Karatas – the legend about the black stone in Foca

They say that there is a black stone somewhere in Foca - nobody knows where, but if you step on it you are doomed to always return to Foca.

At least that is what the local ”Phokaian's” in Foca say, and it seems like it might be true. Many turks and tourists come here and fall in love with the place. After that they come back again and again and again.



What is so magic about Foca?

Actually, you should not think that there was anything special with Foca. This sleepy little fishing village which never (thanks God) grew into a real tourist destination. Here life is laid back and relaxing. Even the few shop keepers and pushy waiters at the restaurants are not very "efficient" compared to tourist destinations further south in Turkey. The shop keepers are more interested in talking than selling, and the waiters become friends with the guests and go for a beer with them after their duty is over. Maybe it is just this low stress athmosphere which attracts so many people?



Still this cannot be the full story. Because most of the people who vacate in Foca are turks, foreign tourists are much less in numbers. The turks come to Foca because it almost always blows a mild breeze from the Aegean Sea, and the air is several degrees cooler than in the city (Izmir) or other Turkish cities during summer. The turks come to eat fresh fish and sea food at Foca's many fish restaurants.They buy summer houses and stay whole summer. In the evenings they stroll along the seafront in shorts and slippers and lick ice cream and chew salted, roasted sunflower seeds.



The foundation of Foca
Foca was founded by Greek tribes (Aeolians) around 800 BC and the original name of the city was Phokaia (Phocaea). The name is said to come from the Greek (and Turkish) word for seal "fok", because there were a lot of Mediterreanean munk seals in the area. Others say that name was given due to the islands outside Foca, which looks like seals bathing in the water. Due to being 2800 years old, Foca is called "Eski Foca" (Old Foca) in Turkish, and must not be mixed up with the other town called "Yeni Foca" (New Foca) just 20 kilometres north. Around 500 BC Foca was one of the largest cities in the world, and had a busy harbour with large boats carrying huge loads and many passengers. The founders of Foca later went out and founded several other colonies in the Mediterreanean, amongst others Masilla and Nikaia in the South of France - today better known as Marseille and Nice.

Kas – bohemian and charming

Kas is pronounced ”kash” and means eyebrow in Turkish. And that is exactly what Kas looks like; if you arrive to Kas along the breathtaking coastal road westward along the Mediterranean, from Antalya past Kemer and Olympia. Kas is situated in a hillside in a bay with two narrow bent peninsulas on each sides, like the egdes of an eyebrow. Right in front of Kas itself, lies the pictoresque Greek island of Meis so near that you can see the lights of the cars driving on the island. (The picture from Kas' charming streets is taken by dachalan)

Kas is one of my absolute favorite places to spend my holiday in Turkey. This because I prefer places which has something unique and different, and which is not overloaded by tourists. Kas is still the little village away from it all, it has a bohemian character and a little bit of what the tourists want, but not too much. There are some shops, bars and boat tours, just as much as you need.

Shopping: silver jewellery and handicrafts

(Photo taken by Marija&Kiza.)

You can say a lot of nice things about shopping in the bazaars of Istanbul, in Ortaköy or in any other touristic site in Turkey, but the fact is that you very often see the same items for sale everywhere. Even if the silver rings are nice, it gets a bit boring for those people who have been in Turkey a few times and maybe bought them last year. The good thing about Kas is that several silversmiths, antique sellers and handicraft makers have opened shops there, where they sell their own unique products. It is much more exciting than to buy something which half the tourists in Turkey also have bought. So enjoy wandering around the narrow, steep streets of Kas and the few but nice shops.

Hotels and pensions

The options for accommodation in Kas consist mainly of pensions and small hotels, and very few large luxurious hotels. Kas does not have any real beaches either, but a lot of possibilities for swimming straight from the rocks. I often stayed in a small hotel called Hotel Habesos; the rooms are very simple, but the location is great. The rooms have a view of the harbour entrance and the Mediterranean.

