I made it! I am happily in Istanbul. Everything is wonderful. My flight was uneventful, although I did learn that I can't sleep on airplanes anymore. I got maybe 30 minutes of sleep on the long flight to Munich and maybe about an hour on the way to Istanbul.
The hotel is really nice although it is very far out of town. It is right off the highway, so you can't walk anywhere. I've already tried the shuttle and the taxi system with minmal problems. Arriving was no problems either; the shuttle was already waiting for me. I was so happy to see that the sun was shining and people were lounging along the water. The tulips are in bloom, just like at home. The shuttle driver put on American music and I listened to "San Francisco (Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair)" by Scott McKenzie. It was very zen-like.
The view from our room is amazing. You can see the Sea of Marmara and there are all these barge/boat things everywhere. It's a little foggy out this morning (read: smoggy), but beautiful never the less. If you cock your head a little to the left you can see all the way down the shore to the old town. At night the old city wall and the mosques are lit up. It is quite a site.
Last night, after my nap, Adam and I decided to venture out into town for dinner. It turns out the only way to get off the hotel is by car. The hotel is some kind of Island surrounded by a highway. Ick. Anyway, neither one of us had the proper cash, so we had to pay the cabbie in US dollars. I felt guilty, but Adam said it was ok.
We went to the Süleymaniye area to try a restaurant in one of the guide books. As we stepped outside, we saw a gorgeous mosque and they started their evening prayer, which they blast over the loudspeaker, so everyone in the district can hear it. We were lost as soon as we stepped out of the cab. I thought we were near another mosque and we walked all the way down to street only to find out we needed to walk back up and then around the mosque.
Anyway, we finally found our restaurant which was inside the walls said Mosque. The mosque is called Şehzade and so is the restaurant. The restaurant is located inside a courtyard in an old building that used to me the Koranic school (medrese). We got great service at the restaurant and the waiter spoke English. There was a lute player and these little rooms off to the side filled with Turkish men drinking their tea and smoking hookah.
We must have finished dinner at like 11:00pm and we promptly found a cab. That was a ride! I felt like I was on a roller coaster and there were no seat belts. The cabbie had no idea where we were going and he spoke no English. We finally made it home and didn't get to bed until after midnight. Boy am I tired.
Anyway, off to breakfast and then I am taking a shuttle into town to visit the old district, Sutlanahmet. I am going to the grand Bazaar and just to see the sites. This is so great!
The hotel is really nice although it is very far out of town. It is right off the highway, so you can't walk anywhere. I've already tried the shuttle and the taxi system with minmal problems. Arriving was no problems either; the shuttle was already waiting for me. I was so happy to see that the sun was shining and people were lounging along the water. The tulips are in bloom, just like at home. The shuttle driver put on American music and I listened to "San Francisco (Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair)" by Scott McKenzie. It was very zen-like.
The view from our room is amazing. You can see the Sea of Marmara and there are all these barge/boat things everywhere. It's a little foggy out this morning (read: smoggy), but beautiful never the less. If you cock your head a little to the left you can see all the way down the shore to the old town. At night the old city wall and the mosques are lit up. It is quite a site.
Last night, after my nap, Adam and I decided to venture out into town for dinner. It turns out the only way to get off the hotel is by car. The hotel is some kind of Island surrounded by a highway. Ick. Anyway, neither one of us had the proper cash, so we had to pay the cabbie in US dollars. I felt guilty, but Adam said it was ok.
We went to the Süleymaniye area to try a restaurant in one of the guide books. As we stepped outside, we saw a gorgeous mosque and they started their evening prayer, which they blast over the loudspeaker, so everyone in the district can hear it. We were lost as soon as we stepped out of the cab. I thought we were near another mosque and we walked all the way down to street only to find out we needed to walk back up and then around the mosque.
Anyway, we finally found our restaurant which was inside the walls said Mosque. The mosque is called Şehzade and so is the restaurant. The restaurant is located inside a courtyard in an old building that used to me the Koranic school (medrese). We got great service at the restaurant and the waiter spoke English. There was a lute player and these little rooms off to the side filled with Turkish men drinking their tea and smoking hookah.
We must have finished dinner at like 11:00pm and we promptly found a cab. That was a ride! I felt like I was on a roller coaster and there were no seat belts. The cabbie had no idea where we were going and he spoke no English. We finally made it home and didn't get to bed until after midnight. Boy am I tired.
Anyway, off to breakfast and then I am taking a shuttle into town to visit the old district, Sutlanahmet. I am going to the grand Bazaar and just to see the sites. This is so great!
1 comment:
what a fabulous first day! the food sounds heavenly, though the transport a little rickety. your couple photo shows how magic this trip is for both of you - have fun!
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