There is no way I could be having a better time here.

So much great food. Vegetarian heaven. Turks, (like a lot of other people) are a bit xenophobic about food. Auckland is a city of hundreds of cultures and cuisines. We forget how spoiled we are. Istanbul is a city of Turkish food – but it’s quite regional. Every city has a famous dish – Samsun Pide or a Turkish variation – Aleppo kebab. Basically, you’re screwed if you don’t like Turkish food.

These are manti – perfect, tiny little meat filled dumplings.

And its a city of football (my team is Galatasaray 😉 ). And CATS. And music and books. So many books … mostly very high brow literature and classic novels. Not these.

I’ve been to the Islands in the Marmara – Adala. And done seaside things – ice cream, crispy little fish, martinis in a sudden Summer storm. The islands have no cars, just horses and carriages, galloping at 120km; beautiful old stately wooden holiday homes; and one million Arab tourists, with badly behaved children, sucking up souvenirs like shopping vacuums. The don’t walk far from the shops so the rest of the islands are empty.

Fried mussels

I’ve visited Palaces and museums and art galleries. And amazing mosaics (my favorite thing) in out of town churches.

Dolombache Palace gate

Chora church

And I’m learning which Istanbul craft beers are best. Street food here is interesting because its essentially all very healthy. Stuffed mussels, grilled corn, chestnuts, little donuts (not so healthy) …

I took the ferry to the Asian side and ate beautiful stuffed eggplants in Kadakoy, which feels like a neighborhood in San Francisco. Cute little shops. One million cafes.

The Modern Art Gallery, which has a fantastic restaurant with the best view over the Bosphorous. Then more book shops.

The hipster neighborhood of tiny bars and gorgeous old Armenian buildings. Raki with old men in narrow alleys. A cool, underground wine bar in Galata. Late night coffee. Street music everywhere. And stuffed mussels and beer in bed at midnight.

How could there be a better city?