Beautiful San Francisco

I just can't seem to get over the beauty of San Francisco! It is such a small little city, at only 7x7 square miles, but the charm and character it possesses is quite amazing. From the diversity of the neighborhoods to the eclectic restaurants, there is always something new and exciting going on. I don't think it's really possible to be bored in San Francisco. It seems that every week something will happen and I think, I love this city!!

This week it was Angel Island, even though it was my third trip there. Saturday was a perfectly sunny, unseasonably warm day in February. Dan and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend the day outside, and took the ferry from the Embarcadero to Angel Island State Park where my love for San Francisco was once again renewed. The views from both the ferry and Angel Island are just stunning, and include the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, the San Francisco skyline, Alcatraz, Sausalito, Tiburon, Oakland, and of course, the Bay. We hiked through tall canopies of trees and native plants to the top of Mt. Livermore. There we made ourselves comfortable on the grass and enjoyed the views, the quietness of nature, and the short getaway we allowed ourselves. As much I love the city, it's nice to be able to so quickly get away and enjoy the city from a different angle.

View from Angel Island: Bay Bridge, San Francisco Skyline, Alcatraz Island


On our hike back down to the cove, we found a quiet little area with a bench. It was, by no accident, situated perfectly in view of the Golden Gate Bridge, of which I am always in awe. Most mornings, unless the fog is too thick, I wake up to see the bridge out of my bedroom window. I frequently run down on Crissy Field and stare at the bridge the whole time, thinking, I am so lucky to live here!

On the most gorgeous days, I usually find myself at Baker Beach (pictured above), where I sit mesmerized by the unparallelled views of the Golden Gate Bridge in the not-too-far distance and think, this is most definitely the greatest of all beach views. 

The Golden Gate Bridge from Baker Beach



People travel around the world to see these backdrops, yet I just ride my bike for 20 minutes and there I am...staring at one of the world's most dramatic landscapes of brilliant architecture contrasted with the rugged nature of the Pacific Ocean.

Ahhh isn't life (in San Francisco) grand? :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

In the name of charity and Valentine's Day, I baked sugar cookies all night. We're having a bake sale at work tomorrow to benefit La Casa de las Madres. It's such a smart idea because people always bring in holiday treats, so now we can eat for a good cause! It lessens the guilt of snacking on sweets all day...kind of...lol.

My kitchen smells heavenly right now-- of sugar and vanilla -- and my belly is so full! I may have eaten a cookie, or two, or five (thank goodness for that 8-mile run today!), while I was waiting for the cookies to cool enough to frost. These little sugar cookies are delicious, and incredibly easy to make.

I hate to admit that these come from a box, but I can't deny it. Sad to some, but very true. I even won a bake-off with this recipe! How did I discover them? Well, after hopping around from party to party during one St. Patrick's Day in Boston (Southie to be exact), I stumbled upon these fluffy, light, sugar cookies with green (very festive) frosting. The cookies were so moist, with each and every scrumptious bite. They tasted like the top of the cupcake, which everyone knows is the best part. I ate one after another and couldn't figure out how they came out so cake-like. I asked the host and she gave me the recipe, and years later, I still remember it.

The reason they taste like cake is that they are made from the Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix! The only difference between the cake and these cookies is that you don't add water. It's just the cake mix, two eggs and 1/3 cup of oil. Other people have discovered these too - exact baking instructions can now be found on the side of the Funfetti box. After baking, they come out firm enough to be cookies but moist and fluffy enough to be the most fantastic sugar cookies, with a little bit of crunch from the Funfetti. Add some pink frosting and conversation hearts, and you have yourself the most perfect, effortless little Valentine's Day treats.

I've made them for many other holidays too - all you need is a different color frosting and sprinkles or candy - and they can be adapted to just about anything.

Happy Baking and Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Why I'm Smiling Today :)

This week started out rough!! But luckily Monday is over and done with, and things are looking up.

Top ten reasons I'm smiling today, in no particular order:

1. It's sunny and warm out! I didn't even need my trusty Northface fleece today. So while the rest of the country is buried in feet upon feet of snow, I'm happy I left the Northeast for San Francisco!

