Stunning Stunning Istanbul Turkey!! What can I say….this place is all I had hoped for PLUS some things I never expected. It’s like stepping into a fantasy country that combines the best of so many cultures. A lot of Turkish, a good dollop of Greece, …there is even a strangely familiar Spanish/Portuguese edge here as well….even though I don’t know yet what the connection might be. The warm “vanilla” colored structures with orange/reddish tile roofs are dominate and stunning
Steve took this last night as we arrived with the sun setting in the distance. We LOVE LOVE LOVE our hotel which is a luxury resort style (more perks from steves job) OMG today I had my nails done here and got the perfect manicure!! The spa was so unreal!!
One woman had her mani/pedi done and her hair at the same time and she had over 8 technicians working on her at once!! I’m going back for the royal treatment before we go to France…it’s not super cheap but still very reasonable for a bit of pampering!!
I’ll get better pix of our balcony view but we kept the doors open all night!!! Kathe you asked about the temps…..OMG it’s Mediterranean PERFECTION . 78 during the day and about 65 at nite!!
Here’s a view down one of the cobblestone streets with a lot of shopping for the locals. We kept away from any tourist areas on purpose but to be honest…there are very few tourists now. The economy is just too bad
Here’s what the hotel put out for our arrival!! What a super place this is.
What the heck is this bird…a crow or a pigeon…lol. It was hard to tell
These bread vendors are at every street corner like we have Starbucks. I’m sooooooooooo bummed about my wheat allergy right now because I could just eat these bread from morning till nite!! I cheat every once in a while but regret it…not worth ruining a vacation over….but ALMOST worth it…lol
And the Turkish Coffees and teas are phenomenal!! I had two today already and probably wont sleep a wink! We are heading to see the Whirling Dervishes tonite after I post this and they may need to pull me and Bling off the dance floor I have so much caffine in me!!
Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmy..the classic European baguette style lunches
And mom and Dave………..THIS is where Halva was born!!! I forgot that was going to be here!! My dad used to love this stuff and we would go through a whole block of Joyva Halva in one sitting. This stuff pictured is the read deal and we well buy some tomorrow for sure! It’s basically ground sesame seed and sugar with nuts etc added….kind of like “Turkish Fudge” but better
Is this Tshirt tooooooooooooooooo cute!! Found this on one of the street shops
And the Turkish Eye graffiiti was everywhere. I was a happy camper when I saw this!! The graffiti is more wall art here and not so much “tags”. I took a lot of pix of different eyes.
The juice vendors have a neat system of advertising the vitamin and nutrition in custom blended juices. The fruit here is super yummy and fresh. Figs, Dates, Pomagranites and Mangos ….and all sorts of nuts too
Oh boy…here we go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hand faceted enameled aluminum earrings!! I bought a number of pairs!!
More Wall art
Cable cars run through the city as one mode of transportation
My favorite eye shot! I have a pendant in mind for this one
Could the sky have been any bluer??
More art
This cute guy had about 2 dozen apples..that’s all. He was peeling them and selling them to passers by on an old fashioned hand crank apple peeler
This fella had just put this roasted lamb up and was slicing off paper thin pieces
And then there was feral cat row…a very old street full of musical instruments . Violin makers and drum makers who still do things the old fashioned way in their little hole in the wall studios!!! It was not on the tourist circuit…these guys have families making instruments for generations. The cats were only on this street and the artisans came out and were feeding them milk and fish
I want this kitten!!! I want this kitten. One of the most beautiful cats ever!!
Steves new sunglass purchase
Lunch today. Aubergines and a salad
Wow Sandra, Turkey looks sooooo tempting!!! You managed to get me hungry, yearn for a mani/pedi, want to go shopping and adopt a kitten all in one blog, LOL!!! Love the grafitti pictures too!!! Enjoy your stay…. and watch out for Bling on the dance floor, heehee…
More pangs of jealousy..need to learn how to control them thru the rest of your journeys LOL
Looks marvelous!
That little kitty is so precious. I am happy to hear they are being well fed
Have fun!
lol @crow/pigeon…maybe we should call him a “crowgeon”!
Those sandwiches look mm mm good too, not “halv” as good as the Halva
Glad to hear you took a lil pampering time today, it always feels soooo great when you get done.
Nice to see they are taking care of the feral kitties, that leaves the “crowgeons” safe to roam about.
And the graffiti is always pretty cool to look at no matter where your at,
Stay safe, happy shopping and sight seeing!
Hi Sandra! Your trip looks amazing. I love the pictures of the feral cats! I’m glad you posted them for us to see. It sounds like they are taken care of- I hope. I signed up for your updates so look forward to the next one. Take care!
Love the kitty photos! You’re right that kitten is beautiful. The food all looks great, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Halva. Interersting graffiti.
Hugs to you.
I find myself liking Turkey very much! I loved all those tall ornate buildings where the shops were for locals. i wonder what architecture that is….what style. very beautiful….and familiar somehow. the food is so colorful…..and that fudgy stuff! wow….isnt that wild that your dad used to love that? where did you find it in those days……its something i never heard of! its looks too yummy. that bird……yeah….its got the head of a crow and coloring of a pidgeon. how interesting. did they scavenge for food like pigeons? and that little kitty….such gorgeous markings. oooooooo…i would be so tempted to stash that in my brand new “Turkish Tote” bought just that day…hehehe. Steve looks very cosmopolitan in his new shades……and i love that coral red shirt….thats a great color on him. did you buy the panda t shirt??? its sooooooooooo cool!!! too much good stuff…i could write forever and i know you just dont have time to read all this. not with all the great things to do!!! looking forward to more and more and more!!!
Hi Everyone!!! Thanks for coming by to comment today!!! Yes those kitties were fat and sassy and would follow the artists down the street like the pied piper. sooooooooooo cute. The colors here are incredible with lots of interesting architecture. I wondered what those buildings were influenced by too Kathe.. We are on the European side of the Bosphorous Strait and the Asian side is yonder on the other side. These buildings remind me a bit of London
Hi Sandra, I couldn’t read your blog or comment until a day later…Richard turned off our computer for Yom Kippur. I couldn’t wait to see your wonderful pictures and descriptions today (very uplifting after such a solemn day for me yesterday). I LOVE the view from your room and such a welcome from the hotel with wine and fruit! Those sandwiches look incredible and the halva (WOW!)…we had some fabulous halva in Israel too (a big favorite of Ivria’s). OMG…thanks for showing us those incredibly precious kitties…definite eye candy for me…I agree with you, that one in particular is especially adorable 🙂 What a relief knowing they are cared for by the artisans. Super cool graffiti…I wonder what the fist represents…do you have any idea? Steve, very snazzy sunglasses 🙂
Lots of Love, Lois 🙂