Sights Around Istanbul

June 23

What follows are photos taken on Day One in Istanbul. I will write more about each one after dinner this evening...

Almost midnight...

Istanbul is a very "alive" city. Socializing ranks as a very high priority, and Gottfried, our fearless leader who seems to have written a book about just about everything, tells us that meals usually take 2-3 hours. A group might start with some appetizers, have a little raki (which is a popular Turkish drink that smells like anise), have a few more appetizers, have some more raki, have some fish, some bread, etc... And this cycle can go on from one in the afternoon until 9 pm or so, he tells us. Eating slowly and truly enjoying the time and the meal together is central to daily life here.

Practicing this custom, we had dinner tonight at Yesil Ev Restaurant. This was a much more free-wheeling, casual sort of dining establishment than we attended last evening with our terrace view restaurant. This place is located along one of the alleyways, and the eighteen of us sat at one long table. Gottfried orderd a variety of appetizers again, and the spread was absolutely splendid. For those of you who know how much I love world foods, I have decided that the Turkish cuisine and I could become very intimate friends! The food is simple, made with lots of organically grown fruits and vegetables in the region. My newest favorite is anything made with eggplant or walnuts. Ah, my food obsessive compulsive disorder is in high gear, so I will move on to other parts of this amazing journey...

The photo above represents one of the sights we encountered as we drove from the airport into central Istanbul yesterday. You'll notice the many frieghters in the harbor. People are simply gathered out on the rock. Some were fishing, but most looked like they were just enjoying the view, the day, the beautiful Istanbul sunshine...