Hans and Frans

The next day in Istanbul was spent strolling the streets, eating kebab sandwiches and a little shopping. We walked again across the Galata Bridge and I tried a famous fish sandwich that men cook on a boat that is tied to the pier. You just walk up, give them 5 turkish lira, and they hand you a sandwich. I was a little skeptical at first, but Travers had heard they were a must, and since he's not keen on fish, I tried it. I wasn't disappointed. It was very tasty and hot and filling. However, my breathe smelled like fish for the rest of the day. Thanks Travers. Luckily, I couldn't smell myself, so Travers was really the only one to suffer.

People watching by the
fish sandwich boat

This guy sold me a fish sandwich.
Behind him is the boat they're made on

We did some "window" shopping at the Grand Bazaar. And even though we had intentions to buy lots of things, it just all seemed so cheap and tacky and not really worth it. We did end up getting some egg cups so that I can eat my soft-boiled eggs out of them in the mornings, but most everything didn't seem authentic. The stores all sold the same things, some of them would try to lure you in (they kept trying to sell us rugs, but what are we gonna do with a rug in Istanbul? Stuff it into our suitcases?), and others would just ignore you until you talked to them.  We debated for 30 minutes over some trivets, and the shop owner said that the price was fixed! I thought if I put them down and slowly walked away he would start shouting lower prices at me, but he didn't. He stuck to his price!. I thought the whole point of that bazaar was to negotiate and get the lowest price. Apparently not. So we drank some tea at a cafe, bought the egg cups and left.

Me and my egg cups!
Not sure what the guy on the
left is looking at.

Tons of people at the Grand Bazaar!

The rest of the afternoon was spent hopping from cafe to cafe on our way back to the hotel, soaking in the sun with a couple of beers. We stopped at a cafe on the Galata Bridge and enjoyed watching the boats go by. I have never seen a busier harbor. There are boats going every which way, all of different sizes. It was amazing to watch the action.

Travers under the Galata Bridge

Tiniest boat ever!

We went to dinner that night in a nearby area called Ortakoy. We took a taxi and got dropped off in the middle of the busy streets and walked around hoping to find a good restaurant. Unfortunately, I wore high heels that night and the streets were mostly cobble stones. Not a good combination. So I teetered along, trying not to sprain my ankle or make a fool of myself. We walked out to the water to see the Bosphorous Bridge and were amazed at how it changed colors from blue to red. When it was red, it actually looked very similar to the Golden Gate! We then couldn't find the restaurant that we had researched about, so after lots of walking and teetering, we tried one called Kitchenette that had patio seating and views of the Bosphorous.

Us and the Bosphorous Bridge

Is that the Golden Gate?
Nope! Bosphorous!

The next day we hopped on a boat that took us out to the Princes' Islands. There are nine islands total, and ferries run regularly to the four largest ones. So we headed to the main one, called Büyükada. The boat ride took about an hour and a half. It was amazing to see Istanbul from the water, and then to see the Asian side as well. We went past most of the other islands, stopping at a few before we got to Büyükada. We luckily got seats on the outside of the boat so we could watch everything that went by. We sat next to two men who brought a large garbage bag filled with bread. They fed the seagulls the entire way. It was fun to see the birds following the boat, and diving and swerving to catch the bread that the men threw. Unfortunately, I did get a little bit pooped on. Figures. It was fun nonetheless. 

Looking back at Istanbul and
tons of seagulls following us

Büyükada!

We finally arrived at Büyükada. It is a carless town. The only mode of transportation are bicycles and horse drawn carriages. So we started out just walking a few blocks around to find something to eat. We found a place a few blocks off the main drag, and actually ordered roast chicken and rice instead of the traditional kebab. We then decided that there were too many people walking around to ride bikes and avoid them, so we opted for the horse drawn carriage ride.  The line for the carriages was long, but went fast. There must have been hundreds of these carriages on the island because they never stopped coming to pick up new passengers. When it was our turn, we told the driver to take the long route which took us throughout the entire island instead of the short route which only did half. For the next hour or so, we sat back, relaxed and got to see the entire island all in a horse drawn carriage. The island was very beautiful with a lot of trees and grass as we got to the top, and beautiful views of the neighboring islands. 

Us and our carriage

Our horses, Hans & Frans
(named by us)

View from the horse-drawn carriage

Sitting in our carriage

After a relaxing day on the islands, we returned that afternoon and met up with two of Travers' co-workers again for dinner that night. On our way to dinner, as we walked down the busy main drag, we slowly started to feel drops of rain!  Within minutes, the sky opened up and rain poured down. We ducked under a store's awning to try to wait it out. And within minutes, the busiest street I have ever seen was empty!

Empty in seconds!

We bought some umbrellas across the street for 5 turkish lira each and continued on our way to dinner, a nearby pizza joint. And after stuffing ourselves with delicious pizza, we headed to a nearby bar that had a man singing and playing the guitar. A few beers and several songs later, we were all beat and called it a night.