Lazy life on the cliffs with a cold refreshment

I usually wake up and skip the hotel breakfast. Instead I walk straight across the road and sit down at the tables under the olive trees. Here I order my Turkish breakfast; cheese, tomatoes, olives and fresh bread with extra fried eggs on the side. After enjoying the food, I just walk a couple of steps down at the cliffs and find myself a sun bed. Here I lie all day long, sunbathing, reading my book and watching the boats go in and out of the harbour. When I get thirsty I just signal to the waiter and get a cold drink, and whenever it gets too hot, I climb directly into the Mediterranean sea using the ladder on the cliffs.

When the temperature in the shadow in the Mediterranean region get really hot, usually the sea temperature follows. Sometimes the sea in Alanya and other places along the South Coast get so warm that you cannot cool down at all during the swim, and you long for cooler waters. The water in Kas in front of Hotel Habesos must have some kind of cold source because here the water is always fresh and cold - also in the hottest days! Lovely!

(Photo taken by Marija&Kiza)

Recommended excursions from Kas

Kas is situated in the middle of the area of Turkey which maybe has the largest concentration of antique cities and exciting sites, so it is a perfect location for the adventurous!

- Kekova and the sunken city
- The pictoresque island of Simena
- ”Saklikent” – the hidden city
- The Greek island Meis
- Myra and ”Santa Claus” St. Nicolas' church
- Patara beach: the protected sea turtle's beach
- The antique city of Xanthos
- Diving
- Paragliding
- Trekking in the mountains
- Boat tours with swimming and snorkling

(Photo taken by Marija and Kiza)

Alanya – long beaches and nightlife

Alanya is the largest tourist destination in Turkey. In the 1980’s when the first charter tourists started travelling here, Alanya was a sleepy little fishing village. The area around the old harbour in Alanya and the peninsula with the castle still have a charming village-like atmosphere, but the rest of Alanya has grown enormously and today Alanya is a pulsating tourist city.


View from the Castle in Alanya (photo from Wikimedia)

I antique times Alanyas name was Coracesium, and the legend tells that Marcus Antonius gave the Western beach in Alanya as a wedding present to Cleopatra of Egypt, and that beach is still called “Cleopatra Beach” today. In the 1200’s the Selchuk sultan Aladdin Keykubat changed the name to ”Alaiye” which was short for ”Aladdin’s City”. The castle in Alanya, the antique ship yard and the octagonal Red Tower (Kizil kule) was built during under Sultan Aladdin Keykubat.


Beaches

Alanya has two long beaches on each side of the city centre, Cleopatra Beach and the Eastern Beach which continues for miles towards Mahmutlar. If you travel to Alanya city you will be using these beaches. However, there are more beaches near Alanya, in Avsallar, Konakli og Incekum, some charter operators sell travels here as well. In these areas large hotel complexes (often all inclusive) situated right onto the beach, are typical.

The weather

Alanya has a hot Mediterranean climate. The season is long, summer temperatures (18-25 Celsius) start already around Easter, and several charter operators start their season in the middle of April. July and August are normally very hot months this much East in the Mediterranean; so hot that the natives tend to “escape” to cottages up in the cool mountains above Alanya. So if you are sensitive towards heat, avoid July and August – it sometimes get as much as 45 Celsius degrees in the shadow. Later in the year the temperature cools off, but it might be lovely 25-30 C until the end of October.

Even outside the season, meaning November, December, January, February and March Alanya is a comfortable place to be (although the weather is a bit more unstable these months). Some tour operators offers long time travels for people who prefer a mild winter, and due to the large amount of properties sold to foreigners in Alanya, this kind of tourism and more direct flights in winter will surely increase.

Transportation

Taxi is reasonably priced and an easy way to get home in the night, but during the day you should try the dolmus! ”Dolmus” means ”filled up” in Turkish and that is exactly what it is; a minibus with the slogan “ always rooms for one more”… The dolmus operates from morning till late evening along the main road, with no regular bus stops; you just give a wave and it will stop to take you in, and it will let you off wherever you want, just give them a sign. And it costs almost nothing.

Shopping

Alanya has a lot of shopping possibilities for tourists, bazaar streets with typical souvenirs and interesting items, copy clothes, shoes, bags and accessories, and not to forget carpet shops, gold shops and spice sellers. Do not forget to haggle! And remember, if you bargain with a little glimpse in your eye and some humour, it is much easier to get a good price. It is usually easier to get good prices towards the end of the season. The sellers can be a bit nagging; but that is part of the sales culture. Try to just laugh about it.

