ISTANBUL

About a month ago I finally ticked off my travel list a destination I had been dreaming of going to... ISTANBUL! What a place! What a magical, charming, captivating city! I cannot believe that I had not been earlier... You know how they say "visit Napoli and then die"? Well I think the same should be applied to Istanbul (don't get me mistaken, Napoli is a beautiful place and also highly worth a visit). But Istanbul is really something... it's not just a destination, it's truly an experience. Istanbul is a city that stimulates all your senses- it's not just about seeing some of the most beautiful architecture or tasting some of the most scrumptious food, it's about charmismatic smells, sounds and colours that you discover in each and every street corner.
It's about a highly addictive blue illuminating the city from the Bosphorus, the Marmara, or the clear skies.

It's about the most interesting culture, past and present - and even thoughts about what the future could be in a place between East & West (above- Ataturk on the walls of Istanbul)

It's about a city that never stops, that never sleeps, that's captures your attention in every single way. It's a city that is loaded with the most creative (and friendliest) people that undeniably play a big role in explaining Istanbul's beauty. And when it all becomes too much, the best way to escape and soothe your eyes is looking into that addictive "Istanbul blue" (I guess that is what Im naming that oh-so-special colour from now on!)

But now it's time to talk about FOOD! Istanbul might just be a perfect destination for any food lover out there- it has a most rich culinary culture. It's a food culture that is truly alive- living in the streets, behind glass windows, in restaurants, leaving pathways of mouthwatering scents for you to follow and most importantly leading you to taste... sending you straight to food paradise.

When I selected some of the gazillion food photos I took, the one that I knew I had to mention first and foremost is simitici (the round bread things below). What is Istanbul without street stands of simitici literally everywhere??? Probably the first and last thing you will see in the city. Typical street food, that can exist in different variants, but these golden doughnut shaped fluffly brioche-like breads are a must try. At least once. It is definately part of the Istanbul experience.
Another thing that I cannot disassociate from Istanbul is the smell of grilled corn cobs everywhere... the perfume of the city without a doubt.

And of course another signature scent that will tickle your nose is the notorious Turkish coffee. Without sugar for me- I like it bitter...but if you are a first timer at this you might enjoy it only with tons of sugar inside.

Sticking to the subject of hot beverages, even more famous I'd say is the tea (- sacred tea even, as there is such a powerful tea culture in Istanbul). Tea is not just tea- it is almost a symbol of the Turkish hospitality, it is not uncommon to be offered a cup of tea for free. It is prepared in a particular way (two tea kettles are placed on top of each other), presented in small transparent cups allowing you to enjoy it's rich colour and sip away slowly...knowing you will be having another one in maybe just a couple of hours!

How is it possible to not notice the unique ice-cream "dondurma" and all the entertainment that goes along with it? (of course, the ice-cream choreography is mainly targeted to tourists!) (p.s: the youtube video is not mine!)

What is Istanbul without the rich array of fruits & vegetables, sold not only on markets but as street food too (for instance: the most incredible cucumber above). Ripe, juicy, aromatic, tasty fruits & veggies everywhere... coming back to Paris made me think "what on earth am I eating here? This doesnt compare one bit to what I had in Istanbul!" It's such a pity that authentically tasty fruits & veggies are so hard to find in the modern Western world... genetically modified produce is humankind's worst invention!

Istanbul is a sugar-coated city, with temptation coming from everywhere thanks to it's most delightful sweet specialties... impossible to resist! From infamous baklava (in all different varities, classic, chocolate, pistachio...) ...

...to the curiously titled "fake chicken breast" a some sort of nick name for "yalanci tavuk gogsu" (below)...

...to the loukoums (above) and the halva (below)...

...and of course, the incredible honey! Then it is time to take a stroll in the grandiose grand bazaar & spice market where you will bump into everything from traditional costumes, to beautiful glowing lamps...

...to colourful hilltops of spices and the most eyecatching teas...

...and if you're feeling experimentive, you might want to bring back home some "natural turkish viagra"... ;-)

and then there is the famous dolma rolling machine that I had read about a while back on Café Fernando (one of my all time favourite blogs).. which I finally found in real while walking towards the Spice market (and I even ended up getting one!)

