Topkapi Palace and Ciya

After making a reservation for Ciya, I set out to spend the afternoon exploring. I decided to head to the Topkapi Palace. The amount of treasure there was incredible. Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds, Diamonds with Emeralds around them Rubies with Diamonds around them. A sea of sparkling stones. And Gold. Lots of Gold. Although the real treasure was the beautiful architecture such as what was in the Harem (women's section) of the Palace. Beauty and Splendor, beds that were at least 15 feet wide, maybe even 20 feet. It was a setting of pure luxury, designed for relaxation and comfort. And the Sultan was the only man allowed. Except for eunuchs of course, but they were not considered men in the same sense having been physically altered.

After that I had the culinary treat of a lifetime. I had emailed my aunt Paula about Istanbul and she had responded with a suggestion of a restaurant, Ciya Sofrasi. It is run by a friend of hers, who is both owner and chef, and whose hospitality went above and beyond. To say I was treated like a sultan would not do him justice. Musa met me with open arms, and made sure that I would not leave hungry. He made sure that I tried everything. I have never had Kebab like this, and I don't think I will ever enjoy kebab again. In fact, I worry now that food will have no taste for me.

The culinary delights he put in front of me were wonderfully pleasing to all the senses.

We were joined by the manager of another of his restaurants who helped with some translation.

If you have never considered Tomato as an option for a dessert, then you haven't lived. I thought it tasted like the most delicious candy. What is it? I asked. Tomato I was told. My jaw probably bounced off the edge of the table.

Everything was wonderful, and after, we sat outside and watched the restaurants begin to shut down while drinking fresh tea. A perfect culinary experience to end my time in Morocco, and luckily not to late! They have invited me back for lunch tomorrow. Already, I am salivating over what treats are in store for then.

When I returned, the hotel manager was sitting outside with some of the other staff having tea and he invited me to join them. As the others slowly left to go home, we stayed and chatted about life in Turkey and various things. I was listening to a monologue on my ipod about how americans have trouble dealing with reality. A good example is not hard to come up with, but a great example can be more difficult. The example given I thought was perfect, with regard to the psychological damage done to soldiers during war. It began as shell shock, then the same condition was called Battle Fatigue, and more recently, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Slowly, the humanity was been taken out of it.

I talked about how I hate that Americans try to cloak things behind words, to hide the meanings, to remove all humanity from the description so as to remove the ability to relate to the events that are passing. I often prefer the blunt natural course of a frank conversation. We discussed how it could be a reflection of our society, and culture, among other things.

It was a fulfilling conversation that followed a filling meal, and thus the ending to a good day that mixed visiting and eating and talking.

I wonder what joys tomorrow shall bring?