Category: Travel

Istanbul on the Upswing

Travel

By ROCKY CASALE

Pera Palace

As Turkey inches its way toward the European Union (the E.U. recognized Istanbul as Capital of Culture last year), the country’s largest city is developing its tourism sector at lighting speed, opening a slew of flashy restaurants, notable galleries and stylish hotels. If you’re planning a visit this summer, make note of cultural happenings like the International Jazz Festival (July 1-19), with the headliners Paul Simon and Joss Stone, and the International Opera Festival (July 1-21), featuring open-air performances of Puccini’s “Tosca” and Mozart’s unfinished opus, “Zaide.”

Over the last several years, hotels like the Four Seasons Bosphorus (Ciragan Cad. No. 28) and the W (Suleyman Seba Cad. No. 22) have changed the city’s hotel scene from dreary to vibrant. Last year, Agatha Christie’s beloved Pera Palace Hotel (Meşrutiyet Caddesi No:52) unveiled a meticulous resaoration, and this spring Marriott and Ian Schrager introduced their second Edition (Buyukdere Caddesi No. 136), a 78-room ultramodern tower with a flagship Cipriani restaurant.

Gold Bar at the new Istanbul Edition.Gold Bar at the new Istanbul Edition.

To visit Istanbul without trying Turkish street food, like toothsome takes on kebabs and meze salads, is to miss the point. But if you’re hankering for something more upmarket, stop by Corvus Vineyard’s recently opened Wine and Bite (5 Sair Nedim Caddesi) for Mediterranean tapas, prosciutto, olives, cheeses and an excellent selection of house wine. For more substantial meals, Asitane (Kariye Cami Sokak 6) serves delicate, historically researched Ottoman cuisine, like a 16th-century dish of baked melons stuffed with minced meat, herbs, rice and almonds. For a modern spin on traditional Turkish meze and seafood, book a table at Fish (Cevdet Paşa Caddesi No. 224/1-5-6).

Any exploration of the city’s vigorous art scene begins with the Istanbul Modern (Liman Isletmeleri Sahasi, Antrepo No. 4), a former customs house on the Bosporus devoted to modern cinema, installations, painting and photography. (Its restaurant has excellent views from the minarets of the Sultanahmet to the expanses of the Marmara Sea.) The Pera Museum (Evliya Celebi Mh. Mesrutiyet Caddesi 65) has a vast collection of Orientalist paintings and Anatolian arts and crafts. And it’s worth your while to comb through some of the new contemporary galleries opening everywhere. New York’s Paul Kasmin Gallery (Suleyman Seda Caddesi No. 10) popped up here last year, as did the Sanatorium Contemporary Art Gallery (Istiklal Cad. Postacilar sok. No. 5), which will exhibit paintings by Gencay Aytekin and Saniye Donmez until July 30.

via Euro Zone | Istanbul on the Upswing – NYTimes.com.

July 6, 2011
Reasons Not to Travel to Turkey or Egypt

It’s easy to find people in the world that dream of spending a vacation in Turkey or Egypt.

But there are also tourists who have lost confidence in these countries as tourism destinations.

Small, dark and narrow rooms with plenty of dirt, tiny windows and the smell of damp, rusted faucets in the bathrooms and totally bland food – are but a small list of reasons from people who are against holidaying in Turkey.

The bad quality of service, far lower than in Turkey – is part of the complaints from people who have already been to Egypt. As well as this the sea in Egypt is inconvenient as in many places you simply can’t swim. There are 200-500 metre long reefs in the sea. After these, the water suddenly deepens.

“We arrived at a four star hotel in Alanya, Turkey. The room was so narrow and smelly it was impossible to stay there. We spent some extra money and moved to another hotel the next day,” said Teona Kikodze, 22. “Before we moved, a maid stole my bathrobe. I couldn’t believe it. I will never go to Alanya again in my life.”

As she added, changing hotel wasn’t easy. The only advantage was that the room looked a little bit bigger and cleaner. They stayed there for 10 days. The maid didn’t change the sheets, not once.

