Sunset in Istanbul

After lunch, we just walked around Istanbul. Soaking all the glory of this very culturally rich city, its beauty and contrast of west/ east, Europe/ Asia, old/ new, etc. Istanbul is truly a city of contrasts.


To end our day; we decided to take a ferry across the Bosphorus. When we reached the ferry terminal, we saw that the ferry was about to leave. We bought tokens and ran for the ferry. We just made it. We actually had no idea where we were going. But, that was the fun part of the trip.


We did get to see Istanbul from a different angle. It is a stunning city to look at from the sea. But another amazing site was the sunset over the city.


Amazing to see the outline of all the mosque with the sun setting behind them.


Another contrast of Istanbul, is the temperature. It gets quite warm in the day, but when evening comes around, it gets a bit chilly. I was getting cold on the ferry on the way back to our starting point. The last few minutes of the trip several passengers and including us, went down into the ferry to stay warm.

After a full day of sightseeing. It was time to return to the hotel to rest, shower and get ready for dinner.

Kitchenette Restaurant (Istanbul)

After Haghia Sophia, it was lunch time. We were a bit hungry; but, did not know where to eat. Then we saw Kitchenette. We read that Kitchenette was voted the best chain restaurant in Istanbul. Since, we were right in front of one, we decided to eat there.


Since the weather was very nice; everyone was eating outside on the terrace. We were lucky to get a table right away.


The first order was a whole wheat wrap stuffed with avocado and beef. It was very good. The ingredients fresh. The dish was very simple but tasty.


The second dish was a grilled Turkish smoked cheese salad. I really liked this dish. The cheese had a very unique smoked flavour and texture is almost like a mozzerela. The salad dressing for the salad was a very simple vinegrette. All the flavours combined were perfect.


We ordered two types of lemonade. A regular one and one with mint. They both were very good, but the one with mint was amazing. What a great idea to blend mint into the lemonade.


To end a simple but yummy lunch was of course a Turkish tea.











The waitress for our table was not very good, she was not in a good mood, she was slow or did not want to serve us. So, we always asked another waiter when we needed something. He was very good and quick. In the end, we asked the bad mood waitress for the bill, it took so long, so we asked the male waiter, he came in a minute with the bill and the machine with the credit card. I have no idea what her problem was but for sure, people like that should just stay home!

Overall, Kitchenette was very good. It a very nice place to watch people, get a great lemonade and get simple and delicious food. The desserts also looked terrific.

Haghia Sophia (Istanbul)

We continued our sightseeing in Istanbul. We walked to the most famous building in Istanbul. The marvelous Haghia Sophia. I will not go into much detail about the history of this magnificent church/ mosque. You can click on to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia.

You will learn everything you will need to learn about Haghia Sophia.


The history alone of the Haghia Sophia is very interesting. It was first built as the largest building and church in the world. Then when the Ottoman's conquered, they turned it into a mosque. I am still amazed how this building was build so long ago.


Another unique aspect of this mosque is that after the Ottoman's conquered, they kept the images of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ and other Saints. I thought this was very strange.


There were a lot of Christians as tourist when we were visiting. Apparently, the Christians still consider this a 'Christian' building. They cannot accept that the Ottoman's took it over. There was even an incident that I could not believe happened.

An elderly couple arrived at the front of the giant alter where the image of the Virgin Mary is. The old man knelt down and started praying. One of the security guards immediately rushed toward the gentleman and told him to get up. Praying was not allowed because this was not a religious place but a museum. The gentleman would not listen to the security guard and kept praying. So the security guard physically forced/ helped the gentleman to stand up. The gentleman told the security guard that he wanted to pray but the security guard did not understand English so he asked a Turkish tour guide to explain to the elderly man. The elderly couple were not happy and the security guard was not happy.

What I could not believe was the nerve of the elderly couple. They knew the history of the Haghia Sophia, they knew that it was a mosque and they are in a Muslim country. I thought it was simply rude.


Here is an amazing mosaic of Jesus Christ.


Once considered the largest building in the world. I still consider it gigantic.


Mosaic of Saints and Angels.


The exterior of the Haghia Sophia is not as grande as the other mosque in Istanbul. But, the creators of the Haghia Sophia had a different idea. They wanted the opulence to be in the interior. And, it sure is.

1st day of tourism Istanbul

After breakfast, we were ready for our first day of sightseeing of Istanbul. We decided to walk to the metro, which was down the hill from the hotel. When we got to the bottom of the hill and crossed the street to catch the metro. We saw a beautiful mosque. We entered the compound just to take a peak. A very nice man, who happened to be the caretaker of the mosque, told us that we were allowed to go inside to take a look.


We were the only ones in the mosque and it was amazing. So peaceful and quiet. It was beautiful with its stunning dome and light fixtures hanging from the ceiling.


