Istanbul - the city of flavours!
Istanbul. my favourite city in Europe!
I first visited it in 1998 when I was contracting hotels for a City Break brochure in the UK, and I must admit, I wasn’t impressed. I found the old town scary, dirty, and it was impossible to find anyone who could speak English. Hotel staff and taxi drivers spoke only a few words, which were hard to understand. I returned there the following year but was glad when I changed my job and did not have to return. However, from day one, I loved the people, the food, and the sounds of the city
Fast forward to 2007, when I reluctantly accepted another business trip there, and OMG, I could not believe it! The whole city was transformed in less than eight years! I was astonished to see the beautiful new hotels in the Sultanahmet area (old town), the area was clean, and I felt safe. Everywhere, people were speaking a good level of English. During that third visit, I adventured to explore the city, and I totally fell in love with it. Since 2007, I have been going there at least once a year, and I now know plenty of beautiful places and restaurants where I keep going back.
As I cannot write about my 25 years of love affair with this wonderful city in only one post, I will leave you with one tip for now and some pictures. One of my favorite restaurants is located in the Asian part of town. It is called Ciya in Kadikoy (nowadays they have their own Nexflit episode, check it on Chef Table season 5). Everything is delicious, but make sure to ask for the Lahmecun (Turkish pizza), which you can have in a big size or mini portions. And please do not forget to end your meal by asking for “Teleme” for dessert, a super delicious cream made by boiling and cooling milk and figs.
The good thing is that you can take the frequent ferry connecting the European part with the Asian side for only a few Euros. You can take it from Sirkeci (the port in the old town) or Kabatas (the port in the “modern” part of town) to travel to Kadikoy. The ferry ride lasts only 15 minutes, and you can buy delicious Turkish tea (çay tea) while gazing at the magnificent mosques and the Bosphorus, which is the world’s narrowest strait using international navigation.
