Moving Day

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Day 10: Our last day in Istanbul. Today we didn't receive our laundry until 9 am. This caused a few stressors since we had to be showered and packed by 10 am to avoid paying another night. Since we were in such a rush a few things got left behind. My cheap little alarm clock and unfortunately Momma Bear's Ipod. On top of that it cost us 80 TL ($48) to do our laundry. It was not the best start to the day; needless to say we will be doing our own laundry from now on.

We loaded up our 50 lb bags and all of our purchases, (Yes Kim; presents!) and proceeded to walk up the hill hoping to catch a taxi on the way. No such luck. So we both managed to haul our sweaty carcasses up to the top of the hill where there was an option to catch the train. Terri's reply was if she made it up the damn hill she might as well walk down the hill as well. So we lugged all our luggage up and down hills for approximately 2 km until we reached the travel agent. Here we dropped off our luggage and proceeded to ship our gifts back home in which the shipping cost more than the presents themselves.

Our bus departs at 8pm so we decided to head up to see Topkapi palace. Once again there was a massive line up. Only this time it wasn't the two of us sweating like pigs in the summer heat, no, Terri said I could stand in line and she would go wait in the shade. All I can say is the next lineup is hers to stand in. At first it didn't seem like it would take too long because there were only 20 people ahead of me and assuming they are not all idiots this should only take 20 minutes max. Don't ever make assumptions as they make an ASS out of U and ME!! Let me tell you it did not take me long to hit cranky mode. Where the lineup was situated there was no shade to be had; the sun was directly above us bearing down upon me with all of its unwavering wrath. It had to be 40 degrees in that line up and we were not moving. Okay, seriously, how hard is it to purchase tickets, language barrier or not. There was one gentleman who took 15 minutes; REALLY! The really disturbing part is that I picked the wrong line up because the one beside me was moving quite quickly. 45 minutes later I reached the front of the counter and held up two fingers without saying a word. The little man understood what I wanted because it is a ticket line up where you generally line up to buy tickets. I had my tickets in my hand within 30 seconds and I speak no more Turkish than anyone else so why are the simplest of tasks so difficult for some people. Did I mention the heat makes me cranky!

I proceeded to walk over to where Terri was sitting and told her we are going to sit in the shade until my body no longer wants to boot kick me upside the head for putting it through that misery. The really sad part is that I was really hoping a little man would approach me offering to guide me so I could try out my new strategy but I wasn't that lucky.

We purchased the audio tour and went about touring the palace on our own. The building itself was nothing impressive. What was really impressive was the collection of artifacts contained within the building; no wonder they have little men with assault rifles wandering around. Within these collections were one of the best gatherings of 1500 - 2000 year old weaponry Momma Bear has ever seen. The crown jewels (literally) were to be found in the palace's treasury. Ever wonder why emeralds, pearls, crystal, diamonds, gold, and rubies are so rare and expensive? It's because back in the day everything from bowls to water jugs were loaded up to the nines with all sorts of gold and gems. There was a water jug there that if it wasn't considered priceless would be valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars today. All I can say is the water better be good. There was an 86 carat diamond and a 24 carat gold and gem encrusted baby cradle. I wish I could show you what I am talking about but there were no cameras allowed inside. It was really neat to see. I can say one thing for sure about the Ottoman Empire, they liked their gold and precious gems.

As we were leaving we browsed around in the museum gift shop and found some really neat books that were too heavy and too expensive so we let them be. I also found a replica of one of the jewel encrusted daggers that I wanted for a mere 6000 TL ($3600). Mommy, did I mention I love you? Want to buy me a dagger?

After the palace we waited in the park for a while before heading off for our 10 hour bus ride.

When we arrived at the bus station the only thought that went through my mind was that I am glad we booked this through the tour company. I estimated anywhere from 350 to 500 buses were at this bus depot. It had at least three different levels and is what I can only describe as enormous. We then hopped on our bus bound for Selcuk.

The bus itself was quite luxurious; but, what else to you expect from a Mercedes bus. There was a lot of leg room and little televisions on the back of each seat (which didn't us no good because none of the stations were in english). They even had a little man walk up and down the aisles with a little snack and beverage cart like what you would see on the airplane. I also liked the fact that you can make the seats wider for more comfort. The only real downside to the bus was the lack of a toilet. During the trip we had a few stops for bathroom breaks including a 30 minute ferry ride. I was having trouble sleeping and got off at every stop to simply stretch my legs and cool off because the bus was quite warm. Upon my return from a bathroom break I noticed that some sleeping beauty had taken my pillow. The same person whom I offered a travel pillow to before we left said that she didn't want to have to carry it around. The nerve. Oh well, I just pulled out my jacket and tried to sleep for the remainder of the trip.

We left at 2130 from Istanbul and arrived around 0730 in Selcuk...

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Comments

[Aunt Cathie]

Forgetful...
Did you also forget your razor in your haste leaving that morning?