Istanbul was Constantinople, now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople.
And that song has been in my head for the last few days.
The flight from Dubai to Istanbul was only 4 hours and so watched a few Tv shows I’d downloaded and before we knew it were off the plane and into a huge queue for passport control – but the queue moved constantly and didn’t take too long.
Relieved to see our luggage got through all the way from Melbourne , and walked past 2 disinterested customs officers and out of the airport into a fog of cigarette smoke.
Hopped in a taxi after checking how much he thought it would cost and headed to the hotel.
If you’re ever bored with your life and yearn for some excitement all you need to do to add some spice is get into a taxi in a country like Turkey or Morroco and head downtown in rush hour. Last year in Marrekech the traffic lights were optional, in Istanbul it seems like the lanes are. As far as I could tell there were 2 lanes according to the painted lines, but the traffic managed to squeeze 3 or 4 abreast. I have to say they were all excellent judges of the dimensions of their cars because I was sure that there was no way they could get through a gap but they did. I think my right foot was pressing on an imaginary brake pedal more than the actual driver’s. At one stage he took a short cut through the forecourt of a service station and rejoined the traffic queue a few cars in front. And went the wrong way up a one way street. He had trouble finding the hotel but it wasn’t his fault, it was in a maze of streets that was full of hotels and restaurants and ours was one of scores in the area. Got there in the end, the room was small but the location ideal. Unpacked then checked Tripadvisor for a decent restaurant and found that the second most popular one in Istanbul was round the corner so went there. The service was very good but then again there is a lot of competition – every restaurant has someone outside asking you to look at the menu or to take a seat, it was like Lygon street on steroids.
We ordered a meze plate to share, which is a selection of dips and some Turkish bread. This was good. The menu catered for tourists with the option of burgers and pizza, but I ordered from the Turkish section and picked something that sounded traditional. Song wasn’t hungry so didn’t order a main. My meal came and it was basically an average tasting beef stew on a bed of mashed potatoes. It wasn’t bad, just a bit disappointing because I was looking forward to a different meal than what I could get at home.
The weather was overcast, around 18c so not too bad, and I took a jacket but was just wearing a t shirt and it was warm enough.
We walked around for a bit and found a Bazaar, which I thought was a bit strange but spelt different. There were lots of jewellery shops and carpet shops, and other Tourist fare. We didn’t buy anything, it’s only the second day of the holiday and we don’t usually buy that sort of stuff. The only thing that has become a bit of a tradition is to get a fridge magnet from the places we stop.
Carried on walking, plenty of tourists around because the mosques are here.
We came across a restaurant where there was a traditional band playing and a whirling dervish was doing his thing. He kept it up for quite a while before stopping. Then he was just a dervish so we lost interest.
Walked 10 minutes back to the hotel, watched a bit of Tv then slept.
Tomorrow is the first full day of the holiday, up to now has been travelling, and we’re off to see the sights.
