palace – and a wonderful stop to cool down in the summer time!

And this is Argos column in the Cistern; this is considered to be one of the roots of the “evil eye”, as the thousands eyes on the column meant to protect from the evil eye.

Anyone for rugs? Turkish rugs are of high quality as they are made with double knots. We had the pleasure of waching how the rugs were woven at Nakkas Rug store, where they have a wonderful collection of tribal, wool, silk rugs and many more.

Top quality rugs explained by experts and a fine example of Turkish hospitality, highly recommended. And the Ottoman prints and Turkish Iznik tiles are irresistable too!

How about food? Nothing symbolises Turkish street food more than “Simit” – susame covered round pastries, available in every coner on street stalls.

And simit is best enjoyed over a glass of cay, our national drink, served on tulip shaped glasses. Cay is enjoyed here all through the day, a drink of friendsip and hospitality, offered to everyone whereever you go. I drink to that:)

Until next time, happy travels!

Hellos from Istanbul! Here we are all congregated in this fascinating city – I am still piching myself:)-
Our first stop was the magnificient Renaissance style Dolmabahce Palace to remember the opulance of the Ottoman Empire, even at its last legs with all its glory.


The soldier who stands still nonstop at the gate simply fascinates us

And the beautiful gateway from the Palace that opens up to the Bosphorus is just breathtaking, what a view!

In the evening, we had a real feast of Agean style mezes, fish and wonderful dessert at the Giritli restaurant in Sultanahmet. They source all their vegetables and herbs from the Agean region and all the mezes are a feast to the eye and stomach:)Here we are enjoying smoked eggplants, grilled octapus, fava bean puree, roasted red peppers, purslane wıth garlic yoghurt, pickled cucumbers, Aegean style marinated olives with feta cheese and many more. You get to taste a variety of freshly prepared mezes, a real treat.

And this is fresh seabass cooked in Aegean style, simply grilled with a little olive oil, served with rocket leaves and slice of lemon – a lovely and traditional way to enjoy it.

And this is our favorite dessert – Bodrum Lokmasi. A very light batter of yeast, warm water and flour is being fried as little drops. Then a warm syrup is pour over it.

Bodrum lokmasi is served with the wonderful Turkish ice cream, what a way to end a feast:)

I hope you enjoy the post and all we have been up to, and I truly hope you make it to Istanbul sometime to enjoy even more. I think what makes this country so special is the people and their hospitality, so welcoming. Highly recommended:)