2.  I finished my Dubai/Istanbul paper last night. It was the bain of my existence last weekend. Woohoo!!!

3. I get to see everyone from my Dubai/Istanbul trip this Friday. Can't wait!

4. I haven't seen my parents since Thanksgiving and just bought my plane tickets to go home to San Diego in March.

5. I haven't been snowboarding all season, or seen my sister since Thanksgiving, and just made plans to stay with her in South Lake Tahoe next month.

6. After a nice 3-mile run, I found an unoccupied room at the gym this morning and decided to shadow box/kickbox for a half hour, since no one could see me if I looked retarded. Haha. I forgot how much I love kickboxing!

7. Dan and I just decided that we're going to spend a day in Boston before we go to his friend's wedding in Narragansett this August. I haven't been to Boston since I moved in 8/2009. There are only two things I want to do there, aside from seeing old friends: go for a run on the Charles River and eat in the North End (my old 'hood!) at La Dolce Vita. The best Italian food I ever had was at that restaurant, and it was also coincidentally the first and last place I ever ate at in the North End. And then after the east coast weekend, we're flying 12 hours to Maui!!!! Crazy trip, I know. Funny how things work out sometimes.

8. I'm treating my team to lunch at work today, and we're getting Deli Board! Best sandwiches in SF...that I've had. Yum!

9. I don't have class tonight.

10. The MUNI train was on time this morning and did not make any unexpected, long stops. And I got a seat!

 :)

Middle East Trip Recap: Dubai v. Abu Dhabi v. Istanbul

Well, I've been at home for a week now and have been getting a lot of questions about my trip, of course. It's so fun to tell everyone about it, and I thought it might be a nice way to round out my blog posts if I did a recap, answering a lot of the questions I've received. Plus it will help me officially end my trip, because I keep reliving it every day through blog posts and pictures, not wanting to admit that it's over!

First off, the trip was absolutely incredible and to everyone who's asked: Yes, I am so happy I decided to go to Dubai/Abu Dhabi/Istanbul rather than the China or South America AGI (academic global immersion) trips. When I learned about the three AGI options, I couldn't decide which would be best for me. I'm sure those would have been incredible as well, but I never would have chosen to visit the Middle East had the opportunity not presented itself to me through my USF MBA program. It was truly an eye opening experience to see the "real Dubai" from a business perspective as opposed to just the beaches and shopping that tourists flock there to see, and it was amazing to soak in the ancient culture in Istanbul and be at the crossroads of east and west.

Other frequent questions have been: Which place did you like the most? Would you go back? Where would you recommend I visit? This is tricky because there was the business experience and the personal experience. So if you're asking in order to find out if you should visit for a vacation, my Dubai experience may not be relevant because it was very much focused on business.

Dubai
I definitely learned more from a business and economic perspective in Dubai, as compared to Abu Dhabi or Istanbul, because it is just so completely devoid of culture there that the focus was really on business. Plus, Dubai is obviously an emerging market and people from all over the world move there for the amazing business opportunities. Dubai was only just established in 1971 though, and with time comes culture so it will likely be vastly different in say, ten years. For those who think that Dubai's economy is still largely based on oil, it isn't, as there is an intentional emphasis on diversification. In the 1970's the majority of the economy was based on oil, but as of 2008, only 2.1% of it's GDP was a result of oil output. Dubai has successfully diversified into other markets, most notably hospitality/tourism, real estate and financial services. Additionally, they are making it easier than ever for foreign companies to do business in Dubai, when it used to be painfully difficult to do so. The ruler of Dubai had a vision to build a bustling city in the desert, and that's exactly what he's done. It is this oasis of luxury and business and opportunity for many, yet still a place of struggling to make ends meet and suffering for others.

The economy is certainly innovative, like nothing I've ever seen, where nothing is impossible and they are breaking all boundaries that have currently existed in the Middle East. For example, Dubai is a huge trading capital due to its location, and in order to attract even more trading in the existing port, they are just building more land out into the water to maximize capacity. Similarly, in order to create more ocean front property, the palm islands were built, and now The World is being developed. I was blown away by this, because generally if there isn't land to build on, then there isn't land to build on. But in Dubai, they just build more land.

