Dusk in North Cyprus

Our weekend was filled with warm sunshine, a table full of food and surrounded by new friends.

Now, we’re back in cold, dreary and rainy Istanbul.

I already miss sitting outside with a glass of wine in a short-sleeves shirt and admiring the lush green country side near Gönyeli, North Cyprus.

Just before sunset in North Cyprus.

Although we told ourselves we weren’t going to travel in December, we couldn’t help ourselves. We snapped up fairly inexpensive tickets to North Cyprus via Pegasus Airlines so we could visit our Cypriot friends. (Pegasus is always offering deals to destinations in Turkey and Europe. Seriously, sign up for the email newsletter.)

One of our friends, Umut, was hosting his third annual “Thanksmas” party. I volunteered to help make my pumpkin pies and hubby would help chop, prep things for the party. My new mantra is have apron, will travel!

Speaking of which, I have some holiday baking to work on so it’s time for me to don my apron and get in the kitchen. Editing photos and working on a new blog post will have to wait.

Here are some of my previous posts about traveling in beautiful North Cyprus.

More to come soon!

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Celebrating Iftar with a View in Istanbul

Part of being in a foreign country means embracing new traditions.

Since we’ve been living in Istanbul, I’ve always taken part in an least one iftar meal during Ramazan.

Iftar means “breaking the fast” which occurs each evening during Ramazan, often with a large meal with family and friends. In most Muslim countries, it is quite common to have feasts that last all night and run from iftar to suhur “the morning meal” before dawn.

Restaurants are packed here around 8 p.m. every night as people wait to hear the call to prayer letting them know it’s time to celebrate iftar.

I have a lot of respect for anyone who is fasting during this hot summer. I can’t imagine it’s an easy task to do, especially not being able to drink water either. I’m always buying water bottles from the street vendors while I’m out and about.

Last week, I met 12 friends through the Professional American Women of Istanbul (PAWI) and the American Women of Istanbul at İTÜ Vakıftepe Sosyal Tesisleri in Baltalimanı, a neighborhood near Emirgan. The restaurant was offering a special set menu for Ramazan for 40 TL and featured an amazing view of the Bosphorus and the second bridge.

The fabulous view from Vakıftepe Sosyal Tesisleri in Baltalimanı in Istanbul with a full moon  coming up in the background.

We waited until about 8:30 p.m. to eat with the rest of the Turks. Then, we each started with an individual plate of iftariyelikler, which included zeytin (olives), pastırma, sucuk, domates (tomatoes), salatalık (cucumbers), peynir (cheese) as well as various toppings for the pide.

Next, we had a salad and lentil soup followed by a traditional chicken or beef güveç.

Gotta love Turkish lentil soup no matter what season it is!

For dessert, we had güllaç – a traditional Ramazan dessert of milky layers of yufka sheets, lightly rose scented. By this point, it was too dark to take any decent photos.

Celebrating an iftar meal with my American friends and enjoying the spectacular view was certainly a great way to spend a night.

Ideally, I would have brought my tripod to take better photos of the lit-up bridge in Istanbul.

The Turkish flag at dusk on the restaurant's grounds. Looks like it's a great place for weddings and other special occasions.

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N. Cyprus: Harbor, Hells Angels

Girne (Kyrenia) - No matter where we travel, I don't think I will ever tire of watching the sunset while enjoying a glass of wine or a frosty pint of beer.

After an afternoon of exploring North Cyprus, our friends took us to the old harbor in Girne (Kyrenia) to relax with a beverage or two. We didn't have time to climb the Kyrenia Castle ruins - dating to the early 1500s.

Look at the boat's reflection in the clear water.

Instead, we just sat down at one of their favorite haunts, Cafe 34, and ordered some drinks and snacks. I also enjoy people watching, and many people were milling about soaking up the last of the day's sunshine.

Couples walked their dogs.

Children screamed for cotton candy.

