Monday, June 16, 2014

A Weekend in Valencia



Barselona ve Madrid gun gectikce pahalilasmaya ve en onemlisi de kalabaliklasmaya devam ediyor. Hem Ispanya'dan vazgecmeyeyim hem de artik yeni yerler kesfetme zamani diyorsaniz,  bu guzel ulkenin 3. buyuk sehri Valensiya sizler icin enfes bir haftasonu alternatifi. Ayrica okudugum kaynaklara gore Valensiya'nin gelismesinde, yeni hip cafelerin, sanat galerilerinin, butik hotellerinlerin ve butiklerin acilmasinda 2007 yilinda yapilan Amerika Kupasi'ninda etkisi oldugu soyleniyor. Bana sorarsaniz bu sehir;  artistler tarafindan yeni yeni restore edilen Barok ve Gotik binalariyla biraz Barcelona'dan, gorkemli Ayuntamiento'su (belediye binasi) ve Plaza de Toros'u ile de Madrid'den rol caliyor.

Sanirim Barselona'dan Valensiya'ya tasinan Japon artist Kaoru Katayama' ya katiliyorum; " Valensiya bir kosmopoilit ama ayni zamanda bir okada da naif ".

Madrid and Barcelona are becoming more expensive and crowded. If you think that it's time to discover other big cities without leaving Spain, Valencia, the third biggest city, is an excellent weekend alternative. As it's my first time here, I don't know how the city was before but many sources says that 2007 America's Cup helped Valencia to take attraction and develop by opening new hip boutique hotels, art galleries, pocket-size cafes and shops. But if you ask me, this city with its newly restorated Gothic and Baroque buildings remembers me Barcelona and with it's magnificent Ayuntamiento and Plaza del Toros Valencia is taking a role from Madrid. 

I think I agree the Japanese artist Kaoru Katayama who moved to Valencia from Barselona ;  " It's cosmopolitan but at the same time it's still naive". 

The view from the tower of Cathedral which combines Baroque, Romanesque and Gothic styles. It was a Roman temple that later became a mosque once occupied the site of the Cathedral of Valencia between Plaza de la Reina and Plaza de la Virgen, which was built in the 13th century.  

Another cathedral on our way 

Beautiful Plaza del Ayuntamiento 

Museo Nacional de Ceramica on my back

As much as Paella, Valencia is famous with Art Nouveau buildings. As Lonely Planet suggest us an walking tour of city's main modernistas, I wanted to show some of them to you. 

Estacion del Norte, with it's modernist booking area of dark wood and adjacent hall with its elaborate tile work. 

Casa Ortega; with it's ornate floral decoration and balcony, supported by a pair of handsome caryatids.

You know each Spanish city has at least one stylish mercado an I love grabbing some food for quick lunch from these spots. This time we planned to grab something from historical Mercado Central which has recently become a high-fashion party locale, hosting shindigs for Prada and Aston Martin, among others. Stylish boutiques are tucked behind the 15th-century late Gothic Lonja de la Seda silk exchange. But it was closed when we arrived ( yes, they love siesta ) so as you see on the picture we head off another modernista building Mercado de Colon. It's a chic stop for a drink or an easy lunch. 

Ok, The City of Arts and Science is not part of the modernistas but it defines contemporary Valencia.  With immense aquarium and scientific thesis, this place is heaven for kids and science lovers. In 2005, work was finished on Santiago Calatrava’s futuristic museum complex, the City of Arts and Sciences. The buildings’ curved, billowing facades resemble everything from the skeleton of a whale to the upper half of a giant eye completed by its mirror image in a reflecting pool.

L'Umbracle is somewhere you will be full up with palm trees. In summer Valencia's chicest people will sip cocktails here before dropping to the discoteca beneath.


The last stop is Playa de la Malvarossa where remembers me Santa Monica in LA and it's definitely different than Barcelonetta. Because while in Barcelona beach is part of the city center, in Valencia beaches are 45 min far from the city and it makes you feel like arrive a little fisherman town. Actually it's a fisherman area but what effects you is although it's so close to city at the same time it's isolated from it. 


As here is the birthplace of paella, it is a must to try. But don't look for a paella in the city center. There is not a good spot to taste. The only place you can taste many kind is little restaurants on seafront promenade. Our choice was Paella Valenciana but I still prefer the one with sea food. 