As I mentioned in previous posts, there's a point where innovation is threatening the environment, and I was really turned away by that. There's a lot of contradiction in Dubai on this topic. Dubai has the highest carbon footprint in the world, yet they are touting their green initiatives and hosting green conferences to act as if they care, when all the while they're building the city with the "whatever it takes" mentality which is most certainly having an affect on the environment.

Despite this negative environmental impact which isn't quite talked about, there is so much to learn about innovation and diversification from Dubai's strategic business initiatives such as the Free Zone, Dubai Media City, and Dubai Academic City. So despite the real estate boom, and contrary to what I thought about Dubai's fluctuating economy before I visited, I now feel that Dubai will most certainly continue in its growth as an emerging market. The mentality is "bigger and better" and through that, they're putting themselves on the map over and over again, with things like "the most luxurious hotel in the world" and the "tallest building" and most recently, "the world's highest restaurant in the sky." The innovative marketing of Dubai as a tourist destination seems endless, and people all over the globe want to see what this unique place is all about. It's kind of an enigma, I think, to people who haven't there, because it just seems so unreal and different and truly intriguing as a result. And that's what Dubai wants.

So again, if you want my opinion about Dubai, it's very business focused. We did have some free time, and we'd go to the malls, the palm islands, the beaches...and the beaches were beautiful. If you want to spend your vacation at a place with beautiful beaches, world class shopping and a fun night life (you can drink at hotels which house all the bars and clubs), you'd probably love it. One thing to keep in mind though, is that for most people who visit Dubai, including me, it feels like Vegas. So I'm not sure it's worth traveling half way around the world to experience Vegas. If you're looking to really experience the Middle East, Dubai may not be the place to be. It's incredibly westernized, only 20% of the population is comprised of UAE nationals, and although I haven't been to Saudi or Iran, I'm sure those countries would present a much more realistic view of the traditional Middle East. If I were to sum up Dubai in one word, it would probably be "artificial." That said, I don't think there's any other place in the world quite like Dubai and it was truly amazing to experience something so unique, where there's this very interesting mix of east and west, old and new, desert and city, business and leisure.

Abu Dhabi
To present a completely opposite view of Dubai's neighboring emirate, I absolutely loved Abu Dhabi. We were only there for one day, but immediately upon entering Abu Dhabi, it just seemed real. We drove along the coastline for miles, and there was a never-ending "boardwalk" right on the beach where people were walking and running and riding bikes. As we drove closer to the city itself, there were parks and palm trees and ampitheatres. I love being outside so this balance of nature and business was really nice. We just visited one business, and learned about the cultural centers planned for Abu Dhabi including world class museums such as the Louvre and Guggenheim. It was plainly obvious to see the differences between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and that Abu Dhabi is being marketed as more of a family destination, perhaps for those needing a break from the bustling business of Dubai. So if you were to ask, I'd say absolutely visit Abu Dhabi, maybe around 2013 when most of the museums and parks are supposed to be completed. I would go back to Abu Dhabi. I wouldn't learn nearly as much as I did in Dubai, but I would most certainly go back there for a well-rounded vacation.

Istanbul
I would tell everyone to visit Istanbul and I would certainly go back. In fact, if I'd had more time, I would have loved to have toured the rest of Turkey because I hear it's beautiful. Turkey is interesting because the majority of the country is on the Asia side, and Istanbul is mainly on the European side. It was pretty cool to be able to be in Asia one minute and Europe the next! :) Regardless, I don't have a complete view of Turkey as a whole, given that we only just barely explored Istanbul.

From a business perspective, Turkey is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and the country is working hard to make this known around the world so that foreign businesses want to do business there. Compared to Dubai where we met with mainly expats, everyone we met with during company meetings, for the most part, was Turkish. Overall, I was much more engaged with the culture in Istanbul than with the business, maybe because I was oversaturated with business knowledge after leaving Dubai...

