Bright Shiny Things

While in Istanbul, I became fascinated with the Bohemian crystal chandeliers that seem to adorn many palaces, hotels, restaurants, and homes.  In the restaurant Pandeli, above the spice market, I spotted the first of many to be seen along my trip.

Notice the etched tulip-shaped glass globes.  The tulip flower originated centuries ago in Persia and Turkey, and played a significant role in the art and culture of the time.  I had read that the world's largest Bohemian crystal chandelier hangs in the great hall of the Dolmabahce Palace.  The palace sits on the banks of the Bosphorus and was built between 1843 and 1856 by the Ottoman Empire's 31st sultan.  Western in its design, it is also where Mustafa Ataturk, founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey, spent his last days.  The chandelier in the Center Hall was a gift from Queen Victoria to Ataturk.  The palace also boasts the largest collection of Bohemian and Baccarat crystal chandeliers in the world.  I had to go, but timing was tricky.  The palace was not on our itinerary and the only free time we could carve out at the convention was a three hour spot before a panel of speakers that included Tony Blair, Gerhard Schroeder, and George Papandreou, a must see as well.
Three hours should be enough, right?  We jumped in a cab.  After an energetic exchange with the driver over the proper pronunciation of Dolmabahce (the language barrier overall in Turkey was very difficult), we were on our way.
After having arrived at the palace, the grounds were stunning on the first sunny day we had in Istanbul.  

Buying tickets should be easy, right?  I only wanted to see the chandelier.  But the salesman did not speak any English, so to avoid any further delay, I just bought a full price ticket ($40!!) and ran to the entrance of the palace.  There was a long queue to enter, and after having waited some time, we came to find that you can only tour the palace with a tour guide, and the English tour didn't start for 30 minutes, and would last 45 minutes.  On top of that, photography is not permitted within the palace.  Factoring in the time needed to take a cab back (and don't get me started on what it took to find a cab back), we just didn't have the time.  I think I was just meant to return to Turkey another time.
Disappointed, I walked around the palace to catch a view of the turquoise waters of the Bosphorus and enjoyed some fresh air...

when I spied an open door into the palace.  I ran in and caught this pic before being ushered out by a screaming guard.  Good thing I couldn't understand what he was saying.

Photo "accidentally" taken by me of the infamous chandelier in the Center Hall

Here is a close up that was not taken by me...

Not to be disappointed for long, I had the extraordinary opportunity to see some other worthy examples.  The following two photos were taken in a palace attached to the fabulously grand Ciragan Palace Hotel during a lavish black tie party for 2,500 people.

Not sure what is prettier, the ceiling or the chandelier

In addition, we were invited into the homes of some Istanbul locals for dinner.  This incredibly chic home sits on the banks of the Bosphorus, and my only regret is not having seen it during the day.

Beautiful with the molding

Note the parquet flooring as well

Lovely sitting area to admire the view across the water to Asia

I recall that in my one of my favorite TV shows, Million Dollar Decorators, designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard redecorates his dining room with a Turkish-inspired chandelier.

Photo taken for Elle Decor

 Here's to wishing you a wonderful and bright start to your week!  Hasta luegito.




All photos taken by Marci Symington for texaztaste.blogspot.com, with the exception (alas!) of the Dolmabahce Palace chandelier, found at noordinaryhomes.com and the photo from Elle Decor of the home of Martyn Lawrence Bullard.  Many thanks to our gracious hosts, Tulu and Kaan Terzioglu, and for welcoming us into their spectacular home.

Bluebonnet Blues

As I was looking through some photos of past Spring Breaks, I realized that I am missing the blooming of the bluebonnets this year in Texas.  The desert in Arizona is starting to bloom, and I have begun to take some pics, but I am waiting until the palo verde and ocotillo bloom (and maybe the saguaro too) until I post the photos.  In the meantime, I will leave you with these images I took three years ago in the Texas Hill Country around Doss, Texas:

"On a cold winter night

'Neath the silver moon

I wished on a star

Had a dream about you

Dry the tears from your eyes

I'll be coming home soon

'Neath the wide open skies

Where the bluebonnets bloom

Like a blanket spreadin' out as far as I can see

When those flowers line the road

You can look for me

I'll be hangin' round your back door

Like an old familiar toon

I'll be there when the bluebonnets bloom"

--Robert Earl Keen

Iznik Tiles

Iznik tiles and pottery get their name from the town in western Anatolia where they were made in the late 15th century through the late 17th century.  They are beautifully decorated with floral and arabesque patterns in rich colors of blues, greens and reds.  

