That said, if you will be in Istanbul on a sunny Sunday and you really are yearning for a BBQ party, you might as well check out the few following options.

1. Ciragan Hotel by Kempinski in Ciragan (between Besiktas and Ortakoy, right next to Four Seasons Bosphorus) does tend to host BBQ Sundays during the summers from 19.30 to 23.00 at the Summer Lounge. There is also music and drinks… BBQbuffet costs 155 TRY per person. With drinks, the price is at 189 TRY. However, do call the concierge and check again as you make your reservation.

Cook yourself...

[By Ippi (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]

2. A more classic way of enjoying the heat of the grill is at “Cook yourself, Eat yourself” venues. There are many of these in Istanbul, but most of them requires a long car drive (sometimes to the out of the city for a couple of hours). Nonetheless, a few options within the city are the following: Camlik Et and Kazanc Park.

Camlik Et is located in Silivri, which is still approximately an hour away with car (up to two hours with the bus). It is located over an area of 30,000.00 sqm. Reservations are a must on the weekends. One can bring their own meat and cook it here. Side dishes may be ordered from the property owner.

Kazanc Park is on the Asian side of Istanbul and a little farther away from Polonezkoy. There is a hotel on this property as well as a picnic area, where visitors are allowed to grill meat with their BBQ. There is a children’s area and a trekking area. Phone number: 0090 (216) 434 52 99.

3. Your third option when it comes to grilled meat are the steakhouses of Istanbul. Most of the steakhouses have a nice and big garden, but you are unlikely to get the garden party atmosphere at these. Some of the best steakhouses include: Gunaydin, Ozgur Sef, Nusr-et.

On a final note, a nice buddy, a friend who has a big house with a big garden along the Bosphorus and who welcomes the summer with a BBQ party, is as always the best BBQ ever in the city…

The Zoo and its Gardens were founded in 1991. In 1993, the area was opened up for public visitation as well.

One of the Bird Species at Darica Park

[Image By Nevit Dilmen (Yükleyenin kendi çalışması) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons]

The Bogazici Zoo (including the Bird Park and Botanic Gardens) is the only member of the European Union Zoo Association (of the zoos in Turkey).

In the beginning much of the activity and preservation at the Bogazici Zoo were about birds. In the meantime, the efforts for preserving naturally distinct animals expanded to include many more species. There should now be over 3000 different species of animals and over 500 species of plants.

The Zoo and its Park and its Gardens expand over an area of approximately 165 thousand square meters. It is open everyday during the week between 9:00 AM and 04:00 PM. Entrance fee is 15 TRY, with the exception of children under 6 years of age.

The Zoo is also known as the Faruk Yalcin Zoo, named after a wealthy turkish business man.

My parents tell me, that it was much simpler to go swimming in Istanbul in their youth. They could actually jump into the Bosphorous from the side of the road, or  hire a small boat and stay there on the water for a couple of hours, almost like the fishermen today do. Today it is not that easy as the water has become quite polluted over the years.

Around the islands, Sea of Marmara

[Image By Yusuf fersat (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]

Nonetheless, here are some suggestion for good swimming possibilities…

If you want to spent time on the Bosphorous, then you have two choices. The first one is Suada Club. Suada is an island in the middle of the Bosphourus, located near Kurucesme. It has its own Shuttleboat service from the landside to the island. It has a nice swimming pool, filled with water from the Sea. But, Suada is not just about swimming leisurely during the day; there are also nice parties taking place at night time.

If you are a bigger group, then I suggest to hire a boat. Most of these boats can be hired by the Arnavutkoy and Bebek coast. You could ask the boat to take you out to Beykoz, Anadolu Kavagi, or Rumeli Kavagi. You shall be able to swim a little around these places (as these are closer to the opening of the Black Sea, which is not severely polluted). The boats usually serve lunch or appetizers.

View of Marmara Sea from Kumkapı

[Image By Sahrazad (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]

There are also beach clubs in Istanbul (on both continental sides) around Kilyos (European side) and Şile (Asian side).
There are several different clubs and choices near Kilyos. If you like calm places and the nature, then I would suggest you to go to Dalia Beach Club or GoldenBeach Club. For adrenalin and sea sports lovers I will suggest Solar Beach Club. You will find activities of every kind at this beach club from wind surfing to kiting. There are also weekend parties during summertime, as well as open-air concerts. Shuttle services operate. Detailed information is on their web sites.

