Istanbul first impressions

This is a view from a rooftop bar at a restaurant Leb-i-deryo in Istanbul- the city does a breathtaking job lighting up its most prized buildings. This picture doesn't do the view justice.The domed mosques are immediately apparent, as are the bridges. Our apartment has a good view of the Golden horn, which is more of an inlet and on the other side of the bridge is the Bosphoros which leads to the Mediterranean sea.

Now, let's quickly talk about the food and scene at Lebideryo. I would never have known it was a restaurant, when you walk in from the street it is into an indoor hallway much like that of an apartment building. You take the elevator, which is a tiny 4 person max lift with double closing doors up to the top floor and then go up a flight of circular stairs to the restaurant entrance. Once in you are surrounded by windows, even the roof is glass much like a greenhouse. The interiors are classy light colored wood and stone tile- very sheek. For cocktails, cherry juice takes the place of the popular cranberry mixer, and it's a delicious substitute. We ordered a beef kebab with a smokey eggplant almond mousse and smoked paprika sauce, and a Ginger Citrus Chicken over a parsnip puree as well as a shrimp gratin and cold stuffed peppers stuffed with a turkish cheese similar to goat cheese. All of it was excellent and beautiful and it was great company too, we are so lucky to have Andrew here, he's a fountain of useful information about the city and its treasures, and you know the all around great guy he's always been.

We've been warned by Andrew's turkish friends Jasmin and Zenep that there are MANY must-try turkish dishes, and a successful vacation means gaining weight. Also, google maps sucks when it comes to directions in Istanbul, the best bet is to ask someone- and everyone here is so nice, polite and helpful, they will even walk you to where you want to go some of the time. Turkish hospitality is real, and they take pride in it. To be fair, the city is a tangled mess of streets and smaller alleys but that's one of it best features, in my opinion. It has the haphazard meandering city feel that grew over time, developing character and adapting to new uses. Most buildings in Beyoglu (the area we are staying) along the large pedestrian walkway Istiklal are about 6 stories high, a great scale that feels urban but not overbearing or looming. Lots of familiar brand names, Mavi, Guess, etc. Cars fit places I would never be able to maneuver and the wavy cobble stones paths can be tricky when you're not watching where you step (Julia can attest to this).

Overall we're glad to finally have made it to our final destination (after over 24hours of travel), and just ready to soak it all in.