Turkey

Istanbul from Old Istanbul

We arrived in Istanbul in the late afternoon, but the airport is about 35 miles from town, so we had to jump on a shuttle bus and head towards Taksim Square, a popular gathering spot.  From there we walked about 20 minutes through windy, hilly streets before we finally found our AirBnb, a beautiful rehab in one of the more artsy parts of town, with easy proximity to the popular old town which hosts the Blue Mosque among other iconic Istanbul sites.  Istanbul is a city of approximately 15 million, so our immediate impressions weren't totally positive.  One could hardly walk down the streets and the drivers paid no heed to pedestrians.  I questioned booking five nights there.

The Blue Mosque Interior

On day one we walked all the way to Old Town vs taking the tram, crossing the bridge over the Golden Horn which is an inlet from the Straits of Bosphorus.  We were able to visit the Blue Mosque as well as the spectacular Hagia Sophia, best known for its Byzantine mosaics.  I foolishly got roped into a chat with a carpet salesman, but he got us a ticket which bypassed the huge lines at Hagia S, so the half hour we later had to spend in his shop wasn't a total waste of time.  Of course, we didn't buy since we know next to nothing about rugs and we don't need any.  As we left, another somewhat abashed couple came in for their rug "lesson".

Things are pretty inexpensive in Turkey, but you have to stay well away from the huge tourist sites.  A few blocks walk can make the difference between a $50 dinner tab and a $10 tab.  We tried to find locals places and were well-rewarded, not only in saving a few bucks, but in having the opportunity to interact with locals.  The best foods seem to involve tagine-like crocks and the ubiquitous meat on a wheel.  Then there are the great mezze plates which translate more or less to Turkish antipasto.  For the most part, we were able to stay away from the pizza and burger joints that are so popular with tourists.  One night we found this great place that was playing Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf!  We asked about who chose the music and were introduced to the owner, a guy about our age.  Who'd a thought old Turks like American Blues?

Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

On day two, to save our legs, we took the tram over to the Grand Bazaar.  While it's a pretty cool place to wander about and look at massively expensive jewelry amidst the bargains, we found it only worth about an hour of our time.  After dining at a local place, we hopped over to the spectacular Topkapi Palace which we found to be far more interesting than the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.  The palace was packed with tourists and their attendant flag waving tour guides, but we paid a bit extra to visit the harem (normally not included in package tours) and by the time we were out of that section, many of the buses had moved on.  The palace was built over a period of centuries and had some spectacular tile work, gold faucets and, presumably, a lot of the period furniture.  The English descriptions were very well done and what we thought might be a two hour tour turned into four.

The third day I started getting sick with a cold, but fortunately the Age of Innocence museum was just steps from our apartment.  What an amazing museum.  Essentially, it was put together by the author of the book to illustrate the story of a man whose life was consumed by his love for a woman.  Displays included all the phases of his life and while the story was fictional, the displays made it come to life and even though we hadn't read the book, we got crazily immersed in the story and spent hours more or less learning the book.  What a great concept to display a book in such a manner!  Of course, I now have the book on order and it's awaiting us at home.

Now That's a Room With A View--Wyndham Grand Levant, Istanbul

As a result of travel points gathering, we moved over to the Wyndham Grand Levent hotel in a business section of town.  In a nice surprise, we were upgraded to a huge corner suite with views of the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the Blue Mosque.  If we strolled to the other side of the hall, we could see the Black Sea.  Wow!  Staying in Europe with a nice view of Asia.  I liked it so much that I stayed in the room for nearly two straight days recovering and enjoying the amazing views.  We had seen all the hot spots and while we thought we'd take a cruise along the Bosphorus, I don't think we missed much because we could see it all.  The only bummer re the view was a distant Trump Tower.

Our flight out involved traveling to an airport in Asia, about 30 miles from the hotel.  Fortunately, they have public buses that go out there and since we had practically all day, we just took the slow public bus, hung out in the lounge and enjoyed our last drinks prior to arriving in Doha at 2am, thus beginning an 11 day liver detox.

Asia to the Left, Europe on the Right