Kınaliada is one of the Princess Islands. It is one of the smallest and not to much crowded ones. Kamo’s Beach Club on Kınalıada is a nice, natural and clean place, to enjoy the seaside.

A little out of the city is the Tuzla shore. Dodo Beach Club is one of the best beaches there. Tuzla is located next to the Marmara seaside,and on the way from Istanbul to Izmit.

It has always left me bewildered how in foreign country (UK and the States to begin with), owners can easily tie their dogs outside of a supermarket, shop casually in the inside and come out in 10 – 15 minutes, untie their dogs and keep on walking. This is hardly possible in the city of Istanbul. Not for any particular reason, but simply unlikely…

Cute chihuahua sleeping in a bed... Why shouldn't your dog do so too?

[Image By Bigroger27509 (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]

Anyhow, say that you did bring your dog along, it is quite possible that there may be many hotels which will accept your beloved friend. However, the marketing of this is not done heavily online. Therefore, it is best to contact hotels separately at the time of the booking. It is very possible that some hotels (even if they market themselves as “no pets allowed”, may in fact accept pets at a mild charge.

The same applies for taxis. Always ask. Pets are a subjective issue in Istanbul and the allowance for them (to the restaurants, hotels and cabs) almost always depend on the hosts’ personal attitude towards animals. Exceptions are in order, as some places, are likely to have a strict no pets policy even if they love pets…

Although, there are not as many wineries and breweries as one may find in Italy, France or United Kingdom; there are a few satisfactory wine and / or beer bars.

[Image By George Chernilevsky (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]

Corvus Wine and Bites is one of the most recent places (opened about a year ago) that serves Corvus branded wines and finger food. All wines are sold by the glass, therefore one needs not to crack open a bottle each time to taste a different wine. The finger food served are samples of Agean and Mediterranean cuisine. No reservations, walk-in. And, as such, you may have to wait a little bit for the table.

Que Tal is also one of the recently opened places in the Sishane region. It is a tapas bar and a very popular one. Que Tal does not necessarily praise itself as being a winery, however, they are serving a local and organic produce (wine).

Pano is one of the most classic wine bars in the city. It is probably in existence for over 10 years. It has a mixed aura. With its waist-high tables and regular tables (where people sit and order meze -small plates, a.k.a. tapas in the Turkish style- to the middle, it is hard to decipher whether Pano is a sophisticated bar for the intellectual crowd or more like a tavern. In either case, it continues to be very very popular. Pano is located on a side street that cuts across Istiklal Street.

[Image by Bjraki S in Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

Despite the few wineries mentioned here (above), breweries in Istanbul are even less. Taps is the best known brewer in the city, as it does indeed brew its own produce. The original Taps was opened in Nisantasi, however its Bebek branch looks much more popular nowadays.

There are few other “beer” bars along the Istiklal (around Nevizade). These places are not necessarily brewers, but they are known as “birahanes”s (beerhouses). Although they also serve cocktails and wine, most people who end up at a beer house, ends up there for the beer and not the wine.

Nevertheless, Istanbul should not be on your list for the upcoming October Fest, as Turkey is not primarily a wine or a beer country.

Anyhow, camping becomes possible out of the city in places like Kilyos, around Ömerli and Şile. Most of these places are rural, country-side like places, that are approximately an hour away from the city center. No big malls, no urban structures… Near a bay, a river or a lake, the camping areas such as these provide residents and visitors to be closer to the nature at least for one night.

[Image by Staszek Szybki Jest, in Public Domaini via Wikimedia Commons]

In many of the camping areas such as those mentioned above, there are private camp areas. To access these areas, one needs to pay a certain fee. Whilst this is much safer than parking your car on the side of the road and starting to camp, many people tend to believe that paying to camp loses the essence of the entire experience.

There are also many nature travel tours based in the city that provide daily getaways into the nature. Sometimes camping also become party of their offered tour packages.

Unfortunately with some of such tours, it becomes impossible to know the schedule ahead of time as their seasonal schedule depends entirely on demand.

Music and art festivals are also great opportunities for campers. The now classic Rock’N Coke Summer Festival is one of the best known summer festivals that allows, in fact encourages participants / visitors, to camp out. The entire experience of the festival enhances through camping, as that allows visitors to spend more time on the festival area. It also reduces immensely the risk of drunk drivers leaving the concert area late at night.

