We are in Oasis marina in a small town, YeniFoca. We are waiting for Enso to be repaired after she was damaged during loading for the trip from Phuket to Türkiye. We decided to fly to Istanbul for 7 days.
We stayed in a nice 3 story walk up local hotel very close to the major attractions but out of the way enough to be on a quiet alley. We hired a guide who took us to the ‘normal’ tourist places, Blue mosque, under ground cisterns, obelisks and the hippodrome. You know standard 3000 year old places.
He introduced us to a restaurant that gives cooking classes. I called the owner who came in on a Sunday to cook with us and who we discovered has 2 Michelin star restaurants and travels internationally to consult. Super nice guy, we met the staff and of course toured the kitchen. Crazy!
For a side trip we went to Kadikoy, a neighborhood in Istanbul. Istanbul is on 2 continents we took the ferry across to the Asian side to see a less tourist neighborhood. Walking down the central walk/street there is an 800 year old church from the crusades tucked away, just behind a wrought iron fence, no signage. Found a Japanese restaurant and a gluten free bakery for Dana. All very nice just what we needed.
It’s interesting there are hundreds of Turkish restaurants along the streets and very few of other cultures . Few people speak English and walking is almost a contact sport.
The rug merchants and restaurant guys are your best friend, every shop and restaurant has someone outside inviting you to come in, very persuasive. It can be annoying until you figure out how to make it a game, smile and wave. They are never upset, it’s just we will see you tomorrow and then you will stop by. All very different from Malaysia or Thailand.
We are still in the marina very slowly getting the boat repaired. This gives us a chance to get to know YeniFoca, the small village where the marina is located. It is a tourist spot for Turkiye and to far from the airport for other tourists. We’ve discovered the butcher, vegetable stall, and all of the hardware stores. The bay is lined with restaurants and full of people most days. Seawind is also located here so we are having other work done also.
Hope to travel Wednesday or Thursday and explore south and then hop over to Greece in a couple of weeks..😎
Happy solstice
Enso sail 
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