Me at the Intercon

Our final full day in Istanbul was a rainy one. The weather had not let up from the night before. Travers and I were checking out of our Odda hotel and checking into the Intercontinental. We had wanted our last night to be more luxurious so we splurged and went to the Intercon!  Unfortunately, we chose the most rainy time of the day to roll our bags from one hotel to the other. We were pretty soaked by the time we arrived, and luckily were able to check in right away. We dried off, Travers napped, and I watched a 80's movie called American Dreamer.




A few hours later, the rain and died down a bit so we got moving and took a tram out to the Hagia Sophia, since we hadn't been able to see it yet, and the Basilica Cistern. The Cistern was really cool, with lots of columns, and lights, and a few stone sculptures of Medusa's head. There were several pathways we could walk down, and tons and tons of columns all around.

The Cistern

Medusa on its side

Medusa upside down

One of the many columns

After the Cistern, we walked to the Hagia Sophia only to find out that it was closed on Mondays!! So...we were out of luck on seeing the Hagia Sophia this trip (although we did see the outside, if that counts). But that just means we will have something left to see next time we go.

Istanbul at night

Our last night, we had some drinks at the top of the Intercontinental, then headed to Leb-i-Derya for dinner. We saved it for last since it had a great menu, and the best views of the city and the Bosphorous.

Our final day, we slept in, packed ourselves up, and checked out of the Intercon. We had a few hours before our flight, so we walked to an area nearby called Nisantasi. It was a bit more neighborhoody, and filled with more locals. There were tons of high-end luxury shops and cute cafes. We found one cafe that had a covered back patio and had a late lunch.  Then headed back towards the hotel and after searching unsuccesfully for a magnet (we eventually got one at the airport), we found another cafe for an afternoon tea and baklava. By the way, the baklava on this trip was amazing! I love baklava. I wish I could have brought some home with me. Here is a picture of some. We didn't eat this particular one, but it looks good.

So after 5-1/2 days in Istanbul, we felt like we saw and did a lot, but we definitely left things to come back and do next time. And I really hope there will be a next time.

Istan Humble

Because everything in Geneva shuts down for 4 days over the Easter weekend, Travers and I decided to head to a place where Easter was not widely celebrated: Istanbul, Turkey!  Istanbul has never been one of my top places to visit before. And I found out a few days before our trip, that I had actually been there before for a day with my family while we were on a cruise.  Who knew!

Travers relaxing in our room

But once we arrived and were in the taxi from the airport to the Taksim Square area, I knew I was going to enjoy the trip. The city is huge! There are buildings everywhere, cars and people everywhere, and it reminded both Travers and I a bit of San Francisco. We stayed at the Odda Hotel just steps away from the main drag, Istiklal Street in the Taksim, Beyoglu area. And after requesting a room on the top floor, we enjoyed a cup of turkish coffee and tried to decide what to do first. We figured we had a few hours to walk around before trying to find a place to have dinner that night.  And knowing our track record for not being able to choose a restaurant in a timely manner, we did some research before we left the hotel and chose a couple restaurants that we could walk by beforehand and see which looked best to go back to that night.

At Taksim Square!

So we left the hotel and walked down Istiklal Street and were immediately blown away by the amount of people in the street. We could barely walk next to each other or in a straight line as we were having to avoid running into people from all sides.  But no one was rude, no one was bumping into us, and there was a good energy about that really got us excited to be there.  We stopped at a local kebab shop and got some kebab sandwiches to tide us over. Then we walked to Taksim Square, and enjoyed a cup of Chai Tea that someone was walking around selling for 1 Turkish Lira, which is about CHF0.50. Amazing!

Bad picture, but so many people
walking the main drag.

We soaked in the warm weather and all the people walking around. We strolled through a nearby park, saw some views of the Bosphorous, and stared at all the shops and interesting things to see. We had heard that the thing to do is to sit on a roof top or balcony, enjoying the views and watching the people below, so we headed to Nosta Cafe, got a seat on the balcony overlooking Istiklal Street and grabbed a glass of wine for me and a beer for Travers.  We sat until the sun started to go down, and finally headed back down to the masses of people and headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We had actually not ended up walking past any restaurants that we had originally wanted to, so we were going to have to decide where to go before heading out again.

Travers at Dai Pera!

After reading all of our notes from previous research, going online to review menus and prices, and google mapping it to see if it was within walking distance, we finally settled on a restaurant called Dai Pera for some local Turkish cooking. We were not disappointed. The food was great. Not something you can easily get in Geneva. And our waiter was very helpful even though he didn't speak much English. He brought the chef out at one point to explain to us in English how one particular dish was prepared! So far, a great impression of the turkish culture, people, and food!

The next day we decided to walk to the Old Town area where most of the tourist attractions are located. First we stopped at the Galata Tower and got to see 360° views of the city. It was a great way to orient ourselves with the city, and we saw some amazing views of the Bosphorous, the Marmara and the Asian side of Istanbul beyond.

We then walked across the Galata Bridge. Throughout the bridge, there were tons of fishermen fishing off the bridge. We got to see someone reel one in, and saw several buckets filled with fish!  We then walked on the lower level of the bridge and saw tour boats passing underneath. Then walked past several restaurants on the bridge, all with someone out front trying to tempt us in for some food and drinks.

