just a taste

Istanbul has tons of character. We decided it is Clean Egypt. Interesting things to look at, tons of cats (we walked by a cat either coughing up a hairball or yacking up a bone — cat spasms are pretty funny), very friendly people, but no trash. The cleanliness of Oman combined with the personality of Egypt. A winning combination.

We wandered around for a little bit, soaking in the feel of a new country and being stopped ever few minutes by people wanting to touch or hold Camille, inviting us to eat at their restaurant, or buy their carpets. Everything I read about Turkey said that the carpet salesmen are relentless and hassle you and you can’t get rid of them. We haven’t found that to be true at all around where we live. There is friendly banter, like one guy who asks, “Do you have any money left?” after looking at all of our kids or another one who asks “is it my turn yet?” whenever we pass by. 

There are tons of different outdoor cafes, but Josh wanted to try a particular place that he read about on Trip Advisor. He knew it was near our hotel, but didn’t remember the name. He said he’d know it if he saw it. I didn’t have much faith that we could wander around and stumble upon a place not knowing the name or the address, but I shouldn’t have doubted GPS Josh. We walked up a hill and he saw the name on the awning and said, “This is it.” Cafe Rumist. 

We ordered a shepherd salad which is chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, chilies, bell pepper and endive in a vinaigrette. We also tried pide (pronounced pee-DAY), which is Turkish pizza. It’s like American pizza with better crust and no sauce. The last thing we ordered was beef kebab, chunks of meat that have been skewered and grilled, served with grilled vegetables and a yogurt sauce,

Everything was *really* good. It all tasted really fresh and clean. That’s probably a funny way to describe it, but it tastes like food you would make at home, without a lot of extra stuff in it. It was so good we went back there for dinner tonight with Josh’s parents. (and I wouldn’t be surprised if we decide to eat there a third time before the week is up. It was that good.)

After lunch we walked by the main sites that are located near the hotel. We also found the nearest Starbucks, but didn’t find an Istanbul mug.

Then we went back to the hotel and spent time on the roof with the grandparents. There’s a two thousand year old building in the background, but Grandma is the main attraction here.