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Published: April 30th 2009
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Istanbul Colours
What about a relaxing moment with a nargile pipe? We had a great time in Istanbul. A good way to start a trip to Asia, through its front door. We did try to get as much info as possible on how to get out of the airport quickly so we could make the most of our three days. It didn't quite help! After getting into wrong queues, having to go back and join a long long queue to get a visa, we were ready to find the shuttle from the hotel. What we found were hundreds of people holding signs with names on it. Some holding lists of names. It took some time but eventually we made our way out of the airport and shared the van with Gustavo and Merite, an Argentinian couple who were on the same flight and staying also at our hotel. We felt good and excited on day one and the breeze of the Marmara sea helped. Agan Hotel is right in the heart of the old city (I mean the touristic bit) and we could do nearly all of the main sites on foot. We started with Haghia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Both really impressive buildings. Haghia Sophia is 1500 years old and
the Blue Mosque around 500 I think. We had dinner in a small restaurant that looked pretty authentic even though at the centre of the touristic area. The hectic few days we had before leaving London were definitely behind us. Sunday we entered Haghia Sophia and the Blue Mosque and spent quite some time inside both buildings. After lunch we spent some time in the park. The park is behind Haghia Sophia and around the Topkapi Palace. On a Sunday that is where city life seems to happen. It looks like that local families pic-nic in there, young couples frolicking behind trees, some vendors of pretzels, grilled sweet corn and Turkish sweets. That evening we went to the bath and treated ourselves to a good scrub and an oil massage. For more details see www.cemberlitashamami.com.tr. Day three was a bit more adventurous. We visited the Bazaar very early. Life in there is great to observe. All the haggling we were expecting did not happen. We spent a couple of ours in the bazaar and that I guess is nothing. We visited a really interesting carpet shop and it did not matter how many times we assured the vendor we would
The Blue Mosque
Part of the courtyard. not buy anything he insisted on showing more and more beautiful carpets. The prices dropped from $1250 to $250. After a couple of ours we made our way to the Eminonu pier to get the boat for a trip on the Bosphorus. The road we took was really amazing. It seemed to be a local market street were people were trying to get us into their shops but not in English, in Turkish. This looked closer to what we expected to see in the Bazaar. At the pier we bought our tickets and the time we had to spare we spent having lunch, fried mackerel fish with bread and salad. Really tasty. When boarding the boat was allowed a crowd of Japanese stampeded their way through the gates. The trip on the Bosphorus was really enjoyable. Most of the sites are visible from the boat and we managed to get a good view of what the modern part of Istanbul looks like. High rise buildings and modern architecture. In the boat we shared a seat with Ania from La Coruna. We had lots of fun taking pictures. We went up to Anadolu Kavagi, on the Asian Side, and had a
good view of the Black Sea, at least the beginning of it. On the way back we took pictures of the people leaving work and making their way home by ferry, trams, traffic jams, after a day of work. There are so many ferries and so many destinations. We had dinner and went to bed early as we had to go to the airport early the next day. All went well in Istanbul. Next Stop, Delphi in Greece.
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