Take me back to Constantinople

o I just got back from Istanbul yesterday and once again I am sufffering from post-holiday blues...its raining and horrible outside and the thought of even going out to do my grocery shopping seems like a daunting task...
Istanbul was amazing, a great experience which wouldn't have been possible without my local tour guide Faruk (friend who lives in Istanbul) he took me to all the main toursit spots but also off the beaten track to his local spots where I was able to sample some of the authentic taste and culture the city had to offer. From collosal Ancient mosques and Palaces to the traditional Turkish Bath experience - where you sit in a sauna, then have an all-over body exfoliation by a large Turkish woman followed by more sauna, a 38 degree jacuzzi and ending with a long all over oil body massage....suffice to say that by the end my skin was glowing!

These are some photos from my first few days in the city - the weather was fairly hideous at this time (colder than London!!) so we tried to spend time in the mosques and in the baths...not to mention eating all the traditional Turkish food I could find...from handmade gozleme', fresh calamari and grilled seasonal fish, baklava, breads, soups, cheeses, mezzes...you name it I probably tried it (as long as it didnt have flesh meat ofcourse!)

So these were all taken on the Europe side of Istanbul (Istanbul the city is divided by a channel so the easiest and prettiest way to get from the Asia side to the Europe side is by Ferry)Where they have all the main Palaces and Mosques - these are taken in the famous Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia.

What was quite interesting was all the Byzantine art that still survived in these Mosques;as Byzantine Art is famous for it's Christian roots for depicting stories from the bible...whilst the Mosque is a Muslim Sanctuary....interesting and very beautiful not to mention HUGE!!




This is one one of the finer days looking out from the Mosque onto the Coast







As we were walking up towards the Baths we were distracted by a small procession of Traditionally dressed Turks playing an assortment of Instruments which Faruk explained to me was the tradition war song - one which would be played before they entered combat. I was actually in Istanbul on a Public holiday celebrating becoming a Republic so there were all sorts of things going on in town!

Istanbul is a city which doesn't seem to sleep, or if they do it isn't for very long! No matter where you are there is something open - whether its just a kebab hut, bar or even a florist!

The night life in Taksim which is in the Northern part of the Europe side is PUMPING!

We started the evening off here with a stroll down the crowded Corso where we popped in to an underground market selling top shop and ASOS samples woooo!!

After passing hundreds of bars, clubs and restaurants; Faruk took me to a lovely wine bar which had been there since the 1940's and from here we went bar hopping to a few of his favourite spots before we ended up in a bar playing some sweet tunes!
Here we ordered a 'slightly' diluted BOTTLE of sex on the beach cocktail mix...yes, I was pretty smashed by the end! but had a pretty great time

<---Nargele!!! (grape flavour) and drinking beer late into the night.

OMG! one of the most delicious things ever, we went to this seafood place twice, it is quite close to Faruk's place and its right inside the local fish markets - this particular local dish I'm eating is Midye Dolmasi which are basically mussels stuffed with a delicious spiced rice, steamed and served with a squirt of lemmon..mmmmm

Last but farrr far from least is the Bazaar Quarter and Spice Bazaar...where do I even begin? With over 4,000 stores in this maze of an under ground complex there lies the most dazzling array of wares I have ever seen!

Honestly when I walked in I just didnt know where to begin, it was so overwhelming that in my 1st 2 hours there I didnt buy anything because I wanted EVERYTHING so it was terribly hard narrowing it down as what I could bring home with me...

Hah! like that even entered my mind; where there is a will there is a way and I found a way to bring home a freekin carpet from Turkey along with pashminas, a good handful of jewellery, pillowcases, evil eye pendants, dried fruits, turkish delight, teas....honestly I wish I could have spent a few days in the Bazaar alone, it was magnificent!!

The Turks are great salespeople, I'll say that much - also don't accept tea when they offer it!! As soon as you have tea you're a gonner...I accepted tea on several occasions...

HAH!
<---This was on my final night, we met up with some of Faruks friends from work and this was my final serenade as I departed in the wee hours of the morning..

A weekend in the life of ......

A quiet weekend was what I invisioned for my first 'dry' (no alcohol) weekend....and whilst there was a testing time on Saturday night, I pushed through and made it to Monday with a very clean and satisfied liver!

So I took my camera along with me to take you on a trip in the life of me over a quiet London weekend...

