Istanbul and Me

I came to Istanbul kind of expecting a lighter version of Cairo but wow was that a ridiculous assumption. Istanbul is a modern, bustling, culture-packed city that, as far as massive primarily-Muslim cities go, very progressive. A city that is split between both Europe and Asia but most commonly associated with the "Middle East", Istanbul has a very noticeable European flare wherever you go. Full of street side cafes, modern and Western clothing stores and a pretty robust mass-transit system and amazing views of glistening bodies of water on multiple sides, you might even think it was a small country nestled in between France and Italy somewhere.

We're only about 28 hours into our Turkish adventure so far, but I have to say that I really, really like this city. It's not surprising since everyone I've ever talked to that has been here has said the same, but people will tell you that about everywhere they go. I've already decided I would like to move here, which is something I've said about every country I've ever been to - except Panama. But I really do like the feel, the vibe of the city and it's people. Without a doubt, the food is easy for me to love. Add to that the fact that they have an enormous amount of street food and open shop vendors lining most busy streets with everything from bread, corn-on-the-cob and roasting chestnuts to perfectly seasoned and grilled lamb just waiting to be carved off for your next kabob, and you get a place that I like. A place that I get hungry just typing about. A place I can't wait to get off the computer at so I can go find another restaurant to try. Turkey is way more delicious than turkey. We should have to change the name of the bird out of respect.

Today I practiced what I've come to know as the only real way to take in a brand new city - walk it. Walk all over the place. Up hills, down hills, around hills. Walk along any body of water. Walk through every possible market and bazaar. And that is exactlty what I did today. Killing two birds with one stone, two of us from the group headed out on a photowalk from Taksim Square, the vivacious shopping area located just a few blocks from our flat, all the way down the shores of the might Bosphorous, past a little fresh fish market located on the Golden Horn, over to the Spice Bazaar, through many local markets that were thankfully tourist-free, and all the way up to Sultan Amhet, where the primary sites for the day sat. A few hundred pictures and very, very sore legs later, we sat down at what we thought was just a random cafe to get tea (spelled cay, pronounced chai). Tea in Turkey is a way of life...something most sit down for 5 or more times a day. As we walked to the back of the very traditionally decored Turkish cafe, we came out onto a deck with a stunning view of the Maramara Sea. After 20 minutes of sitting on cushions in the sunshine, looking out over the glistening water and doing absolutely nothing but sipping a phenomenal little cup of mint tea (nane chai), the fantasticness of the moment - and the trip - hit me head on. This was the life. Give someone else a week of nothing to do on a beach, give me sipping tea while overlooking the sea in Turkey.

I've joked that this trip is really R&D for Pound, but in someways I see every trip moving forward in that light. My experience with food and culture from around the world so far have a lot to do with what we serve at Pound and the experience we hope to deliver. I've taken in a few new cuisines here already, sampled a select collection of amazing little cakes and pastries and tried my hand at the ultra-intense Turkish coffee. So far, I like it all. Look out Pound fans, Turkey may be leaving an impact on the restaurant soon! And that's a good thing.

It's time for me to get back to the bustling streets of Taksim Square and find my way down the hilly, cobblestone-like streets to our flat. I have to get back to watch the sunset over the Bosphorous, with Asia just a few hundred yards away, while sitting on the balcony off of my bedroom for the week. But I need one last thing to make this experience complete...I'll need a beer. Luckily, there's a store for that!

Real Egypt at Last?

I think we may have finally busted free of tourist hell, at least for a little bit. We've tried to stroll around the towns as much as possible to seek out restaurants and shops the toursits don't frequent, but its been very hard. I think we have finally acheived that. I'm sitting in an internet cafe called "Spider Net" just across the street from the koshari joint we just ate at. Koshari is a very common food in Egypt, but I'm pretty sure, like most great food, it is associated most commonly with the lower class or poorer people. I had read about it before coming and wanted to make sure to try it, so I had it the first night we were in Cairo. We happened to be in a relatively fancy restaurant and it was half the price of everything else on the menu at 25 LE. About 5 bucks. You can imagine the huge smile that I was overcome by when I asked the helpful guy who ran the little street side "restaurant" how much it was - he replied "4 LE" or about 80 cents. Success.

In my own uneducated description, koshari is kind of like a mix between chick peas, spaghetti, macaroni with a semi-spicy red sauce on top, and then topped off with all kinds of little crunchy things. In other words, it is awesome.

We both had koshari and drinks and the total was 15LE. About three dollars. Um...heaven, is that you? If you know me, you know I LOVE local food from around the world. And if you know me well, you know I LOVE getting a deal on anything. Food is so much better when it is cheap. (Same definitely goes for beer too, but that is much harder to come by in a Muslim country). Combine cheap and incredibly tasty food with a seat in the open air shop overlooking the street that has spontaneously turned into a street party with strobe lights, a DJ spinning dance music and people jumping around in costumes celebrating god knows what (maybe still May Day?) and you have - well, a happy me. This is culture - not the kind you pay ridiculous hotel restaurant prices for or the kind you get when walking streets lined with overly-aggressive shop hagglers. This is the kind you get when you finally escape to the real Egypt. Me like. Me like much more.

This little experience from the last few hours (it is pushing midnight here) has overshadowed our packed day of tomb and temple seeing on this blog post so far, so let me jump right into that. Today we hired our taxi driver last night to be our driver for the day today and a guide to take us around the West Bank, as well as to see Karnak and a few other local sights. Hiring a car (taxi) and a guide for the day is around $50. Well worth it if you want to cram a lot into one day and you want to actually be able to understand what you are looking at when you get to the places. Nothing is labeled anywhere and nothing has signage as to what you are looking at. Unfortunately all of the temples kind of start to blend together and you get a bit of temple fatigue. The highlights of today included being able to climb into a few pharoh's tombs, including peeking into King Tut's, in the Valley of the King's, as well as walking around the massiveness of Karnak. Lot's of photos to share, as always. Today felt like 10,000 degrees out and the hot, hot, hot Egyptian sun shined as brightly as it possibly could on us all day as we hiked around the ancient ruins. Needless to say, this kind of sightseeing is exhausting. Thank god we happened to have booked an amazing hotel on the banks of the Nile with a very inviting pool. Thanks to Sheraton points (thanks Maria!).

Tomorrow we fly from Luxor back to Cairo for one last night in Egypt. No plans yet, but I'm sure we will find something exciting. Then...off to Milan to rent a car and drive to Tuscany for 4 or 5 days! Egypt has been great and amazing, as well as frustrating and awful, but as is with any country - it is what you make of it. And I definitely know enough now to make of Egypt a very exciting and unforgettable experience.

Oh...and I've picked up some more Arabic. I'm kinda a pro now.