About Last Night…

Last night was so much fun! Jay decided to chuck his briefcase for some Turkish fun! Which I didn’t mind because I am all about having fun. Although it was a little cold and foggy it was still a nice night for a brisk walk in the city.

Turkey is so hilly and you have to be really careful walking down the cobblestone streets. They also drive rather fast with their tiny cars and narrow streets. So if you come here be mindful when you are walking.

Jay and I walked down the street and I noticed how close together the homes were. They have the “row house” concept here like in Baltimore, MD. Meaning everyone is hearing all that goes on in your damn house. We finally get down the hill and due to the lack of space the cars have no choice but to park on the side walk. We had to be very careful walking in the street because again they like to drive fast.

Highlight about being here is all these inclines can give my fat thighs some exercise lol. Anyway we get down the hill and all you can hear is the noise of the city. Men playing soccer, laughs while drinking tea, and people walking their dogs enjoying life.

All the walking made us hungry! Jay and I had been eating tons of Turkish food since we’ve been here. Kabobs, Phyllo desserts, couscous, and all other Mediterranean delights. So we were craving some good American classics! You guess it Cheeseburgers! We found this cute restaurant called Burger House.

At first it appeared to be closed but the waiter ran out to tell us they were open. We were thrilled! Before we could walk in a local came to us and said “You came all the way from the United States to Turkey for Burgers!” He was owner of another eatery nearby. We told the man how we had been feasting on their wonderful cuisine for days.

He told us okay for dinner come here tomorrow for real nice Turkish food. We told him we will keep his restaurant in mind for tomorrow’s dinner. He laughed and said okay! As he walked away he said “Welcome to Turkey!” We said thank you!

We turned around and walked into Burger House. Burger House had a very manly feel. The decor was wired fences, tin, and lots of woods accents. The design included lots wood tables and metal chairs. The tables had hand carvings of “Burger House” in them. This place was a man cave. The establishment although full of testosterone was very clean and the service was great.

We ended up ordering a chicken burger, cheeseburger, chocolate cheesecake, and fries. Everything was made to order. So no lamp lights for this eatery. Our steak fries hit the table first. I love steak fries! I feel like all fries should be cut that way in my personal opinion. They were very crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They were fried to golden brown perfection. When I broke the fry apart you could hear the crispy snap. It lead me to believe that they were fried twice. Frying fries twice is super delicious especially the freshly cut kind.

It didn’t take long after the fries came out for the burgers to hit the table. My chicken burger was topped with pickles, small Julianned potatoes, veal bacon, cheese, lettuce,tomato, and garlic mayo. 140 grams of tender and juicy grilled chicken patty on a sesame seed bun. Did someone say yum? I did! Jay’s cheeseburger was topped with a house made sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickle, veal bacon, and pickles. As we ate our burgers we reflected on our marriage, life, and how far we have come.

As we sat there we discussed how we are creeping up on our first wedding anniversary. It went so fast I tell you. It feels like I just said “I do”. Time truly flys when you are having fun. After we finished our burgers we had a lovely piece of the house chocolate cheesecake. The cheesecake was topped with a semi-sweet chocolate garnash, filled with creamy cheese and coated with the most delicious graham cracker crust.

We shared the sweet treat together then paid and carried on into the streets of Istanbul. Jay brought me to the flea market that sat on the canal on the Europian side of Istanbul. The market was full of waffle makers, shirt and hat sellers, jewelery makers, bars, kabob makers, and smiling faces. We walked through and I was in amazement in the waffle combinations. Jay was here before and had a waffle and said they were delicious. As I am looking into the stands I see all the fresh fruit, coconut shavings, chocolate, and other toppings I wanted to eat everything.

I just had a piece of cheesecake so to indulge in a waffle would have been pure fatness! So do you think I got one? I am sorry to disappoint but I passed on it. I will go back before we leave though to eat one. There is no question about that! The funniest thing happened as we passed one of the waffle stands. All the guys wanted to take photos with Jay. I think they thought he was a NBA player. I found it to be hilarious. The locals were yelling for Jay like he was Kobe! They were so excited. Jay engaged and took some photos with his Turkish following who he didn’t know he had. They got their photos and gave us samples of strawberries covered in coconut. Most importantly they welcomed us to Turkey.

We laughed as we moved along and seeing the faces of Turkey. We truly immersed ourselves in their way of life. Smelling the food, seeing people dancing in the club and swaying. I danced outside with them. I don’t need an excuse to dance it out. All Jay does is laugh at me. I can’t wait to go back to the market and pick up a few trinkets for friends and family. Wow this has been quite an adventure already. I am so glad that I was able to see this in my lifetime.

I know when I have my children I am going to strongly encourage them to see the world. Just get on the plane and experience a life outside of what is comfortable. See how others live, eat their food, dance their dance, laugh with them, and just truly take in an unforgettable moment.

Thanks for listening…