Women in typical-Turkish style walked by wearing their 4-inch heeled boots.

Then, we noticed a group of bikers nearby. According to the black leather jackets, the group was members of the Hells Angels of Turkey. Immediately, I thought photo opportunity, so I started shooting away.

The Hells Angels of Turkey

In the background, you can see a bit of the old castle.

Who knew these guys were in Turkey or even in North Cyprus for that matter? Apparently, there is a car ferry you can take from the mainland of Turkey to North Cyprus.

Just goes to show you - always have your camera ready because you never know when the opportunity will pass you by otherwise.

Güle güle!

Iyi yolculuklar!

Before you walk down to the harbor in Girne, you probably will pass by this church. I don't know its history, but I always find it interesting to see Christian sites like this in a predominantly Muslim world.

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Celebrating Iftar in Istanbul

It’s been interesting to watch the special celebrations that occur along with Ramazan in Istanbul.

Luckily, this month, we participated in two iftar dinners with friends and visitors in Istanbul. Iftar means “breaking the fast” which occurs each evening during Ramazan, often with a large meal with family and friends. In most Muslim countries, it is quite common to have feasts that last all night and run from iftar to suhur “the morning meal” before dawn.

As one of our traditional Muslim friends here explained, he breaks his fast by having dates and a glass of water before proceeding with a large meal for dinner, sleeps for a few hours, wakes up around 3 a.m. to eat again, and then goes back to sleep for a few more hours before he has to get up for work during the weekdays. He said the first week is the hardest, but then the fast gets easier. I will just have to believe him!

Last week, I met some friends through the Professional American Women of Istanbul (PAWI), my husband and two of his co-workers at Liman Lokantasi in Karaköy. The restaurant was offering a special set menu for Ramazan.

We each started with an individual plate of iftariyelikler, which included zeytin (olives), pastırma, sucuk, domates (tomatoes), salatalık (cucumbers), peynir (cheese) as well as various toppings for the pide.

The second course was a delicious bowl of yayla çorbası (meadow soup) - a traditional hot, yogurt soup with rice and mint.

We also were served unlimited Turkish tea, of course.

For our entrees, we chose between a plate of  izgara köfte (grilled meatballs) or piliç eskalop (a chicken breast with a mushroom sauce). The entrees were decent, but nothing special. We also received a few meze dishes in between and by now, I was quite full!

What Liman Lokantasi really has going for it is its impressive view overlooking the Bosphorus! I think we may have found a new place to take our visitors to in Istanbul.

An impressive view of the Topkapi Palace to the left with the Ayasofa to the right
in Sultanahmet.

After much chatting with the other guests and admiring the view, we finished with a plate of güllaç - a traditional Turkish dessert made with milk, rose water and a special kind of pastry which is similar to yufka. This dessert is consumed only during Ramazan.

The rose flavor wasn't too intense compared to others I've tried so far.

Last year, I missed most of Ramazan because I returned to the U.S. to tie up a few things from our move and attend a friend’s wedding. This year, I’m happy to be in Istanbul to see what this season means to the Turks and learn more about the country’s customs. Although I have to admit, I will not miss the late afternoon, angry (read hungry, tired and pissed off) taxi and dolmuş drivers during this time of the year.

To the left, Jason and I celebrated Iftar with a group of friends.

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Ramazan Iftar Sofrasi

Last night in Istanbul, we introduced my American guests to a traditional "Ramazan Iftar Sofrasi" or dinner. We dined at Matbah Restaurant which sits in the shadows of the Ayasofya in Sultanahmet. The location was perfect, the set-menu meal was wonderful and the company was good too. :)

Around our yabancı table, I could tell we were among many Turks who were talking, laughing and having a good time. And so we did too!

The photo (from my cell phone) depicts one of the many courses we had as part of the special menu - "baslangiclar corba" - a type of hot, dried fruit and tomato soup dating back to the 15th century.

More to come soon....

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