First of February

The weather has been a combination of cold, wet and polluted for the past week and my boy and I have been working our way back to health after suffering from colds. We've been doing a lot of staring at the walls and trying to find fun stuff to do indoors. Our trips outside have been around our place and very brief. So when Friday arrived and we saw that temps would be all the way up to 10 degrees (C, or 50 F), we jumped at the chance for our Bosphorus walk. I invited my very good friend and his daughter along and we had a good time of it.

We stopped at the park, which the boy and I had only visited once, shortly after we first arrived. It was full of dead grass and cigarette butts and beer cans. I took him out reluctantly to change him on the grass and attracted several groups of young girls fawning over him and taking his picture. Now it has been transformed into a pleasant green space with a kids' play area and plenty of benches scattered here and there.

The boy got a kick out of the swings, but was happiest setting off on his own to find leaves. Needless to say, it didn't take him long to find a few good ones.

Running away, always running away.

Showing me his latest "catch". Ah, my, the blue waters of the Bosphorus right behind him.

He was very impressed with his leaf.

There is a restaurant by the park that I've never tried and always seems to be less busy than the more well known one down the way, so we all decided to check it out. It was a little breezy, but we found a nice table on the upstairs terrace out of the wind. And it afforded wonderful views of all the transportation going by. The boy was in heaven watching planes coming in on their final approach and all of the ship traffic as well.

Our breakfast view; sun and ships and planes and helicopters and buses. Oh yeah, and DOLPHINS!

There was something on the sweets menu that caught my eye. Something I'd been wanting to try before arriving here. The tavuk göğsü, a sweet pudding with chicken breast. Yes, you read that correctly. How was it? It was good! The texture is more on the thick side, but the flavor is mild and sweet and the chicken is in extremely fine fibers and not really noticeable. Apparently, it has quite a history. 

tavuk göğsü

Did I mention how much he loved his leaf?

A portion of our breakfast spread.

Our breakfast was good and filling. The picture above is the basic kahvalti, or Turkish breakfast. This one is a little on the thin side, but most items are available a la carte, so it is easy to add items to get the perfect breakfast. We ordered menemen, which is a tomatoey, cheesy egg dish and a borek, which is a pastry with any number of fillings. Ours had a simple white cheese.

In all it was a wonderful day. Then we got the news. It would have been sad no matter which day it fell on, but was especially depressing considering what a wonderful day it had been. I still feel so lucky to be here and everyone (save a few cab drivers) has been absolutely open-hearted and kind. So it felt kind of insulting to see the damage inflicted and unfortunately only ended up hurting the local population. We got the news right as we were walking back home. It felt good to get home and shut the door and be grateful that we were all safe and appreciate each and every member of our family. It is really too bad to think that among all of the smiling faces we see, there may or may not be one in there that means us harm. The best we can do is to stay vigilant and keep love in our own hearts and be appreciative of where we are, who we are and of those around us.

The Grand Bazaar

We made it back to the Grand Bazaar, two weeks later, to pick up our purchase. Isn't it lovely?

It's a six-piece tile with a Turkish tulip motif in a range of delightful blues. The ceramic shop is my favorite so far with almost anything in the shop being something that I'd love to bring home. The boy loves it too because of the riot of colors and the occasional animal print showing up here and there. The array of patterns, palettes and objects they are applied to is amazing and this is quite a tiny shop! We are obviously excited to hang this up.

Before our visit to pick this up, we visited the leather shop where I happened to spy this.

Hello handsome! (Note the sleeping little boy in the mirror!) They have great prices and great service at the leather shop. I didn't pick this up today, but it may be in my future. I think it goes well with 1997 Volvo Blue.

This is one possible view you may have before you enter the bazaar. Beyazit Mosque (completed in 1506!), whimsically painted public transportation (Most definitely not the norm. Most buses are your typical corporate colors), orange rubbish bin for contrast.

Where are all the people? Sleeping of course. We rolled in around 10:15 and most Turks do not show up until noon or later. And, alas, all the tourists are gone for the season.

