Bosphorus and Beyti

Allison and Jonathan (my previously mentioned Canadian roomies!) planned to cruise the Bosphorus today, and they kindly let me join them for a second day of sightseeing. The ferry takes you up to the strait until it almost meets the Black Sea and drops you off at the Asian side for a couple of hours before returning. We enjoyed great views on the 2 hour journey up the Bosphorus, especially on the Asian side.

Once at our destination we hiked up a relatively steep hill (thank goodness I am not completely out of shape) to a hilltop with great views of where the strait meets the Black Sea. You can only see the *tiniest* bit of the sea, but it was enough to have kept me up there all day if the ferry would have allowed it.



Back down by the docks, we had quite an adventure when selecting a restaurant for lunch. Imagine 15 or so cafes that cater to tourists from the ferry all competing for your business. Every few steps a man would walk up to us with a menu from his restaurant, hoping to be more convincing than the mam that was approaching us from our other side. I couldn't stop giggling at hearing voices beckoning us from all directions, and Jonathan took one for the team and navigated us through the cafes until we found a more quite place to eat.



After lunch I wanted to try a dessert I had read about in my book, and they were all out :-P But we had ice cream, and the ice cream salesmen here are just as much SHOWmen as they are salesman. Before they would give us our cones, they insisted on placing a small piece of fruit directly into our mouths. They loved that Allison and I played along with their games...especially when we agreed to come behind the counter and take a photo with them. They gave Jonathan their email addresses and asked for a copy :-)

A couple of hours later back in Sultanahmet, it was time for the Canadians to depart to their next adventure. They are in week 4 of a year-long round-the-world trip and have already been to Dubai and Jordan. Follow along with their upcoming adventures on their blog.

Emin and I met up for another evening of walking, talking, and eating. He suggested we eat at Doy Doy without realizing I had read about it in my book -- I ws not disappointed! As soon as I saw they had beyti I had to order it -- lamb or beef wrapped in filo bread/pastry. Quite possibly the best thing I've had all week...Emin can attest to my facial expressions and the countless "mmmmmm" sounds I made O:-) And if you know me, you know I don't like raw tomatoes...but I have eaten them several times in Istanbul, including tonight with me beyti. I might have to go there for lunch again. And I can't leave this out -- they use a dustbuster to clean up the tables between customers!!!

Also on the menu for my last day -- raki (haven't had it yet), baklava (I have only had it once), and pide (Turkish pizza). I can't believe it's my last real day of vacation...Saturday and Sunday will be spent on trams, the metro, trains, planes, and one car...*sniffle* :-(

Til next time, cheers.