For a more advanced fashion shopping (genuine international brands, Turkish designers etc.) a shopping trip to Antalya is recommended. Antalya is a larger city 1,5 hours drive away, where the airport is.

Nightlife

There is a lot of night life in Alanya. To stay in the hotels in the old harbour is very cosy, but if you want to avoid noisy nights, it is better to find a hotel further away. There are many bars and discos for the younger travellers, but also good places for people a bit older.

I have been recommended a restaurant called Kordon, where there is live music from the 60’s to the 80’s. Apparently it is a very popular place to start the evening, later people usually continues to a disco.

A barbeque restaurant for meat (ocakbasi) called Kervansaray is also known to be very good, with delicious meze’s (starters) and meat. Harbour Restaurant below the Red Tower is also an option, with live music in the background and a wonderful view of the sea.



The antique ship yard by night, photo by Stenjeep at Flickr. Tip! If you go to Flickr.com and search "Alanya" you will get up a lot of wonderful photos!

Useful links

Alanya’s official web page: http://www.alanya.bel.tr/translationEN/
Alanya’s hotel unions web page: http://www.alanya.com.tr/en

How to get to Alanya

Airlines / tour operators:
Try to search cheap flight at TUI, Neckermann and Sunweb at the side of this Blog. Sometimes they have very special promotions and prices! You can find flights, charter trips, and hotels or rent a car.

Nearest airport: Antalya

Distance from the Antalya airport to Alanya: 135 kilometres, aprox. 1 ½ hour by car

Recommended excursions:
- Damlatas Cave
- DimCay River
- Boat trips from the harbour
- Turkish Night (A nice combination of traditional Turkish food and culture)
- A walk up to the Castle (amazing view)
- The white limestone rocks of Pamukkale (longer trip, usually with one overnight stop)

Music, jazz and clubs in Istanbul

Istanbul is like a fizzling cauldron of culture; Old and new, Turkish and international, oriental and western. Just a taking a little stroll around in this city will show you a many-sided music and culture life.

Istanbul International Jazz Festival

If you like jazz, there are several small and larger jazz scenes in Istanbul, and the big jazz festival which is taking place in July every year is strongly recommended. Here you always find many great artists, not only jazz artists, also names of other genres. Check out Istanbul International Jazz Festivals program for the summer of 2008 here http://www.iksv.org/Caz/English/program.asp

JC’s (Istanbul Jazz Center), Ortaköy

The famous Turkish jazz pianist Kerem Görsev moved his jazz bar from Macka to Ortaköy a few years ago. Here he opened JC’s at the top of one of the buildings belonging to the new Radisson SAS hotel in Ortaköy. The multi-music artist Fatih Erkoc is also often found performing here, and several big Turkish and international jazz names. What is coming up at Jazz Center (JC’s) can se found here http://www.istanbuljazz.com/eng/

Nardis, Galata

Nardis is a tiny smoky jazz club with red brick wall and narrow space; Cosy and genuine jazzy atmosphere. Nardis is situated just around the corner from the Galata Tower in Galata, walk down from Tünel in Beyoglu.http://www.nardisjazz.com


Bilde hentet fra Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zhivago/85562676/

Jazz Cafe Istanbul, Beyoglu

In the area around Büyük Parmak sokak, a side street of the Istiklal Street, many small bars and music bars are found. You will also find a couple of jazz cafés here, for example this one: http://www.jazzcafeistanbul.com


Other famous music clubs in Istanbul

Babylon, Beyoglu

Babylon is maybe the most well-known music club in Istanbul, with many different kinds of music and artists; Anything from hip hop to electronica, Marianne Faithful and 1980’s music parties. If you are going to Istanbul soon, check here what’s on in Babylon: http://www.babylon.com.tr/english/default.aspx


Hayal Kahvesi, Beyoglu

In a side street of Istiklal, not far from Jazz Cafe Istanbul as mentioned above, you find good old Hayal Kahvesi. It is a typical pub or café with brick walls and small tables, but after dark live music starts. This was the first place I heard real Turkish rock. http://www.hayalkahvesibeyoglu.com/