Checking Off The Checklists

This isn't New Year's related at all. These aren't resolutions I'm taking care of. These are activities and destinations I've thought of since before we landed. I am excited it is a new year. I get to see most of my family and in-laws this year, both at home and over here. My boy will be talking and toilet trained and will be sleeping on his own (maybe even through the night!). We have one BIG trip back to the states and I couldn't be more excited and we have a huge list of places to see in this beautiful country before we have to pack up and say our tearful goodbyes next year. A long way off? Not hardly. It sounds weird, but we've been here eight months already and it is frightening how quickly the time is going by. I'm happy to have a whole year to focus on reckless exploring after the first stage of cautious  first footsteps, just like the boy when he was learning to walk. This will be a good year for him and I in that regard.

First up, the Grand Bazaar. Yes, it took me eight months to get to the Grand Bazaar. What's the rush really? We do have time. And our first introduction couldn't have been any better. We had a guide, our dear friend who has been enough times to know most of the proprietors where we stopped. And it was a cool January day with very few crowds and quite a lot of desperate-seeming shopkeeps. I can't be sure but I think we saw about ten percent of the bazaar. We visited a rug shop, the leather goods guy and a ceramic shop. I found plenty of nice stuff at each, but we only ended up with a ceramic tile set, to be seen here at another time. Overall, the Bazaar was nice, especially if you are shopping for gifts or home goods. I don't see it as a must for me on a regular basis, but it is definitely a must see.


The next day I got a guy's day out for a chilly hike through the Belgrade Forest. The Belgrade Forest is a giant park/forest just about fifteen minutes away. We packed a lunch and walked the 6 kilometer runner's trail around a reservoir before finding a rain-soaked table where we ate some cold sucuk (Turkish sausage) sandwiches and had tea and some rather expensive salep.

I was pleased to see that there were a fair number of runners and dog walkers out on such a cool day (4C or about 39F). This park gets insanely crowded during the summer weekends, so it was nice to see it on a calm day.

Coffee!

We finally broke down and purchased a coffee maker a month or so ago*. Before that we relied on packets of instant coffee. Cafe Crown 3:1 was the kind with coffee and sugar and cream. Jacob's 2:1 was the kind with coffee and cream only. We called it Cafe JoJo for some reason. There's also the mysteriously foamy Carrefour brand Cappuccino. They all served their purpose. Until it was time to have some real coffee.

Kahve Dunyasi is the cafe down the hill from us. They serve good coffee. Filtre Kahve is what we have aspired to drink all these months and of course they have it for sale. Here a tiny hand is attempting to abscond our newest precious treat. He did not get far. Actually, he lost interest when he obtained a paper towel tube and a cat walked by.

*Vestel brand. Not cheap, but it'll brew your coffee in no time at all. It brews coffee. That makes me happy.

Turkish Delicacies Pt. V

Nar!

That is the Turkish word for Pomegranate. I like it. It is short and succinct and not frilly. Nar is not a frilly fruit here like it is in the states. It is eaten quite frequently and can be found in amazing quantities almost anywhere.

You can get it fresh squeezed for just a few bucks. There's a pom..oops, nar tree just down the hill from us. It looks innocent enough. Also there are at least TWO kinds of nar available here. The regular kind and nar tatli (tot-luh), sweet pomegranate. What's the difference? Well, one is sweeter, but also in appearance. When I first saw the nar tatli, I thought the seller got a bad batch of them.

The good news is that the boy seems to love them. He can eat scads of seeds in one sitting, which is why I do not let him have scads of seeds in one sitting. It's a fruit, but that much can have negative effects. The other good news is that I like them. I think I have had four or five in the last month meaning I have had more nar in the last month than in MY ENTIRE LIFE!

I found a video for helping to peel them. I was quite adept at peeling them, but the video makes quicker work of it, so I'm thankful for that. If you like thousand piece jigsaw puzzles, you'll like my old method of peeling a pomegranate. The new way is logical. Here you go:

http://youtu.be/rnujQquKCQY

Regular nar

Some have six chambers, some have five.

Rubies!

What's left.

Nar Tatli, the sweet one. They are covered in these wounds. This is a nice lokoing one, but generally, they look much worse.

Salmon roe. No, it's the sweet pomegranate. Not as good as the regular kind, although I've only had one. I'll have to try a few more.

