Winding down on Friday June 22

We started packing and realized we needed another large piece of luggage to hold all our stuff. The boys and I went down Istiklal in search of a suitcase. I stopped one place and the woman wanted 199 lira for three bags. When I told her I only wanted the large one, she said she would sell it for 180. No thanks.
At the next place, the woman wanted 80 lira for the large bag. I told her 60 lira and she would not come down so we left. Finally at the next place, I got one for 70 lira, talking the guy down from 80.
We then went to our favorite pide place Karedeniz Pide (blacksea pide) and got three pides. More than enough for me and the boys and Fariba. We took it back for Fariba and we packed in earnest and then went down to Cihangar to Kardesler and had some kunefe and tea. We bought a couple more souvenirs and went back to the apartment to relax on the deck. We went downstairs and played some tavlah and had some nargile and then went back to sleep so we could get up at 3:30 a.m. To catch our 6:30 a.m. flight back home.

Cihangar and Turkish Dance Thursday June 21

Another late sleep then down the hill to Cihangar for lunch at Ozkonak, a little locals restaurant that we enjoyed a few times on the trip. Here you can enjoy such delicacies as stuffed egggplant, bell pepper and zucchini as well as lamb stew and other good stuff. The desserts, usually pudding or custard, are also sumptuous as well. After Ozkonak we went to Sultanamet and sat at our favorite nargile place for a couple of hours, listening to traditional Turkish music while engaging in banter with the matre'd. He started using the boys' heads as percussion instruments at one point.
We walked down to the cultural center and played some tavlah and had tea and 3 lira doners (roasted chicken with pickles, tomatoes and cilantro. Troy and I went in search of cheap baklava but the cheapest we could find was 30 lira per kg. it was too far to walk to the 25 per kg place.
The dance performance was at the same place that we had earlier seen the sufis. The crowd was very international, though with few Americans. The performance was exhilarating. I have put up pictures and video.
After the dance performance we walked to the Galata Bridge. The scene was one of Africans selling mostly watches and wallets and other knickknacks. There are very few black skinned people in Istanbul and most of them appear to be Africans, perhaps from Nigeria and the Sudan. There were also guys grilling fish over charcoal on little carts. Fariba and Troy got fish sandwiches. The fish are grilled with the bone in. The guy pulls the fish off the grill and yanks the skeleton off of the fish removing most of the bone. The fish is placed on bread with tomatoes and cucumbers.
We walked across the bridge, watching the fisherman and seeing Sultanamet and Beyoglu aglow from the city lights and the lights of the mosques. It was surreal to know we were still here in Istanbul, seeing this spectacular view. We caught the Tunel up the hill and walked Istiklal to the apartment and hit the sack.

Wednesday June 20 in Istanbul

The boys and I went for a walk down to Sultanamet. Our apartment is in Beyoglu, and we see Sultanamet from our balcony across the Golden Horn and the Galata Bridge. It is an unimaginable view. Sultanamet looks quite distant but can be easily reached in a walk of less than one half hour. It is the land of the sultans, holding the original palace of the sultans, called Topkani Palace. It is also the location of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Sultanamet Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, Istanbul University, the Spice Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar.
We went by Hodjapasha Cultural Center to buy tickets for the traditional Turkish dance show for the following night. After buying tickets, the boys and I had some tea and Fanta in the alley next to the cultural center and played some tavlah (backgammon). It was very relaxing and fun to watch the activities on the alley. We saw barbers meticulously shaving guys with straight razors. We saw guys closing their little stores where they sold a limited genre of items, like brooms and mops. We saw guys delivering tea to the various shops using the old style tea trays.
After playing tavlah for awhile, we walked to the spice bazaar to buy a couple of gifts. I saw some Muslim women with veils, eating ice cream by discreetly lifting their veils to get a taste.
Apparently the bazaar closes around 7 and the shop owners were eager to make sales at closing time. We were able to negotiate some fair deals on some gifts.
We then walked from the spice bazaar to an area where olives and cheese were being sold by the pound. The prices here were much less than the retail up in Beyoglu. We bought a pound of olives for the equivalent of $1.75. Needless to say, these were of the type olives we might pay $9.00 a pound for at home. We got baklava for 25 lira (about $14) a kilo (2.2 pounds). It was selling for 40 to 50 lira a kilo elsewhere in the city. The baklava comes in many forms and is chock full of pistachios. Excellent!
We walked across the Galata Bridge as the sun set, watching the fishermen fish and the kids try to hustle bottles of water. Troy bought 6 pairs of "izod" socks for 5 lira. We headed up the Tunel funicular to the eternal busyness of Istiklal.
We went to dinner at a little hole in the wall where we sat in the small street and were fed a feast of grilled chicken, chicken wings, lamb and the ground beef kebab, all cooked meticulously over a small charcoal grill until perfectly cooked and yet moist. The meat was served with an array of tomatoes (grilled and raw), onions (grilled and raw), small pickled peppers, flatbread and a spicy hand chopped relish of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. We enjoyed tea as we dodged the rear view mirrors of cars driving through the narrow alley.
On the walk back, Fariba had some of the famous trick ice cream. She played along although by now she was fully familiar with the tricks of the ice cream hustlers. Darius had a waffle filled with strawberries and other fruit, a real value at 7 lira. We made our way back to the apartment and slept good.

Turkish breakfast at the house

Got up late, dragging from the trip to Izmir. The boys and I went to a local shop to get cheese and meat and to another shop for vegetables so that I could cook a traditional Turkish breakfast. I prepared eggs, cheese, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, toast and jelly and we ate a huge breakfast on the balcony.

Touring the region after Ephesus on Tuesday

After Ephesus, we drove the short distance to the beach at Pamucak. This is a wide expanse of sand beach along the mostly rocky shore of the Aegean Sea. It is mostly undeveloped except for several resorts at the southern end of the beach as the coastal road slopes towards the coastal city of Kusadasi where the cruise ships dock. We drove in that direction. We noted some similarities to places like Myrtle Beach with water parks and the like, but no putt putt. Kusadasi was a busy, new looking town.
We left Kusadasi and drove inland to the mountain village of Sirince. This little village is famous for its wine, but has turned into another place where the cruise boats dump their passengers, with no appreciation for the local culture, en masse to spend a few minutes and leave. There are a number of street side shops selling trinkets and being operated by people who probably are not even locals. We had an excellent meal at a legitimate local restaurant eating the gozelemeh, freshly prepared flat bread that is similar to quesadilla except it is filled with eggplant or spinach and cheese. A photo accompanies showing the woman making the bread fresh.
We relaxed at the Sirincim restaurant which was quite relaxing despite the tourist traps up the hill in the remainder of the village. We left town driving to the coast again and went north on the coast, seeing beautiful coastal vistas. We parked and walked the beach at Maydonoz Koyu. Here, people have little beach cabins and shacks with hammocks and other seating out in front just next to the pebble strewn shore. A totally locals and Turkish beach spot.
After relaxing at the coastal towns we drove inland so as not to miss our plane. The roads were well marked and we made it to the Izmir airport. We had plenty of time so we backtracked to Menderes and ate at a new restaurant called Konyali. I would highly recommend this as a stop before catching the plane back to Istanbul. Fariba had sheeps head soup! There were other Turkish delicacies, all excellently prepared and reasonably priced.
We flew back to Istanbul, worn out. We negotiated a cab fare instead of riding a bus. Our cab driver made the normally 45 minute trip in about 20 minutes. It was one crazy cab ride. I gave him a tip and a NASCAR hat when we made it alive back to our apartment, exhausted from a long day.