Asia Through the Back Gate and The House of Waris

With such a limited time in Istanbul we knew 

our days would be busy.  We started the day 

with a beautiful Turkish breakfast.  Mr. Wonderful

and I had stayed at this hotel the first time we were

in Istanbul.  We told Midi about it and he stayed 

here the next time he was in town.  It is a small hotel, 

the rooms are small but nice but the reason we stay

here is for the breakfast, it is fantastic.  It is such a 

spread that our first time we stayed here we had to

make two trips to the buffet just to be able to taste 

everything.

This is the honey dispenser,  I'd love to

have this at home.

But enough with the food, we had sites to see.

The first stop was the Hagia Sophia,  I told my

kids that the first time I entered the vast room

I gasped and I hoped it would have the same 

effect on them.  Sadly, there was construction

scaffolding on one side so that took away from

the soaring impact of the space.

We could still enjoy the beauty of the architecture.

And enjoy the beautiful mosaics.

After leaving the Hagia Sophia we strolled

over to the Spice Market and stocked up on

some of our favorites.

And who could pass up the Turkish Delight?

Afterwards, it was time for lunch and we decided

to go to Asia.  Asia you may ask?  Yes, Istanbul is 

the only city located on two continents and it is 

only a short ferry ride away.  

We arrived in Kadikoy on the Asian side of the

Bosphorus and I was looking for a particular

restaurant.  We hiked up and down winding lanes

trying to find it.  Locals were happy to help us, one

young woman google mapped it and even called 

the restaurant to confirm the directions.  

When we finally arrived I told the man at the

door that I had read that some said it was the

best restaurant in Istanbul ~ he countered with,

oh no, the world.  We weren't disappointed.

There were no tables outside though and since

it was such a nice day we wanted to eat outside, he

said no problem, we have a few restaurants on 

this street and all the food is the same.  He took 

us over to one of the other restaurants and gave

us a description of each of the dishes.  The food

was fabulous.

We walked off lunch with a stroll back through 

the winding streets to the port to catch a ferry

to Karakoy on the other side of the Golden Horn.

From there we took the funicular or mountain

tram as they call it and walked up the hill until we

reached the Pera Palace Hotel.

The Pera Palace is a grand old hotel and it

was especially interesting to us since we are

Agatha Christie fans and this is where she 

wrote Murder on the Orient Express.

The grand tea salon was being used for a private

party so we headed out to the terrace.  Kate and I 

headed inside to find the wash room and came into 

the tea salon as the turbaned and bearded Waris

Ahluwalia of the House of Waris was giving a 

speech about creativity and our need to take time 

for tea.  Waris is a some time actor, designer and

now I suppose tea peddler.  This event was part of

Istancool, an international arts and culture festival.

The crowd had gathered in the middle of the room

and Kate and I were stuck in the crowd so we stayed 

for the speech.

Back on the terrace we enjoyed some lovely

beverages and desserts.  Following this we

headed back to the hotel for a rest.

Later in the evening we went back to 

Sultanahmet for dinner.  On our way 

to find a restaurant we came upon a

Whirling Dervish performance.

Brennan chose the restaurant this evening, he

wanted one of the places where you sit on the

floor on pillows.

Thankfully, the food was good too.

Then we stumbled back to the hotel and

fell into our beds.  A grand day in a grand city.

Return to Istanbul

Midi and I were returning to Istanbul, we had

both been here a few times though never together.

I  was so excited to introduce my kids to this vibrant

 city for the first time.  When you exit the metro from

the airport at Aksaray, you are nearly blown over by the

fact that you are in a new and different place.  The flags

and banners are waving, the warm air smacks your face,

the foreign music that is blasted from speakers is so 

unusual, the delicious aromas from the food vendors

on the street, it is all a reminder of being in a faraway

land and you are still in Europe, at least in this part of

the city.

We took a short rest and freshened up and then it

was time to get out on the streets, we would only

be here for a short time and we had a lot to see.

We took the tram down Divan Yolu to the

 Sultanamhet district and walked around a bit to

see the Hagia Sofia...

...and the Blue Mosque.

Then we took a short stroll up Yerebatan to 

find one of my favorite little restaurants in

Istanbul.  I told the man at the door that I

had been there a few times before but it was the

first time for my family.  He asked if I had ever 

been to the roof garden ~ well, no,  hadn't.

And he led us up a winding stairway to this

funky, folky roof garden painted like a gypsy

caravan.  I could move in!  

We were only here for drinks and an appetizer

since we had so little time and so many places 

we wanted to go.  The appetizer was a fabulous

cheese plate with cheeses and turkish cucumbers

and tomatoes and dried fruits and nuts.  It was

delicious!  We watched the sky turn dark blue as

the sun set and then it was time to move on to 

our next stop.

On my very first night in Istanbul I passed this 

restaurant and said I wanted to eat here and I

had never gotten around to it.   So tonight was

a first for me too.

In this type of restaurant the food is already

prepared and you point to what you want.

Honestly, the salad plate had filled us up so we 

just shared one plate between the four of us.  

Since it was such a lovely night we decided

to eat outside, there are tables set up along

the side street.  This is a great spot for people

watching as it is in the historic district and it

is always crowded.  After dinner we were 

exhausted so we jammed ourselves into the 

packed metro and headed home to sleep.

Going Old World in Prague ~ Cafe Slavia

We were exhausted after returning by train from a 

day spent out of the city in Kutna Hora.   Though we

all could have fallen into bed for a nap we also realized

we were running out of time in Prague.  The next day 

we were traveling to Istanbul so if we wanted to see 

everything on our list, we had to slap ourselves awake 

and get to Cafe Slavia.

Cafe Slavia opened in 1881 and has been the place to 

meet for writers, artists, poets and performers.  It is

located along the river right across the street from the

National Theatre.  It is the type of place to gather and

discuss and debate politics, art and the latest projects

of the movers and shakers in the art world. Vaclav Havel

 used to hang out here.

As we were enjoying our hot drinks, Midi nodded to a 

nearby table and said, "Check out this guy, looks like a

truck driver, sounds like an opera singer".  Yeah, it's 

that kind of place, a few tables away a beautiful woman 

was being interviewed by a nervous guy.  The woman's

cute cocker spaniel ended up jumping up on the guy 

for a taste of his dessert and that broke the ice and 

allowed the guy to relax and get on with it.

As you enter the main door be sure to check out the

sweets case and remember the number of the item 

you want to order.

Try to get a table along the river for great views 

of Prague Castle.  It is lovely to sit and watch the 

boats on the river and the people walking by.

It is nice to go late in the afternoon for a

snack and coffee.  A piano player performs 

late in the day and it is a perfect place to relax 

and soak in a bit of Prague history.

For us, the guys headed home afterwards but Kate

and I took one final stroll over the Charles Bridge

to say goodbye to Prague.