When we finished taking a tour of the mosque, the clever caretaker of the mosque asked for a donation. Which we were very happy to donate.


We walked towards the Bosphorus and crossed the bridge to walk to the spice market. This was another amazing mosque next to the spice market.


The amazing spice market. Your senses are delighted with so much to see, touch, smell and taste.


The amazing selection of spices.


Huge selection of dried fruits.


After walking all morning. It was time for a break. We found Coffee world. A very nice coffee place. Starbucks was just a few shops down the street; but we wanted to support the local coffee shop that served Turkish coffee.


What was so amazing, is how the coffee is served. It comes in a set; the Turkish coffee, a mini bottle of water and a chocolate. Turkish coffee has the grounds at the bottom of the glass, that is the reason for the water, to wash down the bitterness. The chocolate is to add a bit of sweetness to your life. What a fantastic idea!

Witt Istanbul Suites breakfast (Istanbul)

Our first breakfast at Witt Istanbul Suites Hotel. The breakfast area is in the lobby. It has a modern retro feel to it. Very cool furniture. The area is bright with light coming in from the large windows.


We were the only ones having breakfast since most people wake up very early to go sight seeing.


The staff was very nice, it consisted of two gentlemen. One making the coffee/ tea that is ordered and the other to serve and make sure the breakfast buffet is stocked and in order. They ask if you want tea or coffee. However; warning, orange juice, espresso/ cappuccino/ cafe late cost extra. It is written on a black board. I am sure most people do not pay attention to that and will be shocked to find the extra cost on their bill when they check out. I actually do not think this is correct. Breakfast is included with the room. If you are offering breakfast, then you should include the orange juice and espresso.


The breakfast had a very large selection from international or Turkish breakfast choices. What was really interesting were the Turkish breads and cheeses. One of the favourites was as bread that looks like a bagel surrounded with sesame seeds (its sold at every street corner in Istanbul for a snack, almost like a pretzel) and a cheese that tasted like it was smoked.


More wonderful choices for breakfast.


AND more wonderful and yummy stuff for breakfast.


The breakfast just lovely. The very good and interesting selection. Good service. What else can you ask for to start the morning?

Mika Bar at the Marmara Peira Hotel (Istanbul)

After our first dinner in Istanbul; we decided to go to one of Istanbul's chicest & trendiest bar. The bar is called Mika Bar and its on the top of the Marmara Peira Hotel. The bar was also recommended from a friend who went to the bar on her recent visit.


The Mika Bar is an open aired bar and it has the most stunning views of the whole city. The decor is modern. But, the show stopper of the bar are the views.


Lots of trendy and cool looking people. Oh; yes, also very rich people. I figured that out when I saw the prices of the drinks: yikes!!!


More of the beautiful people.

I did notice that it was mostly tourist at the bar. Where are the locals?

What was surprising was how cold it sitting at the bar. I was freezing. I was not prepared. I read that it was summer and warm in Istanbul. But, at this high altitude, the temperatures drop and the wind blows. Burrrrr!!!

I did like the bar; the decor was simple because it did not want to distract from the views. The music was loungy & good, the drinks were good. Will definately return.

Takanik Balik seafood restaurant (Istanbul)

Our first dinner in Istanbul. We were ready and prepared (so we thought). We had a very long list of great places to eat in Istanbul from a very reliable source. We chose a seafood restaurant for our first dinner in Istanbul. We even asked the hotel we were staying in to reserve a table for us before arriving in Istanbul.

We got into a taxi in front of the hotel and off we went. We very excited; but excitement became curiosity because we were sitting in the taxi for more than 45 minutes and we were still driving and driving and driving. It seemed strange that the restaurant was so far. We read the map before going to the restaurant and did we not think it was this far. The problem with taxi drivers in Istanbul is that they do not speak English (why should they, we should speak Turkish), so we were not sure if the taxi driver understood us or not. After driving and driving and driving; even the taxi driver finally stopped and asked someone for directions.

We drove past lots of very nice restaurants. We thought we were in the right area because we were next to the sea and there were lots of seafood restaurants. The taxi slowed down and turned into a lane and when the taxi reached the end of the lane, the taxi driver showed the guy the piece of paper with the name of the restaurant and asked if this was restaurant we were looking for. The man on the street said yes. We got out of the taxi but we were not convinced.

The taxi left and we followed this big and fat man with a walkie-talkie calling his colleague in the restaurant. We followed him into a very very very dark restaurant, we followed him upstairs and to our amazement. The restaurant was empty. We were the only people there. There was something very strange. It felt like in a mafia movie. We were actually scared. My friend acted quickly and pretended that his iphone rang; "Hello Mark, where are you? Oh, I see the restaurant in front of the street. OK, we will see you in one minute." My friend looked at me and told me; "We are in the wrong restaurant; Mark is waiting for us in front of the street." We both jumped up and ran out of the restaurant.

