How Zach & Meri ate their way through Istanbul

Istanbul was a magical city with some of the most incredible food I have ever eaten. I normally do not obsess over taking photos of my food to share what I ate for breakfast with the world unless it is a particularly tasty bagel & lox, but be warned I am compelled to break that rule for this post. Normally, I only allow myself to eat one nice traditional meal in each country in order to adhere to my strict budget, but Turkey was so cheap that I was able to do all this eating and still stay under budget.

Zach, my wonderful friend whom I hadn’t seen since graduation (minus random 30 min meet-ups in NYC in transit to Russia) met me at the airport, where we basically tackled each other with bear hugs outside of passport control. Our first day we got lost wandering through Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar sampling baklava and Turkish delight and gazing mesmerized at all the bright colors of the lamps and spices.

Our first night, we treated ourselves to delicious apple tea and baklava to celebrate our first full day together in two years. The next day we tried the sesame pretzels called Simit. Zach got the regular and of course I had to go for the nutella. Note: this was on our way to breakfast. I’m not kidding when I say all we did was eat!

 Turkish breakfast is incredible. I want to recreate this at some point. Normally paired with Turkish tea, the breakfast includes white cheese, old cheese (kaşar peyniri), olives, honey, jam, eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, and the most scrumptious warm bread. Yum!

 Ok, let’s take a break from our food tour and explore this building!

 The Hagia Sophia needs no introduction, so here are some photos instead.

Ok, now back to food.

After adventuring in the European side, Zach and I took a ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul. It was a little chilly on the ferry, so we ordered this delicious warm tea called Salep that tasted like rice pudding.

We wandered through a fish market, trying not to get lost again amidst the occasional moped driving through with no warning, the distinct smell of fresh fish, and the cries of the Turkish fishermen and merchants advertising their goods – fish, grape leaves, mussels stuffed with rice, olives, etc.

As an appetizer at lunch time, Zach and I ordered Pide, which was basically cheese and bread (our two favorites!) before ordering a kebab and crème brule type desert which in total for both of us cost less than one order of sirniki in Moscow.

Another commercial break for some cat photos! There were cats everywhere in Istanbul. I mean everywhere. Most of them were actually quite large since people leave food for them quite frequently. Whenever we would eat outside to enjoy the sunshine or to listen to call to prayer, which was beautiful, we would be surrounded by kitties, kitties, and more kitties.

For breakfast the next day we got Kumpir, a stuffed baked potato. The man we ordered them from cut a baked potato open, added some butter, poured a massive amount of salt (seriously- imagine a lot of salt, now triple that quantity), and added whatever toppings we wanted- olives, beets, cheese, pickled veggies, sausages, a few unidentifiable Turkish salads, etc. So simple! Maybe when the day comes that I finally learn how to cook, I will attempt this feat. With less salt, of course.

We took a break from indulging in the Turkish cuisine to explore the Blue Mosque which was fantastic and so beautiful. Here is a view of the ceiling.

Next, we met Ryan, an American I met in my Bulgarian hostel, who took us to get the most amazing fish sandwich I have ever eaten. We walked across a pedestrian bridge, past elderly fisherman chit chatting to a tiny grill on the edge of the bridge. I was skeptical at first, watching the street vendor apathetically pile some fish on roll for us, but I learned, once again, that looks are deceiving!

I am writing this post a few weeks after this adventure, and I have to say that every person to whom I have mentioned I have visited Turkey has immediately exclaimed “Did you try the fish sandwich? On the bridge? From the grumpy man?”. This Turkish grumpy man is apparently now an international legend. And rightly so.

On the street, we got Turkish ice cream from a street vendor. Turkish ice cream, or Dundurma, is thick and sticky that often Turks will eat it with a knife and fork! The man scooped it with a long stick and poked us in the noses with it for a few minutes before putting it in ice cream cones. It was quite a show.

For dinner we got Borek, another cheese pastry type dish and for dessert I ordered a waffle. The man asked, “Would you like everything?” I nodded assertively, but I was not prepared for the number of toppings that finally appeared on my waffle. They mean business when it comes to waffle toppings!