Last, but not least, a common area for Istanbul campers is around Buyukcekmece and Terkos. These areas are around the lake, where people may also enjoy participating in activities that take place on the lake, such as water-skiing, canoeing and more. There are also a number of restaurants, buffets and bars to grab a bite.

Many residential campers use forums to discover the most recent and the best camping areas. Make sure to consult a local friend or an official advisory before you set out camping.

The fish market of Besiktas is pretty concise, but you can still find fresh fish and even crabs here. Also on sale are green lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and other salad material to dress up your fish dish.

Arround the bazaar are several fish restaurants, or beter called “ meyhane”s, where it is famous to drink rakı and to dine fish and eat of course the nice appetizers called “meze”. There are several places, each of the same type and quality. One of the oldest meyhanes in the area is Turgut Vidinli. İt has a nice view of the colourful market, and you may have the opportunity to meet some theater artist or writers there.

Go fish!

[Images by Burcin Gokce]

Both sides of Kalpakçılar Street glitters with sparkling gems, gold and diamonds of gleaming jewelry shops. A section of the Bazaar that is slightly on north of the Kalpakçılar Street is in fact referred to as the Jeweler’s Han (Inn) and is marked by the Jeweler’s Street that crosses Kalpakçılar Street longitudinally.

A small alley of jewelers

[Image By Gryffindor (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]

Most of the jewelers seen inside the Bazaar are no intermediaries. They are the producers, the owners and the managers of their brand. Most of them are operating a family business that has been started by their own fathers and grandfathers many years ago. You will notice immediately the air of modesty with these owners. Most of these owner-producers do not operate branches around the city either. They may be producing jewelry for major brands behind the scene; but they do not operate their own shops inside big malls in the city. As these producers are so prone to producing from the scratch, it is also possible to approach them with your own unique design and gem for jewelry. In most cases, the jewelers will produce your design at a moderate fee for craftsmen labor cost.

There are also one man stores (a.k.a. one man show) that will produce custom made designs for you. These stores or shops only display few samples of the kind of things that they usually do. You can put in an order to these jewelers to have something custom-made for yourself. Depending on the type of gems you want to use, and depending on whether you provide them or not, the prices for custom made items will range between 250 dollars and the Sky.

Boutique Jeweler's Display House inside the Bazaar (a mini Bazaar)

[Image By Gryffindor (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]

There are many boutique jewelers inside the Bazaar. These boutique jewelers create their own unique designs that awe you with their sparkle and brilliance. Most of them operate more than one store both inside the Bazaar and in high-end malls, such as Istinye Park or Kanyon, and high streets of the city, such as Abdi İpekçi. Some Boutique Jewelers also create limited designs for famous TV series and shows. These limited designs are also sometimes displayed in their stores. Unfortunately, with high fame and amazing designs the boutique end jewelers are most likely to be less receptive to bargaining.

Istanbul also harbors jeweler brands that are  local produce and have franchises all around the city. Their names are well-known by everyone, designs are more standard than the boutique jewelers, prices tend to be high. The cutting edge of these jewelers is that they are able to print certificates (GIA or their own) on sale. These major brands usually do not operate a store inside the Bazaar. The main reason has to do with the fact that, they have to maintain an even standard of service and price range across their branches and franchises. As such, the bargain-receptive Grand Bazaar is not quite suitable for their standing. Nonetheless, it is not totally impossible to find some of these brands inside the Bazaar. There are  second men inside the Bazaar that sell maybe one or two pieces of a collection.

Well then, if diamonds are indeed a Lady’s Best Friend, Istanbul must share its piece of the Ladies’ hearts…

The tickets for the camp area are limited to a number of 10.000 people. Therefore if you want to go camping and dancing, book your place early.

Biletix e-mail ad `Returning Home`

Image is from Biletix e-mail campaign and the tickets may be found online on its official page. Click here.

Joke aside, we have been having a busy week for sure… And, it is not ending. Ahead of us are many more festivals till the end of the month (which I am about to talk about just now) and more to come during the summer (including the famous Rock’N Coke, which I shall be writing about soon).

First we have scheduled for the weekend ahead, the Chill Out Festival! It is organized for the 6th time this year and is scheduled to take place on 22 May 2011 in Kemer Golf & Country Club (as usual).

Press Release from Chill Out Festival

The other wonderful event that is coming up towards the end of the month is Freshtival.