The persistent cat at Sevecen Ev Yemekleri

Our flight touched down at 5 a.m. and we could only check into the hotel after 11a.m. , so we headed out to Divanyolu to find something to bite. Zero. Loaded my Istanbulkaart and headed out to Aksaray, walked over to Tatseven...they only had lentil soup available. Not satisfied, walked over to Fatih, went to see if Siirt Seref was open. Gaaaa....not yet.

Trundled down towards the Fatih Mosque and was beginning to get veeeerrryy hungry to the point of wanting to faint....until we came to this place.

Really serves us right for being so picky. Apparently, the general population goes for pastries, breads or soups , light stuff for breakfast, so if you arrive early and are looking for a heavy meaty meal, forget it.  

What's there to do in Fatih Park

Have a picnic or catch forty winks

Hang around or snap selfies at the Sultan Mehmet II the 

Conqueror's monument

Try not to get in the very busy , fastidious and super 

annoying roadwasher's way

Check out the Aviation Martyr's Monument

.. list of names at the bottom

Explore the pretty Fire Fighter's museum

Location : Fatih

Try not to mistep in the conservative district

With all the constant digging around, one really has not only to watch your step in this district but to be respectful of what behaviours are not acceptable among the sexes.

Still, coming from Malaysia, because I felt alright in this 

area, I momentarily forgot to check myself.

Bought a handcarved comb from this old Turkmenistan 

man. In my eagerness to choose, I made the mistake of 

sitting on the stairs next to him to select what I wanted. He 

played it cool but I sensed his discomfort and when I got up 

to put a further distance between us, boy,was he relieved.

Later on, I chanced upon these Turkish ladies saying an open 

prayer by a small cemetery. Seemed to be praying a long 

time, even though they were just standing there. These small 

burial plots can be found all over . Most times they remain 

pretty unnoticeable unless you really open your eyes and 

take a good hard look. Still, me and cemeteries, erm, not 

very "ngam". Which explains why I'm at a 'safe' distance 

from across the road

The tiny building next door is a village head's beat. 

 Wasn't open since it was a Sunday.

It is also here, that you can find more ladies covered up from head to toe , dressed just in black like the woman below.

Fatih can be enjoyable to explore just make sure that you are in tune with the local culture with no mistep.

Location : Fatih Mosque locality

Quaint little mosque in Fatih - Atikali Camii Mescidi

The little mescidi lay across from this doner joint where I had stopped for a breather.

Instead of coke or Turkish cay, I went for a bottle of Frutti Extra. Not bad actually ..

On with the exploring . 

Looking at this photo, one might think I'm in say...an Italian seaside village rather than in Istanbul.

Quaint....laidback , really enjoying this

Lamb everywhere you look - Kadinlar Pazari

Never seen so much lamb sold in so many lamb shops in such a small area before.

You get all kinds of shoppers here, families, ladies...

Little Kurdistan - Kadinlar Pazari

In my confusion, I thought I had failed at locating little Kurdistan . Had mistakenly thought it was inside Fatih.

Hence few hours later, as I made my way out, I started looking for Siirt Seref to grab a buryan bite it was famed for.

Ngeh ngeh ngeh. 

Of course that called for another pose , just for the " I was here " record.

The Bicycle brigade stops traffic on one lane

Welcome to Fatih. 

Whenever there's a jam or bottle neck, omg, the horns start blaring non stop...

....but this was something else.

Cars were either honking in support or pissed off with this bicycle brigade blocking one lane of the traffic

The daily market outside the Fatih mosque

You really don't have to wait for the famous Wednesday Pazari,

as there's a cute daily market to be found here, just waiting for you to explore.

There are a few entry points to the mosque behind but this in my opinion is the most picturesque of all.

Fevi Pasa Caddesi - the big fat wedding gown street

And so I ventured into the conservative district of Fatih.

When the streets start to clog up, the incessant honking on a scale of madness begins. Put that minor annoyance aside and instead focus on the most unique part about this caddesi ....the endless bridal shops filled with garish to elegant get ups. Like a wedding street or something.

Siirt Seref - Kurdish lamb

Siirt Seref is a local institution in this nice little area known as little Kurdistan.

It's very easy to find once you locate the Valens Aqueduct.

Notice that the roman structure is just next to the building

Welcome to the world of lamb.

This counter lies next to the door.

Vaha Aile Caybehsi - Turkish tea under the trees

And so I wandered right into the heart of Fatih today. 

Was a bit of a shock compared to Sultanahmet where everything is near perfect.

Roads were dug up, witnessed a bicycle protest, walked along the wedding street where drivers went half mad trying to ease the jam by honking.