A Lazy Day in Arnavutkoy and Bebek

Istanbul: September 24
I am now back in Istanbul; we left Gocek at 4:00 AM, Thursday morning, the 24th, and arrived at our flat about 6:00. It was an easy flight; Hasan has his driver pick us up in the morning and we went straight to our apartment. We both slept for a couple of hours, awoke around 10:30 AM, and have started getting things in order. Evie spent much of the day organizing photos, writing captions, and sending off some to the family. We did go out, about 2:00 to shop at Migros and Magros, two of the nicest grocery stores, and both our just a ten minute Bosphorus walk away. We were able to find most of what we wanted, of course, cheese, both beyaz and kasar, but also the makings for Hasan’s favorite pasta, garlic, onions, pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, and anchovies, with lots of parsley and garlic, early on, and as it is served on farfalle. It sounded good so we got the ingredients. We also found the drink we like, Martini and Rossi’s Bianco vermouth. We returned, relaxed for a couple of hours, took showers, and soon will go off to the village, for an hour, to have either tea or an apertif. We wil then head home, for a couple of drinks as we watch the sun set, and make dinner, mostly something simple, like tomatoes, onions, cheese, crackers, nuts, and perhaps, for dinner, a menemen, an omelet of beyay peynir and tomatoes. We are looking forward to having dinner at home, with sundowners, as they call them in South Africa. I actually think we will be to late for the sunset, as it’s already getting a bit darker, as the sun heads behind the hills to the right of our department view, meaning towards the West. We have walked to Bebek, are sitting at a chai house, just beyond the mosque, where the Divan pastisserie used to be. A lovely view of Bebek harbor, with restaurants and boats bobbing in the water, as the water begins to go from blue to gray. The chai house is filled with the well to do of Bebek, men in suits, well dressed mother’s with kid in strollers, and university students. Everyone is well dressed, as usual, and enjoying the late afternoon sunset. We stopped in the village before walking to Bebek, and picked up some pistachio’s, something we really enjoyed munching on at Hasans. I forgot to mention the fresh figs from his neighbor, perhaps I did. They were unlike any figs I have had before and I wonder why we didn’t eat more of them when we were here in the 70’s.