If you love fish, you will love Istanbul. Fish is everywhere, from the markets, to the most interesting concept ever. As I was passing by the Galata Bridge, a strong smell of fish was through the air and directed me to these boats lined up passing over to the other side what turned out to be "balik ekmek" which is nothing more then a fish sandwich. As I approached, I noticed that the fish is actually cooked on the boats and the sandwiches are prepared so quickly to satisfy the long queue of people waiting for their balik ekmek, enjoyed with a generous squirt of lemon juice and pickles. We knew we couldnt leave before having tried one!

So this is the end of what turned out to be a very long post- but it is merely impossible to share & write less about Istanbul... now one of my favourite places and without a doubt I will be back again.

LISBON!

Aaaaaahhhh I have been so so bad with updating my blog!!! It has been months since my last post and I have so much to share! Thank you for still visiting and commenting despite my absence...I know I keep saying I'll promise to post more often, but this time I genuinely mean it!

Anyway, let's start- LISBON! Yes, actually my last post was about Palermo but about a week before I had been in the beautiful mediterranean in Lisbon, a city I am truly in love with ever since I first visited it a few years back. To me, Lisbon is an example of what could be my kind of town- a unique mix of a vibrant city with just minutes away beautiful sandy beaches and green hills...a delicious offering of scrumptious cuisine whether it be the infamous bacalhau (for you salty ones out there) or the sacred pasteis de nata (for the sweet tooths- so that would include me hehe), and to top it off fantastic weather pretty much all year long coupled with a generous culture composed of what I believe could be some of the friendliest people in Europe. Yes indeed you get my point- Lisbon is my kind of town!!!

Of course I took plenty of pictures, including some mouthwatering snaps I wanted to share with you here.

For a complete overview of my sweet & short three day trip in Lisbon, check out my Flickr stream!

Here it is: the world famous pasteis de nata (also known as Pasteis de Belem)- a must try when in Lisbon. Get ready to discover the most addictive crispy, crunchy, creamy, cinnamon-y sweet treat ever!

And other sweet temptations at every bakery in every street corner... so much to drool at, so much to try!

I fell in love with Broas de Mel (honey based chunky biscuits, with or without nuts "noz")- if anyone has a good recipe to share please tell!

And I must inform you of the most amazing gelati place we found at the Rossio train station. While we were waiting for our train to visit the beautiful town of Sintra, we very randomly discovered a gelati shop on the first floor of the Rossio station- remember- it's first floor, Rossio station...for the most creamy luscious gelati ever, with a particularly interesting array of dulce de leche flavours too.

And once you have had your first scoop trust me you will be going back again and again...just like what we did!

If you visit Lisbon, it would be a shame to not do a day trip to Sintra, a cute charming town where you can notably visit the "castelo dos mouros" (below, literally: castle of the walls, you will understand once you see it!) and try the Sintra specialty "queijada da sintra" (above) which are something of sweet cheese based tarts that are so tender that it feels like someone is giving your tummy a tender comforting hug!

Also in Sintra (but also pretty much everywhere in Lisbon), you can try shots of a typical liquor "ginja" served in chocolate cups- fabulous, totally loved those!

DO visit the beachy town of Cascais (reachable by bus from Lisbon)- take a break from the city-side of Lisbon and walk on miles of golden sand and colourful street alleys, watch the sunset and glistening water and feel the silky breeze caress your skin. Yes that totally sounds cheezy but in a totally good way!

Of course how can anyone NOT think of salted codfish "bacalhau" (above) when pronouncing the word "Portugal"? It would be unforgiveable to not eat fish in Lisbon- we had some amazing sardines & tuna in a traditional restaurant "Alfaia" (in Bairro Alto, a must-see- especially at night as that is when the area bursts with life and interesting characters). The fish is prepared in the most simple manner- just some olive oil, garlic and herbs- to allow you to savour the true taste of the fish instead of disguising it with millions of ingredients! That is how I personally enjoy fish- in it's most simple attire!

So that is it, my post has come to an end but there is more to discover visually. Lisbon is truly a great destination, definately worth a visit. It might not be as popular as Barcelona, Rome or Athens... but it is a hidden gem in the Mediterranean region, with an undefinable magical charm that will let you leave with that notorious sensation of "saudade", which apparently does not translate into any other language... but after having been to Lisbon numerous times, even though I can't find the exact word for "saudade" in English I think I might know what saudade feels like...

P.S: I was in Istanbul recently so I will try to post about that soon, and I am travelling in the Mediterranean in a few days (guess where???)...so there will be lots to share!!