In March of this year, I was researching possible tour groups to join and was promptly shocked by how many of them were fully booked already. I quickly discovered that September is one of the most popular months to visit Turkey because the weather is nice, so I redoubled my efforts to find a suitable tour -- in particular, neither Mohamed nor I felt comfortable with trying to figure out intra-country travel and other logistics independently. I was dismayed by the prices of the tours remaining ($10,000 per person was not within range), until Mohamed found Rick Steves' website. I had seen some of Rick's shows on PBS before, but I was a little skeptical because I wasn't sure that his travel style would match ours. However, time was of the essence, and I was suitably impressed with the level of detail and clarity of his website. We booked, and found ourselves awaiting the official start time of the tour. After awaking fairly early, Mohamed and I headed to the terrace upstairs for the view and for breakfast. I was duly impressed by both. The water was a bright shade of turquoise, with enthusiastic greenery peeking out from under the warmly hued buildings. The tomatoes were juicy and sweet, and the eggs proudly featured plump orange yolks. The yogurt was the real thing: thick and tangy, it was a far cry from the diluted and flavorless stuff we usually have at home.
After our excellent breakfast, we walked
along the corniche to aid the digestion process. Everything looked authentic yet tidy, which is easier said than done: historical buildings can feel moldy or uninviting, and modern ones can feel fake or sterile.
At 1pm, we promptly met up with the tour group. I looked around, and saw instantly that I was not Rick Steves' target audience. I wasn't concerned, though, because I figured I was lucky enough to travel well before retirement. As I listened to the overview by our tour guide, Alp, I ate jam cookies that were buttery and fruity -- yum! Alp explained that our tour would begin with a trip to the Egyptian spice market and boat ride on the Bosphorus. As we walked down the organically winding streets, I noticed the fresh pomegranates (and oranges) that vendors juiced fresh for thirsty patrons on the street, although I dared not tempt fate and test my digestive tract by getting one.
The market was as bustling as I expected, and the Bosphorus was much more beautiful than I anticipated. Surprisingly, I was reminded of my trip to Lake Como in Italy because of the arrangement of colorful houses on the water.
Mohamed found me some fat purple
figs, which I was thrilled with because Turkish figs are famously wonderful and they were luckily in season. For dinner, we ate as a group; I ordered the lamb on puréed eggplants. The lamb was moist and spiced, and the eggplants were surprisingly fluffy and flavorful. It was a tasty end to the first day of our trip!