What a delicious way to end our quick adventure. Thank you for participating in this tour of Turkish cuisine! A search for Dracula is up next…

Bulgaria

I had intended to leave the cold behind in Russia (and therefore ditched my boots and coat there in hopeful anticipation that the Balkan peninsula would be warmer), but alas I was greeted in Bulgaria with snow and slush. My first stop in Bulgaria was the capital city of Sofia. Sofia, formerly the ancient city of Serdika, was first inhabited by Thracians and was conquered by the Romans in 29 B.C. Remnants of Serdika can be found all around the city as parts of the old city walls and theater remain, although more excavation work needs to be done in the next few years. Here is the oldest building in Serdika still standing, the church of St. George built during Constantine’s reign.

Fun fact: Constantine is credited with saying “Serdika-this is my Rome!”

It was almost impossible to find because it is surrounded on all four sides by Soviet government block buildings built to hide the church from public view without destroying it.

Sofia used to have many public baths due to the mineral hot springs. They are all closed now, but small fountains can be found around the city, and we walked by many filling up large jugs of water.

The next day I rode out to Rila to visit the St. John of Rila Monastery, one of Bulgaria’s UNESCO sites. Although the monastery is buzzing with tourists all summer, this March day was quiet and serene, and the monastery buildings and surrounding mountains were covered in a beautiful light blanket of snow.

Although it snowed my entire visit, Bulgaria was preparing for and anticipating spring. In March the Martenitsa tradition begins. Starting March 1 on “Baba Marta Day” (or Grandma March), people wear red and white bracelets, scarves, pins (men, too!) as a sign of health and happiness. They are to be warn every day of March until the first sign of spring arrives (which my guide told me is the first fruit tree blooming, a swallow, or a stork). Then the red and white ornaments are pinned onto the tree. Here are a few Martenitsa bracelets being sold in a shop window.

As I ventured to Plovdiv with two girls from my hostel, I sat next to an elderly woman who spoke no words to me but halfway through our bus ride she took out an extra m-bracelet with a mini red egg on it and slid it on my wrist with a smile and a wish for good health. And immediately went back to staring out the window with a tiny but discernible smile on her face.

Although I knew no Bulgarian, I was able to ask for directions in Russian every time we got lost in Plovdiv (which happened an embarrassing amount of times). I would always receive an answer in Bulgarian that was close enough for me to distinguish which direction to head in next as we “danced” through the snowy streets to avoid the slush. Of course, my favorite part of Plovdiv was the ancient theater of Philippopolis. 

A much warmer destination coming soon!

Back to Russia

It feels a little strange writing a blog about Russia without posting it on my dedicated Russia blog, but since it is the next destination on this European adventure here it goes!

I arrived in Russia on the first day of Maslenitsa. Since I was sick during Maslenitsa last year, I was excited to have a second chance to eat a lot of blini and burn the “witch of winter”. And eat a lot of blini I did. My dear friend Masha met me at the train station, fed me blini and then set me on another train to Voronezh with…more blini!

Since I had to return to St. Petersburg for my research, I decided to visit Voronezh first to make the most of my visa and to see all the lovely people in Voronezh that I missed dearly. Ira and her 7 year old son Sasha met me at the train, and Sasha jumped into my arms as soon as I descended onto the platform. The next day I woke up to Ira in her PJs making me sirniki. She knows the way to my heart! 

Ira and Andrei had just moved into a beautiful new apartment, so I was just in time for their housewarming party (which featured a lot of blini of course). I compared stories with the new Fulbrighter in Voronezh and spent most of the night avoiding talk of “sanctions” by practicing English with Sasha’s friends and proposing toasts to distract from any talk of politics. Just like old times!  Sasha got a picture of us digging in to the feast. 

(Sasha is upset that he can't guess my iPhone passcode)

The day after I arrived I found myself at the center of a lovely little “welcome back” party organized by my former colleagues. We drank tea and ate cake and chatted for a few hours. It truly felt like no time had passed since I saw them. I ran into a number of my students in the halls of the university building who all had the same reaction: stopping dead in their tracks and fumblings for English words before asking how in the world I was back. It was so wonderful to see them all again! Here I am posing with the presents they brought me. 

