Arriving In Istanbul - A Tale Of Two Breakfasts Turkey
Regular readers of this blog will know it's a very rare occasion we take a flight when travelling around Turkey. The intercity buses and trains are more our thing and, whenever we go to Istanbul, we always take the bus. You get refreshments and little snacks - we use Pamukkale bus company and their snack of choice at the moment (trends change) is packet sandwiches made by a brand called Mr No. What a name! Two tiny triangles of white bread with the equivalent of a cheese slice and some type of spread between the slices. Horribly good, if you know what we mean. All part of the journey.
We've done a photo story in the past about the bus journey from Fethiye to Istanbul but for this post, we want to concentrate on the end of the journey and our arrival in Istanbul. Because we have a little routine, you see...and of course, food is involved.
We've done a photo story in the past about the bus journey from Fethiye to Istanbul but for this post, we want to concentrate on the end of the journey and our arrival in Istanbul. Because we have a little routine, you see...and of course, food is involved.
Izmit to Istanbul - breakfast with a view
It's the same drill: at around 7am, the bus reaches the city of Izmit and, after leaving Izmit otogar, we head off along this final stretch towards Istanbul. This is when everyone starts to wake from fitful sleep and breakfast is served. Well, when we say breakfast...
The Pamukkale wake-up call
After getting off the bus in Istanbul, there are loads of options open to you, depending on where you're staying. We're usually in Sultanahmet because of the marathon, but we always do the same thing...we take a service bus to Taksim Square and, by the time we get to Taksim, it's around 10 am. And then we set off on foot, downhill along Istiklal Caddesi. We like to reacquaint ourselves with Istanbul. We take our time. We don't take the Tünel to Karaköy funicular. We continue walking straight ahead, downhill, pausing at Galata Tower - just to reacquaint ourselves - and we continue down the steep hill to Karaköy.
...we mean a packet sponge cake (these are a bit of an institution in Turkey) and a 3-in-1 sachet of coffee. Note the half full cup - never full, just in case the bus goes over bumps - and imagine the sweetness due to the lack of water. It's a good wake-up.
After getting off the bus in Istanbul, there are loads of options open to you, depending on where you're staying. We're usually in Sultanahmet because of the marathon, but we always do the same thing...we take a service bus to Taksim Square and, by the time we get to Taksim, it's around 10 am. And then we set off on foot, downhill along Istiklal Caddesi. We like to reacquaint ourselves with Istanbul. We take our time. We don't take the Tünel to Karaköy funicular. We continue walking straight ahead, downhill, pausing at Galata Tower - just to reacquaint ourselves - and we continue down the steep hill to Karaköy.
Karaköy Fish Market
Now, it's only about 10:30 am at this point but, when you've been on a bus all night, time becomes irrelevant. And it's hamsi season. Breakfast number 2 - or shall we call it a brunch - is awaiting. We head straight into Karaköy Balık Pazarı and to our usual hamsi place and order hamsi ekmek. And we're not the only people in there doing the same thing!
Hamsi Ekmek at Karaköy fish market
Suitably filled and feeling more awake, we're now ready to begin the day, and it's time to head off to Sultanahmet in search of our hotel (and it was a search, this time).
It's tradition. This is always our first meal in Istanbul. You might remember that we recreated this hamsi ekmek at home recently. We said you always get rocket and onion; nothing else. Well on this occasion, lettuce, pickled red cabbage and grated carrot were present, too. Lovely! Maybe there are hamsi ekmek purists because, when we returned here again on our last day, we were back to the simplicity of lettuce and onion with a squeeze of lemon.
Suitably filled and feeling more awake, we're now ready to begin the day, and it's time to head off to Sultanahmet in search of our hotel (and it was a search, this time).
Walking over Galata Bridge towards Sultanahmet
We could get the metro - but we travel light. We want to walk, we want to reacquaint ourselves with Istanbul. Walking over Galata Bridge with the famous Istanbul ferries and tour boats to-ing and fro-ing along the Golden Horn, with the scene of Süleymaniye Camii and Yeni Camii ahead of you, with the happy chaos of Eminönü just over the opposite side of the bridge...why would we want to take the tram?
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