“Besides the conditions in the hotel, my biggest problem was the food and the sea itself,” noted Kikodze. “The dishes were too fatty and unsavoury. It wasn’t only me who didn’t like the menu. None of my friends could eat. We ate only fruit almost the whole vacation.”

She also complained that the sea was very dirty and extremely salty. It was impossible to swim in the sea. It’s better to swim in a pool than in the sea there.

Businesstravelcom, one of the travel agencies in Georgia, says that the number of Georgian clients willing to go to Turkey decreased by about 40% this summer.

“The first and most important reason for the decrease of tourist numbers to turkey is the price increase of tickets,” said Ella Karapetyan, Director of Businesstravelcom. “The price of 3-4 star hotels increased by 200-300 USD in comparison to last year. I guess the second reason could be that people are fed up with Turkey. With the same amount of money they can go to Europe. Most customers choose Spain or Italy.”

As Karapetyan explained, the last season was a serious fall for tourism in Egypt as well. Political unrest and riots reduced the season to two months only. She supposes that this fact will influence the following winter season as well. People still express doubt in connection to travelling to a country with such troubling politics.

If you want to have a better vacation in Turkey you have to book a very good hotel to entertain yourself, suggests Tika Kopaladze.

“It costs a lot. I have been there and I think it’s not worth throwing so much money at very good hotels. Even if it’s a five star hotel, there is nothing more to do there, “said Kopaladze. “To spend most of your time in the hotel and disco is boring in my opinion. I would prefer to go to Europe with the same amount of money. I would see the sights and visit historical places.”

She said that there are not even any good shopping malls in Turkey outside of Istanbul.

“In regards to Sharm El Sheikh, a person can visit it once and that’s enough,” added Kopaladze. “I have been there once and will never go back again. I felt uncomfortable because the service was extremely low. The streets are very dirty as well. A 5 star hotel in Egypt is far worse than a 4 star one in Turkey.”

She also recalls that she was afraid of sharks and couldn’t swim in the sea. When they walked in the streets their tour guide warned them to be careful of thieves.

For Giorgi Gudadze, the most annoying aspect was the exaggerated attention from Egyptian men towards foreign women.

“One guy even offered me several camels for my wife. Unbelievable!” said Gudadze.

via The FINANCIAL – Reasons Not to Travel to Turkey or Egypt.

Written by Nina Burjanadze

04/07/2011 08:06 (1 Day 05:36 minutes ago)

The FINANCIAL —

July 5, 2011
Nilüfer Giritlioğlu: My Istanbul

Nilüfer Giritlioğlu’s quirky, original women’s clothing boutique, Lilipud, is one of the standouts of the Galata neighbourhood. The former artistic director and film costume designer tells SHOP’s Maria Eliades about her favourite places in Istanbul

Nilüfer Giritlioğlu

by Maria Eliades, Çarşamba, 29 Haziran, 2011

Where were you born?

Istanbul, in Süleymaniye.

Where do you live?

Cihangir.

What’s best about your neighbourhood?

It’s the best area of the city. It’s still a place with a mahalle (neighbourhood) atmosphere. While walking on the streets, people still say, ‘Hello, how are you?’ and ‘Are you well?’ Also, there are wonderful restaurants. Whenever I’m hungry, I don’t need to cook. It’s very much a part of old Istanbul too: a historical place.

If money was no object, where would you live?

Rome, if I wasn’t in Istanbul. I love Italy.

Which is your favourite Istanbul neighbourhood?

Bağdat Caddesi, by the sea.

Which are your favourite Istanbul stores?

Lilipud, because it’s mine! In Cihangir, La Cave, which sells wine. In the Beşiktaş fish market, Beşiktaş Kaymakçı sells wonderful kaymak (cream) and yoghurt. They make it from buffalo milk.

And your favourite restaurants?

In Cihangir, Demeti and Hayat, next to Cafe Smyrna. I love Hayat especially because of the owner, Tarkan. I see him and everything goes well.

