Restaurant Villa Bosphorus – a visual feast with delicacies of the sea
When you fancy the most delicious food, the best service, the most beautiful restaurant and the most charming view, head to the Asian side of Istanbul in Beylerbeyi to Restaurant Villa Bosphorus.
Kuzguncuk – ”The sweet delicacy of Istanbul”
In this post I’ll introduce one of my favorite neighborhoods, Kuzguncuk, for which I’ve given the nickname “sweet delicacy”. This neighborhood is reinvigorating with its visuality as well as its idyllicity, and it is guaranteed to make you smile. It’s best to let the photos speak for themselves, because words may not be enough to describe all the beauty and the unique atmosphere …
“When he chose me” at Happy Moon’s Cafe
This is the story of a touching encounter with a street cat at one of our favorite restaurants, Happy Moon’s Cafe in Fenerbahçe, on the Asian side of Istanbul. Our cat friend melted our hearts and chose my son as his new home with self-evident certainty.
Princes´ Islands (Adalar) – part 2: Büyükada
Since the pictures speak more than a thousand words, in this post I will tell mainly through photos about the largest and most famous of the Princes´ Islands, Büyükada. You’ll also experience a little bit of history as you will see a short video taken of a traditional horse-drawn carriage ride (Phaeton) with views of the nature and sea. Horses were swapped for environmentally friendly electric vehicles in 2020.
Princes´ Islands (Adalar) – part 1
The Princes´ Islands (Adalar) are like a special treasure of Istanbul. They are a scenic and peaceful retreat in the Marmara Sea, just a short ferry ride from the mainland. During the summer months, Princes´ Islands are a popular destination for a trip among tourists and Istanbulites alike. Whilst on the islands you can easily leave the chaos of Istanbul behind and enjoy the stunning seascapes in the middle of nature. So now, come with me on a ferry trip to the Marmara Sea and the Princes’ Islands!
Istanbul guide for beginners
When we plan a trip, we hope to find as much information as possible about our destination – preferably even as easily as possible. As the information is often fragmented, I have compiled in this post both important general information about Istanbul as well as a variety of tips for your visit. In this post you will also find practical information about everyday life for your trip, for example, tips for the ways to commute in Istanbul. And please remember, I will publish new stories about the oriental wonders of dazzling Istanbul on my blog every month.
Crazy Kadıköy
A warm welcome to spend a colorful day with me in Kadıköy! But watch out, after the lively atmosphere, smells, tastes and mood of Kadıköy, your life may never taste the same again. Because your heart will miss this Asian sweet spice called Kadıköy, that’s guaranteed. So you may have to come back soon…
Welcome to be amazed: The Rahmi M. Koç Museum (Rahmi M. Koç Müzesi)
Perhaps a little surprisingly, I will introduce an industrial museum as the first museum in Istanbul. Although I have visited countless museums in my life – and I don’t think I’m a materialist – this private museum made a memorable impression on me with the awe-inspiring surprises it produced. The fingers of my two hands weren’t enough to count all my “wow” exclamations that just continued from one exhibition hall to another…
Beylerbeyi Palace (Beylerbeyi Sarayı) – the summer residence of the sultans
I am not particularly interested in writing about the palaces of Istanbul, because you will already find a lot of information about them anyway. But one of the palaces is close to my heart because of its special beauty, colors and versatility. And also because it is closely related to my grandchild’s ancestry. So welcome to Beylerbeyi Palace, to the summer residence of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire!
’The Istanbul Butcher’ – friendly, luxurious and good quality
Istanbul always manages to surprise you; for example, have you ever, on the basis of a shop window, thought of entering a luxury cosmetics store only for it to turn out to be a luxury butcher shop? That’s exactly what happened to me, and now I’m going to tell you about this uniquely visual, friendly and tasteful place.