Time On Your Hands

chelseacontinental: Want to try making a traditional Turkish...

Thu, 24 May 2012 19:01:59 +0300

Want to try making a traditional Turkish dish at home? I recommend trying menemen. Some people call it the Turkish scrambled eggs but so many people make it differently—sometimes scrambled eggs isn’t the right way to describe it. The photo on the left shows the menemen I had at the black sea. This one was much more tomato based and reminded me of a hearty tomato soup. Others I’ve had are more egg based like the photo on the right but I ate that one for breakfast so perhaps it depends on what time of day you decide to eat it. One part of this recipe that never changes…the bread basket that accompanies it, perfect for dipping and obviously my favorite part. #confessionsofacarbwhore.

Ingredients

6 eggs well beaten

4 juicy tomatoes

3 green onions with tops, finely chopped

4 fresh peppers, finely chopped (if you wish you can also use 1 red 1 yellow Italian peppers and 2 green chillies)

½ cup crumbled feta

½ bunch flat leaf parsley finely chopped

2 tbs spicy pepper flakes

1 tbs black pepper

Salt

1 -2 tbs olive oil

How to make Menemen for 4

In a frying pan heat oil and add onion. Cook on medium until they are soft and than add fresh peppers

Once they’re cooked, pour in tomatoes, salt and pepper. Wait until tomatoes cook down a little. Stir in beaten eggs and feta. Stir constantly.

Right before eggs are cooked add parsley

Serve with bread

Massive Weekend - 12th May

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:56:16 +0300

Get ready for MASSIVE WEEKEND, the first large, outdoor electronic music event of the year in Istanbul! Featuring some of the most famous French DJ’s: Vitalic and Cassius.

This event will take place in KÜÇÜKÇİFTLİK PARK just 1km from Taksim Square.

The doors will open at 12:00. Here’s the day’s program:

22:30 - 23:45 Vitalic
20:30 - 22:30 Cassius
19:30 - 20:30 Semih Akay b2b Emrah Yalçın
18:30 - 19:30 Tangun
17:30 - 18:30 Ser-Touch
16:30 - 17:30 Görkem Çay
15:30 - 16:30 Tim Owens
14:00 - 15:30 Mutlu San
13:00 - 14:00 Göktan Abacı
12:00 - 13:00 Paste & Go

Price for the whole day is 50TL.

For Turkish speakers, here’s the video teaser on YouTube

BAU International Day - 5th May 2012

Sat, 05 May 2012 10:53:00 +0300

Orion, a Turkish Metallica tribute band, is going to play...

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:33:01 +0300

Orion, a Turkish Metallica tribute band, is going to play tomorrow at the Bronx! (map here)

Price is 34TL, starting at 10pm.

Rock on!

Hazzo Pulo Pasaji / Café Grand Boulevard

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:51:00 +0300

If you like having a Çay (tea) with your friends and playing backgammon, in a cosy place, close to Istiklal, our advice is to go there and to judge by own eyes this awesome place.

There is 1 floor/terrace where you can find many sofas and smoke a nargile for 12TL (we recommand that you take the additional mint flavour for an extra 2TL). Obviously this café offers different kinds of tea, salep hot chocolate and more…

When you are on Istiklal, facing the Galatasaray high school, head to the right (Tünel direction). Then,after 100m you’ll see this pasaj on your right… it doesn’t look like much but there it is!

Enjoy!

On Karaköy fishmarket

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:49:06 +0200

On Karaköy fishmarket

A walk around Karaköy at the fish market

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:20:00 +0200

If you have a couple hours on your hands and if the weather’s right, you may want to take a rest in this quiet place, and get some fresh fish at the market for tonight’s BBQ as we did! (We strongly recommand the salmon… OK I admit that I should stop speaking about food).

We enjoy going to Karaköy/Galata Bridge area because it is at walking distance from Beyoglu/Istiklal Caddesi. The view on Sultanhamet is really nice, especially when the sun sets. When you go there you’ll see that such a quiet place is not common in the busy center of Istanbul!

Btw you can have a nice and cheap balık ekmek (fish sandwich) there…

How about some Mantı? Hala restaurant/Istiklal Cad.

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:42:00 +0200

After many disapointements in some restaurants, I finally found the right place to eat the perfect plate of Mantı for not more than 10TL!

Mantı are a kind of dumplings/raviolis (well basically macaroni stuffed with meat), topped with yogurt, garlic and a magical red sauce made of butter, tomato and red pepper. Actually, this red sauce is what I enjoy the most, so I ask the waiter to put little yogurt and lot of it! Try to ask more “Kırmızı sauce” (it sure isn’t the right way to say it, but it works so…).