Photo by Hakan Selvi fromhttp://pt.trekearth.com/gallery/Middle_East/Turkey/Marmara/Istanbul/Cubuklu/

Hayal Kahvesi, Cubuklu

The same café has a ”department” in the Asian side of Istanbul, just alongside the Bosphorus. Here you can sit outside by the sea or lie down on pillows and listen to music and have drink under the stars. How to get there: Take a bus or a taxi along the seaside road by the Bosphorus until you are in the curve between Istinye and Yeniköy. Get off by the petrol station (Petrol Ofisi). Cross the road and look for a small boat with a sign ”Hayal Kahvesi”. Take the boat straight across the Bosphorus to the café.http://www.hayalkahvesi.com.tr/index.php


Roxy, Beyoglu

Popular club with live music or party’s. Check: http://www.roxy.com.tr

If you are interested to experience the fantastic mixture of music which Istanbul consists of, watch Fatih Akin’s movie "Crossing the bridge - The sound of Istanbul".

And check out all the cool Turkish music at the side of my Blog!

The Turkish cuisine – fish restaurant

A typical Turkish mean at a fish restaurant would be as follows:

Cold ”meze”
You start the meal by ordering cold starters or cold ”meze”. This might be small vegetables dishes served in small plates. The meze plates are served at middle of the table and everybody can taste a bit of everything. Order as many meze as you feel like or as many as you want to try. In many restaurants the waiters come to the table with a tray filled with meze, and you can just point out the ones that you want to order. In other restaurants the meze are found behind a glass counter, you go to the counter and find the ones you want to order.



Meze (som examples):
- ”Haydari” (garlic yoghurt with mint, similar to the greek tzaziki)
- ”Patlican salatasi” (aubergin salad, sometimes served as a puré – tastes best when slightly ”smoked”)
- ”Fava” (puré from white beans)
- ”Barbuni” (white beans in mild tomato saus)
- ”Saksuka” (pronounced ”shakshoka”, fried augbergin-dices in mild tomato saus)
- ”Rus salatasi” / ”Amerikan salatasi” (this dish is called Russian salad or American salad; contains potatoes, carrots, peas and egg in a majonaise mixture)
- ”Acili antep” (spicy mix of chopped tomatoes, onions, chili pepper, mint with olive oil)
- ”Midye dolmasi” (large Blue mussels filled with a special rice mixture)
- ”Ahtapot salatasi” (Octopus salad)

Sometimes you can start and end the meal just eating meze, and forget all about the main course and dessert. Turkish meze is typical “accessories” with the Turkish national drink “raki” (an anison spirit very similar to Ouzo), it is usual to sit and drink raki and eat meze whole evening. The restaurants which are called”meyhane” are made just for this purpose, after a while the live traditional Turkish music starts, and later on the people on the table’s starts singing along…

Drinks with the meal
Except from raki, the local beer ”Efes” is nice to drink with the meal. Most foreigners like it. White and red wines of good table wine quality are found. My favourite white wine is ”Sarafin” or the cheaper ”Cankaya”, a good red wine to my taste is ”Yakut”.

Warm meze (Pronounced "Arasidjak")
After the cold mezes it is time to eat some warm meze (can be ordered together with the cold ones at the start). Try for example ”sigara börek” (cigarette börek); a warm deep-fried roll of pastry filled with feta cheese and parsley. Or what about deep fried squid rings,”kalamari”. My absolute favourite is fried shrimps in butter and garlic (”tereyagli sarmisakli karides”), some places they also add a touch of chilli on the shrimps… yummie! Recommended!

Main course
The main course at a fish restaurant is usually fish, and there are many types depending of the day’s catch, season and supply. By the Mediterranean and Aegean sea I recommend especially a fish called ”levrek” (related to cod) or try ”cipura” (a white fish, a bit rounder shape than levrek). Have it grilled, and do not worry that it is served complete with head, skin, bones and tail; the waiters are great and speedy ”bone cleansers”, if you do not want to do it yourself. Remember to order your salad as a side order, try the”coban salatasi” (Shepherds salad). The Turks eats the fish and salad with bread at the side, but are dependant of having some potatoes, it is possible to order French fries as a side order

If you are in the Istanbul area, try a fish called ”lüfer” (or in smaller version; ”cinekop”). It almost looks like a herring, it has a very thin skin and it is incredibly juicy and delicious.

