Istanbul overnight

Welcome to Istanbul....nightshift...so first day arrival was at 13:00....plenty of time to sleep which was fab...then staff captain was going out, so kim couldnt go out....so off i went on my own mission....plan...to walk up to Taksim square....have a wonder around, maybe some coffee and find some Pistaccio chocolate.....was a little rainy so umbrella had to come with.....wot a great walk up....took 15min...and just being in the fresh air...love it...and because it was just a drizzle it was great...i strolled along the main road...going into the local bazaar and shops....of course i found the choc shop....here is a pic...and of course i bought the black pistaccio choc bar.....

Yes....did find a coffee shop....maybe you know cafe nero...i think its an english chain and i always love their coffee in england...why....Because its strong...so in there i went....coffee was very good and strong...foam a little too "disappearing" if you know what i mean.....haha.....then time to stroll back down cause tonight we were eating at Le Bistro with a friend of mine and her boyfriend.....and yes....the whole day ive been thinking what to eat...why...cause i promised that one course will be different....damn...which should it be starter or mains...hmmmmm.....as i got back kim had Christmas deco in his room...a small christmas tree and some pinetree thing outside the room door.....i dont know the word in english....here is a pic....

dinner was fab as always...and yes...i kept my promise...starters was double portion of scallops....i just love them...and the aubergine purree underneath is fab.....kim had the mushroom soup...he said he would not have it again....too rich....but the way it was served..so cool...mushrooms were in the bowl and then they came and poured the soup over in front of you...maybe the soup and another starter would be enough....here is a pic of the soup and of me and my friend Andrea....

Mains i had to have different.....so the swordfish in gravy sauce it was....and you know what...was def worth trying...liked it a lot....and yes....i will have it again...hmmmm...maybe i should try some different things....next time maybe the same again....then the next time....one course different....hahaha...maybe starters this time....and guess what dessert....i also had something different...wasnt gonna have anything and then ended up sharing the choc napoleon with Andrea....good...but rich....pic...of course....

What an enjoyable evening....after that nightshift....damn...was a long nite.....cause i was done with work so quick and then nothing to do....hmmmm...oh well....cant have everything...i was just thinking at least i get to go out tomorrow without any stress when to return.....morning...slept 3hrs then kim and i took a stroll to the Dolmabahce Palace.....it served as the main administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire from 1853 to 1922. so inside you have to take a guided tour...they start every 15min and last 45min....we had to put on these red plastic covers for the shoes and off we went....the palace was built between 1834 and 1856.....wow....and the ceilings look amazing...all hand painted and so detail orientated....i was really awestruck...unfortunately you are not able to take pics inside...here is a pic from the ouside though nd one from our shoes....

The grand hall where they used to have cermonies is 2000m squared, the chandelier in the middle weighs 4.5 tons and comes from England....the diameter of the dome at the top is 25m and the hall inside is 36m high.....the hall houses the largest carpet which is 124m sqaured.....amazing...and all in all the palace has 68 toilets....crazy......i thought it was really interesting...then kim and i also had tickets for the Harem section which was the private residence of the Sultan...consisting of three sections...the women' section, the section for his mother and his section.....here is a pic while walking to the Harem....

Here are some facts.....there are 8 ladies rooms but he was only allowed to have a maximum of 4 of his wifes staying there at the same time, the others had to stay in another residence...so the other 4 rooms could be used by the Sultan's sisters or daughters.....the sons were allowed to stay there until they were circumcised at the age of 8. the sultan himself had two bedrooms...one for summer and one for winter...again...i was very impressed, the palace still has the original furniture and again we had to take a guided tour which lasted 30min.....interstingly they had no furniture for eating because it is their culture to eat while sitting on the floor.....here is a pic of the famous clock tower just outside of the palace....

After that time to eat...find a local restaurant up at Taksim sqaure...and yes we walked up...and had some Turkish salad....flat bread and kebab....then of course Kim needed something sweet....so why not go to the choc shop that i bought truffels at and have a good coffee...hopefully....and something sweet....kim def has a sweet tooth.....and i Think we all know what he chose....yes....ice cream....but he was so nice cause he ordered the pistaccio flavoured one...with real pistaccios in it....man it was so good....wow....the pistaccios, the fresh ones in it....so tasty...was really a fab dessert.....wow....here is a pic....it deserves to be shown....

So....Istanbul finished again.....one more before sign off....one that i need to spend alone....hmmmm...why...cause kims 10 weeks will be over on the 22nd dec....damn....not so nice...but nothing one can do.....after we got home...sleep time....and the nightshift again....again...not very interesting....but the good thing...next two days are sea days....yay...Cause that means i can catch up on sleep and do some gym....and we planned to have 2 nice lunches....so actually....i was looking forward to the two sea days....so goodnite from me.....chat soon.....next up...my two sea days....and yes believe it or not...i can actually for once write a blog about sea days....because both were very packed and deserve to be mentioned....ok enough now....need to do some santizing work now....ill be off in 3 hrs....but wake up calls start in 1hr and people start coming to work in 2hrs...so hopefully time will pass....hahaha...cheers now....

 

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