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Talk about Food and Bistro… La Bottega Nicastro at ByWard Market
With a painful broken foot. It is not the best day for touring. But with the true spirit of a travel blogger it was important for me to get out and document my travels. So I did. I got off after an hour of a very fast half tour around Ottawa from the Hop on Hop off bus at The ByWard Market stop and started hoping with my clutches. After an hour of the turtle style walk. I was ready to sit down and have a bet of rest. Just as that thought was appealing to my mind. I saw in front of me tables outside with people sitting and opening up wraps of paper with delicious looking sandwiches. That just might have been my hunger talking. I looked behind the tables and saw a food market of some sort. I thought to my self may be they bought it from an inside sandwich counter. To my delighted surprise when I walked all the way to the back of the store I found a small deli around a kitchen and in it the cook (who as I understand is from Sicily) was preparing a small gourmet pizza. Ah that was just what I needed. I found a stoll to sit on right in front of the cook and ordered what ever he was preparing with a large glass of cool sparkling water.
I turned around and gazed at the area it had wooden chairs and tables filled with casual wearing shoppers sitting sipping there drinks chatting away. They seem like they know the eatery very well as some were sitting and giving their orders without looking at a menu. The Deli had a nice small bistro feel to it with an Italian authenticity. Neutral arched walls and dark colored wooden settings all set in a dimmed comfortable light. It reminded me of one of my favorite eateries in a small minimarket in Como Italy along one of the brick paths in the heart of the old town. The one person pizza, soups, and many tasty looking sandwiches at La Bottega had interesting very fresh ingredients and combinations. Some customers would make small conversation with the cook or waiter standing to take the orders. It had a homey feel to it.
I sat there for almost an hour resting sipping my drink feeling very happy that my hunger was filled. Then took my clutches and looked around the market. It was mostly filled with Italian imported, and gourmet food. Nice collection of crusty bread. Rows of olive oil. Defiantly a Mediterranean feel to it.
I love finding these hidden eateries because sometimes you find the best gourmet food that comes in the neck of time with the cheapest prices.
The name of this gem and literary a hole in the wall eatery is…
La Bottega Nicastro
64 George St.
ByWard Market
Ottwa, Ontario
Canada
Tel: +1 (613) 789-7575
Email: info@labottega.ca
Suggested links:
Check out their website they have a monthly Italian cooking classes for a fee. Posted recipes of the month. I am defiantly going to try the Tiramisu recipe its one of my favorite desserts in Italy.
Write to you soon…
Hotels.com by city, dates and number of guests
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Local Markets of The World… ByWard Market Ottawa
One of my greatest enjoyments even at home is going to the Local Market and that is no different when I am traveling. I look for them and I enjoy visiting them. I have a habit of picking up fresh local seasonal fruits that I nibble on during my travels as snacks.
The ByWard market isn’t your ordinary farmers market it’s actually one of the trendiest places to go to in Ottawa be it day or night. If you ever visited a resident of Ottawa and it’s your first night there, most likely the first restaurant that they will take you to have dinner at will be at this market area. When night falls you will find many different styles of restaurants with the tastiest cuisine from seafood to Asian, and price ranges from expensive to what suits budget pockets.
Day time you will be able to visit the many fashionable boutiques, coffee shops, and gourmet minimarkets. In the mid of it all the daily farmers market stands will be selling all kinds of seasonal fruits, vegetables, and homemade food. Spring which is my favorite time to go visit these local markets I enjoy the sight of colorful flower pots rows and rows of them that revive your senses. During this last visit which I traveled over seas I was almost tempted to buy a pot or two because you can’t resist the beauty of the flowers. I didn’t of course.
The history of this area which is the oldest part of Ottawa goes all the way back to 1812 when the British after the war choose The Rideau River for a waterway to go through between Kingston and Montreal as a precaution against hostilities from the Americans . They needed a canal to be built to bypass The Rideau Falls. A settlement was started for canal workers on the south shore of The Rideau River as there was only Wrightsville lumber town, but it was located on the north shore. Slowly a small town developed in the area between the river and the canal known as Lowertown the heart of it is today’s ByWard market.
If you are ever visiting Ottawa I am sure that you will not miss this lively market. It’s a must see…
Tomorow find out about the little hole in the wall eatery that I found in ByWard Market.
Suggested Links:
Ottawa Tourism
ByWard Market official site
Ottawa's historic ByWard Market Square official site
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A brief history of The Turkish Language
The language roots go back to 3500BC. The first evidence of the Turkish language was found on stones dating back to the 8th century BC on Outer Mongolia. In the 8th century AD The Mongol took control of the Turks Land, and later the tribe migrated to the south and west.
Most Turks that were in the Middle East became Muslims. The Suljic clan of the Turks later invaded Anatolia and imposed their language on the people they ruled. Over time Arabic and Persian were used to express culture and education in that region and that was the beginning of using Arabic scripts for the Turkish language.
In the 14th century The Ottomans clan was Turkey dominant power. During their ruling there were two levels of Turkish:
1- Ornate Ottoman Turkish which had Persian phrases and Arabic respectful words used for diplomacy, art, and business.
2-The language of the common Turks which used native Turkish vocabulary and structures.
The Ottomans Empire fell and came Ataturk who led the new Republic of Turkey. He devised a phonetic Latin script that reflected the Turkish sounds and in 1928 the new writing system was reviled and implemented. In 1932 The Turkish Language Association was created to simplify the Turkish language to its pure form to what it is today.
Turkish is also called Osmanli in populations in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece, Germany, and the ‘-stans’ of central Asia.
