Thanks TWA4Me and timetogo1st.
timetogo1st - Congratulations on venturing into a new cuisine. I too have become fascinated with Turkish food and I happen to think that it is quite healthy (excluding the sweet desserts, of course) since they follow more or less a typical Mediterranean diet. You already have the passion and in no time I'm sure you will become quite an expert. Practice makes perfect after all.
One of the most interesting characters that I have ever met in a hotel.
It was a chilly morning and I headed up to the terrace for breakfast. The moment I sat down on the table ready to consume my copious meal, my eyes locked with his. There he was, sitting silently in a corner of the terrace behind a crate of Efes beer bottles. His expression was one of blissful complacency. The day before, while I was on the terrace, I saw him make quite an appearance. A group of his friends were hanging around when all of a sudden he jumps in making a shattering noise scattering his friends in all directions. Such a prankster!
Goreme
Goreme is a small town in Cappadocia with close to 2,500 people. Due to its strategic location among the "fairy chimney" rock formations and easy access to the Open Air Museum, it has become a popular base for many travelers who want to explore this region of Turkey. Goreme was first settled back during the Roman period with Christianity as the main religion, as evidenced by the presence of the many rock churches around. During my short stay I found Goreme to be quaint and quite compact to explore, with unexpected charm awaiting to be revealed at the turn of the corner.
Lunch @ My House Cafe
This restaurant is almost next to the bus terminal and has a bakery section as well. The cafe area is not very big but it was cozy and service was very efficient. I stumbled upon this place because I was craving for cacik (diluted yogurt) and this place featured it on its menu. In addition to cacik I also ordered a vegetable stew and some pickles. As it turned out, the meal was fantastic. The yogurt as meze was refreshing and the crushed garlic and chopped cucumbers complemented the tangy taste beautifully. The vegetable stew was cooked perfectly and seasoned with a generous serving of tomato sauce on top. Finally the pickles were crisp and made for a nice prelude to the main dish. As I found out later, this restaurant is also ranked highly on the Turkish site
mekanist.net.
Cacik
This dish is served cold and consists of diluted yogurt that is generally seasoned with salt, garlic, chopped cucumber, dill, mint, olive oil, lime juice and garnished with sumac. When it is consumed as a meze, paprika might also be sprinkled on top of it.
Pickles
Vegetable stew
Dinner @ Dibek restaurant.
My last meal in Goreme was taken at
Dibek which is a very atmospheric restaurant. I ate sitting on a cushion on the floor and ordered a traditional cucumber and tomato salad, followed by bulgur soup and cheese gozleme (flat bread stuffed with meat or cheese). I enjoyed this fine and simple meal inside this former stable. The waiter was particularly attentive and quite efficient.
Salad
Bulgur soup
Cheese gozleme
PC 167 ASR-SAW
EQP 738 - Seat 20F Y Class
Dept. 10:25A - Arriv. 11:45A
The van picked me up from the hotel at about 2 hrs. before dept. and the ride took a good 1 hr to the airport. Kayseri airport is small with a dedicated area for intl. flights. I did not feel comfortable taking pictures of the airport because there was some kind of military base next to it and wanted to avoid attention just in case.
Once again, I had to pass through security and have my bags x-rayed before entering into the building. Once inside, I proceeded to the Pegasus counter to check in for my flight. The agent seemed robotic and at the end wished me a good flight. Before heading to the gate which was almost next to the counter I had to go through security one more time. It was not necessary to take off your shoes and the whole screening process was carried out efficiently and in a dignified way.
Boarding soon began and we boarded from both the front and rear of the plane. Today's flight was full and took my window seat quickly. The pitch felt a bit tight, but for a 1:20 min flight it was fine. About 10 minutes after take off, a smiling male FA approached me with my pre-ordered meal and asked for my drink of choice. I requested some sour cherry juice and it was brought up right away. My meal was the chicken leg in thyme sauce and it cost 24.98 TRY which is a bit pricey. However, the quality of the meal was very good featuring chicken pieces with rice and vegetables, warm roll, salad with beans, chocolate cake with whipped cream, crackers and cream cheese.
Pegasus places ads on the overhead bins
Chicken meal
Chocolate cake
SAW Airport
We arrived as scheduled on a sunny day and made my way to the Havas bus to take me to Taksim Sq. Once there, I took the funicular to Kabatas where connected to the tram to Sultanahmet.
...to be continued with more dining in Istanbul and the Istanbul Eats tour.