Istanbul : Souvenir Shopping

For you busy traveller with little time to choose and will to bring something nice for those waiting back home. FORGET ABOUT Grand Bazaar and explore the local jewels, that actually offer much more bang for the buck. Today, we visit Les Arts Turcs aka the perfect art gallery featuring local artists where you can find anything from traditional ceramics through cute details in the shape of handmade magnets, organic soap or glass keychains. As you can see in Les Arts Turcs MAP, it is very close to the entrance to Hagia Sophia - a small detour well well worth it. The owner is super kind and if you come with some extra time, you can enjoy one of their workshops for a more intimate experience on the traditional techniques.

My story around Halis Bekrizade Efendi, the mecca of Baklava and Turkish Delight, is a bit more elaborate. The afternoon we walked around Istanbul, there was a huge thunderstorm that started while we were crossing the bridge that links the historical side to the city center side. The rain locked us inside in a tunnel just at the end of the bridge. After half an hour there, in pure darkness, we decided to run somewhere else and try to find a cab. This cute little sweet shop was the first place on our running-under-the-rain effort.

You can imagine the scene. 10 wet tourists sneezing in the refined café, trying to buy something as compensation for the free shelter. It turned out to be the most amazing tasting experience one could have hoped for. Eclectic mix of grenade and nuts, creamy chocolate or roasty pistachio. Perfect detail for those sweet tooths waiting for us back home. With or without storm, it is worth a quick walk from the center or the tram as it is conveniently located in front of Karaköy tram stop.