Another stressful first day...

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We had a unique start to our trip this year this year. Upon the recommendation of the airport tourist office, we decided to cycle a few kilometers down to the coast and take the train into town. Unfortunately those four kilometers were in the rain, but they were a good test for our rain gear, as I’m sure we will have a bit more rain over the next three weeks. The attendants at the train station were very friendly and for $2.50 we couldn’t beat the price.

Trying to arrange transportation for two people, two bikes, and two bags has always a huge hassle at the airport, but Shauna and I agreed we would work on that option in the future rather than cycling into town. She reminded me that we are not the most attentive after such a long period without sleep, and to be honest, I can't remember an easy ride into any major city anywhere in the world. There are just too many variables in this environment where one is just too tired and too confused.

The train we took looked like something more suitable for transporting cattle than people. While antiquated, the train rode like an old car with worn-out shocks. I swear we got some air on some of the bumps. I also have to mention that some of the doors didn't shut. I guess transportation first and safety second here...

Ever since we visited Chicago in 2006, I have been having problems with accommodations at our fist destination. While I thought October was outside of the tourist season for Istanbul, I was misinformed. After the first two hotels I checked said that they were full, I quickly realized that finding a room for the next few nights was going to be a challenge… Now that I was in damage control mode with Shauna, I found her a restaurant to chill while I began the more challenging search for a hotel. After about a dozen tries, I finally found something nice enough for my little Princesses. At 95€/night, it wasn't cheap.

As usual, Shauna crashed while I went out exploring the old city. The area was very much a tourist ghetto. I saw very little sign of normal Istanbul life within 500 meters of the two main tourist attractions (Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya). English, French, Spanish, German, and Italian are much more prevalent here than Turkish.

Turkish is an interesting language. The founder of the modern Turkish republic, Mustafa Ataturk, changed and purified the language last century by stripping out foreign words and changing the script from Arabic to Latin. Interestingly, he also changed the day-off from Friday to Sunday to accommodate Europe’s business calendar. He literally brought the country in the 20th century during his fifteen-year term. I guess he was looking ahead to the Turkey's potential addition into the EU.

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