1. Borek - A baked flaky pastry filled with feta cheese, spinach or meat. We had a warm Borek and a cup of Turkish coffee at a little place known as Borek Centre.
On the 4th day of our trip, we wanted to explore as much of Istanbul as we could. We hopped on the tram and headed towards Galata Tower. This medieval tower which was built during the 1300's offers visitors panoramic views of the city. Unfortunately, we did visit the top. I've heard that its worth a visit though. Later that day, we headed towards the heart of Istanbul - Taksim Square. The best thing about Istanbul is that most of the popular places can be accessed using the tram. We did not feel the need to use a Hop On Hop Off or any other tour bus. Taksim is knows for its bustling nightlife, fabulous restaurants, numerous cafes, pubs and trendy shopping. It is basically at the end of a long commercial street called Istiklal Street. The area is packed with locals and tourists alike. There's a traditional red tram that runs along the entire street. Some people prefer to take the tram just to experience what it was like in the good ol' days. However, we walked the entire way so that we could stop wherever we liked. Before heading to Istanbul, I made a bucket list of things to do in this part of the city. Besides being famous for its historical monuments and bargain shopping, Istiklal street is supposedly a foodie's paradise. Here are some of the things that you should try out while you're there: 1. Borek - A baked flaky pastry filled with feta cheese, spinach or meat. We had a warm Borek and a cup of Turkish coffee at a little place known as Borek Centre. 2. Midye Dolma - You can never leave Istanbul without trying this out! Basically, they are mussels stuffed with seasoned rice. The guy gives you a plate and he keeps filling your plate with these little babies until you tell him to stop. You can eat as much as you want for 1 TL per mussel and at some places it was lesser . 3. Kumpir - Warm baked potato, fluffed and packed with a number of ingredients of your choice. If you see a mountain of butter, it means you've found the Kumpir shop! My personal favourite was the mushroom, olive and quinoa combo. 4. Kokorec - Beware! This is not for the faint hearted. It might look like a shawarma, however it is not. It is a mix of intestines and other internals of lamb or goat grilled and served in a wrap or sandwich. Put your taste buds to the test with this Turkish delicacy. 5. Sahlep - A traditional, warm and creamy orchid root drink topped with cinnamon powder. Just what we needed on that cold, rainy day. 6. Doner - You'll find these almost everywhere on Istiklal street. We ate until we couldn't eat any more. We did not visit any fancy restaurant while in Istanbul. Instead, we tried out as much street food as we could. Make sure to try out the chocolate in Istanbul (hot chocolate, cakes)...basically anything chocolate. They're chocolate is to die for! Personally, I loved this part of Istanbul so much that I returned the following day to satisfy my taste buds yet again before heading out to the airport and back home!
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Pamukkale has always been on my bucket list. However, with just 4 days in Turkey I was unsure whether it was even possible to visit this place . Travelling by car would take nearly 7.5 hours, so that really wasn't an option. A week before leaving for Istanbul, I looked up on the internet for any companies offering day trips to Pamukkale. Turned out that there were! Byzas Tours ( http://www.byzastoursturkey.com ) had some pretty good reviews, so we decided to stick with them. They were quick to send us the confirmations and itinerary. Yay, we were finally going to Pamukkale ... by flight! Our flight to Denizli (airport near Pamukkale) was scheduled for 6.30 am, so we were picked up from the hotel rather early. It was an hour long flight. On reaching Denizli, a member of the Byzas team came to receive us. We were then taken to a hotel to freshen up. The tour started soon after. Our first stop was the the ancient city of Hierapolis. We walked for nearly 1.5 hours through the remains of the Roman empire stopping at various points for photos. You have a choice either to walk or just hop back into the van that'll take you to the finish point. There were some magnificently preserved tombs, baths, amphitheatre and other ruins all along the way. At the exit of Hierapolis was Cleopatra's Pool. This was no ordinary swimming pool. Cleopatra is said to have swam in this ancient natural pool. It looked like the Garden of Eden! Unfortunately, it was winter so we couldn't go swimming. The final leg and highlight of our tour was the cotton castle (Pamukkale). It was gleaming white & simply breathtaking! We walked barefoot from the top all the way down to the main road. Though it was freezing cold outside, the water that flowed through this formation was warm. We couldn't resist dipping our feet. This is a UNESCO heritage site. Once we reached down, we were taken for a traditional Turkish buffet. We left Denizli around 7.30pm for our flight back to Istanbul.
I am glad that we did this day tour. Our guide was knowledgeable, friendly and well versed in English. Definitely a lovely, affordable day tour without having to waste too much time. The next day we got on the tram as early as we could and went to Sultanahment. The Sultanahmet tram stop has 4 major attractions in Istanbul - Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern. Make sure you try out the roadside pretzels in little red & white carts before anything. We planned on visiting the Blue Mosque first, followed by Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and finally Basilica Cistern. We visited Turkey (Istanbul and Pamukkale) during the National Day holidays last year. Although it was a short trip (4.5 days) we tried to make most of our time there. The cheapest and most efficient way to get around Istanbul is definitely by public transportation. We bought the InstanbulKart (Rechargeable Transport pass) and used it to get to our hotel in the city centre. The hotel (Holiday Inn Istanbul City) was just a minute's walk from the tram stop which was Pazartekke. The tram can be really crowded during working hours, but we survived! It was already 4 pm when we checked in and almost sunset. After freshening up, we hopped onto the tram and headed towards Sultanahmet to see the gorgeous Blue Mosque. By then, it was dark. We ended up taking some night shots of the Mosque and tasting delicious Turkish ice cream on the way. I cannot recall the exact name of the ice cream shop but its right next to the Blue Mosque and is a must try! Later that day, we visited the famous Grand Bazaar. The place was massive and they had almost anything and everything under one roof. One can easily spend atleast half a day there. There were lamps, spices, shawls, accessories...you name it, they had it. Our dinner that day was the popular "Balik Ekmek" also know as fish sandwich, available in a number of little food joints under the Galata Bridge. A bun loaded with a large chunk of grilled Mackerel and salads ? Hell yeah! Turkey just isnt only about Istanbul. Hopefully I'll make another trip soon to Konya and Cappacodia
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