So many fishing poles hanging over!

Fun tour boat!

After crossing the bridge we immediately saw this gigantic mosque. We peeked inside as locals washed their hands and feet in the center fountain area, and others layed out their rugs to kneel on for praying. We didn't stay long as we didn't want to interrupt, but it was so interesting to see this different culture and religion. The building was amazing and huge and was just one of many that we would see on our trip.









Just outside the mosque, I spotted a bunch of booths and shops! Travers could immediately tell I wanted to go walk around in them and see what was for sale. So we walked over and found the entrance to the Egyptian Bazaar and Spice Market.  We didn't buy anything that time, but I was promised we would go back and shop some more later on in our trip.  We were getting hungry so we found a small kebab shop on our way to some more tourist attractions.  Travers was determined to eat the same type of kebab sandwich everyday for lunch, but I tried a different one this time in a wrap instead of a roll.  We grabbed our kebabs and sat in the nearby park, which was the thing to do as every bench was already occupied.

The rest of the afternoon, we got to see the inside of the Blue Mosque, known for the blue tiles on the inside.

The Blue Mosque

Ceiling of the Blue Mosque

Inside the Blue Mosque.

Inside the Blue Mosque

On top of Istanbul at Leb-i-Derya

Afterwards, we walked across the way to the Hagia Sophia intending to go in, but the line was really long and our afternoon was getting short, so we decided we'd come back another day. We caught a tram back through town and across the Galata Bridge, then headed up the hill in a funicular in search of a bar and restaurant called Leb-i-Derya that was known for its spectacular views of the city.  After searching a bit, we found the street that it was on, and walked down the hill part way to this run-down apartment building. It didn't look like the right place, but there was a sign out front that pointed us in, so we took our chances and went inside. We rode the elevator up, following the signs, and walked into the door of the restaurant right as they were opening for the evening.  We got the best seat on the outside terrace overlooking the Bosphorous! We enjoyed the views and the seclusion. Coming from the busy street below, it was amazingly quiet at the top of this restaurant. You would never have known there were thousands of people below, hustling and bustling about. A great way to end the afternoon.

Me, Travers & Sibel

After a rest at the hotel, we met up with some co-workers of Travers that happened to be staying in the same hotel as us (amazing coincidence), and met up with an ex-co-worker from San Francisco Hotwire, Sibel, that had recently moved back to Istanbul where she is from. She took us to a new area near the hotel for dinner. There were tons of restaurants and bars and people on this street too, and with a large group we had a tough time finding a restaurant. But we eventually did and it was a great meal. We got a bunch of appetizers and I had a tasty meatball dish. We had walked past so many restaurants and places that night that I don't think I ever found out the name of the one we actually ate at, but it was a delicious meal.  We then went to a bar down the street for some after dinner drinks and dancing. A perfect way to end our a long day in Istanbul.

To be continued...

St. Patty's Day Ski Trip

After my parents returned from Zermatt, we spent another day and a half in Geneva, just relaxing and resting. They were exhausted from their travels. Three cities in a week is a lot of travelling! But they survived and loved getting to know Switzerland.  It was sad to see them go, but I'm so thankful that they were able to come and visit and see what our lives are like here in Geneva. Love you guys!!

So we got back into the normal swing of things here, and the weekend after they left, Travers, Shelley, Mike and I drove to Verbier for what we think was our last ski trip this season! And it also happened to be St. Patty's Day! So we got up super early, like 6am, and caught an early train to Verbier. Two transfers and a gondola later we were at the base of Verbier, ready to ski! Other than Zermatt, this was the only other time we have been able to ski in Switzerland. All our other ski trips were in France, so we were excited to get some Swiss skiing in again.

The weather unfortunately wasn't too great, but visibility was decent, and it wasn't too cold. There just wasn't a ton of sun. But we handled it fine, and enjoyed our last day. We skied for a few hours, taking this gondola up to the very top of the mountain, and then we stopped for lunch at this little hut in the middle of the mountainside.

Gondola to the top!

Yummy Tartiflette for lunch!

The weather wasn't getting much better so after skiing again for a couple hours after lunch, we called it a day pretty early, and found an apres ski bar in the middle of the mountain called Bar 1936.  Shelley and I had some vin chaud, and the boys had beers. The sun came out every so often and we sat in beach lounge chairs and watched the skiers that went by.

Mike throwing a snowball
at the camera!

Mike and Me enjoying the sun!

Shelley with a great view of
Verbier behind her!

Me and Travers!

An hour or two later, we skied down to the base and found a fun restaurant/bar called Pub Mont Fort for some apres ski snacks and live music, before catching the train back to Geneva.

Beautiful Verbier sunset!

For a last day of the season ski trip, we didn't do as much skiing as I had originally thought. But we had so much fun just taking in the experience of it all, and enjoying being in the snow and on the mountain as much as possible.  There's a chance we might go in April for one more ski trip, but not likely as the snow is getting worse and worse and we are all getting busier and busier now that Spring is here.

Au revoir la neige! Bonjour le printemps!