Maybe not a true Turkish delicacy, but the popularity of the humble nar means I included it in my list. Now I'm off to drink more Boza.

Turkish Delicacies Pt. IV

Salep! Boza!

Gezundheit? No! They're just two more wonderful drinks available this time of year.

It is my goal and duty to try as many flavors of this country as I can and I think I'm doing a pretty decent job of it so far. I read about two different beverages available only in the cooler months and it took some waiting, but both the cool weather and the beverages arrived on cue. First up was Salep, which I saw on a cool late October day, but couldn't find when I went back days and weeks later. It's okay. I see it in the stores now. What is it? Well wikipedia says this about it. I just know it's supposedly made with orchid root and it served warm and is a great way to warm up.

My experience with it came during a visit from friends on a day trip to Sultanahmet. It was cool, but not cold and I saw a man selling a drink from a cart with a lot of steam coming from it. I knew it wasn't the so-so chestnuts that are on every other street so I wandered up and saw the sign for Salep. I was so excited! It was 3 TL (~US $1.80) for a cup, not too bad. It it served with a dash of cinnamon on top.

Boy in tow. Drink in hand.

Ah, yes.

What is it like? Well, first off, it is hot as magma. Have you ever tried a big gulp of magma? I do not recommend it. Salep has amazing heat retention qualities. This drink is not for kids as they will have to hold onto the cup for ten solid minutes before the drink will be cool enough not to peel the skin off their lips.

After that, it is good. It is thick and sweet and very comforting. Thick as in a thin pudding. I don't remember a predominant flavor, per se, but it was good. You can also find Salep in the stores either as a pre-mixed drink or in powder form. We have a box of it that we have not cracked open yet.

Next up was Boza. I had read about Boza and was equally excited to find some one day in my outings. I found it at the grocery store the day before Thanksgiving. Boza is a fermented beverage made from millet. Again, here is what wikipedia has to say about it. Here are two more entries I found on the interwebs. One is from a food blog a friend sent and the other was discovered randomly, but I quite enjoy it.

http://cafefernando.com/a-winter-drink-that-makes-your-boobs-grow-bigger/

http://www.glamourgrannytravels.com/2011/10/06/boza-a-turkish-winter-drink/

I was happy to discover that the brand I picked up is from Vefa, the famous Bozacisi located in the Fatih neighborhood. It comes with it's own little packet of cinnamon. And what is IT like? It is sweet. It is tart. I was expecting something much more tart due to the fermentation, but it is very mild (and less than 1% alcohol). Leslie thinks it tastes a bit like apples and I think she's right. It is also very thick. I finish mine with a spoon. It can be served cold or warm, but I've only tried mine warm. And as the blogs say, it is usually accompanied by Leblebi, toasted chickpeas. I happened to pick up a half kilo of those from Malatya Pazari, famous makers of delicious Turkish Delight. I have to say that the leblebi really does add something to the Boza flavor. You have the toasted nut flavor of them with the tartness of the drink. It is quite wonderful.

So they look quite simliar and are found at the same time of year, but are quite different and delicious in their own way. Apparently, Boza is so nourishing, it was used to feed the Ottoman troops before it was banned due to Islamic restrictions on consuming alcohol. I am now supplementing my meals with it. Not really, it's just my new treat that I can justify drinking whenever because it is so good.

Play Date

The boy and I had a play date today* and it being held a bit further south of where are, but right up the hill from the Bosphorus, I decided we should take the boat and then a taxi instead of taxiing all the way. It's about a thirty minute walk to get to the terminal and the boat only docks for maybe three minutes so you have to be ready to go. The best part is, it'll take you to several stops along the Asian side and back to several European stops for 1.95 Turkish Lira or about $1.25. Cheap and fun.

*or yesterday. Oops. Stunned look on my host's face upon opening the door followed by the same look on my face. I felt silly, but had a good time since we took the boat.

The view before setting off. (I darkened the exposure to capture more detail. It wasn't this ominous looking.)

Passing a freighter.

Four story Starbucks right on the water. No boat-side service just yet.

Right next to the Starbucks is this lovely park and the ferry station.

I've seen these from a distance and they always look like they're going backward. It still does in this photo, but seeing it in person looked completely normal. This one is traveling towards the right of the screen.