Blogs from Istanbul, Marmara, Turkey, Middle East - page 2

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

Our first evening was a colourful noisy one . Istanbul was alive with people . Queues everywhere . We had no idea at times what they were queuing for . I might have been to attend the mosque and prayer . Women dressed in black , men talking and children added to the noise . We had lost track of time . Turkey was two hours ahead of us here in the UK and it was pitch black at 8.30. We were trying to acclimatise ourselves . We felt tired after our early morning start . Were overwhelmed with the sheer volume of people? Not really . Cities have that unique feeling and we have always avoided them in the van with the exception of Athens and a few scattered around France and Spain . We ... read more

A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving . A quote from some while ago from Lao Tzu put away for a day it could be used . Today seemed that day . Day 1 or just the day before travel . We are counting down . The boarding opens in 1 hour 42 mins . We are pacing about as you cannot get further away from motorhoming than this holiday . For the first time I had to find something other than Europe to put in the continent . Turkey did not come up in Europe nor Asia but was lurking in Middle East . We printed off our boarding cards, put them safely away and made all our last minute plans for the trip. Day 2 - the day ... read more

An overnight flight meant an early morning arrival into Istanbul. Getting through the airport was unproblematic and I made it down to the airport shuttle. The bus journey was quicker than I had anticipated. It was however pretty cramped and there was nothing to see as it was still dark and I think we were just on motorways. I had booked a place to stay that was near the shuttle drop off point, so there wasn’t a long walk with my luggage. The place was meant to have a 24 hour reception, but I sent a while in the rain ringing the doorbell as the desk staff were MIA. I did get to check-in early, so that was nice and it meant I could have a quick shower and freshen up after my flight. Once I ... read more

Zile de toamna cu vant puternic aproape de un ciclon care se manifesta cu multa dar multa ploaie si vant ametit. Dar peisajul de la hotelul Ibis Zeytinburnu este ca o pictura, ca un tablou italian, culorile albastre ale marii si difuzia luminii schimba peisajul la mici intervale de timp. Am gasit hotelul Ibis din acest lant in zona Zeytinburnu, cu parcare pazita, cu lift din parcare, pret bun la o camera dubla de 50 euro, fara mic dejun, pret bun pentru mai multe zile si metrou direct pana in centru cu trecere pe sub Marmara si cu noua statie adaugata Uskudar, Sirkeci, Yenikapi. Dezavantaj ca nu avem internet la discretie dar avem acvariu cu pinguini.... 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