After our tour of the Spice Bazaar, we walked a short distance to the Rustem Pasha Mosque, which is known as having one of the best examples of Iznik tiles in Istanbul.  Small and out of the way, the Rustem Pasha Mosque is noted in many guidebooks as the mosque in the city (other than the Hagia Sophia) to see if you were to visit only one.  Designed by the Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan between 1561 and 1563, it is also touted as being the mosque with the most "lavish" use of iznik tiles.  The photo below is the mihrab, a niche in the wall of the mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca.

  More photos of Rustem Pasha Mosque...

This gives you an idea of the extensive use of the tiles

Me and my friend, Kirsten

One morning we toured the Topkapi Palace an hour before the general public was admitted.  While we had the place to ourselves I went a little crazy with the photos, especially within the harem.  The Topkapi Palace was the principal palace of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire for approximately 400 years.  The following tiles date from the 15th and 17th century.

How great is this fireplace?

Well, not an example of tiles, but very cool stained glass

Have a lovely Easter weekend!

 

The Spice of Life

It should comes as no surprise that I do not agree with Kate Moss when she exclaims, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels".  One cannot truly experience a culture without gaining an understanding of the cuisine and its history, in my very humble opinion.  So one morning in Istanbul, I signed up for an off-site on the cuisine and spices of Turkey.  This included breakfast at Pandeli, a historic restaurant with a view over the Spice Bazaar, and a lecture on Turkish Cuisine by the Turkish "Martha Stewart", Refika Birgul, a cookbook author, food columnist and TV personality. 

Refika's book, Cooking New Istanbul Style

Often the first culinary stop in Istanbul for many travelers, the Pandeli restaurant dates from 1901 and is decorated with gorgeous turquoise tiles and crystal chandeliers.  Try to get a table that overlooks the bazaar.

  

Overlooking the spice bazaar

Refika Birgul

Crystal chandelier, possibly Murano but I could not verify that

Long tables were preset with platters of tomatoes with cucumbers, assorted nuts and dried fruit (plums, pomegranates, figs), Turkish breads and pastries, and a variety of Turkish cheese. 

Meals typically start with some kind of soup, in our case lentil soup, which is said to be good for a hangover.  Good thing as the night before we had been out late with a group from Mexico City at the nightclub Reina.  Next we were served Turkish-style eggs, eggs scrambled with tomatoes and green peppers, served with spicy sausages.  The main course was a dish of pastrami cooked in parchment with preserved lemon.  All the while we were washing the food down with plenty of black tea and Turkish coffee. 

After our breakfast feast, Refika took a tour around the spice bazaar to show us her favorite vendors.  She recommended we buy some Turkish pepper, the perfect mix of which is two parts black, one part red and one part green.

A selection of curries, saffron and teas

I am regretting I did not buy some of this rose tea, to the right

Next time I am buying some of that Iranian caviar too

"The Turkish meal is a long and unhurried ceremony; a procession of delicacies carried by platoons of staggering waiters; irrigated with raki, that soul-satisfying, intellect-deadening, national anise drink; and, above all, accompanied by talk.  The talk is continuous, loud and passionate; emphasized and punctuated by ritual hand gestures; illustrated by dramatic facial expressions; all pronouncements requiring exclamations of agreement, disagreement, astonishment or disbelief; all tipsy speeches applauded with roars of laughter and an exchange of rough embraces and bristly kisses; followed by a glass-clinking toast and a bellowed order for more food and drink."  John Freely

 

Istanbul Luxury Shopping Part 2

Known today as one of the most recognized brand names for luxury clothing, Vakko was founded in 1934 as a small hat shop called Sen Sapka (Merry Hats). The name changed to Vakko shortly thereafter and the company started producing scarves using Turkish silk, cotton and wool.  A small silk screening workshop was founded in the Kurtulus district of Istanbul, which Vakko still uses today.  In addition to its success in the scarf industry, Vakko is an undisputed leader in fashion with its ready-to-wear line, its Shoes&Bags stores and the Vakko Wedding House.  

On our first evening in Istanbul, we went to Vakko's five-floor flagship department store in the Nisantasi district for an introduction to Turkish fashion.  The following day, after a boat tour along the Bosphorus, we were treated to lunch and a tour of the Vakko Fashion Center in Nakkastepe, on the Asian side of Istanbul.  The New York architecture firm of REX took an unfinished hotel project and transformed it into two office buildings, where one is built inside the other.  The buildings house an Art Center, showrooms, the Vitali Hakko Art Library, an auditorium, art gallery and museum, as well as management and staff offices.

The bar in the entertainment area of the Fashion Center

  

The light fixtures above the bar are made from Vakko silk scarves

A six-tiered scarf light fixture

Music provided by DJ Claude Challe, creator of the Buddha Bar restaurant/clubs

  

In the auditorium, we were given a silk-screen printing demonstration.  To explain the process in its simplest terms, silk-screen printing involves a different screen for each color of the scarf motif.  Imagine it as layers of cut paper, each color requiring its own screen.  For this particular scarf, there were 11 screens, or 11 "layers".

