The Istambul I saw...

Istambul was a surprise in many aspects but it really depends on the aproach you make to the city.

I had a pretty close idea of our itenerary as my sister had been there just a week before, however she stayed at the Cyragan... maybe yet another way to see the city!

One thing I really enjoyed was to visit the historic street SOGUKCESME SOKAGI where you can see the beautifully preserved Ottoman wood houses from the 12th century.

With over 12 million inhabitants, Istambul can be a difficult city to navigate. The only metropolis which faces Europe and Asia in a perfect marriage.

Here below a picture of The Flower Passage in street ISTIKLAL CADDESI. Worth checking but don't stay for dinner - too turistic. This is just a covered passage that leads to the fish market and features many restaurants and music.

Take the spectacular views from the Golden Horn - As the sun sets in Istanbul, its yellow light blazes on the waters of the Golden Horn, giving this freshwater estuary its romantic name, or the natural beauty of the Bosphorus. Ensure to visit all the historic grandeur of ancient times but make sure you take time to shop.

The main attraction for shopping is THE GRAND BAZAAR or Kapali Carsi with its thousand shops is one of the oldest shopping malls in the world.

I particularly loved the Spice Bazaar - great variety of spices , nuts and off course Turkish Delight.

Take some hours to see the heart of the city - BEYOGLU with many shopping streets. The main street is Istiklal Caddesi where you should look for INCI PASTANES and try in this tiny pastry shop, the famous profiteroles and lemonade.

In this same street, I was amazed with a tyny store, basically just a window to the street, which was selling fabulous unbranded chocolate bars. Check picture below.

Buy a sesame bread roll in a stall in the streets. These are so tasty and fresh.

And also the famous mussels with lemon juice.

But Istambul is also cosmopolitan, modern, actual and famous for its department stores and boutiques which rival those in any fashion capital, so if I could make a perfect day, these would be:

Stay at the Ritz Carlton - extraordinary service.

10am start the morning with a strong turkish coffee at LUCCA the fashionable café at BEBEK.

11am Sultanahmet the heart of historic Istambul and home of Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque.

1pm Fuel a traditional feast of kebap at HUNKAR one of the most famous eateries.

2pm The neighbourhood of NISANTASI is a fashion addict paradise and home of BEYMEN department store.

5pm Check out AKARETLER ROW houses in Besiktas. These used to be officers residences in Ottoman timas but are now the homes of MARC JACOBS , LANVIN and so many others.

8pm make reservations at MOREISH a local favorite.

SOME OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DINNER:

KOSEBASI was my favorite , set on a little street up one of the hills this meze famous restaurant was simple, great athmosphere and delicious food. Don't forget to order the ribs.

VOGUE on top of a building overlooking the Bosphorus it is a beautiful location with good food. Service was fair.

LONG TABLE located inside the new trendy hotel SOFÃ , this restaurant is a club concept with loud music. Poor service.

REINA set in the margins of the Bosphorus, again a concept of club. Food is good but service poor. Location extraordinary.

Middle Eastern Cooking

Off course that for me, what really stricked me most in Istambul was this.... The incredible variety of different ingredients , spicies , fishes...

I am a huge fan of the Middle Eastern Cuisine and off course had to try everything I could - my favorite are the MEZES , usually served as starters but also great as main courses. These are tapas of different sorts that keep coming to the table and are mainly vegetables.

Here I leave some of my favorites:

Humus - a paste of chick peas

Put 250grs of canned chick peas in a food processor. Add 4 ts of olive oil, 1/2 cup of sesame seadd paste (tahin), 3 ts of lemon juice, 3 garlic cloves crushed, cayenne pepper , salt and blend until reaching a creamy consistency. Turn into serving dish and sprinkle with paprika and cover with olive oil. Eat with pita bread.

Patlican - Aubergine purée

Prick 6 aubergines with a fork and put them on the grill until skin is burned and inside is soft. Cool them to handle , cut lenghtways and spoon out the flesh in to a bowl. Mash with a fork, add juice of 1 lemon, 4 cloves of garlic crushed, 120ml olive oil, salt and coninue mashing until puréed. Place on serving dish.

Haydary - Yoghurt and cheese spread

Place 500 grs of greek yoghurt in a fine cloth to drain for an hour. Beat the yoghurt until smooth and add the fresh mint finely chopped, add teaspoon of paprika, cayenne papper and 125grs of white cheese crumbled (feta), salt. Put in a bowl for a few hours. Before serving sprinkle with paprika and olive oil.

Adana Kebab

Mix 1 kg of minced lamb, with 2 finely chopped onions, 3 chilli peppers chopped, 3 cloves of garlic crushed, 1 bunch of parsley chopped, 1 teaspoon of chilli powder, 1 teaspoon of SUMAK , salt and pepper.
Mix well with hands and leave it to rest for 15minutes in fridge.
Divide into 8 balls and then work around the skewers with should have flat blades , moulding the meat until it is flat but like a long sausage.
Grill on the charcoal until well done. Also grill tomatos and green sweet peppers.

Should be served with warm pita bread, rice, grilled vegetables and onion ring.

ISTAMBUL the city of the thousand and one nights...

It has been a while since I sat down to write.

Recently I was 45 and really nothing better than a treat with my family. I flew with my three children and my mom flew from Tunisia where we all met. It was a bless!

I chose Istanbul . a fascinating city of traditional versus the modern, where you can see the remains of many ancient civilizations and their culture in harmony with Turkish culture. The old versus the new, the is a conflict a visitor must observes. The city is full of contrasts, and colorful views , markets, bazaars and small streets. Food stalls and magnificent mosques. The diverse ethnicity of the city, is another point which is worth examinig.

The underground cistern of Istambul is thought to have been built after the Nika revolt in 532 AD. It was known as the Basilica Cistern during the Roman period but after conquest of the city by the Ottoman Turks, it was forgotten of and nobody knew that it existed. Re-discovered in 1545, it was used to water the gardens of Topkapi Palace. Today it has a rather mystical ambiance.

Inside the Blue Mosque - why is it called the Blue Mosque? Because of its interior tiles, mostly on the upper level and difficult to see unless you're right up there with them.

The Sultanahmet district is the heart of historic Old Istanbul, what 19th-century travelers used to call "Stamboul."
This is where you'll find Topkapi Palace, Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii) and many other .

The margins of the Bosphorus – which flows through Istanbul’s history and heart – hosts some of the most exclusive hotels and restaurants in Istambul european margin.

Recently opened, the Four Seasons gives a 19th-century palace a fresh, eclectic spirit and off course the most exclusive of all - THE CYRAGAN PALACE.

Worth visiting once in a lifetime....