Hala restaurant is on Istiklal Caddesi (map here).

The women you see on the picture are cooking Gözleme, the other specialty of this restaurant: these are fresh pastries filled with meat or cheese or spinach. Really good, served on a special wooden plate, and worth totally its price:5TL.

Enjoy and share!

Btw, if you know of any other good Mantı place, please let me know: bu-toyh@live.fr!

Tarlabaşı market

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:49:00 +0200

If you are looking for every single sort of vegetables and everything else in a typical atmosphere, you should visit this market (every Sunday from 08am to 08pm).

When you are in front of Galatasaray high school, you have to cross Hamalbaşı Caddesi (close to the English consulate) and after the bridge it will be the third on your right.

Too lazy to cook?

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:01:00 +0200

I don’t know how we could have forgotten to tell you about this wonderful website called Yemek Sepeti… Please do accept our apologies!

Basically this is a portal to 1000’s of restaurants in Turkey, where you can order kebabs (obviously), turkish food, asiatic food and (attention please) even food from the “Big 3” known as KFC, McDonald’s and Burger King.

Amazing, isn’t it? But wait… there’s no extra fee for delivery!!!

Me gusta!

Büyük Camlica

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:53:00 +0200

To all newcomers, this is the best place to understand how BIG Istanbul is…

On top of this crazy large hill you’ll be able to see almost the entire city, the great bridges (you can see the Bosphorus Bridge on the picture) and the Marmara Sea. I’m sure you’ve seen this hill, that’s the one where a lot of big antennas are sit on the Asian side.

How to go there:

Go to Üsküdar (by boat from Besiktas, Kabatas, Eminönü. If you come from the European side, by taking the bus 12 or a dolmus from Kadiköy).
Take a taxi and go to Büyük Camlica (around 15min.). It costs around 15TL, so it’s cheaper if you go there with some friends.

Edit: I found a cheaper way!

In Üsküdar, take the bus 9ÜD. The bus-stop is on the right when you get off of the boat.
Get off the bus at Camlica station
Take the street on the left of the yellow mosque
Walk 10minutes, and take on your right the street called “Turistik Büyük Camlica”
Go to the top and enjoy the view!

There is a nice restaurant which, suprisingly enough, is not so expansive! 9TL for izgar köte, 14TL for a plate of fish. You can also find a nice café with really cheap tea (around 0.75TL!).

Anyway, try to go there to see the sunset, it’s amazing!

Enjoy!

Just heard the news : Modeselektor is coming to...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:46:14 +0200

Just heard the news : Modeselektor is coming to Istanbul!!!

DO NOT MISS IT!!!

16 March 2012 @ Babylon

Bowling next to Bahcesehir University If you get bored in...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:58:00 +0200

Bowling next to Bahcesehir University

If you get bored in between two classes, or just feel like being the Dude from The Big Lebowski, you can go bowling!

It’s 5 minutes on foot from Bahcesehir University!

Just walk to the MacDonald’s. When facing it, head to the street on your left. 20m away, you’ll find an entrance to a kind of mall. Go down until the last floor and here it is!

A game is 7TL, 3 games is 14TL.

… and remember, never get over the line, it’s a league game !

The perfect brunch at the Mek-Med

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:08:00 +0200

After an exhausting party on a saturday night, what is better than a good brunch with your friends on sunday?

At the Mek-Med on Istiklal (map here) and for 15TL (10TL on week days), you can get an unlimited buffet with many different foods like typical English breakfast or Turkish breakfast and many other choices.
Sometimes there are baklavas unlimited. Çay is also unlimited.
You have to pay more if you want orange juice or alcohol.

An advice: don’t arrive before 1:00pm because there are too many people at this time.

Do it, you can just enjoy!

Nayah Reggae Bar

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:54:00 +0200

The Nayah bar is the best reggae place we found so far.

Standing in a 4-story building, this place offers nice roots reggae and sometimes hip-hop music.

On the roof is a great terrace with a bar, a dancefloor and a DJ playing. Prices are OK (around 7TL for 50cl beer), and a bit cheaper before 11pm.

Here’s a map top help you find it -don’t miss the entrance, it’s a tiny door close to an “adult” place which we won’t talk about !

Nayah Istanbul

İstiklal Caddesi Kurabiye Sokak No.23

The best Pide

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:09:00 +0200

If you don’t know, Pide is the famous Turkish pizza. It is not easy to find it with a correct price.

The boss, Abdelkader, welcomes you to his small restaurant where all Pides and Lahmacuns are homemade under your eyes. The atmosphere is authentic.

