Turkiye 2023: Fener-Balat Neighborhood On Our Own
When the tour group dispersed, we were bent on coming back to the other side of the Bosphorus to complete this afternoon's itinerary. So we came down from the hill back to the main road and on to the tram station. But we got hungry. We felt refreshements were definitely in order before anything else, and so we went looking for a place to eat.
Along the way, we kept snapping.
I love Grogu!
Now for the well-deserved break. You can tell it was a hot day.
Turkish coffee, naturally!
Can't remember the name, but like a Turkish quesadilla.
This one too. Appreciated the fact that they include fresh veggies instead of french fries like we're used to back here.
The street where we ate was full of restaurants and cafes.
The way back to the other side was harder than we thought it would be. We were thinking of taking bus, but we couldn't because we didn't have any tickets, which was available only at the tram station. Anyway, after a lot of grief, we managed to take the tram back to the other side.
The only thing on our agenda this afternoon is a visit to Galata Tower. According to Mr. Google: Built in the 13th century, the Galata Tower is one of the oldest surviving towers in the world. It was originally called Christ's Tower and served as a fire watchtower, jail, observatory, and political prison.
However, the area around the tower was engulfed with people. The line to see the tower was so long, it was scary. I was turned off by the horde of people and to a man we all agreed to forego this visit.
From Galata Tower, we walked back to the hotel. It was an adventure in cat sighting. Loved it.
Back in street where the hotel was, we split with the other couple for a short visit back to the Spice Market, but we didn't stay long as we were exhausted.
The guided tour officially starts.
View from the hotel's 6th floor where we had the Welcome Dinner.
We were served a three-course meal.
The first course was borek - stuffed pastry filled with some kind of chees, meat or spinach - which is similar to Greek spanokopita. I love this, just as much as I love empanada and pasty.
Steak for entree. Not too memorable. I may be a bit biased here since I am not a steak lover.
Fresh fruits for desert.
It was a very good day. The second full day.
I love Grogu!
Now for the well-deserved break. You can tell it was a hot day.
Turkish coffee, naturally!
Can't remember the name, but like a Turkish quesadilla.
This one too. Appreciated the fact that they include fresh veggies instead of french fries like we're used to back here.
The street where we ate was full of restaurants and cafes.
The way back to the other side was harder than we thought it would be. We were thinking of taking bus, but we couldn't because we didn't have any tickets, which was available only at the tram station. Anyway, after a lot of grief, we managed to take the tram back to the other side.
The only thing on our agenda this afternoon is a visit to Galata Tower. According to Mr. Google: Built in the 13th century, the Galata Tower is one of the oldest surviving towers in the world. It was originally called Christ's Tower and served as a fire watchtower, jail, observatory, and political prison.
However, the area around the tower was engulfed with people. The line to see the tower was so long, it was scary. I was turned off by the horde of people and to a man we all agreed to forego this visit.
From Galata Tower, we walked back to the hotel. It was an adventure in cat sighting. Loved it.
Back in street where the hotel was, we split with the other couple for a short visit back to the Spice Market, but we didn't stay long as we were exhausted.
The guided tour officially starts.
View from the hotel's 6th floor where we had the Welcome Dinner.
We were served a three-course meal.
The first course was borek - stuffed pastry filled with some kind of chees, meat or spinach - which is similar to Greek spanokopita. I love this, just as much as I love empanada and pasty.
Steak for entree. Not too memorable. I may be a bit biased here since I am not a steak lover.
Fresh fruits for desert.
It was a very good day. The second full day.
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