We asked our guide Fatih to join us for a meal, and encouraged him to choose one of his favorite restaurants. So we jumped back on the Metrobüs and sped back to Istanbul’s New District.
The mosaic art walls at the Mecidiyeköy Metro station were incredible!
The weather was nice, so Steve and I opted to walk instead of taking the Metro (subway). We walked through the Şişli district, past a huge shopping mall called Istanbul Cevahir, to Nişantaşı, a residential neighborhood with pretty tree-lined streets and upscale shopping and dining. We had a late lunch at Develi 1912, a restaurant amidst the posh stores on İpekçi Street. We sat outside because the weather was so nice, but I did pop inside to admire the beautiful interior, and say hello to the friendly chefs baking flatbread in the wood-fired oven. Lunch was fantastic! I’ll share more about the excellent food in a separate post.
Satisfied and sleepy after the awesome meal, we rode a gondola across Maçka Democracy Park. It was fun to see the park and the surrounding mega-hotels from high overhead. We could also see Beşiktaş Park, a famous stadium on the Bosphorus.
From the gondola, we walked to Taksim Square, and then strolled along Istiklal Avenue, back to our hotel.
We had walked on Istiklal Avenue before, but this time we had Fatih with us. He took us to his favorite bakery so we could taste his favorite treats. My favorite was the candied orange peel dipped in dark chocolate - classic and delicious.
Fatih also showed us small hidden surprises called pasajılar (passages). These historic shopping and dining arcades were not visible from the street. The charming Çiçek Pasajı (Flower Passage) dated back to 1876.
When we reached the end of Istiklal Avenue, Fatih pointed out some notable Italianate-style buildings right near our hotel:
The Pera Palace Hotel was built in 1895 for passengers traveling on the legendary Orient Express. Famous guests at Pera Palace included Agatha Christie, Ernest Hemingway, and Alfred Hitchcock.
Palazzo Corpi (1882) was formerly the United States Embassy and Consulate. It is now a private club called Soho House.
Pera House (1856) is the Consulate for the United Kingdom.
Finally, we said goodbye to Fatih and returned to Casa Foscolo, tired and happy from our long walk through the New District.