Is there a local bar you visit?

I like going to bars a lot. I’m a rakı and wine person. My friend has a bar in Beyoğlu, Quit, which I like going to. The music is really good: punk, funk, jazz. It’s a small bar, but highly recommended.

Where do you take out-of-town friends?

The same places that I go to myself because the places I’m used to are much better. I don’t risk going to a place where I don’t know the waiter. For lunch I’d take them to Lades on İstiklal Caddesi, which has wonderful fresh beans.

Do you have a favourite Istanbul walk?

The coastal road.

Where are the best bargains to be found?

It’s still perhaps possible to find a bargain in the Grand Bazaar and from the gypsy and used book sellers.

via Nilüfer Giritlioğlu: My Istanbul – Global Blue.

July 5, 2011
Knocked up abroad: baby shopping in a foreign country
by Meg Nesterov (RSS feed) on Jun 21st 2011 at 1:00PM

Knocked up abroad has been on a bit of a hiatus as my travel schedule has slowed and the due date has sped up. Feel free to catch up with posts on pregnancy travel, Turkish superstitions, medical care, and naming children.

I’m into the final month of my pregnancy in Istanbul and that means the countdown is on to get stocked up with wee tiny baby things, garishly colored toys and furniture, and gadgets I never knew I would need. If you’ve ever been baby shopping, either for yourself or for a gift, you know it can be intimidating. Specialty boutiques and megastores are overrun with all sorts of contraptions and devices, in many varieties and brands, organized in ways that are overwhelming to all but the most seasoned of parents. Now try doing this shopping in a foreign country, in another language, with very limited space, and a semi-nomadic expat lifestyle and you’ll understand why I’ve put it off until, as the Turks say, the egg is at the door.

My “home” is in Brooklyn, New York, but I’ve spent less than a week there in the past 14 months. My current home in Istanbul is very small but fully furnished and outfitted with many storage cabinets (Turks dislike visible clutter) but little floor space. My husband and I have been heresince last April on an open-ended work assignment with no end date in sight. We may end this year back in Brooklyn, still in Istanbul, or in another city and country altogether. Given our situation, I’m trying to accumulate as little as possible and try to cut through the “must-have” baby lists to the bare essentials and stuff I won’t mind leaving behind in six months.

Gallery: Baby shopping in a foreign country
In many ways, Turkey is a great place to have a baby, as Turks adore children and are happy to cater to them (someone should commission a study on the correlation between Mediterranean countries and baby-craziness, there must be something in the olive oil). Most malls have an area if not a whole floor of stores dedicated to kids, including local chains like Joker and E-Bebek (that’s e-baby), as well as many branches of UK chain Mothercare. While they all carry most of the same brands as in America and western Europe, the websites and store info is generally in Turkish, meaning a lot of time spent with a dictionary and translation site when researching products. Also unfortunate is the usual Turkish sales approach of hovering. Generally when you walk into a store in Istanbul, a sales person marches up to you, says “hoş geldiniz” (Turkish for welcome) and then proceeds to silently follow you around the store until you ask a question or flee the shop in paranoia (I usually flee in search of a shop with sales help who can’t be bothered to look up from their texting). This is the practice in nearly every store other than touristy carpet shops, and Turkish friends will tell me they are expecting me to take the lead and tell them my needs or tell them to buzz off. I found this hard to do in baby stores and instead tried to do much of my browsing online so I was prepared to purchase in stores.

