Eminönü

Here's a pretty picture post that I need to get out the way so I can get back to writing about turnips and beer. These pictures are evidence of our, to date, only second trip into town. It was a milestone trip because we made it all the way down there and back on the bus and tram and it allowed us to pick up ferry schedules since the ferry company website's English language option doesn't seem to exist any longer.

This is Eminönü, the main ferry terminal for the city. There are numerous piers with boats going to all parts of the city and beyond.

We left on a Sunday morning taking the lovely ride on the bus along the shore road from our quiet hamlet up north into Kabataş, a minor ferry terminal, then transferring to the tram to take us through town a bit more and across the Galata bridge to Eminönü.

There is no need to say that in a city of over 15 million people, it was quite crowded. I was hoping for the regular ferry to take us back north to our neighborhood, but there was some confusion about which boats headed where and when. The famed Bosphorus cruise had one voyage left for the day and it was packed. So we took the trip home in reverse, making the mistake of using the bus for the last leg instead of the quicker, air-conditioned Metro. The traffic on the way back was stop and go and with no airflow in the bus and I started to worry about my little boy overheating and my wife too.

It wasn't the most pleasurable trip into town, but it was pretty and I can't wait to go back when the temperatures and crowds decrease.

Alas, I was so focused on the water (pun intended) that I neglected to shoot any photos back towards land. Imagine if you will, the New Mosque in all it's gigantic glory (we have average sized mosques in our neighborhood), the Spice Bazaar and a quarter mile away (although you couldn't see it) Topkapı Palace.

Some locals hanging out watching the ferry go by.

The author looking a bit more smug than he should.

Eyebrows not raised in commentary to the fashion awesomeness surrounding her, I swear.

Better.

The Galata Tower on the hill.

As hot as it was, there was a brief rainstorm that passed through, followed by this wonderful Mediterranean light. Cheer up, little man!

Ferry boat, Galata Bridge, Galata Tower

Have fun on your little boat ride, suckers. We're taking the BUS!

Bus waiting activities. Look who is wearing shoes! It's me! But also my little boy. I neglected to mention that the wait for the bus was something like 30 minutes. Next time, Metro.

Delicious Turkish Delicacies pt. II

Behold, the delicious kahvaltı (breakfast) at Kale Cafe right down from Rumeli Hisari. Actually, this is slightly less than half of the breakfast we had, but here are some important and delicious inclusions. 

North and South in the photo is just what it looks like - cooked tomatoes, sliced cucumber and roasted Turkish peppers. The peppers alternately will taste like a mild green bell pepper or the hottest jalapeno you've ever had. No one knows which will be spicy or not. They sell them intermingled in the stores and markets. Along with olives, sliced white cheese and hot tea, this is the most common Turkish breakfast.

At left is fried Halloumi cheese, a somewhat firm cheese that gets chewy upon being fried. Chewy and delicious.

At right is the pièce de resistance, balı kaymak, a sort of clotted cream served in a bath of local honey.

Not pictured is a large mound of breads - simit, the ubiquitous ring of sesame seed bread; lavash, a thin tortilla-like bread; and more roll-like sesame breads. All baked in house, I might add.

We had two different types of borek, a cheese or meat pastry dish, generally like a savory baklava, but that doesn't quite do it justice.

Also not pictured were the several other types of cheeses and yogurts. They were mainly the turkish soft cheeses, like beyaz penir, a feta like cheese, and the aforementioned white cheese, which is of a softer than cheddar consistency and milder in flavor too.

Our companions also had a dish of an egg cooked within a pan of fried cheese. It looked lovely too, but with so much food to consume, it was the one thing we didn't share.

Kale Cafe, as mentioned, sits right up the road from the Rumeli Hisari, in the shadow of the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and is right across the road from the Bosphorus. It sits alongside a long row of cafes and breakfast joints all serving up their own version of what we had. The owner took very good care of us and I believe even offered to have his wife give us a ride home. After the meal, he shook each of our hands and gave us a hearty thanks. As I did to him. Wonderful experience.

Delicious Turkish Delicacies

Behold, the delicious Dürüm! This is the very first food we had when we got to Istanbul, along with some also delicious Pide. Dürüm is essentially a wrap with tomato, parsley, onion and your choice of meat inside a thin bread, somewhat tortilla-like, but baked in a wood fired oven. This particular example comes from a favorite place of ours, Emirhan, although they are pretty good no matter where you pick them up. I like Emirhan because they are close and cheap and can deliver in about fifteen minutes. And they are very nice.

No pictures of pide yet, but it is like a boat shaped pizza, always with cheese, sometimes with different meat options as well. There is also a closed pide, which is sliced up and served in smaller pieces.

Our social sponsors ordered that first welcome meal for us just hours after we had landed in Istanbul. I was hoping to order from the same place again and saw the words 'Afiyet Olsun' on the pide box. "That must be where they ordered them from!" I thought, until I realized 'Afiyet Olsun' means 'Bon Appetit' in Turkish. It's printed on almost all food containers. Oops.

The two here are Urfa and Köfte. Urfa is a thin ground meat with spices. Köfte is similar but not as thin. It has more of a meatball flavor. Witness also the delicious baklava in the background. Ubiquitous as it is mouth-watering.

There's something about the char on the bread that makes it that much more tasty.

Refreshing Beverages of Turkey

Actually, just one refreshing beverage for now - the delicious and nutritious şalgam suyu! It is fermented turnip and purple carrot juice and the term "acılı" means it is spicy too! It's a beautiful dark purple color and best consumed cold. What is it like? It is first and foremost SALTY, then you get a rush of fermented pickleness and then it finishes with a nice spicy kick. It made my head turn the first few sips I took, but I finished it after two days. And I ordered the small bottle. I thought it might be an esoteric drink that isn't too popular with the locals, but I found a huge display of it at the grocery store. No, I haven't bought any more.

The other refreshing beverage I want to try is a pickle juice cocktail, available at various spots around town. I saw what I thought was someone selling different pickled vegetables at the pazar, but after watching him for a few minutes, the vendor put a bunch of them in a plastic cup and filled it with brine. I saw another vendor selling it down by the piers this weekend too. I'm sure it's good, but my ordering skills aren't what they should be, so I'll wait until I can ask for what I actually want.

I don't know what is my favorite part of this label, the overall lovely purply theme or the ladies of the steppes gathering some turnips and purple carrots in their basket.