Eastward to Istanbul

From Madrid to La Alberca to Salamanca to Coimbra to Oporto, to return to Madrid and leave the Iberian Peninsula.  We me with 3 of our Pueblo Inglés friends during our one night in Madrid and enjoyed an evening of remembrances and stories and future possibilities.  What a splendid 3 weeks it has been and we certainly our thinking of returning soon.

Istanbul is where the Arndt family reunion is occurring and is the center point of our trip.  We arrived  about 17:30 and after buying our Turkish visa, passing through Border Control, etc., we took the trams to our hostel.  We were immediately offered tea, a detailed explanation of what this hostel offers its guests, and we were invited to join others for the evening meal of a yogurt cucumber soup and a delicious rice and potato pilaf.

The next day was the Gastronomic Tour one of my cousins had organized ( a thank you to Prue) that was led by a long-time friend of my Arndt aunt and uncle.  We met at the eastern end of the Gallata Bridge and then began our walking / talking / eating tour of Istanbul.  Included was walking into one of the few Hans remaining in Istanbul which are very similar in construction as the Houtongs we saw in Beijing a few years ago.  The primary difference is that Hans are where similar types of businesses are in operation and the Houtongs tend to be residences.  My cousin noted that from Istanbul into western China, the language is Turkish or a dialect thereof.

Our 2nd breakfast began with a bread circle that was the size of a large American Pretzel covered with roasted sesame seeds and served with clotted cream and honey.  Sliced tomatoes, cucumbers as well as tea was served and it was difficult to not eat everything.  The next food presentation was after we'd taken the ferry to Asia and from there it was an endless array of different shops and foods.  Megan has sent the list to us of all the places and foods so I can try to recreate, as much as possible, what is so enjoyable here.  Pistachio is king and is typically in and around most every food.  The pistachios here  are very green in colour and the flavor doesn't remind me of what I've eaten in the USA so it could be a challenge to find this in Colorado.

We ended with Turkish ice cream which uses an orchid root for the binder.  Though it was delicious, for me their ice cream paled in comparison to the foods and sweets we had eaten earlier in the day.  And a word to those who enjoy baklava; the original recipes didn't use honey.

I need to eat lightly tomorrow as my consumption today was immense, especially the pistachios.