Istanbul, Turkey. Day 148 September 24th 2019
I have had the amazing fortune to have spent birthdays in some incredible places. This year was no exception.
The past three years have seen a birthday celebrated in Bhutan, Iran, Verona. To add to the pretention – this year Istanbul. Fast becoming our favourite city. I know New York has always had top billing but now Istanbul – hard to choose, except that I am so lucky to have visited both.
This year the celebration was made more special with a gathering of new friends.
To begin the day started with a sleep-in – that is not unusual. Followed by a delicious Turkish breakfast spread at Van Kahvalti Evi – a memory from a previous visit to Istanbul and every bit as wonderful. Multiple cups of Turkish tea, a spread of little tasty dishes, and the most delicious Menemen. Chris adding a serve of fried Dough Balls – a light, crisply fried fatty-but-non-fatty treat.
My birthday choice for the day was to wander Cihangir and Çukurcuma with no plans in mind. A lovely day winding our way through streets, finding new nooks and crannies along with places we recognized from our previous visit.
Along the way we found a bookshop – ‘Homer Kitabesi’, with an extensive selection of books in what seemed a small shop from the street. Even more exciting for us, was a large selection of books in English. Although we make a pact with each other on bookshop-entry – we will not buy a book – we always do! It seemed only right to come away with a book by a well-known Turkish author Orhan Kemal.
Out the front of the bookshop was a display of books wrapped in brown paper and string with a heading “A Blind Date with a Book”. Each book had some key introducers hand-written on the paper. No author, title or dead-giveaway information. Fantastic idea.
Multiple tea stops are always called for. Little stalls, large restaurants, upmarket cafes – all over the city are hundreds of Turkish Çay / Tea spots.
One tea-stop today was a little more exotic than we usually choose. It looked a lovely spot to relax and watch the street life go by. Chado tea had a worldwide range of tea choices so we went all out – I had Chai Masala and Chris has a Matcha Iced Green Tea. We sat browsing our new books and watching the comings and goings in the street.
Knowing we were going out for a birthday dinner feast and that we had had a huge Turkish breakfast – we skipped lunch. Wending our way through the ups and downs of Cihangir visiting shops that piqued our interest along the way
I spent a loooooooong time in 100% Istanbul, in my quest for a new travel handbag. I really wanted to one – they looked cool, they are made from recycled materials. One easily converted from Tote to Backpack. They were just too big for my 148cm height so I left emptyhanded but loved the concept and the bags.
Surprises popped up at every turn – antique shops spilling onto the footpaths, tiny avenues of restaurants, colourful murals and painted buildings.
Dinner – what a treat. We had two groups of friends-met-travelling in Istanbul this week – our now friends once Eatwith “Istanbul Chefs” and friends we met on the train crossing from China to Kazakstan. Ata and Ahmet arranged the venue and we all turned up to find the perfect table overlooking the Bosphorous by night. Food and Raki kept coming and conversation was animated and fun. I kept looking around wondering how I got this lucky! Such a special night.
Forgetting the trials and tribulations of Istanbul traffic, complicated by sudden rain – the taxi ride was almost and hour and we were late late late. Entertained by the taxi driver who knew something of each country of origin of those in his cab: Brazil, Italy, Australia and New Zealand – well maybe not New Zealand!
The restaurant Iskele Livar Balık Evi in Arnavutköy was predominantly a seafood restaurant however the Meze were a wide range and delicious. My favourite the marinated Sea Bass. The Aubergine with yoghurt and pomegranate was also tasty.
And that was not all – as the night drew to a close; the lights were dimmed and out came a birthday cake tastefully decorated with only 4 candles! A tiny exquisitely decorated cake that despite the waves of food already eaten managed to fit in. Not too sweet, creamy and delicious. Along the way I had been presented with a bottle of Valpolicella Red Wine made by Giula’s family and a beautiful fine linen scarf. A perfectly, perfect day.
And even that was not all! Back for a nightcap or two at our friend’s stunning apartment overlooking the Bosphorous. The night finished at an unheard 3 am, for we two. As we crawled into bed we both kept whispering how lucky we were. What a wonderful night. What wonderful people we have met while travelling. Till sleep took over.