Alternative main courses might be grilled "jumbo karides" (Scampi / King prawns), some places serve lobster or languster (common spring lobster) (usually very cheap compared to Western European restaurants), and if one of you do not like sea food most fish restaurants have meat alternatives, for example ”köfte” (Turkish meatballs). However, the meat that are offered in fish restaurants are often very boring, the sea food is recommended!

Dessert
After sitting a few hours enjoying cold and warm meze, and fish with salad and bread, the time has come for the dessert. The Turks love very sweet puddings and cakes, like ”baklava”, small squares of puff pastry, drowned in sirip and sprinkled with chopped pistachio nuts. When the season is right you can find ”kabak tatlisi” (baked sweet pumpkin) or ”ayva” (quinze) served with cream and icing sugar. Many fish restaurants also serve a kind warm chocolate soufflé, very heavy but the sweet lovers love it. Personally my favourite is a plate of mixed fruits of the season after the meal; I have never tastes sweeter watermelon, peach or grapes as I have in Turkey!

Turkish coffee
End the meal with a cup of Turkish coffee in small cups. The Turks never drink coffee with the dessert, but always afterwards. The coffee might be served with a small glass of local liqueur like Mint liqueur or Bitter almond liqueur (tastes like Amaretto).



When you order Turkish coffee, say”sade” (no sugar), ”orta” (medium sweet) or ”shekerli” (sweet). The most usual to drink is the medium, “orta”. Remember not to drink the whole cup; the last ¼ of the content is fine grounded coffee. And if you think that the coffee is too foamy or granular, note that it is supposed to be like that. This is not espresso! They say that a really well made Turkish coffee should be so foamy that a camel can step on it!

Afiyet olsun!
(Bon apetite, in Turkish)

Restaurants and bars in Istanbul

The Turkish kitchen has been called the third best in the world, after the French and the Chinese. One thing is sure; the centuries long cultural mixture which Turkey is a product of has created a fantastic food culture where the taste of the Orient and the West is mixed with Asian nomadic tradition and the Mediterranean delicacies. If you do not have any other reason to go to Turkey, the food can be a reason in itself.

Both food and drink is found all kinds of types and price levels, so are you a poor backpacker or going on a five stars luxurious trip, you will find your favourite.

Restaurantes with typical Turkish food, meze and seafood (middle price to cheap):



- Lunch: Sultanahmet Tarihi Köftecisi, Selim Usta: The original köfte restaurant from 1920 on Divan Street, close to the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern. Have a lunch here and order”köfte” (small Turkish meatballs), ”piyaz” (salad of white beans and onions) and rice.

- Lunch: Try a döner kebap (meat grilled while it is turning around), iskender kebap (döner with yoghurt), döner dürüm (döner in a wrap), or readymade casserole kebaps which are found behind a glass counter, you can point out and order what looks most tempting - sulu yemek.

- You find restaurants in the Flower Passage in Istiklal Street (Cicek Pasaji), and lots of fish restaurants behind of Cicek Pasaji in Nevizade Street (Beyoglu)

- Pano and Viktor Levi vine house and restaurant just behind Beyoglu Balik Pazari (fish market), near the British Consulate. (Beyoglu)

- A short walk up the Istiklal Street from Tünel, in the side streets opposite of the Swedish General Consulate, you can find many small restaurants with lovely food. For example Refik , Sofyali, Asmali Mescit Balik Evi, Yakup 2 (Beyoglu)

- Neyzen Restaurant and other restaurants in the Kumkapi area.

- Mehmet Usta, in Kirecburnu which is further up along the Bosphoros, simple standard but great food and very cheap. You can see the mouth of the Black Sea from the window tables.

