Ozlem's Turkish Table

I hope I am not bombarding you with posts from Turkey at the moment, please bear with me:) There is so much to see, taste and appreciate that I hope through these posts, you can get a taste of what we are experiencing.

We have been traveling towards the north Aegean, and passing through fig trees, peach and cherry orchards and lots of olive trees; a very bountiful region, in addition to its historical significance. Here is a fig tree at the above photo, smells so wonderful.

This is the steepest ancient theatre in antiquity in Pergamom at the Aegean region, and used to seat 10,000 people. It is 12,000 ft above sea level and you can see the modern city Bergama at below, a very impressive sight.

And here we are at the Temple in ancient city Pergamom; the Traejans used to visit the temple to offer their sacrifice of animals to the Gods but remain at the below level for worshipping. And a lovely Mulberry tree in the at the side:)


And this is the place to be at the modern city of Bergama, that you may like a lunch break. At this traditional “lokanta”, restaurant, you can enjoy their signature meatballs, “kofte”,

and a very refreshing glass of “ayran”. This is my favorite drink, consisting of plain yoghurt, cold water and salt of your taste. You can blend with some ice cubes to get the foam. Wonderful, healthy refreshing drink that we Turks enjoy a lot.

Last but not least, here is a happy man, Ali, at Pergamom, proudly selling wonderful pine nuts and pine honey, thanks to the abundant pine trees in the region

Aegean region has lots to offer in terms of history, culture and food, definitely worth a stop – highly recommended:)

It is our last day in Istanbul and we left the charming Armada Hotel -but please check out their wonderful breakfast; fresh seasonal fruit, dried fruit,all kinds of cheeses and olives,

Different home made jams, natural honey, yoghurt, grains, pastries, simit, different ways with eggs and many more. Over looking to Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, this has been the breakfast I look forward to every morning:)

And we started our journey towards the Dardanelles (the strait that connects Europe to Asia at the other end of Sea of Marmara) to see the battlefields of Gallipoli. We passed endless fields of sunflowers, such an uplifting, happy site to see.


On the way, sampled some wonderful fresh calamari shallow fried in a light batter and cheese and parsley filled “Sigara Boregi” for lunch.

And here we are crossing the Dardanelles – you can see the battlefields of Gallipoli
at the landing.

And before my internet connection goes away, here comes the replica of the wooden house at Troy. Look forward to sharing more later!:)

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!