The big ticket item on my list (as with many other expecting parents) is a stroller. I wanted something that could work from birth to toddlerhood, that could serve as a sleeping bassinet for the first few months (no room for a crib now) and be versatile enough to travel the world. Earlier in the pregnancy we contemplated a shopping trip to somewhere relatively nearby like Amsterdam or Barcelona where they must sell the chicest and most practical of European city strollers, but ended up deciding to buy something available in Istanbul that we could get parts and service for nearly anywhere in the world. We don’t own a car in either Istanbul or New York (in fact, I’m in possession of a soon-to-expire learner’s permit), but we got a car seat from a Turkish colleague to use on taxi rides and future road trips that can fit onto many strollers with an adapter. For Istanbul, the stroller needed to be tough enough to handle many hills, uneven sidewalks and cobblestone streets, but be light enough to tote up New York subway stairs and navigate narrow supermarket aisles. After researching dozens of strollers, spending many soul-destroying hours watching demo and review videos online, and testing a few out in person, I have determined the Perfect Stroller does not exist. Since I have no nursery to decorate and few other things to buy, I was able to splash out on a tricked-out Almost Perfect Stroller (I won’t name brands until I have a chance to test drive, but it’s one you will see in most yuppie coffee shops around the world) and will buy something cheap and lightweight when I am back in a city without metro station elevators and helpful Turks.

After the stroller was chosen, there are a few other items necessary to many new parents and designed well for travelers. As is common in many modern Istanbul apartments, we have no bathtub (Turks see them as unclean, and even the traditional hamam bath is more about the steaming than soaking) and tiny sinks in our bathroom and kitchen. I was resigned to buying a big plastic tub that I would eventually leave behind, but then found this cool device by American design company Puj. It’s essentially a glorified piece of foam that folds into a seat you can wedge into the sink, but unfolds flat and can be hung on a wall to dry. I imagine I can also pack it in the bottom of a suitcase for travel. One item on my list for my next US visit is the Nest from Phil&Teds: a rather ingenius travel carrier that can carry all the gear and then work as a bed or cot at night. Our parents would say a suitcase and pillow could serve the same purpose, but this meets more safety standards than a Samsonite and fits in the overhead bin too. Finally, we also wanted a baby carrier to go hands-free and stroller-less when traveling. There are upteen options out there, and we ended up with a Sleepy Wrap (another glorified bit of fabric with a nice label on it but several friends swear by it) purchased at a terrific speciality shop in Singapore. Fun fact: the Turkish word for baby carrier is kanguru.

The most fun things to shop for are, of course, baby clothes. Few people can resist tiny t-shirts, onesies, and dresses, and most parents can expect to receive many items as gifts. I stocked up on the basics at Mothercare and other clothing stores (we do have Baby Gap and even Baby Zara in Turkey), but discovered a treasure trove of baby shops recently in Eminönü, a crowded shopping area between the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market. In these local shops, I found a range of clothes from the adorable to the downright odd, some with Turkish phrases and many more with strange “Turk-lish.” Check out the gallery above for some of the best.

Now that my apartment is filling up with baby things, I feel just about ready for my due date on July 20 without feeling weighed down by useless gadgets. Any other expat or frequent traveler parents out there who can recommend products? Feel free to leave them in comments below.

Stay tuned for a final pre-birth Knocked up abroad (pending baby’s cooperation, but they say first babies are usually late) on Turkish vs. American attitudes toward babies and pregnant women. Until then, catch up on the other posts here.
July 4, 2011
Istanbul Trip Produces New Turkish Recipe

By Daphne Oz

Jul 3, 2011

This week, my family and I took a trip to Turkey to visit my paternal grandparents at their home in Istanbul. Though we only have about a week here each year, it’s a very easy place to feel at home, with its gorgeous scenery along the Bosporus, fascinating melding of the Byzantine old world and a modern cosmopolitan bridge between East and West, and, of course, all the fabulous food.

Usually, our trips revolve around three essential activities: visiting with family, sating our appetites for Middle Eastern cuisine and bargaining like natives at the Kapali Carsi, the covered bazaar.

The first two activities are pretty self-evident, though we have some particular traditions. We like to gather the huge extended family at my great-aunt’s home, whiling away the hours while picking fresh mulberries and cherries off the giant trees in her backyard. And though there are a number of wonderful inexpensive local restaurants serving authentic Turkish cuisine (imagine: affordable, healthy, delicious food in a major city!), we generally eat at home, allowing the older women to pass along their prized recipes to the younger generation.

