It's Tulip Time in Istanbul.
The whole city is bursting with tulips - 4,000,000 of them.
These are in the courtyard of the Four Seasons Hotel Sultanahmet.
My friend, Yasemin, had gathered a group for
wine tasting and divine cheeses -
a regular Friday night event
at the Four Seasons.
Quince marmalade, olives, and fresh melon
with assorted breads and cheeses
displayed and assembled
to create our light repasts.
It was a treat to see friends -
in a momentary break from
weeks of intensive Turkish lessons.
Last night's tasting featured Italian wines:
Pinot Grigio Venezie IGT Blush, Ardesia 2011
Nero D'Avola IGT Sicily, Cataldo 2011
Cavalcante Sangiovese Di Toscana IGT, Baroncini 2011
Chianti "Messere" D.O.C.G. Baroncini 2011
I enjoyed the full-bodied Sangiovese and Chianti best.
Danish blue and a smoky
Cergiz cheese were the most fabulous -
because they were the boldest.
Afterwards, we went to the roof
to enjoy the view of the Hagia Sophia on one side.
And the view of the Bosphorus
and the Four Seasons courtyard
on the other.
This Four Seasons Hotel used to be a coed prison.
It housed political prisoners
who were imprisoned after
the military coups in the 1980s.
now, not then,
during these days of tulips and wine and roses.
Photos courtesy of Yasemin Erdem and Ibrahim Turco.
12 comments:
Thanks for coming, Karen! It was lovely to see you after so many months. And: your Turkish lessons do pay off! :)
Thank you Yasemin - it was fun to "talk Turkish" last night. Thank you for organizing our event!
A new blog to discover! We will be visiting Istanbul in May. So wonderful to discover our site. I have 2 more years with my teen son and I sure an itching to have some of these kinds of adventures!
Hi Sarah, welcome to the Empty Nest Expat blog and thank you for your comment. I hope you keep coming back and leaving me comments. It is so nice to know when people are reading it. Congrats too on your very creative parenting (I read a bit of your homeschooling adventures on your blog). You'll find these last two years with your son go so fast - savor each moment. Having had an empty nest for four years now, I marvel at how quickly these parenting years went. Enjoy each moment.
The Tulips look amazing. Been so long since I have been to Istanbul, your blog is inspiring me to take my wife back there again soon:)
Westy, it would be fun to meet you and your wife if you do come. Thanks for your kind words.
Glad you have tulips & warm temperatures Karen. Spring has yet to arrive in Prague. We had more snow flurries on our way to Church this morning :-(
Snow this late in the year isn't inspiring. Here's hoping you get a warm Spring soon, Ricky.
That cheese plate looks wonderful. I shall probably dream about it.
It *was* wonderful, BtoB. They had cheddar, too, something Americans in these parts don't get very often.
Karen, I heard about the 4 Season's wine tasting through the grapevine. Your great photos certainly make it a reality that we must try some time. Thanks for the encouragement! Afiyet olsun.
Thank you, Senior Dogs! Wine and cheese at the Four Seasons is a wonderful value too at only 45 TL.
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