Trendy restaurants with hip, continental kitchen (European price level):

- Mikla, at the top of The Marmara Pera Hotel is named after the Vikings name of Istanbul; Miklagard. The owner and gourmet chef Mehmet Gürs has Turkish father and Finnish-Swedish mother and his menu mixes tastes from all his worlds. This is maybe the most popular restaurant in Istanbul these days. The bar has a fantastic view over Istanbul and cocktails of great quality. Reservation required. Tel: +90 212 293 5656. (Beyoglu)

- Near by you also find Lokanta which also is owned by Mehmet Gürs. This is a restaurant early in the evening, but changes into a bar/club at night when the tables are stacked away and the music volume is turned louder. In the summer the roof terrace opens, which is called Nuteras. Reservation required. Tel: +90 212 245 6070. (Beyoglu)

- 360 restaurant / bar with 360 degrees view at the top floor of Misir Apartmani, an appartement building with entrance from Istiklal Street, and easy to miss if you do not know about it. Take the elevator to the top floor. Tel: +90 212 251 1042 (Beyoglu)

- Leb-i Derya, restaurant / bar with wonderful view. Indoors and a small ourdoors terrace, plus a tiny terrace at the very top of the roof with only space for around 10 persons. Here you feel like a bird at Istanbuls rof – you must reserve early to get seated at the very top terrace. Walk down the Istiklal Street past The Richmond Hotel on you left hand side. Turn left in the first small street. Go down the hill until you see the sign on the right hand side. Take the elevator to the top floor. (Richmond Hotel has also just opened a second Leb-i Derya at the hotels top floor, but the original is much better). Tel: +90 212 293 4989 (Beyoglu)

- Besiktas/Macka area: Vogue – at the top of Besiktas Plaza. Was voted “Restaurant of the year" a few years ago. Tel: +90 212 227 4404.

- Misc. restaurants and bars in Macka/Nistantasi/Tesvikiye area. This is the most luxurious part of Istanbul, all the restaurants and bars around here are nice (but not the cheapest).

- Leyla and Reina in Ortaköy. These are clubs with several bars and restaurants inside, situated at the shore of the Bosphorus. Here the jet set of Istanbul meet, “see and be seen”, and it is impossible to enter without a reservation – maybe except if you are very hip, beautiful and famous. High price level. Reservation can be made through internet.


(Utsikten fra Su-ada ved fullmåne)

- Su-ada: If you stand by the Bosphorus at Kurucesme (near Ortaköy) and look out over the water, you will see an artificially made island. This is called the Galatasaray Island, because it is owned by the football team Galatasaray. Here you find a swimming pool for paying guests and several restaurants. They have their own boat shuttle at Kurucesme harbour. Try for example Arsipel Restaurant which serves exquisite and unusual Turkish sea food dishes.

Trendy and modern bars (European price level):

- All the previously mentioned trendy restaurants have great cocktails, like Mojito and Strawberry Daiquiri. At the more traditional Turkish bars and restaurants cocktails are not recommended, they often taste more like something the cat dragged in, even though the name of the cocktail looks good in the drinks menu. At such places, drink pure drinks like beer (the Turkish Efes beer is well liked), wine or raki.

Bars with bohemian atmosphere and simpler standard (cheap):

- Most of the bars in Imam Adnan Street, a side street from the Istiklal Street.
- Bars in and around the Büyük Parmak Street, a side street from the Istiklal Street
- The small streets in Ortaköy

Sometimes these bars are almost impossible to find. First you have to find the right door at street level at one of the old scruffy looking houses in Beyoglu, and then climb all the way to the top. Then you suddenly find the most cosy roof terrace bars, with prices for an almost empty wallet…

Istanbul – Palaces, Ortaköy and the Prince’s Islands

Palaces

Just below Taksim Square and the Besiktas football clubs stadium, Inönü Stadium, the new Sultan palace Dolmabahce is found. Dolmabahce was built in the middle of the 19th Century at a time when the Topkapi palace had become too old fashioned for the Sultan. The Palace is abundantly and richly decorated with marble, velvet, silk, brocade, crystal and no less than 14 tons of pure gold. Here you also find the worlds largest crystal chandelier with 36 000 prisms made of Bohemian crystal. The second largest hand-vowen Turkish carpet in the world you can see in the ballroom (the largest one is found in the Sultans hunting cottage!) and the Ming china vases are large enough to contain a person inside.


(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Built and decorated in the same style is the Beylerbeyi Palace on the Asian side of Istanbul, just below the Fatih Bridge. This was the Sultans summer castle (hunting cottage). In those days there were vast forests around the castle; today the city has grown to surround it completely.