The culture in Istanbul is amazing. It's one of the oldest cities in the world, and has such an interesting history as a once Roman empire and now a primarily Muslim city. In fact, Turkey is now 97% Muslim and 3% "other." There are ancient buildings, mosques, old cobblestone streets, local music, traditional Turkish food, and everything you would expect from an old city. Additionally, we met up with local MBA students in Istanbul, so we got a good sense of the local restaurants and nightlife in Taksim Square. I'd say Istanbul isn't as glamourous as Dubai, but if you want to visit a European city with a good mix of history, business, urban life and amazing food, Istanbul is definfitely worth a trip. Plus, the flight isn't as long. ;)



Well I wasn't planning on writing such an essay about this, but there you go! Too bad this post can't double count as the required paper I have for the class trip. If you want to learn about "The Role of Education in Dubai's Diversification" though, let me know ;) Seriously though, if you have any questions I didn't answer, please let me know and I'll be happy to answer them!

Next Stop: Istanbul (Part 3)

Day 15: Friday, 1/21/11

Two days left in Istanbul, and we are done with company meetings. Cultural activities...here I come! I slept in since I was still recovering from a cold, and then went with the group to the world reknowned Grand Bazaar. This place is HUGE!!! And old - it was built in the 1400's! There were all kinds of vendors, one after another, selling jewelery, handmade pottery, leather, glassware, souvenirs, spices, tea, gold, etc. So much to choose from! I went with a group of about six people and we'd all go into a "store" (they were more like tiny kiosks that you could just barely walk into) and negotiate together. I think the best deal I got was 15 TL for a pashmina that the guy originally said was 35 TL. I learned never to accept the first offer, and left with a pashmina, a small jewelry box, a beautiful ceramic dish for my kitchen, Turkish tea, and probably more that I'm not remembering right now. What a fun experience!

Next up was dinner in Taksim with the Sabanci students we'd met up with the other night. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was all family style, and of course, amazing! We all sat around these huge, rectangular tables with chairs on one side and cushioned benches on the other. The meal started with fresh fruit juices and I chose cherry, just because it's so different. I mean, really, have you ever had cherry juice?! Then we had salad, thank goodness, because I've been eating way too much meat, cheese and bread and not enough veggies! Then they served some warm tortilla like deliciousness, filled with potatoes and cheese. Yum. And then the mother of all main courses came out...

I don't even know what half of it was, but it was all delicious, of course. I think there was a tray like the one shown for every four people, but it could've definitley fed more than that. Once we were good and stuffed with kebabs, grape leaves, potatoes, dumplings, rice, spinach pie, and more, they served Turkish tea and then we were on our way to a bar/club. The club was on the top floor of a building overlooking the main street in Taksim. We mainly stayed outside, having our own little dance party on the heated patio, and it was the most perfect way to spend our last night in Istanbul!! Not wanting to leave but realizing I had to wake up in a few hours, we finally left the club. Our gracious host, Mustafa, walked us out to get a cab, making sure we experienced the famous Wet Burger first. It's basically a beef patty stuffed in a hamburger bun, soaked in some special sauce that tasted amazing and yet I don't have the slightest clue what was in it, other than salt and oil and all things unhealthy that taste like heaven at 3am!

And that was our last night...ahhh goodnight, Istanbul!

Day 16: Saturday, 1/22/11
It was our last day, and we certainly made the most of it! We started out with a tour of the Cistern, which is this beautiful underground structure that was a water filtration system back in the day. And when I say back in the day, I mean the 6th century! Unfortunately I didn't bring my good camera with me, so my pictures are all really dark.

From there I grabbed a quick shawerma for lunch, which really hit the spot since I'd missed breakfast that morning in a flurry of packing and checking out of the hotel. Oh and I stopped to exchange cash, and found these beauties lounging in the sun in front of the exchange place. They don't even look homeless and yet they're street cats! Either that or the store owners plant them out front to encourage customers...lol...it's possible...

Then we arrived at the Turkish Baths. Unbelievable and perhaps the best experience of the trip. Well, at least tied with the dinner/dancing night we had our first night with the Sabanci students. Oh and the camel ride in Dubai. Ok it was definitely in the top three :) I couldn't take any pictures so I'll try to describe it the best I can. There's a good picture here that I'm pretty sure is the one we were in, except the girls side. We walked in and picked what services we wanted. I paid for the traditional scrub and bath, plus a facial and manicure. Immediately after paying, the girls and boys were split up.

