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.

A Saturday afternoon in Cihangar

After another lazy morning, we got motivated and went over to Cihangar to the Kardesler Restaurant for lunch. This place sits on a corner in this bustling, artistic area located between Istiklal and the Museum of Modern Art. Kardesler boasts a large seating area and it is needed because it serves tasty and inexpensive food. We all tried the Ayran, which is the local yogurt drink. Here it is served from a large cooler with the foam scooped out from the top of the vat and placed on top of your mug. It makes for a refreshing and healthy drink.
We also had lentil soup and a cucumber and yogurt mixture that had a soupy complexion. Then we had a Turkish flatbread that has a meat and vegetable spread on top. This is called a lamacun. It was very tasty and only 2.5 lira. We also had a few kebaps and Troy had a meat and cheese pide. As if this was not enough, we tipped it off with kunefe, a shredded filo dough and cheese pastry that is simply decadent. And, it goes quite well with cay (tea, pronounced chai). We were completely full.
Troy and Fariba decided to head back to the apartment to lounge a bit and Darius and I decided to go to the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art (http://www.istanbulmodern.org/en). This museum was a very pleasant surprise, containing an incredibly beautiful collection of very modern works (several video installations for example) that were quite amazing. We also got to see a ship dock right next to the museum.