Today, my friend Cigdem and I played local tourist in Istanbul. We took a taxi to Cengelkoy and hopped on a boat that goes on the "Ring", going to several ports on the Bosphorus. It's not a day-long affair like the regular tour.
We got off at Bebek, where Cigdem's sisters met us for lunch at Kitchenette. Very nice restaurant with lovely garden. All 3 sisters grew up in Miami, so we chatted in Turkish and English. Nice to finally meet them.
Then, Cigdem and I moved over to Starbucks in Bebek, where we sipped our mochachinos while gazing at the Bosphorus while we waited for the boat.
Then, the boat took us to Kanlica, where we had 15 minutes to eat their famous yogurt with the powdered sugar. Then, it was back on the boat, and off to Kadikoy, where I bought spices and books for back home. Whew- power day!
& what a 'Power Tourist' Day it was Zeynep!
ReplyDeleteWasn't it great that we were spared of the intense summer heat by staying on the Bosphorous - where the cool breeze saved us.
Do you think the breeze stemmed from the fact that we were literally 'between' the 2 continents of Asia and Europe - as the 'Bogaz' almost acts like a canyon between the continents - or could it be because of the temperature difference between the Marmara sea and the Black sea - causing for a coolness that doesn't exist anywhere else in the city?
in any case, it was great to "ring" around the ports of Bebek, Anadolu Hisari, Kanlica, Emirgan, Kandilli, and Arnavutkoy!
Our lunch at Kitchenette was city 'cool' but sister #5 ( Nilufer) was missing in action! Next time, lets try to all meet up at once! Nil'cim - masadaki yerin bos kaldi!
So glad you are in town - meshing our San Francisco & Istanbul experiences together! Next time, stay longer!
Sounds like sooo much fun guys, wish I had been there too!
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