Day one was a doozy

 September 13.  

I went to bed last night after 11 but I woke up this morning at 4:30.  I did not go back to sleep.  I had a walking tour of the old city called 'Old City Tour:  Byzantine and Ottomad Tales.  

I partook of my free breakfast and then had to navigate the metro on my own.  First I had to find the funicular (F1).  I did but I think I unnessarily paid to enter the metro first.  Anyway, they do not put the FUN in funicular. It is a cement tube hurtling downhill until it gets to the water and then disgorges all of the passengers.  No fun tourist outing this funicular!   Next, find the Tram (T1) and get off at the right stop.  success and then find the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.  It is right across from the Blue Mosque so I got a bit distracted with the sightseeing but I got to where I needed to be in time.  

Sun is coming up.  Time to get out of bed

The cheese section of the breakfast buffett

Out Guru Walk guide. 

Sept 14, I feel asleep.   Sitting at breakfast, I'll try to finish this before I have to go to my next walking tour.

Back to my walking tour.  

Blue Mosque

The Egyptian Oblisk in the Hippodrom square.  
Dates from Contantinopal times

There are three columns in the square
which are all that is left of the Roman era

German Fountain, still working

Hagia Sofia

It was a long tour, almost four hours.  Lots of history.  We ended at the Egyptian Spice Market.  

The street cats are not suffering here, 
as shown by this chonky boy

An outdoor coffee shop we passed

A food street, I came back here for lunch

I was wrong, this is turkish delight. 

Spice Market, external

Spice Market, internal

View across to 'new town'

A sunny Saturday in a busy town.

Tour was over.  The guide pointed to a near-by mosque and said it was very beautiful inside.  I headed there.  It was right behind the spice market, I think.  I kept catching glimpses of it at the ends of alleys but I could not find the entrance, no matter how many alleys I walked down.  I kept ending up on yet another market street, or the same market street.  I finally found a sign and I google translated it.  Around the corner, upstairs.  

There it is, right there!

finally, the very unassuming door to 
the mosque found!

That same alley, from the mosque

There is never a bad time to see kittens!

I was starting to get tired at this point, I had woken up at 4:30 am. And I had been walking for hours.  And hungry.  it was mid-afternoon and my breakfast buffet was only able to carry on for so long. 

this place might be famous? Kebabs. 

Mixed kebab plate

Feeling a bit revived, I jumped back on the tram and headed to the Grand Bazaar.  

You'd think I would have looked at this mob scene
and reconsidered.  But I did not

A bit of gold, anyone? 

this one is for Valerie C.

I didn't buy anything.  I tried on a little ring but I could not justify $400.  What I also did was get very very turned around and lost.  I couldn't even find an exit, let alone the one that got me back to the tram!  

I was so tired.  I walked in circles until I found an exit, I didn't care where I came out.  Well, I came out who knows where.  More circles.  Eventually, I resorted to my old trick, just follow the crowds.  This usually works.  However, I discovered, not so much during call to prayer.  We all went to the mosque.  only to the courtyard for me though.  

Luckily, or perhaps excellent planning on my part, I could see a street a ways away and the tram rumbled by!  Sucess!

I got near the street with the tram.  It had been a sardine can when I came to the market, standing room only, so I had a little sit while I braced myself for the journey home.  Played a bit of NYT Spelling Bee.  I was just about to stand up when this man asks if I need any help.  No thanks, I'm good.  Very brief chitty chat.  May I sit down.  Sure.  He owns a carpet shop.  I do not need a carpet.  That's ok, he is just out for a bit of air.  More chitty chat.  There was a mosque near-by.  I told him how I couldn't find the door of the other one.  I'll show you how to get in, he says.  I am suspicious, of course.  But we are up and going.  It was close.  He probably can't kill me in the square. 

I can't remember the name of the mosque. Midis?  It's big.  

This is the box where the sultan attended mosque

My impromptu tour guide

There is another, more beautiful mosque up the hill.  I had heard about this beauiful mosque. Sure, let's go.  

The view from the mosque gardens

They used to use ostrich eggs in the light fixtures

I had learned in my tour that the ottoman empire 
was controlled for centuries by one family. 
This is their graveyard

And returned safe and sound
to where I was sitting 

But I had to go to the bathroom. Well, it seems Abdullah has a bathroom in his carpet shop.  Long story short, I bought a carpet.  Turns out I as in danger all along! 