Prices are AWESOME:

Pide: 5TL
Lahmacun: 1,25TL

Our plan is in Tarlabasi neighbourhood. Don’t worry, it is not dangerous to go there.
Address: 140 Kalyoncu Kulluğu Caddesi, Istanbul, Türkiye (200m after the police station on your left).

Hammam

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:05:00 +0200

If you are looking for a typical, cheap, friendly and clean hammam, we know the perfect one.

For 25TL at the Nur Hamamı you’ll get:

Skin cleaning with a Turkish sponge.
A strong massage
Çay (tea) at the end

We specify that it is only for men. Sorry girls, we are looking for a good one for you too.

Enjoy!

Address: Hamalbaşι Caddesi No:14 Beyoğlu.
(close to galatasaray high school on Istiklal Caddesi, write on google map: “Nur Hamamı, Istanbul, Türkiye” and this is on the “A” spot)

A week-end in Sofia

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:34:00 +0200

Sofia is the capital city of Bulgaria, which has a common border with Turkey. Going there for a weekend is a really nice experience. Nightlife is cool, and you will enjoy the relative calmness of the city, compared to the busy Istanbul.

Time:

2 or 3 days

Budget:

Using couchsurfing and being cautious with your money, you can get to +-150€ (including 55€ of train). The life is quite cheap there, maybe cheaper than in Istanbul. A nice restaurant will cost 4 or 5€, and taxis cost really nothing.

Why going there:

Sofia is the closest European capital city from Istanbul (about 500kms).
You can go there overnight to reset your 3-month student visa (take care, this method works almost all the time, but you could get in trouble… it’s up to you!).
Cheap casinos, for those interested!

What to do:

If you spent a few month in Turkey, the simple fact to go back in Europe (for Europeans) worth the trip!
See the amazing Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the National Theater… basically, Sofia is a quite small city where you’ll enjoy walking without really knowing where you’re going (if the weather allows you to do so)
There are a lot of cheap and funny casinos (especially the Princes, where you should go to kill the time while you’re waiting à the railway station)
The bars are nice, if you can find them! There is no particular street, and the pubs are quite hidden in backstreets, but they are really nice and cheap. Smoking is still allowed there, and you can get a pint for 1€
For those interested in Soviet memorabilia, this is quite the right place. You’ll find anything, chapkas, soviets flasks, watches… And you’ll get to meet people who actually used to live in the USSR!

How to go:

The night train is cheap and almost comfortable. Yet, it is better than coaches, as you actually can sleep. 140TL/55€ for return tickets (10pm-12pm). The station is in Eminönü (Sirkeci tramway station)Be prepared to be woken up quite brutally at the border, as the customs would ask you to show passports and stuff. Do not forget your residence permit if you have a visa, or you would lose it!

Useful information

The currency is the leva, which basically worth 0.5€ (so yea, 1€=2levas).

Don’t be surprised, they use the Cyrillic alphabet, like in Russia!

When taking a cab, be sure to check the fare written on the side of the door. The prices differ from cab to cab, but don’t pay more than 0.59leva/km.

Couchsurfing : the best way to travel

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:33:00 +0200

For those who don’t know, Couch Surfing is the best way to visit places and to meet new friends all around the world.

We’ve been hosted in Istanbul, Izmir and in Sofia (Bulgaria) during the 1st semester and that was awesome !

Basically, all you have to do is register online and make yourself a profile. Then you can scroll through the other users to find a host almost anywhere in the world ! It’s all free ! Don’t be scared about sleeping at a stranger’s house. Might be strange the first time, but it is a great experience - and it’s safe, as you can read reviews on users from other users.

Comes in handy for low-budget people like we students are !

More than 3.000.000 users, be the next one !

A short presentation

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:34:00 +0200

Merhaba arkadaşlar! Welcome everyone! Hola a todos! Salut les potes…

Here is the Bahcesehir University foreign student’s tumblr.

The purpose of this tumblr is to share with every foreign student in Istanbul valuable tips about living here, nice information on where to hang out and some pieces of advice on trips you could take in and out of Turkey. As you may know, foreign students happen to have a fair amount of spare time on their hands, and it will be our duty to help you with this…problem!

Now let’s introduce ourselves : this website is run by Matthieu and Slimane, both students at Bahcesehir University. We arrived on september 2011 and we’ll be there until early july 2012.

As you may have noticed, this tumblr has been created in the end of december 2011. This means we have had time to discover Istanbul, along with some parts of Turkey and some countries around. We felt like having some interesting experiences to share, so here we are.

We will do our best to make you eager to discover, to travel and to enjoy your time here!

From left to right : Matthieu and Slimane, Erasmus students since 1953. (Pic. by E. Malec)