A Fortress with a View

We climbed up rocks more than 550 years old to see a magnificent view over the Bosphorus.

It’s probably one of the cheapest ways to see view like this without going to a rooftop bar or restaurant.

Jason with his mom inside the fortress's walls.

Rumeli Hisarı (Rumeli Fortress) is a bit off the beaten track for most tourists if you are pressed for time in Istanbul. Oh sure, you will catch a glimpse of it when you take a Bosphorus boat cruise.

The fortress as seen from a 2-hour Bosphorus boat cruise, which we did two days later.

However, the best way to see it is to climb up its ancient stone walls. There are no handrails - anywhere - so if you have any fear of heights, this is not the place for you. Also, wear a pair of athletic shoes - not high-heels like we saw saw women wearing! You definitely get a bit of a workout with all the steps.

I loved the view, but was hot and tired after climbing up so many steps!

Located at the narrowest part of the Bosphorus on the European side, the fortress was built in only four short months in 1452 upon the order by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. He wanted to control the sea traffic in preparation for what was to be the seventh and final Ottoman siege of Constantinople. In concert with the Anadolu Hisarı, which was built by his great-grandfather on the Asian side, the Sultan controlled all the water traffic and cut the city off from supplies from the north in the Black Sea.

The mighty fortress's useful military life was less than one year. Mehmet’s army conquered the Byzantine capital several months later, and then there was no need for Rumeli Hisarı. Later, the fortress was used as a large Bosphorus toll booth, then as a barracks, later as a prison, and finally as an open-air theater, but never again as a fortress.

Several old military cannons can be seen when you walk in the gates.

You can see the old theater area here.

Jason and I took his parents to the fortress one of the first days they arrived. We hadn’t been here yet and saved the venture for them. The fortress has five main gates, several large towers, and 15 smaller towers.

The Sunday late morning was quiet for awhile and we enjoyed the sights until a busload of high school-age students appeared. Then, the area was a bit overcrowded and noisy and by that time we were hungry.

Wildflowers were growing out of the walls in several locations.

After our climbing adventure, we headed across the street to Rumeli Hisarı Iskele Restaurant to grab some mezes and cool drinks. (We had walked by this place in April when we went to see the tulips at Emirgan Park.) The restaurant has wonderful outdoor seaside seating but is a little expensive. We had eaten breakfast at home earlier, so we just ordered several mezes, two beers and two glasses of white wine. The bill was reasonable for those items, considering where we were located.

Ahtapot salatası, fresh mussels stuffed with rice and yogurt.

Çoban Salatası 

Gümüş tava - a type of fried fish similar to hamsi

We were all happy just to sit, relax and enjoy the views along the Bosphorus. If you have time, I definitely would recommend stopping at the Rumeli Hisarı.

Admission: 3TL
Closed Mondays
Open: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays
Tip: take an otobus or taxi here

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Happy For “Hamsi”

Eating amazingly fresh seafood is one of the joys of living here in Istanbul!

I usually make it to one of the “Balik Pazar” about once a week. I probably should shop there more often since we are practically surrounded by water from the nearby Black Sea, Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. (I blame it on my carnivore-like tendencies since I grew up in the Midwest.)

This past weekend, I finally had recovered enough and felt like my normal self. Luckily, we also had visitors coming from Bulgaria and they wanted to eat at a fish restaurant. One of my girlfriends whom I worked with in New York City is originally from Bulgaria and happened to be visiting her family back in her hometown.

Of course, Jason and I were happy to show off our city! Taksim – is the best place for guests to experience Istanbul’s varied nightlife at its best. On Saturday night, the main street of Istiklal Caddesi was completely full of people!

For dinner, I had made a reservation at Asmalımescit Balikçisi, Asmalımescit Mah. Ve Sofyalı Sk. No: 5/A in Tünel-Beyoğlu. (I think the restaurant has been renamed to Rakici Asmalımescit.) This was my first reservation I made entirely in Turkish! I was quite proud of myself! For the most part, I just had to know my numbers.

For mezes, our server brought out a large tray full of approximately 15 small white dishes. We selected a yogurt and pursulane dip, cold octopus salad, patlıcan salatası, mackerel, and some other type of fish. Of course, we also started the meal off with raki, the popular Turkish anisette-flavored liqueur.

The restaurant was full of people – all Turkish, which we saw as a good sign! And everyone was drinking raki too! The menu was in English and Turkish. For the most part, we try to practice our Turkish as much as possible.

Çoban Salatası and a fried liver meze.

On the menu, Jason was happy to see “hamsi” which are small anchovies. He’s been dying to try the hamsi - a Black Sea seasonal fish. October is the beginning of the hamsi fishing season, and it continues through the winter months here. These silvery, tasty morsels are lightly fried. Jason said they are like “fish French fries” and you must eat them while they are hot. (I had previously tried hamsi twice at a small restaurant in Yenikoy.)

