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Published: January 11th 2015
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Woolly says – being the type of mammoth to never ignore an opportunity when it presents itself the chance to spend New Year in Istanbul was an easy choice to make. Having chivvied Jo round, packed the travel bag, found the passports and booked the relevant flights and transfers I was ready. What my mammoth friend really means that having bossed me around for several days and got in the way of packing not to mention demanding that everything he owns was included we finally made it to the front door ready for the off. Woolly says – Hmmm, OK we’ll put aside the ‘who did what’ scenario and move swiftly forward to Jo locking the apartment door and leaving the keys inside part! Looking at her face I just handed over the tissues, prodded her down the stairs telling her that we could sort that when we got back and that if she was going to cry I was going without her, it seemed to do the trick. Not the best start to the trip but not wanting to miss the flight I tried to put the worries of how we would get back inside to one side and followed my furry companion down the road to the transfer. The sort journey to Gazipassa Airport and then an hour’s hop to Istanbul went without hitch and with the added bonus of a free breakfast on-board even the mammoth was content.
Woolly says – I do like the internal Turkish flights, free food and drinks for all can’t be wrong! As we shot through the outskirts of the city I congratulated Jo on actually getting us there with no problems before realising that our accommodation for the next few days was not the best, cleanest or warmest in the world but being close to the Blue Mosque and other attractions it was going to be a case of bear with the room and just enjoy the excursions. First stop had to be something to eat to keep my strength up and at my suggestion we headed to the cobbled Lantern streets that we had visited in the summer with daughter Zoe. As I sat dozing after my meal I listened to the humans comparing tails of travel and laughing at our previous travel problems, with a nicely filled belly and a good night’s sleep I felt ready to tackle anything that was on offer.
We had offered to be tour guides for some British friends who were visiting the city and having eaten the meagre breakfast on offer, added several layers to combat the cold the hardy group of travellers set off for the Blue Mosque. Woolly says – BREAKFAST!!!! It didn’t even equate to a small snack let alone breakfast, I’m on rations! But with the promise of a snack to come and a stray Mars bar I found in Jo’s bag I would have to be content for the moment. The Blue Mosque was as stunning as on our previous visit and as everyone gazed around I trotted off to have a closer look at the area where the Imam sits…… Having grabbed his paw before he could go into areas that we were not supposed to I sat with my disgruntled friend explaining that although he might be a male he still wasn’t allowed to cross over the huge area used for prayers and that upsetting the officials of the mosque would not add anything to our visit.
Woolly says – …..I only wanted to look closer and there should be different rules for mammoths! Once everyone had taken there snaps and seemed content with their sightings I trotted back outside, where someone had decided that bitingly cold winds and snow were on the agenda, yes I know I might come from the Ice Age but having become domesticated over the years means that even I feel the cold these days. Spotting the huge queue for the Hagia Sophia I consulted with my minions, sorry I mean our fellow travellers and suggested that the Grand Bazaar would be warm and dry if nothing else. The frozen looks I received appeared to be in agreement so catching a ride in Jo’s jacket I led the way through the streets of the busy city. Woolly and I were conscious that having already visited some of these areas that we would not be blogging about them, although we have included some more photo’s (see 13 Million, a Mammoth and a Flying Cow! A Bird's Eye View and a Mosque or Two )
so we were more than happy to wander and provide snippets of information for our friends. Woolly says – Everyone else seemed to have had the same idea regarding the dry and warm area to be and as we entered the Grand Bazar I kept a tight grip on Jo in case she got lost before we became one of the millions of sheep, sorry people that were trying to get round, two hours later and we popped back outside to be greeted by more snow and the strong possibility of frozen tusks. To combat this and to continue with showing our friends something that wouldn’t involve frost bite, I nudged everyone in the direction of the Spice Market which was even more crowded than the Bazar if that was possible but still retained its spicy smells and interesting array of wares, having stocked up on some rather nice sticky nut cake I was ready to face the weather again.
How someone so small can get into such a mess with one piece of cake is beyond me, having used all of the emergency wet wipes and tried to make him more presentable we faced the blizzard outside. It took no convincing to call a halt to the days sightseeing adventures and make our way back towards the accommodation and that chance of somewhere warm and dry to squander some hours away.
Woolly says – with the promise of warmth and a hot meal I barrelled along the pavements unable to see much through the storm that was raging around my head until I bumped into a large green frog holding a saxophone, the windows above showed a warm and inviting bar and as I turned to Jo with my pleading eye look at the ready I found that we were heading inside so with sighs of relief I trotted into Alice’s. It was lovely, warmth started to seep into my paws as I listened to the gentle sound of a saxophonist playing in the corner. The food arrived and was greeted with cries of delight as were the bottles of wine…. I think I might be in for a late night!
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Snow!
I've also been to Istanbul a couple of times, but never in the snow--brr. How great to have friends to show the wonderful sites as a fine excuse for a revisit. Hope you manage to stay warm!