Blogs from Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Marmara, Turkey, Middle East

Lunch was taken at the Otantik restaurant . We fell upon it a stones throw away from our hotel . It served a purpose . You could sit outside or in depending on the weather . The menu was average . Touristy but would do . We did not have the time to find fine dining . Our first day was seeping away bit by bit before our eyes. There was walking to be done between the sites we have chosen to see and we wanted to make sure we did everything we had planned in. Had we planned too much too soon ? That is always hard to say . There is that desire to make sure that you don't miss anything balanced against time constraints . The staff at the Otantik were extremely friendly ... read more

Day 2 Monday morning early . Breakfast was served at 7.30. Breads, yoghurts, cheeses of every description, selections of cereals, jams and other nice things . Salad which seemed out of place . Fresh lemonade a feature of every restaurant . The bed had proved fine for me but rather hard for Glenn who prefers softer beds . Room service changed the towels . I would probably in the interests of recycling and reusing been happy to keep the old ones for another day . Room service came in three times during the day . Replacing towels on the first visit , replenishing coffee the second time round and a final third visit called room control . Never did find out what that was . I was accosted at breakfast by a guy who spoke to ... read more

Upon first observations, I can confidently say Istanbul is quite the multicultural milkshake. That, and I am completely charmed by its cobbled streets leading towards the sea. What a condensed, sprawling, hodge-podge of people and life! Demographics say its 78 percent Turks, but there are so many other faces. That's 15 million people tightly packed into stackable buildings, some within the confines of a walled city, with dozens of mosque domes predominantly gleaming in the midday sun. Landfall finds me in the old city European part of Istanbul, with less than a week to explore both sides of the Bosporus. Its not very often I make strategically sound travel decisions at last minute, but my unassuming hotel is lovely and perfectly situated, within walking distance to everything touristy. Well done you. First line of business, a ... read more

What is the real truth about jet lag? Well, I know it is real, as I have suffered greatly over the years. And for a while, it got worse with age. One secret, which is not really a secret, is to time your flights to fit your sleep schedule. This, of course, assumes you can sleep on a plane or train. A red eye to the east coast was my normal flight for many years. I would have a nice dinner at home, take a little nap, shower, then head to the airport for a late night/early morning flight to Washington, DC, Boston, New York, or Hotlanta. But truth be known, I was not always at my best the next day, often falling asleep before, during, or after dinner! Another secret is that I am really ... read more

Well, for one thing, I get a free layover of about 18 hours, between my connection from Munich to my flight home from Istanbul to SFO. So, why not take advantage of this layover, spend the night in a decent hotel, instead of spending the night in the airline business class lounge? I was just here in May, 2019, just before the pandemic hit in early 2020. I spent about a week here, with a local guide. He was a friend of a friend, of Mr. Mike. And he was excellent. I was able to hit all of the highpoints of Istanbul, as well as take the harbor cruise throughout the Bosporus. But the real reason for returning is simply for the Turkish Delight. I brought back a kilo last time, thinking it was too much. ... read more