Greek odyssey , Turkish splendour and finally Greek restaurant in Pune

Recently I vacationed in Turkey and Greece.

Istanbul, that wonderful city in Turkey bridging Asia and Europe mesmerized me. The pace of the city is wonderful. The city scape of mosques, minars and very trendy Turkish women dressed in European attire just creates a magnetic and pulsating place.

Cruise on the Bosphorous strait, Aiya Sofia, The Blue Mosque creates a postcard friendly city. This is the place which stayed forever in my mind after I watched Sean Connery's "From Russia with Love". Yes it's shot in Istanbul. This is the city that I have always wanted to visit for a long time. The mornings are especially wonderful in Istanbul. People getting ready to goto their workplaces, stopping by in cafes to enjoy Turkish coffee, Turkish breads.
Even the guy who was selling roasted hazelnuts was impeccably dressed



In Greece, the ionic islands, the Plaka district in Athens, the wonderful Roman influence city of Naphlio, the amazing greek food (dolmathes (grapevine leaves stuffings, Horiatiki (greek salad), Spanakopita (spinach wrapped in phyllo pastry, Yemista (hollowed vegetables like tomatoes filled with a stuffing of lemony herbed rice and lots of olive oil), Greek breads made my trip memorable

Here's one of my favourite sites on Greek cuisine
http://www.greecefoods.com/

Ouzo, the greek aperitif made up of anise/liquorice was drunk neat! I was sitting on the deck of the cruise heading to the island of Hydra and the winds were very strong and chilly. The warm sip of ouzo was just what I needed. Its normally mixed with water and had as an aperitif.

In Pune, if you happen to go to the pricey but very romantic Greek restaurant (The Greek Taverna) located at Four Seasons Apartment hotel in Aundh, you will be able to enjoy Ouzo there. Authentic Ouzo needs to be mixed with little water and it should turn cloudy!

"The Greek Taverna" does serve some very fine cuisine and the ambience is incredible. It's expensive (Rs 1000 per person roughly) but then it is a great experience.