Welcome to Hell?

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Your pod will be departing "any second now"! The futuristic start to the trip was about to get underway courtesy of the Pod. The unmanned capsule moved cautiously off towards Heathrow Terminal 5 on it's concrete roadway. The "doors will open automatically", announced the screen as we docked into our arrival berth. We waited. We waited a bit longer. The doors finally did open, after what seemed like an excessive delay. Miranda's panic subsided. It would not be the last transportation hiccup of the day.

BA0678 touched down in bright sunshine at Instabul's Ataturk International Airport. The queue at immigration was lengthy and we watched a steady stream of disappointed arrivals being dispatched to the back after failing to secure an entry visa from the separate desk. We congratulated ourselves on having purchased the online E-Visa. The option of buying on arrival ceases sometime in April. The queue continued to build. A fellow traveller likened it to arriving at JFK on a bad day. The temperature displays said 23 degrees and we opted for the 1/2 hourly Havatas shuttle bus over the Metro, in the interests of not becoming more hot and bothered - turn right out of the Terminaland look for the line. The 10TL paid, we settled back for a relaxing journey into the city. It was Friday early evening. The traffic was heavy. The driving was suspect, although the form displayed by the mobility porters in charge of an electric buggy at the airport had merely confirmed that the combination of a Turk and a powerful car could be a problem for other road users.

The first impressions of Istanbul were favourable. A series of colourful flower beds lined the central reservations. Spring had arrived. The shuttle bus headed slowly towards Taksim before gradually grinding to a halt before and after the Golden Horn. The slow pace gave us chance to observe that the shopping life of Istanbul was segregated into products. We passed the industrial kitchens section, before moving into shop dummies. Lighting was next. We would pass everything from textiles to wedding dresses in the next few days.

The shuttle arrived at the Point Hotel near Taksim Square. Our hotel was about 20 minutes walk away on Pera Hill, so we set off to find the Taksim Square as our first geographical landmark. Taksim had been the scene of unrest and protests against the Government in recent times and that had reignited in the last few days, so we were pleased to find calm on a Friday afternoon. We followed the lines of the old tram down Istiklal Caddesi towards our destination. The majority of tourists gravitate towards Sultanahmet. The majority locals seem to gravitate towards Istiklal Caddesi, which is full on and in your face on a permanent basis. We picked our way carefully between the people, who like the city's drivers wander along in a totally random fashion without a thought for other users. The road is technically pedstrians only save for the old tram, although a succession of vehicles manage to weave their way through the sea of people at all times of the day and night. The side streets house a throng of bars, clubs and restaurants that act as a magnet as darkness gathers. We duly arrived at the hotel, deposited our bags in the room and made our way out into the night.

I was keen to secure tickets for Galatasaray on Saturday night and had identified a GS Store in the Metro City shopping complex 4 Metro stops north of our location. However in order to get discount on the transport, we needed a Instanbukart - the local version of Oyster. We headed down our local Metro at Shishane to find that the only ticket machine capable of dispensing the said Kart was empty of the item. Ticket office? No ticket office! The Istanbul Metro is an example of what London Underground will become, if Boris gets his way. We asked a few people to no avail. It's an interesting situation in that everybody (except the tourists) have a card, but nobody can tell you where to buy one. In other cities, the nearest news stand will dispense the product - not the case in Istanbul! We walked up the increasing congestion of Istiklal Caddesi to Taksim - the heart of the city......... a card would be available there. There are loads of ticket machines at Taksim, but none held a supply of the precious cards. There was plenty of helpful advice pointing us towards the next machine, but it proved fruitless and as before ....... Ticket Office? No ticket office. We gave up and bought the full price Jetons at 3TL.