So, that was our first dinner experience in Istanbul. Being brought to a mafia restaurant where we could have been killed.

We walked out of the lane very fast and walked around the area and found this lovely seafood restaurant with lots of locals. That was a good sign and a decision maker for us.


The restaurant was in front of the lane that entered the mafia restaurant. While sitting in the restaurant, I was hoping that the big and fat mafia man did not walk out of the lane and see me in the restaurant.


We first ordered the house salad. A mix of corn, cucumber, tomatoe, lettuce, beets and carrots. All mixed with a very nice vinegrette (I have to apologize for the quality of photos. It was my first evening in Istanbul and I was not sure if I would offend the restaurant staff by taking photos with a flash).


The second dish was crispy calamari with a yoghurt sauce. The calamari was lightly fried to a pale gold brown. Slightly crispy and the calamari was very fresh. Not chewy. The yoghurt gave a nice contrasting sour taste.


The third dish was grilled fish. The perfect size for two. Perfectly grilled, the fish was still tender and flaky inside. With a dash of lemon, it was perfect.


The fourth dish was deep fried sardines. One of my favourite dishes. Deep fried to a deep brown. The sardines were very fresh.


We ended the meal with a Turkish tea. My first one. Presentation wise, its very nice. Turkish tea is very bitter but has a nice taste.


The restaurant gives you a choice of dinning inside or outside. We chose outside because the weather and temperature was lovely.


When we arrived, the restaurant was packed with locals. Families, friends and couples eating. A very comfortable and cozy neighborhood restaurant. The service was quick and pleasant.


So, even though the beginning of the night was out of a Alfred Hitchcock movie; it actually turned out to be very nice. We will need to find the original restaurant we were looking for in our next trip to Istanbul.

Istanbul (Witt Istanbul Suites)

We finally arrived in Istanbul. I am very excited. We had the hotel limo pick us up at the airport because it was our first time in Istanbul. We did not want to get lost or cheated with a taxi the first time.

We stayed at the Witt Istanbul Suites; THE 'IN' boutique of Istanbul of the moment. It has had articles written about it in the Financial Times and New York Times. We wanted to splurge a little bit, so we booked for two nights.


There was a mix-up when we checked in. The front desk told us that the room we booked was not available. However; they decided to upgrade us to their best suite but pay the lower price of the room we originally booked. We were very delighted with our luck.

The suite was enormous. It was a corner room on the top floor (the hotel only has 7 floors). Huge windows surrounded the suite.


The decor was very nice and modern. But the decor also had a playful & quirky attitude to it. It had every modern amenity a person could need. I-pod dock, Nespresso machine and rain shower. The only complaint was that the t.v. remote control was so complicated, we actually had to read the manual to learn how to turn the thing on and how to turn the channels.


BUT, the greatest thing about the suite; was the huge balcony that wrapped itself around the suite. When we stepped out of the room...the VIEW of Istanbul was AMAZING!!! Breathlessly beautiful!!!

If you want to learn more about this very cool hotel:
www.wittistanbul.com/

Qatar Airways breakfast

I am finally on my holiday...hurrah. We are on our way to Istanbul. I have never been to this city but I have heard so many wonderful & fantastic things about Turkey. I am really excited about this trip.

We got a good deal on Qatar Airways to Istanbul from Bangkok. The flight left Bangkok 9:15 AM (very early for me). However, since we were on holiday mode, I did not mind.

We were served a very nice breakfast on board.


The breakfast started with several selections of breakfast choices. I chose first the muesli with cold milk (you have a choice between cold & warm). Nothing to complain about; the muesli was of good quality and tasted good.


My friend chose the omelette with steak for breakfast. I was pleasantly surprised to find the omelette moist and soft; its not often you can get that on an airplane. The steak was ok, it was overcooked as usual. The mushrooms and asperagus that came with the breakfast was not the best, but good quality.


I chose the hot cakes with maple syrup and fresh rasberries. I fly on Qater Airways three times a year. I always have the hot cakes for breakfast. They are so good. They are not overcooked. They come out warm and moist. The air-hostess pours the maple syrup until I give the sign that its enough. The rasberries give the acidity and sourness that blends well with the sweetness of the maple syrup.

Qatar Airways has to be one of the best airlines in the world right now. The service and food is of good quality. I always enjoy flying with Qatar.

Back to Posting

As many of you have already noticed. I have not posted a story for a very very very long time. I apologize.

I started a new job two months ago. The minute I stepped in the door of my new office, I have been swamped with work.

I been receiving lots of complaints from readers that I should start posting again. I have payed attention and will start posting again.

Please stay tuned.