The six of us girls were taken to a big indoor courtyard area, then upstairs to some fancy locker rooms where we were given a thin towel, a mesh bag with granny panties, and spa sandals. We got changed and then entered the spa. During all of this, there were half naked older women walking around, speaking Turkish that we obviously couldn't understand. Wow. So we walk into the bath itself, and it's this beautiful, big circular steam room with a large, heated marble stone in the middle and girls are laying on it, topless, just hanging out. So we do the same and wait for our attendant (I believe that's what the women are called) to scrub and bathe us. Now when was the last time you were bathed by someone else?! What a trip back in time!! It was kind of weird at first being with all of our friends, just laying around topless, but then it was kind of like, ok we're soaking in the ancient, Turkish bath culture, how cool!

So the attendant came over to me and scrubbed my entire body, then covered me in this warm, silky bubble bath from head to toe and literally bathed me like I was incapable of doing it myself. Ha. Then she walked me over to the side where there were ancient, marble sinks, washed my hair with a mini head massage, and rinsed me off. I felt cleaner and softer than ever! Then she motioned for me to go into an adjacent room but wouldn't give me my towel back! I didn't know why she was forcing me to walk around topless, but then I discovered a tiny pool and spa. We all soaked in there for a bit, in our granny panties that looked ridiculous. Lol.

After the pool, spa, and soaking in the steam room on the heated marble a bit longer, it was time for facials. We walked out and into another room and couldn't take our towels with us. So much walking around topless! :/ But when we got in, we understood there were private showers and bigger towels that actually covered us. So after a quick, cool, refreshing rinse, a Turkish lady sat us all on a cushioned bench and painted our faces with a clay mask. Then we were walked out into a lounge area where we sat on more plush, cushioned benches and drank fresh squeezed orange juice that we watched them make. Nothing had ever tasted so refreshing! And then it was time to go back in, rinse off the mask, and lay down for a face massage. I had gotten so used to the old ladies taking my towel, that I just assumed I had to take my towel off for the facial. So I took it off and the lady said quickly in broken English, "No, no. Just massage for your face!" Haha oops! I quickly covered myself up again and got the rest of the facial and face massage. Ahhh bliss!

As if I hadn't been pampered enough by this point, next up was a manicure. It wasn't as luxurious as the rest of the treatments, but my nails were in awful shape after two weeks of traveling through the dry Middle East, so it was heaven to get them all cleaned up and polished just in time for the trip back home. Afterwards, we just got dressed and that was that. Such an incredible experience and glimpse back in time at how both men and women used to relax in public baths.

And then it was time to leave Istanbul :( But not before I got a box of baklava to bring home, and one last piece for the road, dripping with honey and as sweet and delicious as ever.

Next Stop: Istanbul! (Part 2)

Day 12: Tuesday, 1/18/11
A cold has been going around our group and today it finally got to me! :( I stayed back from the group and slept most of the morning, and took advantage of my down time to update my blog. I think everyone is starting to feel run down because we've been going nonstop for almost two weeks now and there's never any alone time, so it was nice to have an entire day where I didn't have to talk at all! I finally left the hotel late afternoon to get some air and walked a few blocks down to the water. It was cold! I walked for about an hour and saw tons of boats going through the Golden Horn, lots of cats playing on the rocks lining the water, and what looked like locals taking walks as well.

By the time I got back to the hotel, I was starving, so I went to the restaurant closest to our hotel for some Turkish takeout. I ordered a Mediterranean salad and sat down at an outside table to wait for it, and right away a cute little gray and black cat walked up to me. I barely looked at the cat when it jumped up into my lap, made itself comfortable and started purring. I didn't even have any food yet! I guess it just wanted company because it stayed there until the waiter came out with my food. I was kind of embarrassed that here I was, all of a sudden, with a cat on my lap. Lol.

So my salad was great, and not at all what I was expecting which was something like a Greek salad. Instead it was this colorful blend of fresh vegetables: shredded lettuce, cabbage, carrots, corn, tomatoes, cucumber, olives and shredded white cheese. It came with this round flat bread and yogurt dip. All for six Turkish Lira which is a bit less than $5!

