Arrival in Istanbul

The flight from London was loaded with families with children.  Some of the children were well behaved and disciplined, while others ran totally wild with no control by the parents.  More than I would say I've seen on other flights.  Not sure if the families were coming here for vacations or to see family, but, I don't care to be on another three hour flight like that for a long time!

Another plane came in about the same time as ours and we all had to queue to get our visas.  Saw a lot more women and men in traditional Muslim clothing than I had before, although here in Turkey, it is more common to see women wearing a scarf and a long overcoat than a burka.  I did see a few women in full black burkas, although they may have been coming from other Muslim countries to visit (according to one of the websites I’ve been referring to), as it is not common to see Turkish women, especially in the west, wearing the full burka.   One of the women at the airport in the burka had on black gloves as well, so all you could see of her were her eyes -- I'm kind of surprised she didn't have a veil on.  For me it was interesting, as I have only seen women dressed in burkas in the media and I was surprised at my internal reaction of curiosity mixed with a little fear!  I guess a little reaction to the unknown! 

There are a lot of cats and dogs running around – don’t remember seeing this many cats in Ecuador or Peru, but just as many loose dogs.  The cat sitting outside of the laundry was all scruffy and dirty – kind of like a worn down tennis shoe.  As I walked down to the little store, I saw a number of cats walking on rooftops and ledges.

Trying to speak the language does help – it gets a smile and a correction of the pronunciation!  I don’t mind!

My dinner was a bowl of lentil soup – pureed – and some grape leaf dolmas – sooooo good!  Pine nuts must not have gone up in price here like they did at home!

While I was eating, I heard a call to prayer.  It was a bit muffled by the traffic noise and the music from inside the restaurant.  Actually kind of surprised I didn’t hear more, as there are mosques every couple of blocks.

I had a really hard time finding a hotel in my price range here and ended up booking a room in a “guesthouse”.  Well, the room is about a foot and a half wider than my single bed and about three feet longer – more like a closet!  I’m paying way too much for it, but I really didn’t want to spend over $100 for a night, so that’s the payoff.    I am staying here three nights until I move over to the hotel where I will meet my tour group (it was booked, but it was also around $150 per night!  When I was looking for a hotel, I had three requirements: air conditioning, breakfast included and internet.  Didn’t think about requiring space to open my suitcase!

When I was on the street earlier, I saw water and soap bubbles running down the street and thought someone was washing their car.  But then I saw it coming out of a drain in a wall – it was wash water probably from a clothes washer, draining directly into the street instead of the sewer system.

On the drive from the airport to the hotel, we traveled along the coastline of the Marmara Sea.  I can’t believe the number of huge trans-ocean type ships just at anchor.  I know some pass through the Bosphorus Strait to the Black Sea, but it seems kind of odd that they are all just sitting out there.  Will have to remember to ask the tour guide when I join the tour. Oh!  And I saw some of the old city walls -- not of Constantinople, but of Byzantine!  Incredibly old history here.