Blogs from Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Marmara, Turkey, Middle East - page 17

Part of the reason I love travelling is the adventure that inevitably comes with landing in a strange place with only a hazy idea of what you want to do and watching the chips fall into place. This is fun because they never fall exactly where you expect them to. This has never been more the case than with my landing here in Istanbul. Let's back up a moment. The flight over was fine, British Airways was the friendliest airline I've taken in a while and they serve the gin and tonic as often as you as for it (my seatmates were really sweet little English grannies, and man could they drink!) so the flight was decent. I had a 6 hour stopover in London, and my old friend Mo, whom I met in Frankfurt about ... read more

The next day Marcus and I took it easy and had a nice breakfast where I told Marcus stories of when Dad and I were there, and Marcus got to know Lynn and Ayse a little better. It was just like old times only with a new person! Lynn couldn’t stop talking about how much fun Dad looked like he was having, and I concurred that I didn’t think I had seen Dad that happy and relaxed in a long time. I remember when Dad was here how we would tease each other mercilessly back and forth and then we would get on Skype to talk to Mom and she would get tired of hearing us poke fun at each other, but we were having a blast. After breakfast (Marcus was worried that I had talked ... read more

We set off earliesh (around 9:00) in the morning and walked towards the Galata Tower and then Bridge. There were very few people around in our neighbourhood – a lady going to buy some bits, a couple of older men just strolling and the café owners getting ready for the day. It seemed pretty quiet. The Galata Bridge was packed with fisherman but there were few people around the Spice Bazaar and adjacent mosque. We’d hoped to buy some provisions (nuts, sweets etc) in the Spice Bazaar but had to content ourselves with the same bought at small shops on the outside of the Bazaar. We had decided that we would walk from there to the Topkapi Palace, spend a few hours then go to the Archaeological Museum nearby. That wasn’t to be. We managed to ... read more

I woke up and realized it would be my next to last breakfast at the Apricot Hotel (when I get back from the tour it will be late on Sunday and then I leave on Monday morning and have my last breakfast then). Before we left the room to trek to the hotel Dad gathered up all the different currencies to give to Ayse from what Lynn had said advised the previous day and was going to put them all in one bag. But I reminded Dad that they all had to be separate! So we figured we would ask Lynn for some envelopes at breakfast. We get to breakfast and I see Lynn and Ayse’s smiling faces and it just lights up my day! I am glad that I get one more day once ... read more

Have you ever had an image or vision of a city in your head, only to get there and have it completely turned upside down? I had a picture of Istanbul as this crazy, confused, manic city, where you’re constantly on the look out. A place where crossing the road was a nightmare, where traders hassled you for sales or where pick pockets lurked on every street corner. I don’t know why this image was in my head, but it was. I had no basis for it. Instead we found a cosmopolitan European city with an Asian twist. The streets were narrow and lined with trees, chic café’s and upmarket restaurants were accompanied by kebab houses and carpet shops along colourful pathways. There was no noise and confusion, just a relaxed vibe as life went by. ... read more