We were clearly pondering our next move at Levent, when a a smartly dressed guy asked if he could help. Directions to MetroCity were required. It was his turn to look puzzled, although his interest was aroused when I explained the purpose to buy Galatsaray tickets. The match is tonight ..... in 20 minutes. My research radar was clearly way off it's normal standard. He pulled out 2 season tickets out of his wallet and explained he could not go to the match as he had to meet his wife on her way back from an overseas business trip. A poor excuse! He offered them to us and asked us to hand them back to his friends at the game.......... free, gratis. My initial disapointment at the news of the imminent fixture dissapated, but was soon dashed after a mobile call to his friends assured him it was on Saturday, as I had advised. The season tickets were reclaimed. The perception in the UK press from the 90's of "Welcome to Hell", based on the reception to Manchester United and the unfortunate events of a Leeds' visit. It doesn't somehow fit with this encounter. Could you imagine in London or any other major European city? 2 free season tickets being offered to complete strangers on an underground system after a chance comment? We pressed on to the GS Store, next door incidentally to the big rivals Fenerbache shop. A man with a computer based ticket printer sat eagerly awaiting our business in amongst the vast range of Galatsaray merchandise. It proved easier to acquire the said tickets from the random stranger on the Metro. GS Store can only print tickets, if you have pre-ordered them on the internet ........ not all fans have internet or a credit card ......... the general idea would be that if not, the corporate version of the new Galatasaray doesn't want you or need you! Foiled, we returned to Taksim to find food. When in Rome and all that ........ the choice was obvious .... kebab it is then! The meat frenzy fortified us and the search for the elusive Istanbulkart was finally succesfully concluded.

Saturday was football day. Miranda remained nervous about our attendance, especially as Division 3 beckoned in mid-afternoon. We went on an orientation mission first and headed downhill from Pera towards the Galata Bridge. The Galata Tower rose into the blue sky. Entrance fee for a view over the Sultanahmet was a steep 20TL. I had another more competitive price plan in the coming days, so we skipped that one and carried on towards the Galata Bridge. Fishing spots were scare. It was difficult to estimate the numbers guarding their rods from the bridge's upper deck, but it was fairly high. The catch looked good. The fishermen looked pleased with their efforts. There would be no shortage of fish sandwiches today.

The queues outside the Hagia Sophia were long. In view of the time pressures, we opted for the free entry Blue Mosque. An equally long queue snaked round the courtyard, but we made it in before prayers. Shoes off. Miranda delved into her bag for a head scarf, although complimentary versions were available for the women to wear. The Blue Mosque was a little underwhelming. After an extensive list of Mosque visits over the course of the week, we came to the conclusion that smaller was usually better. We headed off into the Grand Bazaar. Miranda eyed up the prices of Turkish delight. The Bazaar offered everything from the delight, gold, fake handbags, nuts, football shirts. The constant bombardment from the vendors became tiresome after 10 minutes and we pressed on towards the Vefa Stadium.

We recognised the Valens Aquaduct from our trip in from the Airport, but a more detailed map was definitely required. I nipped in the nearest executive hotel and pleading "lost in Istanbul" emerged with the required product. The Fatih neighbourhood was definitely more conservative with a small "c" and the number of women dressed in the full burkha increased dramatically. A few minibus taxis of rowdy football fans drove past us, so I knew we were on the right lines. Miranda began to drag her heels, after she spotted the ranks of the riot police armed with machine guns. They watched on .... fingers twitching on their triggers. The Wikipedia reptutation of the home club, Fatih Karagumruk, clearly preceded them................... or they were expecting Syrian jets to make an appearance. We stopped for a drink and a sandwich, before entering the stadium. The most worrying aspect was crossing the road. The Police and others looked on at the curiousity couple making their way into the Fatih end. Tickets 5TL. The opposition fans were safely behind a line of riot police at the far end and given the boisterous noise coming from the covered side terrace seats, we settled in behind the goal.

In other trips around eastern parts of Europe, I come back with a series of dog portrait photography. Dogs were rare in Istanbul and usually pedigrees under the control of their owners. Cats on the other hand are everywhere. It wasn't long before we were joined by "Stadium" Cat, who had eyed up our sandwiches from a sunbathing spot nearby. It wasn't long too before some older fans also wandered across insisting on a snapshot with the visitors. Which club? After Chelsea's recent encounter with Gala the wounds could still be open, so I settled on the trusted favourite of the European Cup winning brothers. Champions, nodded the more knowledgeable among the Fatih contingient. Well not anymore I thought, but they seemed happy enough with the choice. I wandered to the tea bar for a drink. Nottingham Forest. Nottingham Forest was murmoured amongst the others in the queue. The Man in the Middle would have chuckled. The 150 or so Umraniyespor fans at the fair end kept up an impressive noise, which went up a notch or two after they took a deserved lead. Fatih then totally dominated. Miranda, now more at home in her surroundings, took an interest in their quest for an equaliser not seen at a match since she realised she had Dundee on a fixed odds line a couple of years back. She was highly delighted with the 93rd minute equaliser. We made our way outside, where the riot police were still waiting with their machine guns for the arrival of the Syrian jets.