As for the bargaining, I’ll be sharing more on that — and my tested techniques for securing the best deal — next week. Suffice it to say that learning how to haggle properly is practically a rite of passage, one full of code and decorum that are both revered and dreaded if you are used to the Western shopping system of nonnegotiable prices.

For now, back to visiting with family and cooking. This being my first trip to Turkey since getting married last summer, there seemed to be extra emphasis on bringing my Turkish culinary skills up to speed. (Naturally, there was lots of accompanying chatter about the supposed aphrodisiac qualities of Turkish cooking.)

I’ve never been much for stiff, measured cooking, so the casual, comfortable cooking style of Turkish cuisine really appeals. In my entire weekend of cooking with my relatives, I never saw a single measuring cup or tablespoon. Everything went according to habit and taste, quality and completion being determined by the “eyeball” technique, which is tricky at first but becomes an invaluable asset.

As I head back to America, with a bundle of new recipes in my repertoire and fond memories of sharing this time and heritage with my grandmother and great-aunts, I’m confident that my new skills will come in handy on a daily basis, precisely because the emphasis is on creating food that your family will love and that you (and I) will love to make.

When I cook, I am almost always tight on time and unprepared, meaning I have to be flexible with my ingredients (basically, using whatever I might have on hand). But that is exactly how creative dishes come together! Learning a few traditional, easy tricks to have on hand in a pinch is essential, and it never hurts to know a few winning flavor combinations (rosemary and garlic, lemon and oregano, Aleppo pepper and mint).

But the most important thing I learned is that the best cooking is inspired and personal, rooted in treasured histories of someone else’s rendition but ready to take on a new vision in your own kitchen.

So with that in mind, here is one of my favorite Turkish recipes, perfectly suitable for a first-timer or an experienced hand, with lots of flavor appeal for the whole family. As they say in Turkey, “Afyet olsun!”

BEGENDI (bay-EN’-dee)

Servings: 4

Roast 4 small- to medium-sized eggplants until skin is loose and can be peeled off easily, approximately 10 minutes on medium heat. Be sure to rotate every 2-3 minutes to grill all sides.

Peel the eggplants, and mash interior flesh in a bowl. Reserve.

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil to medium heat, being sure not to boil, and lightly fry 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, whisking constantly until mixture thickens, approximately 6 minutes.

Stir in reserved eggplant.

Stir in 1/4 cup of milk and 3 tablespoons of finely grated low-moisture mozzarella or pecorino until melted.

Season with freshly cracked pepper and sea salt; go ahead and add rosemary, Aleppo pepper, chopped dates or anything else you might like if you’re feeling adventurous.

Serve in place of mashed potatoes for a delicious, creamy side dish that packs the powerhouse nutrients of eggplants (a staple of Mediterranean cooking).

A traditional Turkish serving is to use begendi under a dish of sauteed peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onions with cubed chicken browned in a saucepan with olive oil.

© COPYRIGHT 2011 CREATORS.COM

via Istanbul Trip Produces New Turkish Recipes – National Ledger.

July 4, 2011
Pegasus adds extra Istanbul and North Cyprus flights

Responding to travellers’ needs as always Pegasus Airlines, renowned as Turkey’s most dynamic privately owned airline, has added additional direct flights to its schedule for summer 2011 in response to heavy demand.

The extra flights will run between London Stansted and both Istanbul and North Cyprus starting Thursday 21 July until 6 September 2011. With Pegasus, the airline that made flying easy, there is now an even better choice of flights to choose from this summer!

Prices start from £77.99 including taxes and charges for flights between London and Istanbul and from £107.99 including taxes and charges between London and North Cyprus. Tickets are available to book now on www.flypgs.com.

City.Mobi

Also in Europe today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Istanbul.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Istanbul.Mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.

via Pegasus adds extra Istanbul and North Cyprus flights | News | Breaking Travel News.

July 4, 2011