Istanbul

We went to Istanbul practically blind. I didn’t do my usual obsessive research. I didn’t spend hours looking at google images of all the food I wanted to eat. We had no idea what was in store for us. 

It was good to purge ourselves of any expectations. Istanbul is a huge gem—a perfect crossroads of rich history and city life, of Aegean and Mediterranean culture, of Asia and Europe.

Istanbul is considered to be the European Capital of Culture and we absolutely can see why.

Mehmet, Aysenur’s brother, was our Istanbul guide.  He knew the best places for the best dishes, so we whole heartedly left all the planning to him. He truly wins MVP for best host ever.

We spent the next few days bouncing from restaurant to restaurant, eating some of the most flavorful food we’ve ever had in our lives–and balanced it all out with plenty of Rakkas, Turkish wine, tea, and sightseeing. 

There’s a few people you meet in life who feel so much like family. And Aysenur is like family to me—so meeting her brother was so comfortable and familiar. Like meeting a really cool long lost cousin.