The Traveling Hillbilly Feels Like a Celebrity at Dinner!

And spends like one too!

As I mentioned in my last post, I arrived at the hotel too late and too exhausted to go out exploring so I decided to just have dinner at the hotel.  I had already read a couple of reviews on Cipriani, the Italian restaurant in the hotel and the net, net was it was a MUST while you're at the hotel so my decision was made.

By the time I arrived at the hotel, I was starved. I'd pretty much had a banana and a piece of toast of all day and it was almost 9pm.   After a quick shower, I headed downstairs to feast!

I'm not sure whether it was due to the late hour, or if it was just an unusually slow night, but there were three tables in the restaurant.  One had five people, one had one guy and the third one was me!   There were like 7 waiters in fancy white coats, plus the hostess and another guy in a fancy suit, he may have been the manager, but I'm not sure.   Anyway, with all that staff and so few patrons to wait on, you can imagine the service we three tables got!   No sooner than I put down my glass, it was instantly refilled.   These boys hovered around our tables like they were afraid we were all going to band together for a mass exit out the door at any minute.  Don't get me wrong, they were not rude or anything.  They were all very pleasant. I just think they were bored and each just wanted something to do.  When I was finished with dinner, three of them came over bearing tempting offers of dessert.  While each of the offerings look delicious, I was just too full to partake.  I had started with burrata mediterranean and then had a pasta dish with eggplant, not to mention the bread!  All in all a great meal.

I settled my bill and headed to my room.  And here is where the spend part comes in.  See I had forgotten to check the exchange rate before I left my room and of course the prices were all in Turkish Lira.   Based on the prices on the menu, I knew there had to be a significant exchange rate, otherwise I was about to consume the most expensive dinner I'd ever had!

When I got back to my room, I was happy to see the exchange rate is significant, about 50%.  So 10 Turkish Lira is about $5 US dollars.  It did make me feel better, but I still had a very expensive dinner.  Although given my state of exhaustion, I wouldn't have changed anything.  The food was delicious!