Stanley tastes Simits

What do you know about simits?

Simit is a Turkish word and it is a circular bread covered with sesame seeds

They are delicious. Crunchy and yet soft inside. We tore off pieces and shared them as we worked our way through the city with our cameras, filling them with cream cheese sometimes.

We bought our breakfast simits from street vendor close to the school where Di used to teach. He remembered her and she remembered teasing him about being her Turkish mother because she used to buy her breakfast from him.

They're lovely with olives and all kinds of other things too.

Love
Flat Stanley, who is thinking of moving to Istanbul xx

Flat Stanley photographs a sleeping dog in Istanbul

I loved this dog.

He was sound asleep under a Turkish flag.

The Turkish flag is red with a white crescent moon and a star in its centre and was inspired by the Ottoman flag.

There are 3 main legends about the Turkish flag but I will leave you to find out about them if you are interested.

You see, I'm meant to be packing my bags to leave for Flanders Fields in the morning. Di and Gert are taking me with them to remember the ANZACS from World War One and to photograph a soprano singer ...

I never know what I might be doing next.

Love
Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley checks out the Taksim Tram in Istanbul

This is the tram that runs down the centre of İstiklal Avenue. The street is one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul and they told me that nearly 3 million people visit this street in a single day during the weekend at the height of the tourist season (I think), although the Turkish people enjoy wandering here too.

I wonder if it is true?

Anyway, we took a ride on the tram and had the best time.

Flat Stanley visits Istanbul's Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest covered markets in the world! It has more than 58 streets and over 1,200 shops.

Somewhere between 250,000 and 400,000 people visit it daily. You can buy anything there. I was amazed but then again, I think I was amazed everyday in Istanbul.

Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror began building it between 1455 and 1461, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent made it much bigger in the 16th century. We were lost but it was fun because we saw all kinds of beautiful things.

Di bought scarves as gifts for everyone ... even for me. I'll bring it home with me, Van Jnr.

Love
Flat Stanely.

Flat Stanley tastes Gözleme

The lady in the photograph let me take some photographs of her at an organic market in the city of Istanbul.

Gözleme is a savoury traditional Turkish pastry. The pastry is rolled out, filled sealed and cooked over a griddle and I love it. Di does too and she always makes sure to find gözleme and a good cup of tea whenever she visits Istanbul.

Hmmmmm, my favourite filling was .... potato but I also loved the spinach and feta cheese mixture. All Turkish food is so good though ... I'm fatter, Van, I think I'll have to come home in a big box.

love
Flat Stanely.

Flat Stanley meets an Istanbul Cat

This cat was trying to eat me while I was trying to take his photograph!! I was lucky to escape with my life!

I'm teasing but cats are everywhere in Istanbul ... EVERYWHERE.

The people of Istanbul feed them and take good care of most of them. I noticed the happiest fattest cats lived near the fish markets.

Rumeli Fortress, Istanbul

Di, Gert and their Turkish friend, Yakup, took me up to visit this fortress high on a hill above the Bosphorus Strait after we had photographed sunrise on the Asian-side of Istanbul.

Can you see the Europe to Asia bridge in the distance? I talk of it in the next post.

This fortress was built by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II between 1451 and 1452, that's 557 years ago. It's a beautiful ruin, with tall grass and wildflowers and it only cost two dollars to visit.

We climbed up onto the walls inside and sat in the sun for a long time, watching the huge ships, small fishing boats, jet boats and all kinds of other boats pass by on the water.

Can you imagine, this huge fortress was built in a big hurry and they finished it in 4 months and 16 days on 31 August 1452!! The bad news, the sultan was building it so that he could take over Constantinople and rename it Istanbul.

These days, Rumelihisarı (as the Turkish people call it) is a museum and an amazing open-air theater for various concerts during the summer.

Incredible!!

Flat Stanley photographs an Istanbul sunrise

So ... what do you know about Istanbul?

I have learned that Istanbul is in a country called Turkey and that the official population is 12.6 million people but that there are far more people living there really.

Istanbul is an ancient city and it used to be called Constantinople. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and the Bosphorus is like a huge river between two continents.

Yes, Istanbul is a city on two continents!!
One half of the city is in continental Europe and the other half of the city is in Asia. And even more amazing is the fact that there are two huge bridges that allow people to drive over the Bosphorus, from Europe into Asia and back to Europe again.

This photograph is one that I took of sun rise on Leanders Tower in the Bosphorus Strait. This tower is also known as the Maiden's Tower and was built by an Athenian general called Alcibiades in 408 BC ... 2417 years ago.

I loved Istanbul.

Love
Flat Stanely

Flat Stanley finally writes home about Istanbul

Hey Guys,

I'm back and I am exhausted!

We were working 10 hours days over in Istanbul, taking photographs for the guidebook we hope to publish and then, in the evenings, we would process all of the photographs from our magical days in the city. Di is wayyyyy behind because she takes far too many photographs.

Anyway, here is a photograph of me enjoying a typical Turkish breakfast on a rooftop hotel balcony in the city of Istanbul. On the plate you will see black olives (Di's favourite), green olives, slices of bread, white cheese (goat I think) and then you can't see it so well but there is another kind of stringy cheese that was delicious. The tomatoes were so tasty and we had 3 small Turkish teacups of cay (tea) to wash it all down.

I have a million stories to tell you but I need to sleep tonight. The flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Brussels in Belgium is 3 hours and we have walked a million Istanbul miles with the cameras.

Sorry to be so quiet while I was there but get ready for 'Flat Stanley in Istanbul - the Novel!

Flat Stanley's Smoutebollen

IMAGINE ... 7 round deep-fried burning hot doughnuts without holes and you are close to imagining smoutebollen.

They're delicious with that light sprinkling of icing sugar on top ... but so hot that they burn your teeth when you try to eat them and the sugar goes EVERYWHERE!

Brusselse Wafel

Meet Sahara.

There's me, sitting waiting while she cuts up my Brusselse wafel. She's only 4 but she takes good care of me.

Flat Stanley Goes on an Eating Adventure!

Hi Guys,

It is difficult to write this post ... I'm not sure I want to think about food.

Maybe I'll begin by introducing you to Sahara - Di's granddaughter. Sahara and I had the best time yesterday but last night, before bed, we thought our stomachs might explode.

We ate:
frieten (fries)
bitterballen
brusselse wafel (waffle)
smoutebollen
and a huge cheese sandwich!

AND THEN, Di's husband brought home FRIETEN and BITTERBALLEN for dinner. And really, they are so tasty, that we ate them again!!

We ate too much!

Did you know, French fries were actually invented by the Belgians?
It's true.
The call them frieten and they eat them with mayonnaise.

I might stay here a while ... just until I fit back into the envelope.
I'm getting fat, guys.