Turkey Trip

I have finally been off the North American continent!

I non-reved from IAH through FRA to IST with no problems. In FRA I was able to get a flight after just a 30 minute layover. A stern German woman named Kathleen at first said, "It is not possible", but then allowed me to go when I said I didn't mind waiting on my bags in IST. It is weird she didn't tell me to go now, because delay coverage isn't provided on non-rev bags anyway, and if you are standby it is better to get there now if possible because later maybe not.

I've been posting some pictures of the trip on Flickr. I keep letting the girlfriend's camera (hi Kelly) run out of juice. But it is the only one that will allow me to download pictures. My parent's camera requires administrator privileges to connect, and I don't have them on my work laptop I brought. How stupid (about all 3 problems)!

On the first day (Sunday 16 Sept), we arrived at Hotel Sari Konak in the Sultanahmet District of Istanbul around 4pm and went out to dinner. We strolled the streets around the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque, and came back to the hotel to chill, but I fell asleep instead. I guess I had some jetlag. I woke up around 2 am and did some surfing to figure out how to post pictures to my flickr and blogspot accounts. It had been a while since I messed with them.

I tried to take a nap around 4:30 am, but that didn't last long. There is no need for wakeup calls in Istanbul. Around 5 am, the morning adhan blares from loudspeakers in the mosques. I was totally startled the first time. But now I find it oddly comforting, almost like one of those cues you get you are home. I know it is weird since I have only been here 2 days.

On Monday the we went to the Sadberk Hanim Museum., and then to a restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus Sea. Afterward we strolled Istiklal Caddesi, which means freedom street. It is an outside shopping district and pedestrian thoroughfare; but like most places in Istanbul, that doesn't stop people from driving on it. After a short nap and some surfing trying to figure out how to use our US cell phones in Turkey, we went out to dinner. It was on the terrace restaurant of the Seven Seas Hotel. It is kinda expensive (~50ytl or $35 a person), but a really good fish restaurant with a great view. It serves fish full monty style (head and spine removal DIY).

On Tuesday we went to Yerebatan Sarnici, or underground cistern. It was built under Stoa Basilica to supply drinking water and to water the gardens of the Great Palace. We had a light lunch on the terrace of the Kybele Hotel. It has hundreds of really pretty Turkish lamps hanging from the ceiling. On the way back to the hotel to meet my cousin Kira, we stopped by the Arasta Bazaar.

More later... Kira just got here and is hungry.