Places old and new

Rustem Pasa Camii, my favorite Istanbul mosque, is tucked away in a corner close to Eminonu and the Spice Bazaar. The narrow street is filled with paper goods sellers - from cardboard boxes to party favors. The shop awnings nearly block out the sun, and give the feeling of walking through a tent. Turn a corner, and here is an arched doorway and marble stairs, the treads worn down in the middle from years of shuffling feet. At the top of the stairs you find a silent open courtyard and colonnaded portico.

Rustem Pasha, the guy who commissioned the mosque, really loved Iznik tile. Almost every surface inside is covered in it. Tulips, roses and almond blossoms twine and twirl up the walls. This mosque is small and intimate, and surprisingly peaceful given that it is only one floor above a busy commercial neighborhood. Also amazingly - no cats!

When it was time for prayer I sat on the wall in the courtyard and watched the people drift in. Rustem Pasa is a very special place - a bit hard to find but worth the effort.

Lunchtime, and I was on a mission to eat Iskender kebab. I went back to Hamdi in Eminonu and got my wish. The actual meat could have been better, but the rest of the tomato-covered, butter-soaked, yoghurt-garnished, pillowy flatbreaded dish was delicious.

I hopped up to Taksim Square and appreciated for the first time what a concrete wasteland it has become. Gezi Park is north of Taksim Square. Along the west side of the park I remember there was a busy street - the airport shuttle used to stop there. The street is gone - closed to traffic and paved over, a river of concrete stretching north for half a mile. Now I understand better the huge reaction last year to bulldozing the park. Removing that last bit of green space would be akin to removing Taksim's soul.

Next stop, Zorlu Center, a VERY fancy new shopping mall. This mall is close to my old office building, and the area is nearly unrecognizable to me. Although I have to agree that Zorlu Center is a monstrosity, if I lived here I would haunt it. They have Stella McCartney and Eataly for gods sakes. We don't have an Eataly in DC. Sheesh!

Dinner time found me back in Taksim, gazing into the window of Saray Muhallebicisi. Thank god I didn't notice it earlier, because my suitcase wouldn't have been the only thing holding a few extra pounds. Muhallebi is a milky pudding; a muhallebici specializes in milky desserts. I got the lightest dinner on the menu, to save room for dessert.

Dessert (who cares about dinner) was kazandibi. I figured of all the good things to choose from, this would be the hardest to find back home. Kazandibi is made by boiling then pounding the hell out of chicken breast, and making it into a milky pudding. The bottom slightly caramelizes - kazandibi literally means "bottom of the pot." It is sweet, dense and sticky. With a cup of tea - absolute heaven.

As I ate my dessert, a water cannon truck and three police vans rolled by, heading for Taksim Square. No one paid much attention. I had already forgotten the tension of my first full day here, and this was a sobering reminder.

Now I am in Munich, waiting for the next plane home. I've had a wonderful week with dear friends - inshallah, only the beginning of my renewed acquaintance with Istanbul. I hope you've enjoyed reading this little blog, and that it inspires you to visit Istanbul one day, too!