Istanbul Street Food Picnic Tour

Frying the bread-crumbed hamsi, and preparing gözleme

Although I am a long term resident of Istanbul, there is always something to discover about this unique city. Recently, I met up with Canero, of Urban Adventures, and took the Istanbul Street Food Picnic Tour, to discover more about traditional Turkish cuisine.

My guide, Canero

We met at the entrance to the Spice Bazaar in Eminonu, and began our walking tour  through the fascinating back streets behind the bazaar. I asked Canero how he became interested in food, as he seemed very knowledgeable. It appears that his grandmother is a superb cook from Antakya (Antioch), in the Hatay Province of southern Turkey. This area is famous for its delicious food.

Our first stop was to a small outlet specialising in Gozleme and hamsi (anchovies). Gozleme is a popular street food made of layered pastry, and resembles a folded pancake, stuffed with either cheese, spinach, or potato; or a mixture of these. Canero ordered cheese and spinach, which we ate, together with fried hamsi, a specialty of the Black Sea region of Turkey.

I insisted we shared the fried hamsi (anchovy) and gözleme, as I didn't want to 

spoil my appetite for the rest of the tour!

We watched Turkish pide being made. It is baked in an oven, similar to a pizza oven

We stopped for a glass of Ayran, made from yogurt, water and salt.

As we strolled through the crowded little streets, Canero talked about all the little food outlets we passed, and the amazing variety of traditional foods they sold. As he added to our supply of food, he explained that Istanbul has become a magnet for people from every area of Turkey, who brought  with them the culinary delights of their particular areas.

We visited a delicatessen, where Canero bought some pastirma (pastrami) for our picnic

There were stacks of fresh honeycomb, a breakfast staple in Turkey

Canero bought some sweet desserts for me to taste

Finally we entered the spice bazaar, where Canero introduce me to a wonderful emporium, full of Turkish delight, exotic teas, and aromatic spices. We were entertained royally, while I was shown the range of products with an explanation of their provenance.

Some of the delights of the Spice Bazaar

Canero levitating over the shop

Night was beginning to draw in when we bought some chestnuts to complete our meal

Normally, the tour would end with a picnic in Gulhane Park, but this is winter, and a picnic in the park wasn't really feasible. Instead, we took our picnic to the edge of the Golden Horn, where we enjoyed some warming Turkish tea with our delicious selection of typical Turkish eats.

If ever you are in Turkey, I really recommend taking a tour with Canero. You can find him on Facebook.

Fototrek Workshop Istanbul

Galata Bridge, over the Golden Horn, where our practical photography session took place.

I love learning about my passion, photography. So I was delighted when I had the opportunity to take a photography workshop with Cenk Gençdiş of Fototrek, Istanbul. The first session was in the classroom, where we reviewed basic information, such as White Balance, ISO, Exposure, Shutter Speed and Aperture. We then moved on to camera settings, where Cenk gave us tips on how to make menu adjustments so we could get the best images from our cameras.

Our instructor, Cenk Gençdiş of Fototrek

Our next session was a practical one, where we got to practise all we had learned the previous day. We met in a restaurant under the Galata Bridge, and our photo shoot was held all under, over, and around the bridge. Our main task was to use our cameras' manual settings, and make sure the exposure was correct. We are so lucky to be living in Istanbul. This amazing city is a photographer's dream.

We all worked hard, practising what Cenk had taught us

Everyone was keen to do well!

One focus was on framing the shot...

...and the Galata Bridge is just perfect for framing!

This plane flew overhead, so I couldn't resist taking this shot.

A fisherman on the bridge, with the Suleymaniye mosque in the background

A sweetcorn seller by the Galata Bridge

İçli Köfte

After all our hard work, Claudia took us to one of her favourite restaurants, where we had delicious İçli Köfte, and Mercimek Soup. A perfect end to a perfect day!

I am so looking forward to next week when we will learn about the many different fields of photography, like Portrait, Landscape, Nature, Architectural, and Night photography. I am especially looking forward to practising portrait photography in Cenk's professional studio.

Christmas in Istanbul 2013

Christmas-inspired lights on Bagdat Caddesi (our street), 

ready to celebrate the New Year!

This year we spent Christmas in Istanbul, and were delighted to have Clare and Reg to share it with us. Here, on Bagdat Caddesi, everything shouts Christmas, but in reality, the lights and decorations are all for the New Year Celebrations. It appears that Turkey has adopted all the commercial aspects of Christmas for New Year. Noel Babba (Father Noel) brings presents, Christmas trees and decorations are everywhere, and the locals even tuck in to a Turkey dinner!

An enormous Noel Baba (Father Christmas), all lit up!

Huge Christmas baubles on the side of the road...

together with a huge Christmas/New Year's cake...

...a gingerbread man

...a star studded bauble

...and a Christmas tree in lights!

Father Christmas was very good to us too!

Reg opens the champagne.

Reg thought he would try slicing the top off the champagne with a sword, as he did at Catherine and Michael's wedding (see post here), but all we had was a plastic shoehorn, which unfortunately didn't have the same result. So he had to resort to the more usual method.

During Clare and Reg's week in Istanbul, we visited the Grand Bazaar...

...stopped by Sirkeci Station, famous for the Orient Express,

...visited Buyukada, one of the Princes Islands,

...and had a magnificent lunch in one of the restaurants by the quay.

The time went by far too quickly, but I did enjoy Christmas, and I am now looking forward to a wonderful 2014. Mutlu Yillar (Happy New Year) everyone.

Tricia and Tim's Chinese Wedding

 

Tricia and Tim thoroughly enjoyed their Chinese Wedding

A few days after their church wedding, Tricia and Tim had their Chinese Wedding. What fun we had, and what an amazing experience for those of us who were seeing this for the first time.

The guests arrived first, and assembled outside the venue, ready to welcome them.

Tricia and Tim arriving for their Chinese Wedding

Two Chinese Dragons were there to meet them, and escort them into the venue

Once inside, they were able to greet their guests

Tricia was then hidden behind a screen, and Tim had to go through a series of tests

to show that he was worthy of his beautiful bride

In the first test, Tim has to eat sweets that were strung around his brother,

without touching them with his hands

In the second test, he had to knock pingpong balls out of his groomsmen's mouths

...then Tim had to declare his undying love for Tricia, and beg the girls to let her out.

Tim was great, and managed all his tasks so well, that he was reunited with his bride, and the wedding commenced.

The dragons visited every table during the magnificent 14 course meal

...including that of the bride and groom

The dragons' reward for all their work, was a lettuce.

To everyone's surprise, flames shot up from the table, as the dragon lifted the lettuce

 

One of the dragon's handed a scroll to Tim

Which he unrolled, in front of Margy, Bernard, Annie, and James

(I'm not sure what it said)

Next came the Tea Ceremony. Tim and Tricia had to offer tea to all their relatives. This is a most sacred ritual in a Chinese wedding. It is the bride’s symbolic introduction to the groom’s family. 

The first to receive the tea, were Tim's grandmothers, as the oldest,

and most important in the family

All the family present at the wedding were served tea, finishing with the married brothers and sisters of the bride and groom.

Even I received tea during the ceremony, being an aunt of the bride!

The tea ceremony over, the wedding party went from table to table to raise a toast all the guests, with a very rare, and expensive, brandy!

Gānbēi!

We ended with not just one, but the cutting of three cakes!

We all had such fun. What a night to remember! Thank you James and Annie for organising everything so well. I wouldn't have missed this for anything!