I went up the roof of our hotel around sunset and it was gorgeous. Then shortly after that the group came back from the company visits and I left with some of them to get dinner. We also walked by the Grand Bazaar but it was just closing so we're going back on Friday, hopefully. We kept walking along and looking at the menus outside, and each time a man would come out immediately and try to convince us to come inside. They are so aggressive! We finally found a place that looked good and with a nice man who didn't scare us away. We sat on the second floor and had a nice view of the main street and the Blue Mosque. We ordered yogurt dip with garlic, olive oil, dill, peppermint, cheese and some other unique ingredients that I can't remember, and hummus. The hummus was served warm and was the best hummus I've had here! The hummus I make at home is good, but not that good! The dips were served with an assortment of delicious breads too. For my entree I finally had kebabs, which I thought meant shish-kebabs like in Dubai, but is thin strips of that lamb or beef meet off the "meat cone" like what you see at home when you get a gyro. So it was thin strips of deliciously seasoned meat on top of little squares of bread, covered in a light sauce and served with plain yogurt and tomatoes. It was so good! I decided it was the best meal I've had in Turkey so far.

And lastly, to round out our eating for the day, we stopped at Mado for goat's milk ice cream. A local had raved about it, so we got small cups of pistachio ice cream and it was ok, but nothing special. At least we tried it though. :)

Day 13: Wednesday, 1/19/11
Wednesday was a busy day! And, it marks the first day I'm writing more of a live blog, because Wednesday was yesterday! Haha. I woke up exhausted and not feeling 100% but didn't want to miss another day. We first went to ABFT - American Business Forum in Turkey and heard someone speak from a Turkish university, Merck and a bank. It was interesting to get their different perspectives on doing business in different industries within Turkey. They presented a very realistic view as compared to the day we went to ISPAT where they presented Turkey only in a positive light.

We had lunch at a French style restaurant and for the first day, I didn't have traditional Turkish food, but got a deliciously fresh Nicoise salad instead. The breads on the table were wonderful, as with everywhere we go! Then we went to Tuskon which is a nonprofit to promote business in Turkey. We drove though a really poor part of Istanbul to get there, with almost dilapidated buildings. We hadn't seen any poor parts until then. And the traffic has been horrible! It feels like LA with traffic no matter what time of day or what area you're in. Random side note, things seem to be spelled phonetically here, like instead of "taxi" it's "taksi" and instead of "police" it's "polis." The meeting was just ok and the girl next to me and I tried every last cookie on our plates just to keep ourselves entertained! The next meeting was with Korn Ferry International - the recruiting firm - and it was good but after two company visits already, I was so exhausted.

The night activity was a boat cruise. The food was awful, as you might expect from pre-prepared food on a small boat w/o a kitchen, but the entertainment made it worth it. There was belly dancing, Egyptian style dancing, and this crazy hilarious, traditional dancing that I can't even explain...

When the entertainment ended, the music continued and the boat turned into this huge dance party with Turkish and American dance music. We must have been on the boat for four hours, and went out toward the Black Sea, though I'm not entirely sure we ever got there. We went under two different bridges that were all it up, and there was a full moon, so it was just beautiful being out on the water at night.

Day 14: Thursday, 1/20/11
I still wasn't feeling well but wanted to go to the two company visits on Thursday: Efes Brewery and Coca Cola. I made it to the brewery presentation and tour and then had to be dropped off at the hotel and slept the afternoon away. I went to Taksim for dinner and then came back to the hotel and went back to sleep...not a very exciting day, unfortunately!

Next Stop: Istanbul! (Part 1)

Day 9: Saturday, 1/15/11
Off to Istanbul! After a four hour flight and a not-so-long line at customs, we made it from Dubai to Istanbul. It's colder here than in Dubai and felt like a nice, crisp, fall day. We took a shuttle to the Uyan Hotel, getting a nice view of outer Istanbul and the Bosphorus Strait. There was a path along the water with people walking leisurely, and apparently it extends for miles. It reminded me of Boston. I was barely at the hotel and yet was already falling in love with Istanbul. Our hotel is situated up on a small hill, overlooking the strait on one side, the Blue Mosque on another, and the Haggia Sophia on another. The neighborhood is incredibly European with narrow cobblestone streets, colorful buildings right up against each other, little markets with fresh fruit outside, and busy locals and tourists wandering around. The hotel itself is really cute with much more character and charm than the Marriott we'd stayed at in Dubai. There's no gym, but we're in a walkable area so I think I'll survive.