First a stop at his spice shop for some apple tea

Then down this dark alley to his
closed carpet shop.  This gave me a
moment of pause but I followed anyway

this very official and not shady sign

I did email a friend and said if I die, this is where you can find my body.  

My new carpet.

This is the carpet I bought.  When he showed it to me, it is old, and has a giant hole in it.  Plus it has some wear and tear so it was easy to say, no, I don't need a carpet.  But I really liked to pattern.  No worries darling (I had been promoted to darling by this time), I have a carpet repair guy.

Assessing the damage.  It can be fixed!  

Abdullah in his office.  

That's when things got ambigous.   Abdullah said, let's go for dinner.  And then I found myself on what may have been a date?  It sure seemed like a date.  He took me to a nice seafood place and he paid.  

my date?

I was still fairly suspicious of his intentions.  But he walked me to my tram station, gave me a chaste hug and off he went.  Oh, and he invited me to visit him on the asia side.  And, to go to Greece with him, as one does on a first 'date'. this is my fault, I had talked to my seat mate about finding someone to travel with that came commitment free.  I accidentally manifested this!  haha, of course, I am not going to Greece with a strange man from Turkey but it was a nice evening.  

Ok, I have to head to my next tour.  

No time to edit.  Sorry for any typos.  

On my way... and I'm in Istanbul!

September 11. 

Killing time in the Maple Leaf lounge, you know, where the fancy people drink for free.  So far I've had a salad so I'm not taking full advantage.   I'm thinking about getting a cookie.

I woke up early and had time to reconsider my decision about the small backpack.  I moved everything to the big pack.  And that's where it ended. 

Judy got me safely to the ferry.  Where she took my traditional 'on my way' photo.

I passed an amiable crossing chatting with my seat mate.  I managed to get onto the bus and then onto the skytrain.  This time I even got on the one going in the correct direction.  Look at me learning!

Easy check in and bag drop.  Things are much speedier in the Business Class line.  I was third.  We had two dedicated agents so one of the economy agents called me over ahead of the dozens of economy people waiting.  Yes, I would love to jump the queue, thank you.  

Sept 12, Next day (before bed)

Here is a montage of my flight: 

Free slippers, so much leg room!

This is too much choice!

Waiting to take off

Wine and warm nuts

sleep

Some Turkish delight to take with me

Arriving over Istanbul

Passport control

September 13.  (next day, in the morning if 4:30 counts as the morning)

We arrived late and then getting across the airport and through customs and then across more airport to find my bag before I could actually find Rob, patiently waiting for me at the Cups and Clouds coffee shop by the exit.  

No rest for the weary.  We had more walking to do, lots more, to get to the metro, and onto our first train.  Then a long hike in a huge metro station to get to M2 line to get to Taksim Square, where my hotel is.  

Gotta stop for this photo.  
Istanbul is a cat city, so prepare yourself

My first photo upon emerging to street level

I landed at 5:30.  We go out of the airport at 7 ish.  We reached the hotel at 8:30.   Must remember that it is not a quick trip for when I have to get back to the airport.  

Sofitel Taksim hotel was very close to where we emerged.  I checked in and Rob waited in the lobby while I had a very quick shower and change of clothes.  

Fancy!

But more important than my room, there is a hotel cat.

She will let you have 2 seconds of 'scritch'
but then she had to get back to work

Rob took me through winding, narrow streets, full of people and light and noise.  Istanbul is very alive and exciting at night.  Just as well Rob was guiding me.  There are a million little kabab shops right across from the hotel.  I would have gone there and then to bed.  If I had ventured further, I would never have found my way back to the hotel in the dark. 

We finally arrived at our destination.  It was probably only a few minutes away but the sensory overload made it seem much further.  

I managed to grab a few street pictures on the way

We ate at Nevet, which I think is a hotel with an upstairs restaurant/bar.  Up we went to the sixth floor in the tiniest elevator, that snap crackle popped all of the way up.  

We had a lovely meal that we did not manage to finish.  Trio of dips, and two mains.  

The view from the balcony restaurant.

Rob and I parted ways in Taksim Square.  He is heading off to his next destination in the morning.  He really was a good friend to come and get me. I am pretty sure I would never have found the metro route without him.  He gave up hours of his time in Istanbul to come and get me.   Now, I am on my own.  Yikes!  

My favourite photo so far:

I woke up at 4:30 so I am writing this before I get up.  It's now time to start my day.  Or sleep a bit more?  I've got a free breakfast to eat and a walking tour to find by 10 am.  More Metro navigation.  Hopefully I'll be back, if not, I am somewhere underground.