The Blue Mosque from my balcony at Hotel Nena room 501

It’s no secret that some people eat to live but I live to eat and I make sure that food and culinary adventures are front and center of my travels. For me, a perfect holiday consists of comfortable accommodation, wonderful delicious and authentic local food, and last but not least, access to a good gym to work off all the calories and energy.

I recently made a trip to a place that has been on my bucket list since forever.. Istanbul. I am fascinated by culture and history and Turkey, being the center of both the East and West, with a long beguiling history, completely captivated me. I spent 5 wonderful days in Istanbul and stayed in a hidden gem of a small boutique hotel (Hotel Nena) in the historic center of Sultanahmet. I was sold on the sweeping views of the Blue Mosque, the Bosphorus and Hagia Sophia from room 501’s balcony. Every morning, I watched the sunrise and after an eventful day of feasting and walking, I ended it with a cup of tea sitting with my feet propped up on the balcony ledge admiring the lights dancing across the mosques and the sea.

A typical bakery that no one could resist! The captivating dessert shops are endless in Istanbul.. baklava in all shapes and forms.

A pickle shop where you can buy all sort of pickles and drink the juice too! Lots of locals stop by this typical neighbourhood shop to drink a glass of pickle juice and eat a few pickles while standing around and then go on their merry way.

I decided to keep things simple and planed the whole trip myself. I got around Istanbul easily by navigating the public transportation system with an Istanbulkart. Trams and trains were easy and fast and reached most of the major tourist sites. The highlight for me was of course the food. I signed up for walking food tours with Culinary Backstreets which has authentic off the beaten track food tours with local guides that will tell you stories about every day life and the meals they eat. That way, I was able to experience genuine local life and stay away from the expensive tourist traps that line all major tourist areas.

A doner kebab stand. The size of the meat wheel depends on how many customers they think they will have that day. This one is obviously huge! A good meat wheel is made from sliced meat stacked on top of each other instead of minced meat. A doner kebab is eaten like a sandwich and with not alot of condiments. It is not considered pub or drunk food as typically eaten outside of Turkey on the way home after a late night party. 

One of my favourite dishes is this braised artichoke with beans I ate from a tiny cafe that didnt even have a kitchen. Everything was made from the chef's home kitchen and then brought over to this second story shop house and served to the diners. It was really home cooking at it's best. 

Looking back, I wished I stayed for a whole month! But alas, I had to move onto London and then Vienna and Milan to visit friends. Istanbul, you have my heart and soul. I will definitely come back again and again!

Simit is sold everywhere on every street corner. It is a cross between a bagel and a pretzel and is usually eaten as a snack or during breakfast. 

With this recent tour, I have revamped my Turkish culinary classes and added a new class to make simit amongst other delights. I hope you will join me soon as I am eager to pass on my culinary insights to those who are as enraptured with Istanbul as I had been.

No visit to Istanbul is complete without seeing and petting a cat! They are everywhere and so well loved. They are truly the bosses!

PS: For those who are wondering, I always felt safe while I was in Istanbul, whether it was out walking in the evenings by myself or taking public transportation. Many people speak or at least understand English and they are eager to help. Like anything in life, be careful, do your research, keep your bags close to you, be sensible in your dressing, be aware of your surroundings, have fun and relax.

Waking up to the sun rising across Hagia Sophia made my heart sing! Every morning, I woke up and had to pinch myself. I felt so grateful to have had this opportunity to stay in such a wonderful hotel and to live in this beautiful city for 5 enchanting days.