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.