Istanbul has also many smaller palaces or “kösk”’s (the word kiosk comes from Turkish), meaning mansions and the summer houses (“yali”’s) owned by the sultans extended family and other members of the Ottoman noblesse. Some of these are today in private ownership, others are owned by corporations and many are changed into museums or cafés. They are often found along the Bosphorus or in park areas. The most beautiful and characteristic of them is Hidiv Kasri at the Asian side, which used to be the residence of the vice regent of Egypt in the Ottoman Empires era. Here a lunch can be recommended, or just enjoy a cup of tea – they sell no alcohol here.

Ortaköy



The small streets of Ortaköy are in the week-ends transformed into an outdoors market. Loads of silver jewellery and other accessories, many of them handmade, are sold here. Or what about some hand knitted woollen hats or scarves, handicrafts, old postcards, souvenirs and much more. The market is also here in the week-days, but it is larger during the week-ends.



Ortaköy is the place where the Istanbullers loves to come and spend a lazy Saturday in the tea houses with a glass of tea and a game of ”okey” – a Turkish game (resembling ”Rummy”). Or they play Backgammon, a game which is widely played all over Turkey; it has existed here since Antiquity, if not longer. In some of the tea houses you can order a “nargile” (water pipe) with your tea. If you do, try the apple tobacco, it is the sweetest and smells wonderful. Try also a large baked potato “kumpir” with all kinds of fillings, or a salt crepe or pancake with feta cheese and parsley, “gözleme”.


The beautiful Ortaköy mosque lies there by the edge of the water and the Bosporus bride in the background, it is a popular motive for photographers (photo).

In the night, life continues in Ortaköy, people sit on small stools in narrow streets and drink tea or beer. The live music starts to stream out of some of the small bars. If you want to listen to real acoustic Turkish style live music, there are good chances to find it here. However, if you are in the mood of a more”continental” style, you also find the hip and cool upper class bars and jazz cafes in the area.

Bosphorus and the Princes Islands

Does a little sea air tempt you? In the Bosporus straits which run through Istanbul and separates Europe from Asia, you can enjoy the beauty of the city in a very different way. Ashore the city seems chaotic and over-trafficated, on the sea it gives you a whole new impression.

The most authentic and absolutely cheapest, is to jump onto one of the ordinary ferries (”vapur”) which the Turks are using. For almost nothing you can cruise zig-zag up along the Bosphorus to the mouth of the Black Sea, all the way to Rumeli Kavagi and Anadolu Kavagi, which are the last points at the European and Asian side. Here the ferries turn. Try a lunch of fish, filled blue mussels or deep fried blue mussels, before you follow one of the ferries back to the city.



As a full day trip in good weather a trip to the Prince’s Islands (Prens Adalari) which are situated near the Asian side in the Marmara Sea, can be highly recommended. The ferry leaves from Eminönü (photo) or Kabatas.

At the Prince’s Islands all car traffic are forbidden and it is a lovely place to go for walks, bicycle or rent a horse and carriage (fayton). The architecture on the islands is consisting of beautiful old, wooden houses, and it is very popular amongst the Turks to have summer houses here. Some are also so fed up with the stress in the metropol, that they have taken up residence here permanently, and commute into the city to work every day. The peace you find out here is a strong contrast to the noise in Istanbul and feels really soothing for the soul.

To swim in Istanbul is almost impossible, due to trafficated Bosphorus straits and not very clean waters. But in the Prince’s Islands many people like to swim. You can find a small beach or a bay for swim in the sea, or enter one of the organised pools for an entry fee.

(Photo from Büyükada, taken from Wikipedia Commons)

Try for example a trip to Büyükada, the largest of the islands and go to the top of the island. All along the way you will se pieces of cloth tied up on trees and bushes, each of them representing a wish or a prayer. Orthodox Christians as well as Muslims acknowledges the monastery’s grounds as holy.

At the very top lies the Ayos Yorgos Church (St. George’s Church), a Greek Orthodox Church watching the ocean. Find a table and a shaky wooden chair at the churches café, and order a bottle of their homemade wine. Now all you have to do is to lean yourself back to a comfortable position, enjoy the sunset and wait that the wish you tied on the tree on your way up will come true…