Turkey - More than we expected

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Turkey exceeded our expectations in every way, people, food, sights ... everything. We would return for another visit at the drop of a hat. We saw and experienced so much during our five day stay that we will have to post a number of entries. So here goes number 1; getting to Istanbul and our hotel.

Leaving Prague we flew on Turkish Air to Istanbul, a 2 1/2 hour flight with a good meal served on the plane. I had their chicken and Nancy their pasta. Actually we selected different meals so we could share and have a taste of both selections ... and both were good. During our stay we found the way Turks cook chicken was always very good and we would like to know if they rub the chicken with olive oil or butter or something else to obtain the flavor. Whatever they do it is good.

Searching online before the trip we looked at the web sites of several hotels listed as historic. Finally, because of the description of its location, 300 meters from the Blue Mosque and the same distance from the ocean we made reservations at the Hotel Tashkonak. It was a great selection.

The Hotel Tashkonak has about 30 or 31 rooms and is located in a building centuries old. Everything in the locale of the hotel is centuries old. The hotel staff was very friendly, everyone spoke English and were very attentive and always willing to answer questions and give advice which we found to be helpful and correct. We were pleased with our room at once. We could look down on the hotel's cute little courtyard with tables and chairs sitting around under the small trees and vines which stretched up to the ancient stone wall at the back of the property. I hate to even tell you about the breakfast room since it was so fantastic to be surprised by it but to entice you go duplicate our trip here goes. We were told only that the breakfast was served, "Up those stairs". So the next morning we walked up one flight of stairs, no breakfast room, up the next, no breakfast room, then I could smell somthing and we walked up the third flight of curved stairs. There it was in all its surprising beauty! The room where breakfast was served is on the top floor. My guess is that at one time it was the roof, but most of the room has been glassed in and a breakfast buffet is served there. This is without a doubt the most beautiful breakfast setting in which we have ever eaten as in one direction is the Blue Mosque and in three directions are roof tops and the ocean filled with ships beyond with Sea Gulls soaring through the air. It is hard not to be jealous of the ease with which Sea Gulls glide. Oh, the food was spectacular too lest I forget to mention it.


Small, narrow, cobblestone streets go off in all directions. The neighborhood is filled with small hotels, small businesses as well as people's homes. There was a tiny grocery store right beside the hotel. The web site was truthful; the hotel is easily within 300 meters of the Blue Mosque. In fact, waking early was no problem as we could hear, even with my poor hearing in my right ear, the early morning call to prayer, likewise the last evening call to prayer. Other than the Imman calling people to prayer the neighborhood was very quiet.
We arrived at the hotel about 7:30 in the evening and after checking in making some changes to our itinerary while in country and putting our backpacks in our room we returned to the lobby where we asked, "Is there a restaurant nearby?"

"Yes," the desk clerk replied. "Go out the door and turn right. Then follow the street. It curves left, and at the intersection turn right and go up the hill. There are restaurants there."

"Is it safe to walk on the streets?" Nancy wanted to know.

"Oh yes," he replied. "Only if you stay out after mid-night it is not as safe. But now you are safe."

We followed his directions. The first place we looked at was a small grocery store where we debated if we should just buy a few bananas and a cup of yogurt and call that our evening meal. We were tried, but decided to walk on and see what was in the area. We made another right and saw a restaurant with a display outside. When we stopped to look at the display a man came out of the restaurant and said, "The food is good here."

There were several types of shis kabobs on display, a chicken kabob, a lamb kabob, an eggplant with ground lamb kabob as well as desserts. We talked a bit with the man and then he led us into the restaurant and up the stairs to the second floor. Nancy ordered the eggplant kabob and I ordered what I thought was a vegetarian kabob. Mine turned out to be a vegetarian platter. The service was very slow, and being tired made it seem longer than I expect it really was. Neither of us was particularly happy with our meals. As far as eating goes this was the low point of our eating experience in Turkey. (Nancy) my kabob was eggplant stuffed with lamb, roasted broadbeans, onions and tomatoes. Actually the eggplant/lamb part was pretty good but the other things had no taste except sort of a burned taste. HOWEVER we were given a baked flat bread that was out-of-this world delicious. If we had known the place better, we would have order a piece of bread and that would have been enough. The bread was so enormous that we ate only half of it and I folded the other half, carried it back to the room and for lunch the next day we ate ONLY the rest of that bread and two pieces of fruit we had carried with us from Prague. It was still perfectly flexible and delicious cold and 12 or so hours later. NIce item! (But in a way we knew as tired as we were the bananas and yogurt would have been a better idea in the first place.)

Once we'd finished eating we walked on up the street where we had a good view of the magnificent Blue Mosque. It is an amazing structure and we will write about it in another entry.

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Photos

Istanbul from the air
Well, a small part of Istanbul.

Minaret from the breakfast room
This is the small mosque right in front of the hotel. The Blue Mosque is in the opposite side of the hote.

Ocean from the breakfast room
See small part of the ancient wall.

Breakfast buffet
Part of the food on the buffet there is another bend to the whole thing including drinks.