Adding a layer

The reveal

Close-up

You could say that Vakko is the Hermes of Turkey.  Incidentally, on the flight home, I noticed the stewardesses on Turkish Airlines wear Vakko scarves.  It's a great airline with a convenient direct flight from LA to Istanbul.  I will leave you with a pic of me and Hubby enjoying some bubbly on our flight. 

Istanbul Luxury Shopping Part 1

When in Istanbul, a tour of the local fashion houses is a must for exploring Turkey's cultural heritage.  Two of my favorite are Armaggan and Vakko.  Armaggan has two locations, one in the high-end shopping district of Nisantasi, and a second on Nuruosmaniye Avenue, near the Grand Bazaar.  The multi-level store sells items as varied as Turkish crafts, towels and linens, leather goods, high-end jewelry, natural dye textiles, carpets and ladies clothing. 

This stunning jacket is a show stopper.  Silk and gold thread brocade, jacquard woven, made with all-natural materials, it costs approximately $22,000.  This design is modeled after a 16th century Ottoman kemha (brocade) in the collection of the Topkapi Palace Museum. 




 

This armchair is also covered in a silk and gold thread brocade.  Part of Armaggan's Naturally Dyed Textiles Collections, the hand-stitching techniques use centuries-old Anatolian designs.

I

I would love one of these bird houses for the new house we are building, but at this point I was too afraid to ask the price.

For the Ottoman dinner party I plan on hosting one day...

This vertical garden at the Nuruosmaniye location is three stories tall and reminiscent of one of my favorite restaurants, Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas.  You can sit here and enjoy a Turkish coffee while pondering the purchase of one of the lovely brocade jackets.

Also at the Nuruosmaniye location, Nar Lokanta is a restaurant located on the top floor and showcases the best of Turkey in its cuisine, using only seasonal and natural ingredients.  We started with a selection of cold mezes (appetizers), such as mung bean salad, stuffed squash blossom, artichoke heart with broad beans marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and sour pomegranate juice, and marinated eggplant (aubergine).  The main course included lamb baked in a tandoor atop a bed of eggplant puree (also known as Sultan's Delight).  The dessert buffet, seen at the right, offers a wide range of fresh pastries, puddings and baklava.

I leave you with one more photo of the incredible museum quality textiles.  After all the food I had just eaten for lunch, a kaftan would be appropriate for my ever expanding waistline.  Hasta pronto.

All Photos by Marci Symington for texaztaste.blogspot.com

A Little Perk

This will be my first post after having returned from a week in Istanbul, Turkey.  As I start to organize my notes, I will start with a short post on Turkish coffee.  We were in Istanbul primarily for a conference, and it was through one of the many off-sites organized by the conference that we were treated to an introduction on Turkish coffee and the importance of coffee in the Turkish culture.  A quick disclaimer before I proceed: these words and opinions are those of our tour guide.  I am open to all opinions, and since coffee is one of my favorite beverages, I was intrigued.
We were told that if one were to associate a single country in the world with coffee, it would be Turkey.  It is well known that the Turkish people are very keen on tea, coming in third place for per capita consumption only after England and Ireland.  However, coffee is considered the soul, the spirit of Turkey, where a special method of making coffee is used that dates back to the 16th century.  The color brown is translated as the "color of coffee" (same in Spanish, but I am going with it).  Coffee is so important that breakfast is called "before coffee".  Breakfast may last ten minutes, but coffee will be the main event.  It is the subject of long discussions.
Most of the coffee beans imported come from Brazil, but are roasted in Turkey.  It needs to be ground very fine, even finer than espresso.  You can grind it yourself using an electric burr grinder or a "Turkish mill".  Alternatively, I was in Safeway yesterday and found that on the store coffee grinder, there is a setting, just past espresso, for Turkish coffee.  This is the first time I have noticed this, but maybe I just hadn't looked closely enough before.
You need three things for a good cup of coffee: fresh cold water, fresh coffee grounds, and a truncated metallic pot, usually made of copper, with a long handle, called a cezve, which is used for brewing.  Pour the cold water in the cezve, enough for a demitasse serving of coffee. Add one heaping teaspoon of ground coffee per demitasse of water.  Sugar is then added, but has only been used in Turkish coffee since the 1930's.  For this reason, Turkish delight candy is traditionally served with it.  Stir the cold water, coffee grounds and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  Then start brewing the mixture over a medium-low heat, preferably on a gas stove.  Once mixture boils, it will froth up quickly.  Remove from the heat and allow the froth to settle.  Repeat by boiling a second time, allowing for the froth to build, and removing from the heat.  Good coffee should have a froth.  Pour the coffee into a demitasse cup and enjoy.

"Coffee should be black as hell, as strong as death, and as sweet as love."  Turkish Proverb