What do you need to do in Istanbul – hookah
If you walk for a while down the streets and endless vendors of Grand Bazaar, you can find a cozy place in the old Mall. There are no signs and arrogant managers, who only want to drag guests to their restaurant. There tourists come mainly for toilet, since at the entrance there is a sign that there is a paid toilet 🙂 It’s sometimes useful to stop by various courtyards and corners to find really interesting and atmospheric places, mostly clubbish.
Here’s very vivid and lively. Hookahs are sold and, straight away, you can try using it.
A man rests between servicing customers. Coal molders in hearths, and under each bench there’s a white bag with the same coal as a reserve. After all, people constantly, every day come here to smoke hookah.
There is no menu. Everybody come, say straightaway which taste of shisha (hookah) to bring and order tea or coffee.
We also ordered shisha and tea, that’s mostly all what can be seen on the tables.
Carpets, benches and colorful table-stools. Authentic interesting nice mix in the old mall room (you won’t name it “interior design”, for all has been accumulated here over the years), you can hide from the heat, sit on the couch with nice tables on the background of Turkish chandeliers. Cats are walking lazily nearby, Turks are drinking tea and exhaling smoke, hosts (waiter doesn’t fit here) change coal in hookahs. There are enough people; live, local, nice atmosphere reigns.
Here’s so atmospheric and quiet, moreover nice and true.
We were the only one who fussily got up and sat down-photographed at first, all others were slowly smoking.
We enjoyed it so much here that came again, this time ordered Turkish coffee instead of tea.
That’s what we liked about Istanbul, the place is very cool. It’s called Çorlulu Ali Paşa Medresesi (see address in foursquare). Hookah price is 17 lira; tea 1.5 lira; Turkish coffee 5 lira. You should pay on exit, naming everything you’ve ordered.
It’s cool that this is not a closed room, but a passage with the old architecture, open space, treatment of workers as to locals. Different areas and colorful tables-chairs, lazy cats that walk like at home, despite guests and flavor.
Shisha is offered in many establishments. On the roofs and by the sea, but there is nothing of the true local color like here. So, if you wish to experience such an atmosphere, be sure to drop by.
With love, RH.
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