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Published: March 1st 2010
Early morning flight out of Innsbruck got me into Frankfurt in time to meet my son and fly on to Istanbul. We will be spending the next two weeks in Turkey - we decided that rather than have him use limited vacation time to come 'home' we would meet some where this year and combine a visit with vacation.
Our flight into Istanbul was very full and very eventful. High winds had the jet rocking side to side on landing, so much so that someone closer to the front started screaming. Now I have been in small planes that react that way in the wind, but never in a large jet coming in for landing. Weather in Europe this winter has been rough, and a warm front was coming into Turkey that was reacting with the cold front that had been there - meaning tornado warnings. So, yes, it was very very windy.
Anyway, we got our visas and were stamped into the country no problem. Luggage was there and so was our ride to where we are staying for the next three nights.
Our room is small but clean and in an excellent area. The staff cannot
do enough, and the included breakfast is served on the roof top in a glass enclosed large room.
After checking in we take ourselves off to explore for a bit and walk off some of the jet lag. We locate the amazing Aya Sofia and Blue Mosque and plot our plan for the next day before having a light dinner and apple tea, showering and hitting the hay.
A word about Istanbul - it is the only city in the world that straddles two continents: Asia and Europe. It is huge and sprawling today, with a population of about 20 million, and over the centuries it has been the centre of migration for many different folks through Turkey: Hittites, Persians, the Armies of Alexander the Great, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans....all have brought their religious beliefs along with their stories and politics. The country is incredibly rich in artifiacts, and demonstrates remarkable tolerance and religious freedom. Today there is concern amongst some of the population that their government is not as secular as they would like, and this has impacted their ability to join the EU (an idea that has mixed reviews amongst the populace as well). The arrests over
the past few weeks of senior military personnel by that government is quite disturbing and we are holding our breath with those who live there, that it will all turn out well.
I have added two maps to this entry - one showing where Turkey is and one a close up of the lay-out of Istanbul. You can access these by clicking on the highlighted titles (Where is Turkey and Istanbul) at the top of the page.
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