I got to see most of my close friends and catch up with them in our favorite restaurants and cafes. Ira, Luda, and I got sushi at our regular place like old times and had our same waiter (who of course welcomed me back and knew my order immediately…I think I frequented that establishment too often).

On Sunday, Ira and I went to her village of Somovo to celebrate her friend’s birthday and burn the witch of winter before heading to the banya. There was lots of music, dancing, singing, poem reciting, blini (and homemade vodka), for everyone.

Voronezh was a whirlwind couple of days but such a wonderful way to start my second trip-in my second Russian home with some of the warmest people on this planet!

A day in Iceland

On my way to New York for Christmas, I decided to extend my layover in Iceland overnight to take advantage of the natural beauty of this Nordic country. Icelandic Christmas carols and delicious snacks made me want to always fly Icelandic Air. Although I arrived on December 21, literally the shortest day of the year, I was still able to enjoy four hours driving around the incredible Icelandic landscape. I joined a small tour that left Reykjavik for the South Coast at 9am, arriving a few hours later as the sun was rising- just in time to pass a few volcanoes (including the one that erupted in 2010!) and to see our first waterfall.

can you spot the man walking to the waterfall? 

excuse my terrible hair, please.

Freezing but still in awe from the majestic waterfall, we piled back into the van and headed to the coast.

Reynisfjara, the black “sand” beach (really black pebble) was like nothing I had ever seen before. I spent thirty frigid minutes standing in awe of the beach, the crashing waves, and the basalt columns. I was so thankful I had purchased Irish wool socks in Ireland to wear with my sneakers and found a coat on sale in London to bring along.

can you find me?

For lunch we stopped in Vik, a small coastal town of only 250 people. I thought I lived in the middle of nowhere until our van rumbled down the bumpy road, past glaciers and mounds of snow. Besides Vik and a small building on the road dedicated to the volcanic eruption, the only sign of life was a rare sighting of a church steeple or smokestack from an occasional farmhouse.

Here is our guide pointing out the Sólheimajökull glacier where some of our group went glacier walking. 

Just a few hours after the sun came up, it decided to go back to bed. 

He told us a few interesting facts about Iceland on our drive back to the capital city.

--Iceland has roughly 130 volcanic mountains.

--Many of the Icelandic people believe in elves to this day. 

--Because of the nearby volcanic activity, Iceland has a high level of geothermal energy. One of the many uses of this energy is to power greenhouses where farmers grown fruits and vegetables to try to become more self-sufficient in these products. How cool!

--One can bake bread by putting dough in foil into the ground near a geothermal hot spot. 12 hours later, delicious rye bread (rugbrauð) is ready to eat.

--According to the tour guide, the prisons in Iceland are only able to hold a combined total of 200 prisoners at a time. Therefore, although crime is extremely low and a growing percentage of the prisoners are foreigners, there is a waiting list for the prison.

Back in Reykjavik, I wandered through the streets and decided to climb the tower in the Hallgrímskirkja church to get a better view from the city.

      Here is the view from the harbor. The colors look so funky because it was still twilight...at 11am. 

I decided to go on a Northern Lights tour but unfortunately besides our bus getting stuck in a ditch for a few hours, there wasn’t much of a show. However, I was given a voucher that guarantees I can go on as many tours as I would like in the next two years until I see the aurora borealis. I will have to keep this in mind next time I’m in the area….

Thankfully, this soup- a bisque made from local fish- made everything much better. I’m glad I choose it as my only restaurant meal in Iceland (although I also got fresh lox to go as well, yum yum). I had decided I was going to try whale meat just once, but as I was walking down the street battling the issue mentally, I was approached by a very sweet Icelandic girl who asked me to sign a paper about animal rights. As soon as I signed it, I realized it included a pledge not to eat whale. That solved my mental dilemma pretty quickly!

Even though I was in Iceland for only one day, the people I interacted with were so helpful, friendly, and well-meaning, the nature so beautiful, and the food so delicious, I would come back in an instant.