Mobile cafe

I've never seen such a big tea tray! The owner was taking tea around the market stallholders. He filled the glasses from a huge teapot in his other hand.

Secluded spot

This cafe feels a bit like a private garden. In fact I couldn't see where the actual cafe is, just the tables.

Serving mantı since 1975

This restaurant claims to be Bursa's first mantı maker, although it has only been open since 1975. Mantı are small parcels of pasta filled with meat, a bit like Italian ravioli. Like a lot of dishes here they are eaten with yogurt.

Take a break

The pigeons were enjoying a bit of sun on top of the restaurant.

The wind never blows when you want it to

Unfortunately the wind would not blow so that I could get the flag properly. It makes an interesting combination.

Souvenirs of warmer weather

Another outdoor cafe is shut for winter. I wonder how long these empty bottles will wait to be sent back and refilled.

Apolyont Han

The Apolyont Han is right next to the Zafer Plaza and has just been renovated. A lot of small shops and restaurants have opened inside.

Closed for now

There aren't many takers for sitting outside at the moment. But that gives an opportunity to admire the beautiful tables.

relax..

"relax during the daytime in front of this little cafe..the men on the right they are playing backgammon...nice game to pass time...in turkish it is called -tavla-...there are some shops around..probably the workers come to pass time and drink a fresh lemonade!!"

last summer sun..

"come along to drink a glass of tea in the last sun of the summer...which they call here "the summer of pastirma" ...pastirma is a kind of dry meat..and definitely Lamia i mean me should learn why Turkish people use that term. so keep watching later you will find the answer coming soon..."

Dinner by moonlight

Another view of the pier at Mudanya. This time the weather was better and we managed to sit outside. It's a bit dark but hopefully something can be seen...

Fun and Games

During Ramadan people often meet to eat the iftar (sunset) meal together. This year it is around 7.30pm in Bursa. Afterwards they gather in tea gardens to drink tea, chat and play games like this one. The tea garden was full and very lively, some people apparently would stay there until the early hours before going home to eat breakfast before the morning prayer call.

Demlik Cafe

"a picture from a tea house in the center..tea is a very important drink for turkish...you can drink it anytime anywhere..."

Pier at the Montanya hotel

During the summer the Montanya hotel in Mudanya sets up its restaurant on the pier behind the hotel. We wanted to go there at the weekend but as you can see the weather was a bit too wild! After a hot sunny day, the evening turned out wet and windy. Only two intrepid diners are braving the weather.

Borderless Çay!

"For turkish breakfast is important and they are eating a big one..especially for the weekends they are going out for bruch..here it writes: brunch every saturday and sunday for 15 ytl which is 7 euros and 50 centimes..you can drink tea without limit..we have 30 different types of mermelads,cheeses,eggs etc...

good price...let's enterrrrrrrr"

Another Tea Garden

This is an old tea garden in the heart of Bursa called Mahfel...maybe more than hundred years old..renovated so many times but the atmosphere is still the same...you can relax and drink a cup of tea under these old trees wishing that they can talk ,tell stories about what they have been witnessed all these years...

Çiçek Izgara

Besides kebab, another favourite Turkish food is meatballs (köfte). This restaurant is one of the most well-known places in Bursa to eat köfte.

The name means 'Flower Grill' because of its location opposite the flower market.

Montanya Hotel

This hotel in Mudanya used to be the railway station. Now there is no railway any more, and the building has been turned into a hotel and restaurant. It has a very nice position next to the sea.

Tea Garden

A tearoom in Yesil, next to the famous Yesil Cami (green mosque) which Queen Elizabeth entered on her visit to Bursa. From the tearoom there is a fantastic view of the Bursa plain (to follow tomorrow). The metal thing you can see on the right side of the picture is an old tea urn.

What struck me about this tearoom is it was the first place for a few weeks I have seen people smoking. There is now a smoking ban in many public places and you can really notice a difference. It will not be implemented in bars and restaurants until next year, but already many places have become smoke free.

Bursa's first Italian restaurant

Krokodil was one of the first Italian restaurants to open in Bursa. Now there are at least 5 others (a lot of Italians live here so that probably helps). The big building behind is the Anatolia hotel.