Istanbul Is Not Constantinople

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Geo: 41.0245, 28.9881

We all managed to sleep on the overnight flight to Istanbul, though by the time our plane landed at 4:45 pm local Turkey time, we were more than ready to get off the plane. This would be the first of three visits to Istanbul Ataturk Airport during our trip, and it was equally as busy each and every time we visited. Turkish Airlines takes pride in saying that they fly to more destinations than any other airline in the world, and it must be true based on the sheer volume of flights in and out of Istanbul. The schedule for our connecting flight to Amman had changed several months earlier, which extended our layover to four hours. I was able to make arrangements for us to get into one of the lounges, which made the layover infinitely bearable. There was food and drinks, and near the end we discovered large La-Z-Boy-like recliners with built-in back and leg massagers, which did wonders after the long flight. I regretfully had to nearly wake K up when they finally announced a gate for our flight.

We had been insulated in the lounge, so the crowd which awaited us at the gate was somewhat unexpected. The flight was full, and the gate area showed it. There was a group of around 20 men from China, all very tall (even for non-Chinese) and all carrying very large military backpacks. We later determined that they were on some kind of rock-climbing team. We ended up being seated among them on the flight, but they must have just gotten off a flight from Beijing, as they were nearly all fast asleep in their seats before our flight left the ground.

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Photos

Upon Arrival in Istanbul
We parked at a remote station and had to take a bus to the terminal