Thursday, April 4, 2013


Through my blog, I have met some wonderful people online, especially other bloggers like myself.

There is quite a tight knit group of expat bloggers living and writing about their life and travels in Turkey. Luckily, I’ve even met several of these people in person such as Julia and Barry of Turkey’s for Life, Jennifer of The Turkish Life, Julia of A Rock and a Soft Place, Karen of Empty Nest Expat, Cecile of Expat Diaries and Pat of Turkey from the Inside. I love reading all their blogs and appreciate the support and encouragement they’ve given me too.

Most recently, I met up with Maddie of Maddie’s Vine and Claudia of A Seasonal Cook in Turkey in Istanbul. We set out for the day from my favorite neighborhood of Eminönü for a foodie and photography walk. (I still need to edit all these photos.)

Maddie, me and Claudia settling in for a late "lunch" in Fatih.

I stumbled across Claudia’s blog about cooking seasonally shortly after I moved to Turkey in 2010. I love Claudia’s sassy prose and her recipes! She truly puts a lot of love in her food and her posts. Bookmark her site for some delicious Turkish recipes! Lately, she’s been keeping herself busy by being a tour guide for Istanbul Eats Culinary Walks.

Maddie is a relatively newcomer to Istanbul, having just moved here six months ago from South Africa. We met in February through an IWI cooking class. She knew who I was right away because of my blog. I’d previously “met” her through Twitter. It truly is a small online world. She writes about wine in Turkey, South Africa and from her travels.

We had lots of laughs that day on our foodie venture. Claudia, having lived in Turkey for 30+ years, supplied us with a wealth of knowledge that I didn’t know about Istanbul. I even tried some of the best “chicken breast pudding” I’ve ever tasted in Turkey. (That will be in a future blog post too.) We also revisited the Boza shop in Vefa.

Thanks for a wonderful day ladies! I look forward to continue reading your blogs.

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15 comments:

Karen said...

Thank you Joy for the shout out. It is a small world among Turkophiles and I look forward to meeting the other expat bloggers I haven't met yet. Here's hoping you find just as many fun folks in Poland!

We should probably have a big expat blogger meetup.

Mrs Ergül said...

I do am very happy to meet fellow like-minded individuals through the, now defunct, blog. We are planning to make a trip back to Turkey this Aug. Hope to meet you then!

Leyla Giray said...

I'm thrilled to come across this - I'm visiting Istanbul for six days (I know, too short) next month and all of you will certainly be instrumental to my education through your blogs, so thank you!

Julia said...

Aww, thanks for the mention Joy. Can't believe you've met so many other bloggers. Guess we're a bit tucked away down here in our little southwest corner. :) Sure you'll be meeting other bloggers, too, soon.

BacktoBodrum said...

I wish we'd been able to meet up in either Bodrum or Istanbul - But maybe you'll fancy a trip to Bodrum for a holiday.

Sara Louise said...

Making new friends and going on blates is one of the best things about blogging! Happy you all connected :)

jaz@octoberfarm said...

what fun! i will be off to visit all those blogs!

Joy said...

@Karen, You're welcome of course! I hope you are right about my new home here. :-)

@Mrs. Ergul, Enjoy your trip back to Turkey!

@Leyla, hope this info helps! You'll find a lot of info on our blogs. Istanbul is an amazing city!

Joy said...

@Julia, you're welcome too! I'm sure we'll be back to visit Fethiye at some point. I still have all our photos from Sept. to edit! ;-)

@Annie, hopefully someday! We still have yet to do a Turkish Blue Cruise. SO you never know!

@Sara Louise, I love that "blates" - what a fun concept! :-)

@Joyce, I'm sure you'll find something to enjoy! Happy reading!

Ozlem's Turkish Table said...

Merhaba Joy : ) It has been an absolute pleasure meeting you, following your blog and sharing the love of Turkish food - I feel the best part of living in a different land is the people you meet and you carry that friendship wherever you go - that's how I feel we carry on with you :) take care, cok selamlar, xx Ozlem

Unknown said...

Oh Joy. What sweet things you say about me and my blog. I really wish we could have met up more often. But we did have a fun day out recently, didn't we? I am now looking forward to seeing your photos...And I too am going to check out the other blogs you mention here! Great! Some new ones! Now we are all just waiting for you to settle down a little bit in Warsaw and start writing again! Never forget, we are all here and if ever you feel like coming back for a visit, just let us know,OK? xxx

Joy said...

@Ozlem, You are absolutely correct! I'm met such wonderful people here in Istanbul that have truly shaped my experience. I love the vibrancy that you express in your cooking classes and through your food. Hopefully, I will be cooking soon.

@Claudia, You're welcome and thanks for your kind words! It will be several weeks, I imagine, before things settle down a bit and we can start planning some summer trips. But I'll definitely give you a ring to see if we can meet up. :-)

Unknown said...

I just saw this and feel so touched that you included me. Thank you so much. I wish you so well and know that the attitude which made you such an inspiration here in Istanbul will see you through.

Geriatric Gapper said...

Goodbye Joy. We will miss seeing you on the photography club treks. Enjoy your new posting!

Joy said...

@Julia, You're welcome and thank you too! Normally, I am a pretty positive and upbeat person so I'm hoping I can rebound and start seeing all the good things soon. :-)

@Elizabeth, I'll miss the photo treks for sure and you guys. Hopefully, I'll find a new photo club or I'll start one myself.