Siblings of the language are Azeri, Gagauz, Qashqay, Turkmen, and Uzbek which is the reason I wanted to start learning the language because of my Uzbek roots.
Now that I learnt a bet about the history of the language I set on learning we can restart the Turkish Phrase of The Day with my next post.
Suggested Links:
These two amazing links help to learn The Turkish Language for Free
TURKISH LANGUAGE CLASS by Turkish Teachears a great site.
Totally Turkish is a website by an english woman who feel in love with the Turkish Language and Turkey and is sharing it with the rest of us.
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This is a post on my previous site "Travel Sights With Lilliy.com"
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Sightseeing The Turkish Riviera… Aspendos Theater Part1 of 2
Do you want to be taken to ancient times and experience how entertainment was in the 2nd to 3rd centuries AD then if you are ever in the region and in mid June- early July you can with the little help of modern technology. Attend an opera at Aspendos Theater in the ancient city 50 km east of Antalya.
The Aspendos Amphitheater located on the Euromedion River (now the Koprulu River) was constructed around AD 162 by the architect Zeno during The Romans in the era of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-80) and restored during the 13th century.
The stadium has unique acoustics and lighting that changes when night falls. Attending an opera at night gives remarkable effect with the magical atmosphere of the ancient architecture and the strength of the vocals through out the stadium which was tested even during those ancient times by the architect to asses the power of the sound, its echo and reflection backwards at different parts of the theater and made adjustments to give the desired remarkable effect.
The theater was ruins for a long period of time till Ataturk came while touring the region in 1930’s declared that it has to be used, and restorations were started. Since that time it stages operas, concerts, ballet, and folklore festivals till today. One of which is a very popular festival worldwide The Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival, It is the only festival of its kind in Turkey, which hosted its 16th Anniversary this year, is still running this month. The last two performances will be Romeo and Juliette Opera (30 June 2009) and A Journey with Magical Music of Disney Movies and Dance Music (3rd July 2009). The best performance of this festival is The Opera Aida that reflects the theaters antique atmosphere with the costumes and music, every one who has attended this performance raved that it was unique. If you are visiting the area with in these days I highly recommend that you check it out, or if you are planning a trip to Antalya try to make it during the time when you can attend one of these performances.
When I walked through the doors of Aspendos into the ground floor of the theater I was astonished by its grandness and how even that long ago The Roman Civilization had set the standers to be followed afterwards by so many in architecture, physics, and entertainment. I stood there in awe of its magnificence and wondered how will our times be remembered hundred of years from now, have we left anything that will stand through out time that the generations of hundreds years to come, will they too stand in awe of what we have left behind.
Suggested links:
The official site for The Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival
Tickets with hotel pick up and drop off can be arranged by this touring company which I highly recommend:
Solymos Travel
Tel:+90 242 248 17 48
Fax: +90 242 248 19 17
e-mail: info@solymostravel.com
Part 2 of 2 of this post will be the panoramic video of The Aspendos Theater.
From my original site "Travel Sights With Lilliy.com"
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Top 5 favorite things about Istanbul
Welcome! this is my first post on my new launched site and I choose it to be about one of my favorite cities.. Istanbul!.. These are my top 5 things that keeps me coming back for more:
1- The boutique hotels in the historic part of the city Sultanahmet with its preserved exterior by law so not to lose its authenticity and keep its own charm. There is something personalized about the service that you feel once you walk through the door. Till now most hotels that I stayed in the people working in it try very hard to make you feel welcomed and try to make you fell at home. There is always a nice setting/eating area that you will enjoy either on the roof top terrace or an inner garden that is mostly tranquil with a soft breeze on good nights that you sit and enjoy sipping your chay (tea) or drink. The rooms are usually smaller than American standards but are clean, comfortable, and with character. As usual you can use sites like Trip Advisor to check before you reserve, which has now became a very informative site that I never book with out first checking other traveler’s reviews.
2- The vivid history of Istanbul which because of its strategic link between east and west has made it a focal point of interest through civilizations and conquers that each left their mark on this mystical city with fingerprints apparent in Aya Sofia, The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and Dolmabahce palace where it marked the decline of the Ottoman empire. All will take you through a journey to the past you will see Byzantines emperors, empresses walking through the doors, hear the fighting of the men as the ottomans conquered and entered Istanbul, see The Harem dancing and singing to the sultan in the quarters with peacocks and gold, then the revolution and New Turkey emerging on the streets to what you see today.
3-The Bazaars both The Grand Bazaar ((Kapali Carsi) and The Spice Bazaar or Egyptian Market (Misir Carsisi) where you almost see the caravans filled with spice and silk coming from the east and hear the merchants shouting as it is today asking you to come in and try the nice silk and try the new spices that fill the air with fragrance and feed your eyes with all its colorful display.
4- Istanbul was able to combine the old culture, and tradition with the new modern urban life. You can enjoy a nice chay and nargeleh in a garden or on the street on wooden chairs with Turkish seating playing backgammon watching people pass by to swanky lounges and restaurants with the glitterati of Istanbul in the Ortakoy area in the most hip restaurants and lounges beside the Bosphorus looking at The Bosphorus Bridge that connects Europe with Asia listening to new lounge music that turns into dance floors after midnight.
5- Turkish Delights and Turkish coffee. To me you haven’t visited Istanbul or Turkey if you haven’t tried both and they make for great gifts that every one enjoys when you take back home.
There is so much more to see and experience in Istanbul but these things are a must on my list when ever I visit Istanbul.
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