So, if you are not lucky enough to taste delicious paella of seaside, you still have chance to taste wonderful mediterranean tapas of Vuelve Carolina. 


And I finish with the impressive night view of Plaza del Ayuntamiento.


Zara jumpsuit / Repetto ballerinas / Miu Miu shades.

















Thursday, June 5, 2014

Milan


Her zaman demisimdir; Avrupa da her yerini ayri ayri kesfetmekten en cok keyif aldigim ulke Italya'dir. Her sehrinde sizi ayri suprizler bekler. Midenizin alacagi haz ise cabasi. Fakat bu kez enfes yemeklerden aldigim hazzi, bu luksun cevreledigi sehir bana veremedi. Milano'nun tam bir gosteris sehri oldugunu, meydana adiminizi atar atmaz sizi gorkemiyle ve mimarisiyle etkileyen efsane Duomo'sundan, Teatro alla Scala opera binasindan analayabiliriz. Ve sikir sikir giyinmis Milanese ler (evet evet onlar da bu dekorun bir parcasi)...
Ps: Biliyorum cok seviyorsunuz ama onceden uyarmaliyim ki bu post Galleria Vittorio Emanuele tavan resimleri icermiyor.


I always say; Italy is the most attractive country for me to discover in Europe. Every city has surprises waiting for you. In addition, I'm pretty sure your stomach loves this country too. But this time I couldn't get the same satisfaction from the city as I did from the delicious cuisine. Milan is the city of appearances. To proof, just look at the symbolic Duomo which impress you with it's architecture and glory as soon as you arrive the square or the stately Teatro alla Scala or the fashionable Milanese walking on the streets ( yes, yes, they are the part of an attraction ,too )...
Ps: I know you adore them but I need to warn; this post doesn't include the ceiling pictures of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.

Mimi and me 

Bence Roma nasil Italya'nin gecmisine isik tutuyorsa, Milano da o kadar Italya'nin gelecegini simgeliyor. 

According to me, while Rome is symbolizing the background of Italy, Milan is the symbol of its future. 

Parco Sempione 



Bir de uzerine "The Last Supper" i gormek icin aylar oncesinden yer ayirmamiz gerektigi ( ki gitmeden 3 hafta once bakmistik ) icin duydugum hayal kirikligi eklenince iyice hevesim kacmisti ki imdadimiza her ayin son Pazari (Temmuz ayi haric) Navigli bolgesinde kurulan Antika Pazari yetisti. Yasadigim keyfi anlamam bile. 

I was so frustrated when I read that to see "The Last Supper" you need to book your visit months before ( when I read this info,  it was 3 weeks before our visit ). But just after I learned that we coincide with the Antique Market in Navigli area which held on last sunday of every month except July. I can not explain the joy I had there. 

Oraya gittiginizde kanal etrafindaki birbirinden cesitli restorant ve kafeleri gordukten sonra acikmamanizin imkani yok. O yuzden seciminizi geleneksel yemekler sunan "Le Vigne" den yana kullanin derim. 

After you see all the variable restaurants and cafes on the bank of the canal, you have no reason not to  feel hungry. So, use your choice for the traditional restaurant " Le Vigne". 

Son olarak aksam yemeginiz icin sizlere iki enfes restorant onerecegim. Birincisi ufak bir sarap dukkaninin icinde gizli minik Italyan mutfagini en iyi sekilde sergileyen bir restorant " La Cantina di Manuela". Kaldigimiz yer yakin oldugundan ve menudeki her seyi tatmak istedigimizden ikinci gece yine tercihimizi oradan yana kullandik. Ama resimde goreceginiz balik restorani ise artik makarna, risotto yemekten sikildim diyenler icin enfes bir kacamak noktasi. Huzurlarinizda "Pescheria da Claudio".
Lastly for dinner I'll suggest you two different restaurants. First one is a small wine shop but inside of this cute place there is a little hidden restaurant "La Cantina di Manuela". They have a delicious traditional Italian menu. As it was close to our place and wish to taste most of the thing on the menu, we turned back on our second night, too.  But if you say that you fed up with risotto and various kind of pasta, this fish restaurant as you see on the picture is what are you looking for. Here it is "Pescheria da Claudio" .



Zara coat / Mango top / GAP jeans / Tory Burch flats / Miu Miu shades 



Pics by me and JB