Well, I underpacked. I didn't believe the forecast. 13C in Istanbul when it was 23C in Holland? That can't be right. Sigh, I've been on the hunt for a sweater or hoodie ever since.
Istanbul seems a lot nicer than Cairo. The two cities have the same population of ~16M people but Istanbul doesn't have the same dirty, grimey feeling. It was sunny so that helped showcase the turquoise waters, blue skies, and flowers galore! There are about as many tulips here than in Holland! There appears to be some civic pride in making the place look nice.
All that said, it's still a busy city where you get hassled all the time, though nowhere nearly as bad as Egypt! The food choices I've encountered so far as less than inspiring and it appears that traffic is a bad problem all the time. The city streets are one big parking lot.
Perhaps it's the perfect storm though. Easter weekend, ANZAC day (so thousands of Aussies and Kiwis are here to remember some battle in WW1) and the beginning of spring. The place is packed and the schedule had me at all the key city landmarks on the busiest day! It was an exercise in patience. I think I have more pictures of the crowds than the buildings!
I was excited to meet the people on my tour. I figured I wasn't the only one who'd signed up for the 8 day tour leaving on Good Friday. I was wrong. Each day will apparently be a different crew. Well crap-that's not what I had in mind when I signed up for this tour.
I hit the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet Palace, the Grand Bazaar, another big mosque and a carpet wholesaler with Suban and Zenith, two lovely South Africans on the ten day tour. I won't see them again.
It's a bit more lonely than I expected. After leaving them I spent an hour and a half fighting traffic to get to the airport (on the Asian side) and then the whole flight and the rest of the night by myself.
Years ago I was eager to travel on my own to prove that I could. Now it's just getting old. There's nothing better than sharing the experience with someone who's company you enjoy, who makes the experience richer and who you can say "remember when..." to.
Istanbul seems a lot nicer than Cairo. The two cities have the same population of ~16M people but Istanbul doesn't have the same dirty, grimey feeling. It was sunny so that helped showcase the turquoise waters, blue skies, and flowers galore! There are about as many tulips here than in Holland! There appears to be some civic pride in making the place look nice.
All that said, it's still a busy city where you get hassled all the time, though nowhere nearly as bad as Egypt! The food choices I've encountered so far as less than inspiring and it appears that traffic is a bad problem all the time. The city streets are one big parking lot.
Perhaps it's the perfect storm though. Easter weekend, ANZAC day (so thousands of Aussies and Kiwis are here to remember some battle in WW1) and the beginning of spring. The place is packed and the schedule had me at all the key city landmarks on the busiest day! It was an exercise in patience. I think I have more pictures of the crowds than the buildings!
I was excited to meet the people on my tour. I figured I wasn't the only one who'd signed up for the 8 day tour leaving on Good Friday. I was wrong. Each day will apparently be a different crew. Well crap-that's not what I had in mind when I signed up for this tour.
I hit the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet Palace, the Grand Bazaar, another big mosque and a carpet wholesaler with Suban and Zenith, two lovely South Africans on the ten day tour. I won't see them again.
It's a bit more lonely than I expected. After leaving them I spent an hour and a half fighting traffic to get to the airport (on the Asian side) and then the whole flight and the rest of the night by myself.
Years ago I was eager to travel on my own to prove that I could. Now it's just getting old. There's nothing better than sharing the experience with someone who's company you enjoy, who makes the experience richer and who you can say "remember when..." to.
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