Tag: Istanbul

Ever heard, or even said, the phrases, ‘It’s full of tourists. I don’t go there. It’ll be too expensive.’ Well, if you skip these places, you could well be missing out, as we found out when we went to Istanbul in October.

This is a photo of the famous Çiçek Pasajı (Flower Passageway) along Istiklal Caddesi. The first time we went to Istanbul, about six years ago, we had a walk through Çiçek Pasajı as it was on our list of Istanbul must-sees. We’d been advised not to eat or drink in there because ‘it was touristy and over-priced,’ by friends and by one of our guidebooks. Ever since then, we’ve walked past the beautiful Çiçek Pasajı and never really given it a second thought. ‘Lovely as it is, we’ve seen it – no need to go in there again,’ was our thinking.

However, being that we write a blog about Turkey these days (had you noticed?) we decided to stroll through the building just to grab a couple of photos of the interior. We went in through the rear entrance and walked down, towards Istiklal Caddesi, ignoring all the empty ‘expensive’ restaurants and I took a couple of photos. Now, if you read this blog regularly (or if you know us), you’ll know we’re no strangers to the odd Efes Pilsen every now and then. Exploring the delights of Istanbul is thirsty work and we’d been wandering around for most of the day…

Imagine our delight when we discovered a little bar just before the exit from Çiçek Pasajı. Imagine our even greater delight when we saw that a large Efes was being advertised at 5 lira. 5 lira. Can you believe it? The cheapest beer price we had seen all weekend! The cheapest beer price we had seen all weekend in ‘expensive’ Çiçek Pasajı. We sat our weary bodies down and took in our rather opulent surroundings while sipping and savouring our icy cold cheap beer, not quite believing our luck.

This place is a people watcher’s delight. We were in our element. Obviously, people from all over the world visit Istanbul and Çiçek Pasajı is on most of their ‘must see’ lists. Into the passage the people strolled, gazing up at the ceiling, pointing out different areas, videoing and photographing the beauty of the building…and out they strolled, straight back through the way they came in.

I can only think that Çiçek Pasjı has become a victim of it’s own beauty and fame. It has a reputation for being over-priced and maybe tourists avoid eating and drinking there because they believe it to be expensive. (It was expensive in the past.) But, judging by the price of our beer, maybe the over priced restaurants are no longer over priced. We sat at our little cheap bar – fantastic surroundings and a people-watching bonanza – for an hour or so and a quick photograph snapping session turned into a very pleasant (and cheaper than expected) afternoon, enjoying the delights of Çiçek Pasajı.

And the moral of the story? This is Turkey. Assume nothing and explore everything…you could miss out otherwise.

via Istanbul – Çiçek Pasajı (A Surprise Bargain) | Turkey’s For Life….

Thanks to a handful of new books by locals in the know, visitors to Istanbul can now delve even deeper into this city’s delights.

The American writer and teacher Ann Marie Mershon teamed up with a locally renowned guide, Edda Renker Weissenbacher, a polyglot Turk known for her fascinating strolls through undiscovered areas, to produce “Istanbul’s Bazaar Quarter: Backstreet Walking Tours.”

Their four chosen itineraries take readers down cobbled streets to narrow stairways, in the zone that stretches from Aksaray through the Grand Bazaar down to the Egyptian spice market.

“You could fly through any of the walks in an hour to 90 minutes,’’ Ms. Mershon said, “but to really enjoy them, you should allow about four hours for each.”

To find a lunch spot to break up those walks, try one of the frills-free places profiled in “Istanbul Eats: Exploring the Culinary Backstreets,” written by two Americans who have lived in Istanbul for years and who appreciate a well-grilled kofte.

The authors, Yigal Schleifer, an occasional contributor to this blog and the Times Travel section, and Ansel Mullins, a real estate consultant, have tracked down dozens of often-overlooked restaurants.

“There are so many great, amazing places in this city and the food culture is so rich and so deeply intertwined with the larger culture here,” Mr. Schleifer said over a serving of grilled meatballs at Kofteci Huseyin on a side street in the Beyoglu neighborhood. “But we kept seeing the same old places being advertised and promoted.’’

So they started a blog, Istanbul Eats, and the blog led to the book.

“Everybody comes to Istanbul expecting one type of thing: they’re really shocked to find there’s something other than the kebab,” Mr. Mullins said, wolfing down a generous portion of piyaz, a white bean and onion salad.

To help put that history into a contemporary context, Pat Yale, a London-born writer, and Saffet Emre Tonguc, a Turkish writer and private tour guide for clients like Oprah Winfrey, have collaborated on “Istanbul: The Ultimate Guide.”

At more than 600 pages, their encyclopedic effort takes readers to sites absent from most itineraries -– and guidebooks — like Yenikoy on the Bosporus and Caddebostan on the Asian side.

“Of course like everyone we wanted to cover Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia,” Ms. Yale wrote in an e-mail. “But Saffet and I wanted to show that there is also much that is fascinating about the more modern city — the Abud Efendi mansion that was used in the smash-hit Turkish soap opera Gumus, which is credited with kickstarting the Arab world’s recent love affair with the city.” (“Istanbul: The Ultimate Guide” will soon be available on Amazon.com and is sold in major bookstores in Istanbul.)

via New Guides to Istanbul Offer Insider Tips – NYTimes.com.