Six Hours in Istanbul

by Adrienne Wilson on

The clock is ticking and I’m still trying to narrow down what to see or do during my layover in Istanbul on Thursday. I’ve been told to visit the hamams or have lunch on a roof top or do both. The blue mosque, Galata Bridge, Taksim, Sultanahmet, Golden Horn and Tower of Galata have also been tossed my way, but I’m more for quality than quantity so seeing ALL the sites in one run isn’t a priority. If there were only one or two YOU personally feel are must-visits while in the city please shoot your ideas and thoughts my way. I’m truly game to anything and if it doesn’t work for me it may work for someone else.

Checking out LP’s worldguide now.

Unusual Hotels of the World

by Erik Olsen on

Travel and Leisure and most of those other big glossy magazines are always going to offer you the well-known, glitzy hotels as recommendations of places to stay on your travels. But what about the lesser-known, off-beat places? Places like the Aurora Ice Museum in Fairbanks, Alaska? Well, over at Unusual Hotels of the World, you can find a wild assortment of bizarre, but certainly entertaining places to rest your weary bones. The site is rather simple, not wonderfully designed, but the list of ideas is extensive and quite fascinating. Want to sleep in a cave? Well, then try the Desert Cave Hotel in Turkey. What about a tree house? Then try Kadirs Tree House Hotel in Turkey.

Good recs, all for the adventuresome person looking for something different. The site offers not just a list of these places, but also rates and booking opportunities.

Budget Travel Online on Istanbul

by Adrienne Wilson on

My flight departs from Istanbul into Dushanbe at 8:30 PM next Thursday so I doubt I’ll be able to experience the nighttime splendors discussed in this Budget Travel Online piece. Bummer. My travel agent tried his best to convince me to stay in Istanbul for a few days before going into Takjikistan, but I told him another time. Part of me is wishing I hadn’t. The article compares the Bosporus megaclubs to Beyoglu’s European charm on the opposite of the Bosporus.

The Beyoglu area was once a scary, filthy part of Turkey where the story states people often came in groups of four since traveling as a pair to the area wasn’t a sufficient safety measure. Today the Beyoglu is home to various art nouveau buildings, galleries, restaurants and upscale boutiques. Travelers looking for a new taste of Turkey may want to visit this piece and later stop in to places like Araf (pictured) where a Turkish clarinetist, Selim Sesler plays atop of the roof on Tuesday nights. Drinking, laughter and one jammed-packed dance floor make this spot sound like one of many happening nighttime Istanbul places and space.

Party for me!

Turkish Food: Borek

by Adrienne Wilson on

When I put börek in as my only word for my Google search, I was almost positive I would retrieve an extravagant amount of information on: Börek; the disco/hockey star, Börek; the factory in insert city (here), or Börek; the new fragrance from Will Ferrell (the latest star gone / perfume maker). Without having to narrow my search I found the börek I was looking for listed at the very top. It is the same börek I’ll be munching on in the city of Istanbul in 22 more days. Honestly, I hadn’t a clue what börek was a month back, but a friend of mine told me to try some when I land in Turkey. And it looks like I will.

Börek is a Turkish term for filled pastries, which means while börek may not be any of the other items listed above there is still a handful of börek to choose from. This Turkey Travel Planner defines several types of filled pastries, where the filling is usually white sheep’s milk cheese and a chopped veggie such as parsley or spinach. For a break down of the different types of börek to inquire about in at your local Turkish restaurant head over to Turkey Travel Planner. I’d like to learn how to prepare something like this at home, but I haven’t mastered some of the simpler pastries, therefore I’ll leave the ones filled with white sheep’s milk cheese to the people that know how to make it taste best.

Surreal Ballooning in Turkey

by Neil Woodburn on

A few months ago we ran an amazing Photo of the Day featuring a hot air balloon floating above the magical landscape of Goreme, Turkey.

Although such a journey seemed amazing, I really didn’t give it much thought after posting the photo. Well, thanks to an article in the LA Times, hot air ballooning in Turkey is back on my mind and edging its way to the top of my things-to-do list.

This particular voyage wafted above the fantasy-infused lands of Cappadocia, a place I explored on foot many years ago and simply fell in love with. Located just 2 Kilometers from Goreme, Cappadocia looks like the sand sculptures God would have made at the beach as a young child.

They were simply fascinating at ground level, riddled with countless tunnels and caves, but I never realized how fantastic they would look from the air.

Jerry V. Haines, who authored the article, flew with Kapadokya Balloons. Check out their website for an amazing gallery of photos (one of which I pilfered for the above shot).