Istanbul

Thursday, March 20th, 2014

On Tuesday morning, brother-in-law Steve picked us up at home at 6:30 am and drove us to Kanata on his way to work in Ottawa. From 8:30 to 11:00 am, we lounged in the Centrum Starbucks in the Chapters store until the Ox-Head Vietnamese restaurant opened and we ate our usual lunch when we're in Kanata (V13 on their menu).

It's easy and cheap ($3.50 each) to take OC Transpo buses from there to the Ottawa airport. We arrived at the airport before 2 pm. The automated check-in and bag drop-off went quickly, as did the security check. Our flight to Toronto didn't leave until 7 pm so we had time to find a couple of couches and nestle in for an hour nap. We had been so excited that neither of us had slept well the night before.

The Toronto flight was on time and only an hour and a quarter so we had plenty of time when we got there to do the long walk to the international wing before our flight left for Istanbul at 9:20 pm. Again, everything was on time with no de-icing or other delays. It's slightly less than a 10 hour flight to Istanbul and there's a 6 hour time difference so we got here about 1:15 pm local time on Wednesday. The flight was typical, that is, tolerably uncomfortable. At least the plane configuration was 2 seats on each side and 3 in the middle so we had an aisle and a window to ourselves. We did agree that the so-called dinner and breakfast the next morning were possibly the worst airline food we'd ever had. Maybe our memories are getting shorter but it's clear that Air Canada should not be booked for the cuisine.

When we arrived, it took about an hour to buy our Turkey visas ($60 US each in cash, which we made sure we had with us) and get through customs. Our packs were on the carousel by the time we got there, which is always a relief. In a short time, we found an ATM and got some Turkish lira ($1 CDN = 2 TL, more or less). When traveling, we always transfer extra money into our VISA account ahead of time so we can withdraw money at any ATM and pay no interest. It didn't take long to find the subway station below the airport and figure out how to buy tokens from the machine. Then we took the subway partway toward downtown before we had to transfer to a tram line for about a dozen stops. It was crowded but it got us here from the airport for a total of 6 TL each ($3). 

We followed the directions we had gotten and walked to our hotel, the Med Cezir, in about 10 minutes. It's a great location, about 1/2 block from Sultanahmet Park which is between the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque. We can visit most of the important sites in Istanbul and still come back to our room in 5 or 10 minutes to use the bathroom or drop off extra clothes. The Med Cezir has 9 rooms so it's small but clean, secure and with friendly family run service. Our kind of place.

By 4 pm we were in our room. We had woken a little after 4 am the day before and slept an hour in the Ottawa airport and a couple of hours on the plane so we were ready for a nap. About 30 hours from our home bed to our hotel bed is enough, but we've certainly had worse. After an hour nap we were ready for our first dinner in Turkey.

There are lots of restaurants just down the street. There are always tourists here but the summer crush hasn't started so the competition is fierce. After listening to many pitches, we finally chose a restaurant and had a very good dinner for two, including a beer for me, for 50 TL ($25). Not bad.

I found it difficult to sleep last night but probably got 6 or 7 hours in the end while Anita slept 10 hours. Bitch.

Our little hotel has a modest but good served breakfast included. We're paying about $60 per night so with free WIFI, free breakfast and nice room with ensuite bath (our usual specifications) it's a good deal considering the location.

 This morning we visited the Aya Sofia, a Christian cathedral built in 537 AD that became a Muslim mosque later and is now a museum. There is a massive and very impressive domed ceiling.

 The pulpit, added later, is where the imam would deliver a sermon. The round wooden panel above is one of the panels of calligraphy added by the Muslims, who don't adorn mosques with images like Christians do.

 This is an Egyptian obelisk brought, in the 4th century, into the Roman Hippodrome area beside the Blue Mosque. This used to be an area for horse and chariot racing. They used the obelisk to mark the end of the turn.

 There are lots of Christian images in the Aya Sofia. According to legend, the first Muslim conqueror here knelt down and wept at the beauty of it all.

 The Blue Mosque from Sulatanahmet Park. Note the palm tree. Istanbul is in full spring bloom with lots of tulips and other flowers growing. Not like Combermere when we left. Although it rained in the night, it's perfectly sunny and in the upper teens Celsius in temperature. Great weather for being a tourist.

 The inside of the Blue Mosque, named for the blue tiles on some of the walls.

 There are 4 massive columns that support the domed ceiling.

 Because this is a mosque where prayers are going on continuously, women have to wear headcoverings to enter and no-one wears shoes. Hence Sister Anita of the Purple Scarf. From our hotel, we can also hear the loudspeakers broadcasting the call to prayer 5 times per day.

Our tourist pose outside the Blue Mosque.