Julien Viaud, the French naval officer who wrote novels under the pen name of Pierre Loti, used to come to this Istanbul hilltop overlooking Eyüp and the Golden Horn(map) to contemplate the city he had come to love:
In Loti’s time, the café was a simple, humble place with a few stools and a small stove for brewing Turkish coffee.
“Pierre Loti” (Julien Viaud) |
Today the café is far nicer, with shady tables, a variety of beverages and snacks, and even a hoteland full-fledged restaurant.
The café is a bit out of the way. You can reach it via cable car from near Eyüp, or on an Istanbul city tourthat also takes in all the other sights in the western district out by the city walls: the imperial Mosque of Eyüp, the Byzantine City Walls, the splendid mosaics in the Kariye Museum (Chora Church), and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. More…
If you come on your own and feel like walking, make the 15-minute stroll uphill from Eyüp through the picturesque cemetery (map). If not, take the cable car, and walk down to Eyüp after your coffee.
Istanbul City Tours |