There were plenty of Galatasaray fans heading north on the Metro. We alighted and made our way outside to the grandly named Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi. The Turkcell Telecom Arena looms large. The ticket office to the left seemed busy, but at least they were selling. The throng of activity turned out to be mostly touts, trying to intercept anybody attempting to buy a ticket from the office. The majority trying to buy were Americans and Germans. We joined them and joined a queue. It turned out to be for 125TL tickets. Excessive price, I thought. A lot of 50TL season tickets arrived with their owners next to us. "I am good man. 2 tickets. 100TL. No problems". The command of English didn't fill me with confidence as to where were you supposed to find a seat, once we had handed the season tickets back through the railings. We opted for the legitimate over priced seats instead.

The 125TL seats came with a steward to personally show you to your perch. Heaters in the stadium roof above kept the temperature at an acceptable level. An array of other fans (including the Americans and Germans) as well as plenty of Turks arrived in the same sections in their newly purchased shirts, scarfs, wigs and silly hats. The boys from DC United probably felt right at home. The Urslan Aslan loudly greeted the team, but there was no pyro display. The Galatasaray display was pathetic. They hit the bar, but never really threatened the opposition goal otherwise. Mancini wandered around on the touchline with his customary club scarf tied round his neck, berating his players for not getting the ball up front early enough. Didier was a no show and had clearly invented an injury to stay in London with the Mrs, after his night out at his old stomping ground in SW6. Wesley looked lost and forlorn on the left touchline, but was probably satisfied that his bank balance was rising by the minute. The Mancini instructions completely missed the point that his best player was a spectator on the left wing. He surpassed himself by bringing on another winger to the right side, but continued to seek the long ball played through the middle. The Ultras Aslan became quieter and possibly wished they had managed to sell their season tickets outside. Kayserispor came for a draw and were thrilled and delighted after a weaving solo run from the sub resulted in a winner with the last kick of the match. The scorer raced around with his shirt off and was promptly shown a second yellow card and sent off. Harsh, but technically correct! The 12 away fans were delighted regardless that they remain adrift at the bottom of the league. We felt mugged for the ticket price. Miranda pined for Karagumruk in Division 3 .............. machine guns and all! There was ironic applause from the Galatasaray fans. The protests then statrted. We weren't sure whether it was a Sack the Board or Mancini Must Go.

Welcome to Hell? Dream On. The atmosphere wouldn't intimidate the Karagumruk cat!

Time for food. When in Rome .......... that'll be another kebab then. Chicken shish tonight.

Appendix 1

Turkish Sperlig

Galatasaray 0 Kayserispor 1

Turkcell Telecom Arena, Istanbul

Goals

Kayserispor: Mouche 94

Galatasaray

• 25 Muslera
• 22 Balta Booked
• 26 Kaya
• 08 Alex Telles
• 10 Sneijder Booked
• 03 Felipe Mela Booked
• 08 Inan
• 06 Gulselam
• 88 Sari
• 14 Hajrovic
• 17 Yilmaz

Substitutes

• 19 Bulut
• 94 Ontivero
• 55 Sarioglu
• 28 Gunter
• 35 Kurtulis
• 86 Ceylan
• 45 Kayar



Kayserispor

• 57 Bolat
• 05 Serino
• 04 Kos
• 02 Gulan
• 22 Tziolis
• 28 Bekdamar
• 21 Mijailovc
• 09 Bobo
• 17 Mouche (Sent Off 95)
• 16 Biseswar
• 39 Bayram

Substitutes

• 25 Uludag
• 11 Meert Nobre
• 31 Yokuslu
• 01 Taskiran
• 12 Bakis
• 23 Yalcin
• 27 Akdari


Referee: Hussein Gocek

Attendance: 30,503



Appendix 2

Turkish 3 Lig

Fatih Karagumruk 1 Umraniyespor 1

Vefa Stadium, Istanbul

Attendance: Est 500

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Photos

Istanbul University
Pigeon plates piled high.....

Vefa Stadium
"Stadium" Cat

Sultanahmet
Magic carpet

Vefa Stadium
Turnstiles