Apparently, I have a lot to learn about this little fish. Just this morning, one of my local friends told me that I need to learn how to make hamsi with a fresh tomato sauce. There’s another Turkish recipe where the hamsi are deboned, filleted and stuffed with various goodies. Well, I’m happy to learn. Sign me up!

The rest of us ordered the “levrek” or sea bass. This fish is always fresh and light. All it needs is a little bit of fresh lemon juice.

Dinner lasted nearly three hours, and the raki kept flowing. It was fun to catch up with my friend and learn about Bulgaria from her, her brother and his wife. It sounds like Bulgaria would be good weekend trip for us, especially during the winter months for skiing. It looks like we can drive to some of the ski resorts in about five to six hours.

My friend, Rosalina, and me

Hopefully, we can cross another country off of our list and experience a different cuisine!

Afiyet Olsun!

This isn't the best photo, but at least you can get a general idea of how crowded the streets are at night.

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Road Trip to the Black Sea

This past weekend, we took our first drive up to the Black Sea.

We selected the small village of Kilyos, about 35 km or 22 miles north of the Galata Bridge, as our final destination. This northern suburb of Istanbul faces the deep waters of the Black Sea and apparently is a popular getaway spot during the summer. 

In less than 45 minutes, we had traveled from the city center through the Belgrade Forest and arrived at Kilyos, also known as Kumköy which means sandy village in Turkish. Our location here is perfect because we are able to see different parts of the world that we have never seen before.

Upperview of the Black Sea

The weather finally cooperated. The rain stopped. The slightly overcast skies let the sun peak through now and again. It was a beautiful day to retreat from the city.

The forest is just beginning to show signs of autumnal bliss. The 5,500 hectares of woods are home to Istanbul University's department of forestry as well as rural communities and recently luxury housing and private schools. Along the sides of the road, we saw several groups of people carrying buckets and blankets and collecting nuts from the woods.

Speaking of the road, it’s a very winding stretch of pavement. Of course, my husband likes to think he’s driving on a race track and take the curves faster than I would like. Great fun!

When we arrived in Kilyos, we found an otopark. We walked on the beach, which unfortunately was strewn with a lot of litter, but you still could appreciate the beauty of the chilly Black Sea.

Seashells along the seashore.

Located near the water, there are several hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and small cafes. The area was fairly quiet, but then started to fill up with more people by 1 p.m.

For lunch, we ate at a restaurant, which I forgot the name of, that had outdoor seating and a great view of the water. We had a yogurt-dill dip and stuffed grape leaves for mezzes.

Then, we shared a Çoban Salatası and a levrek (sea bass) as our main meal. For dessert, we tried Kabak Tatlisi, a traditional Turkish dessert of pumpkin poached in a sugar syrup and garnished with walnuts. It was a delightful meal and a great day out of the city!

A different version of the Çoban Salatası 

This weekend, we are hosting our first U.S. visitors to Istanbul. I’m excited to show off our new city! Stay tuned for more Turkish adventures.

The Kilyos mosque

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Easy Turkish Salad Utilizes Late Summer Harvest

Moving is never easy. I’ve moved six times since 2004. Turkey was my first international moving experience, and so far so good.

The “BIG” day went surprisingly well. It felt like we had an army of movers bringing in boxes and helping us unpack. I didn’t cook the first night as we were (and still are) living out of boxes.

However, I spent the following day organizing my kitchen and three bookshelves that house my cookbook collection and other fiction books. This project took several hours since I’m very particular on where I like my kitchen necessities located. Finally, I realized I needed to actually buy some food to stock up the pantry and to make dinner.

I decided to make a salad and cook pasta because it’s easy. I sautéed some diced chicken breasts and garlic, which I then added to the cooked penne pasta and finished with fresh basil. Season with salt, pepper and a little olive oil – Turkish of course!

My favorite go-to salad is the Turkish “Çoban Salatası,” which means Shepherd’s Salad. It’s a perfect combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, fresh herbs, lemon juice and olive oil. You see the salad on nearly every menu. We’ve tried it a dozen or so different times, and it seems like every restaurant has its particular version. I’ve created my own version too.

Çoban Salatası is very easy to make and tastes light and refreshing. It’s also a good way to use up any late summer tomatoes or cucumbers you have in your own garden or from the farmer’s market. Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 4, or approximately 2 large portions for 2 people):
3-4 tomatoes, medium diced
2 small-sized cucumbers, halved, quartered and then sliced
¼ red onion, chopped small
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 T. fresh dill, chopped
1-2 T. extra virgin olive oil,
juice from 1 lemon
salt and pepper.

In a bowl, mix the vegetables together with the parsley and dill. Simply, drizzle a little olive oil and lemon juice on top. Season the salad with salt and pepper.

Joy’s other options: Along with the parsley, you can add some fresh mint or basil. We also drizzle ours with “Nar Eksisi Sosu” – a tangy pomegranate syrup. Not traditional, but you can add fresh feta which is similar to the crumbly “beyaz peynir” (literally means white cheese) we use here.

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