I drop my bags off and unpack a little, and then go out to explore. We were shocked at how close we are to "old Istanbul" near the Blue Mosque, the Haggia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, other smaller bazaars and hundreds of restaurants, Turkish bakeries and small shops. Again I'm reminded of Europe as there are narrow alleyways off the main street with restaurants with outdoor seating. Like Rome, there are cats everywhere! They look well fed so I assume they stay in this area because the tourists continually feed them. They are literally everywhere and are very friendly, jumping up in your lap when you're sitting down, even if you don't have food! So anyway, the sun was setting and we just wandered around taking pictures and buying street vendor food. We got roasted chestnuts which were surprisingly delicious, then some Turkish drink that was way too thick for me but smelled amazing. It was made with cream, honey, milk, cinnamon and other yummy spices. Later we had our first Turkish dinner. I had lentil soup and an eggplant stuffed with seasoned meat. Amazing!! Then we stopped at a bakery for the most fantastic piece of baklava I've ever tasted. It was dripping with honey and was so moist and delicious like nothing I've ever had before.

Day 10: Sunday, 1/16/11
Another day without company visits! Hooray! We all met in the hotel dining room for breakfast, which was really different than the one in Dubai. I had yogurt with granola, molasses and mulberries, a piece of amazing bread and dried apricots. Then we went to The Palace for a tour that took far too long considering it was outside most of the time and it was cold and rainy. Not my favorite morning. We did see the world's second largest diamond and some apparently impressive Muslim artifacts that I was a little too tired to care about though. Ha. From there we had lunch and I got rice and meat stuffed green peppers. I expected they'd serve lavash or pita bread everywhere but, same as dinner the night before, meals come with white bread. It's really soft French type white bread and really good, but I was just surprised.

Next we went to the Haggia Sophia which is just absolutely huge and incredible. It was a church during the Byzantine period but is now a mosque, so the Christian pictures of Jesus were all covered up, but  you can see them in the process of uncovering them now. It's pretty amazing that they can just "uncover" the images to a certain degree. There's also a hole in one of the columns and you're supposed to put your thumb in it and spin it around while making a wish. We'll see if my wish comes true... :)

Then we walked across the street to the Blue Mosque, where we had to talk our shoes off and put a scarf or hat over our heads. One girl in my group was wearing leggings and they made her wear a sheet around her because they felt leggings weren't appropriate. Ha. The mosque was similar to the one we saw in Abu Dhabi, except much, much older and more crowded. We walked around and admired all the ornate tiles, and then got some street vendor food on the way out - a "pancake" with cheese. It was kind of like a really big crepe with feta-like cheese. Delicious!

On our way back to the hotel we decided to visit a small bazaar nearby. I ended up buying a beautiful pashmina, after some negotiating, and we wondered around looking at different pottery, glass lamps, more pashminas and jewelry.

After all of our cultural excursions for the day, we had some free time, finally!! We rested up and then a small group of us went to the Taksim area to meet up with some MBA students from Sabanci University here in Istanbul. We walked through Taksim square where there's a wide cobblestone street, closed off from cars but there's a cable car like thing running through it, tons of shops, restaurants, hotels and lots and lots of people. We're staying in old Istanbul and this was certainly modern Istanbul where the locals hang out.

So we met up with the MBA students at a restaurant in Taksim, and, brace yourself: I'm about to talk about this dinner experience for the rest of the entry. This was my favorite night of the trip so far, hands down. When we got to our table, there were mezze (like tapas) in little dishes and a bottle of raki (a really sweet, anise-flavored alcohol). It's clear but when you add water, it turns cloudy. And it is strong. I opted for a sip and then switched to red wine for the night. There was also live Turkish music playing.

