KO and the Turk: Walking the Winding Streets

Had a late night last night. Ali (Mark's nephew who lives in Istanbul) came to visit and we went to a restaurant specializing in Ottoman cuisine. Food is similiar to what we know as Turkish, but includes fruits with the meat and some different flavors which are delicious. On our way back, we stopped at the Hippodrome - now a park in front of the Blue Mosque. The night market was open, there was a popular concert of traditional Turkish music, and in yet another part of the park - a Whirling Dervish spinning and spinning until I got dizzy for him. Even towards midnight, the park was busy with families enjoying the activities.

Jumped out of bed this morning...more like moved slowly out of bed as the travel aches had set in - likely from sleeping in odd positions on the flight. Anticipation of breakfast was what got us up. Turkish breakfasts are wonderful. Yogurts, different kinds of cheeses and meats, watermelon, peaches, melons, breads and jams, dried fruits, musli, and fresh orange juice they made when asked. The tea selection is impressive. I counted 14 kinds including sage, hibiscus, lemon and some I couldnt figure out.

We hiked over to Eminonu, near Galata Bridge. We were checking out the Bosphorus ferry for tomorrow, but also wanted to check out the famous Bosphorus. There are so many boats, it looked like a freeway. Including boats just turning across the water to the other side, crossing in front of 'lanes' of boats. yikes!

I had to try the balik ekmek - literally fish and bread. They cook the fish on boats along the waterfront and stick the fish into a roll with alot of sweet onions. You can sit at small tables that are about 10" square and 12" high. This is ok because the 'stools' are equally miniature as well. It made me realize that ALOT of Americans wouldnt fit on these. Mark was fascinated by the rows of fishermen trying to catch the very small fish zooming back and forth under the bridge. The fishermen were having as much luck as he's been having in Florida.

Next up was the nearby Spice Market. Mark and I were in foody heaven, surrounded by olives, figs, cheeses, rows and rows of different spices and teas. The smells! The colors!

A 'few' spice choices

Dried eggplant, peppers

Sardines

Turkish delight in towers (nuts in a chewy gel)

We still needed to fill in some historical culture, so off we went to Topkapi Palace. This large compound housed up to 5000 people at the height of the Ottoman empire. Sultan Mehmet built the original buildings in 1400's and was sure to include a large area to house and support his harem. Topkapi is on a hill overlooking the Bosphorus for a great defense advantage.

Like Aya Sofya the day before, the palace is much more developed for tourists complete with security checks and higher quality displays for some of the artifacts. 14 years ago, we just wandered around and tried to figure out what we were seeing in the dark rooms. Now the jewels and sultan caftans are displayed with proper lighting and descriptions. Of course, it also costs alot more to view. Views...the view from the palace terrace was amazing. The tile work was intricate and colorful. It was nice to see that restoration work is continuing as they work on whole sections of the palace that havent been repaired in hundreds of years.