So let me bring you to last Friday, last day of the working week...due to the Overground train closures my closest Station has been closed since Feb until May to do some gay trackwork, but this encouraged me to purchase a bike and ride into town and catch the tube from Bethnal Green...my first bike (which was kindly given to me by a lovely lady named Cyra) was only in my possession for a short 2 weeks until it was prematurely stolen from it's resting spot while I was slaving away at work (yes, it was locked up)...however not to fret; I made a journey to Brick Lane and picked up a lovely little Vintage White 2 wheeler (with 2 bells that I ring at pedestrians when ever I get the chance) and a beautiful wicker basket perfect for my grocery trips into Hackney Tesco and Ridley Road Market!

So I ride through the Park - Victoria Park (see aboove) my commute only takes about 15 mins to Bethnal Green Station where I now lock up my bike hard core and continue my journey by Tube to Knightsbridge - my final destination where I exit for Harrods (British for Department Store Hell) Quick side note - to Petra, Allie and Sanna - you know the LV shoe concession couch? on Saturday some child somehow got possession of a ball point pen andhighlighter and scribbled shit ALLLL over the couch, and the walls....and the shelves and when we discovered it the mother was like "well what do you expect with such slow service"....yes, that really happened...

Friday night was a nice quiet evening, after work I went out for a pint with a few of the LV team and picked up a copy of The Pianist for 3 Pounds, had a slice of Roast Veg lasagne I had made the previous evening and curled up with Kitty on the couch in the lounge....

For those who haven't had the pleasure of visiting me in my new East London digs, I did a little collage of my flat...my room, lounge, kitchen and roof terrace ---> where the Summer BBQs and pre-sunset drinks will be at! Can't wait til Summer!!

So I had to be up relatively early on Sat as I'd been cohersed into playing a charity Soccer match in West London by a friend of a friend....it was FREEEEZING that day...

Even the occasional fit football boys couldn't distract me from the outlandish temperature...
We played a few games - they were 5 a side, 15 min games, made it to the quarters and then got smashed pretty embarrassingly...but it was an experience that had to be done whilst in England...like being unapproachable and cold...or eating a Toad in a Hole..

awww Bear and Staff = delicious times...

More delicious times were had on Sunday morning when I met up with Bec (a fabulous fellow Australian I befriended whilst flat-hunting in East London last year) at a gorgous bakery/teahouse on the outskirts of Victoria Park which I actually pass every day on my ride to work....the window is packed full of delicious tea-time treats like Carrot Cake (which I had!) mmm, Victoria Spounge, Coffee and Walnut cake, french cheese cake, brownies, cookies, pain au chocolates and much much more....as you can see below...

The interior is also rather charming, along with the retro crockery and teapots = amazing discovery....Katrina - please view for inspiration!

Mouth watering cakes were followed by a brief walk through the park towards a Jumble Sale someone had told me about just around the corner being held at The Victoria - a charming old Pub down near Mile End.

Let me tell you, Jumble Sale - AMAZING....if I wasn't so skint I'm sure I would have purchased alot more...as it was I bought a floral blouse....for 1 POUND! , a long black dress and an adorable floral print, lace collar dress that makes me look like a 10 year old....LOVE....

They were also offering 10 pound haircuts and a variety of old-lady inspired kitchen pieces....I mean just look at the photo, I wanted EVERYTHING!

Upon exiting The Victoria we were met by brilliant rays of sunshine!

So Bec and I decided to soak up some rays on a park bench inside the park where I decided to go and celebrate the moment with a soft serve ice-cream mmmmm

Look at the shaddows! real sun!!

Am I really that pasty you ask...answer - Yes, but I'm kind of into the pale new me, it's very big in Britain ;)

A little celebratory moment of the removal of the jacket for the first time while outdoors in London....sweet...

The Pub were holding their weekly Movie night that Sunday and the evenings film was Napolian Dynamite, so sure enough we returned several hours later after night fall for a pint of guiness for me and a pint of cider for Lottie (new flat mate!) with Bec for good times as we remembered how golden Napolian Dynamite is...

That's Lottie on the left and Bec on the right winding up what was a pretty amazing day...

Caught a bus home, had a cup of tea, a chat and then went to bed to start the week fresh!

To all my favourite people scattered around the world - I think about you all every day and love you and miss you all xx *hugs* Thanks for listening.