So we thought the whole dinner was the mezze...wow were we wrong! After sampling dolmas, yogurt dip, hummus, potato salad, sauteed something amazing (spinach?), and many other mezze that were amazing yet  unidentifiable, the music suddenly got louder and some people got up and started dancing. We thought they were just drunk. Then our group got up and started dancing and before you know it, we're all up dancing around together in this tiny, little restaurant and the energy level is unbelievable! We must have danced for half an hour to this energetic, authentic Turkish music, kind of like folk music, with instruments I'd never seen before. Then the music dies down, everyone goes back to their seats, and we get served more food. That's when we ask our friends if everyone at the restaurant is on the same schedule, and they tell us about this type of restaurant where Turkish people usually go for celebratory dinners. It's just course after course after course, with upbeat dancing between each course. So fun! So fun, in fact, that I want to bring this back to the states and make it my entrepreneurial project for my MBA program!! I just need to partner up with someone Turkish who can do the authentic Turkish cooking and play music...lol.

The next course was some amazing, perfectly fried pastry with melted, gooey cheese inside, and then a steaming hot fried vegetable dumpling. Then a little plate of bite-sized meat appeared in front of me, I assume it was pieces of beef or lamb like everything else here, and tried it. It was weird. I didn't like it. I couldn't figure out what type of animal I'd just eaten. Then I asked and was told, liver. Barf. I have never eaten liver because it just sounds so unappealing to me, even though I realize it's a delicacy in most parts of the world. So now I can confidently say, from first-hand experience, I don't like liver! Luckily I had some delicious red wine to wash it down with. Never again, liver, never again! :/

There was another round of dancing, getting more roudy with every round, and it was fantastic! We learned some Turkish dance and somehow all became best friends throughout the course of the night...dancing and laughing and having a grand 'ol time ;)

We never got full because we were sweating out most of our food in between courses. The main course was lamb and some fantastically seasoned rice with pine nuts. There was more dancing. More wine. Then dessert, perfect and light, consisted of fresh oranges, apples and pears, which were of course delectable and sweet and refreshing.

So...this whole dinner experience lasted about four hours, and it was certainly the best four hours of the trip! What a fun way to experience Turkish culture!

Day 11: Monday, 1/17/11
I was awakened at sunrise by broadcasted prayer from one of the nearby mosques. Fun way to start the day, and I think I get to look forward to it every morning ;) For those of us who went out the night before, this was a rough day, especially for a certain someone who was still drunk on the bus and made the long bus ride very entertaining...I won't mention names...lol. This was the first day of company visits in Istanbul and we had a packed day: Yogurt Technologies, Turkish Airlines and ISPAT. The first visit wasn't all that great, and they ordered Subway for us. Why would you order Subway for a bunch of American students trying to learn about Turkey?! Luckily it was better than the Subway sandwiches we'd had in Dubai.

Our visit to Turkish Airlines was pretty amazing. The CEO gave the entire presentation and stayed for a long Q&A session, and then gave us the biggest goody bag we've had to date! Included was a model airplane, a book on the history of Turkish Airlines which weighs close to 50 lbs. and will not be coming home with me, a notepad, calendar, and other random stuff. I still can't believe the CEO spent two hours of his afternoon with us, giving a really interesting, informative presentation. Lucky us!

Our last meeting of the day was with ISPAT: Istanbul Support & Promotional Agency of Turkey. The presenter was great and had hundreds of facts and figures about Turkey and Istanbul so it was a really nice introduction to learn about Turkey's growth and business opportunities. And of course there was Turkish tea and cookies which we're all getting used to (and spoiled by) by now. It's interesting that all of the people we met with today are native Turks, as compared to all the expats we met in Dubai.

We came back to the hotel and went to dinner around the corner for Turkish pizza. The owner is this total New York guy, Tony from Brooklyn, though he's Turkish. He was hilarious, telling us about life in Brooklyn and random things about the Istanbul party life. He wants to go out drinking with us this week...ha we'll see. He gave us what he called pita but it was this ginormous hollow loaf of flat bread with sesame seeds on it, served with rosemary butter. Pretty different. I promise I'll upload pictures! I had a bit of Turkish pizza but ended up getting the veggie casserole after seeing someone else order it. I am so obsessed with eggplant so I couldn't resist! It had eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and gooey cheese. Delish! Then we went to a little corner market to get bottled water and I got some Turkish chocolate with pistachios, which was of course, wonderful!