Istanbul, Turkey

Breakfast consisted of cucumber, tomato, cheese, bread and tea this morning.  I don’t think we could get out of the hotel quick enough. 

We walked into Sultan Ahmet as we knew this was an area of town with plenty of accommodation.  We found a hotel, The Ali Baba, across the street from the Four Seasons, and then headed off to search the city. 

We started off at Cankurtaran and followed the water’s edge all the way north, then west until we are near Eminonu.  Here we are invited to cruise the Bosphorus for 15 million Turkish Lira (TL15m) or about £10.  How could we say no?  The ferry left and stayed close to the western shore.  With no commentary we had to guess from the Lonely Planet as to what site was what.  We went under the Bosphorus Bridge and north to the Faith Bridge, where we moved over to the Asian shore, making our way back to the dock.  We pulled into the town of Beylerbeyi for half an hour.  This was enough time to do a quick lap and buy from a local patisserie.  Back on the boat to enjoy the rest of the ride back into the middle of the city – mind you sunburn was already taking effect. 

Otrakoi Camii, Istanbul, Turkey

Mosque on Bosphorus River, Istanbul, Turkey

Suleymaniye Cammi, Istanbul, Turkey

Once back on the shore we wander back up the hill and decide on a siesta (it was 3pm and both of us were getting fried by the sun).  We snoozed for a couple of hours and then wanted dinner. 

We walked around Sultan Ahmet for a bit, before deciding on the restaurant next to the hotel, Med Cadir.  Two courses, beer and wine each only cost is £15.  Expensive for Turkey, but a bargain for us – and the food was awesome.  I had calamari and Kofte, while Amy had a meze.  After dinner we walked up to Sultan Ahmet Parki.  This lies between Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque – which we’ll visit tomorrow.  This was a place for many a good photo opportunity.

Back upstairs afterwards as the sun has made us weary.  I think it may take a while to get used to being in an Islamic country.  Hearing the call to prayers from the mosques (over loud speakers) is somewhat of a surprise at first, but becomes natural quickly after hearing it five times a day.

London, England to Istanbul, Turkey

Maybe….just maybe…every holiday out of England needs to frustrate me at the beginning so I can enjoy it all the more.  After a frustrating night’s sleep we were on the 6.10am bus to Heathrow from Kingston.  It seems as though the bus teases you as it goes around the edge of the entire airport (seemingly 10 times) before you arrive.  Check in – simple enough concept – not for the Poms.  After finally getting to the front of the queue, our attendant disappears for half an hour with no explanation.  But we’re on holidays.  Once again without explanation our flight leaves 2 hours later than scheduled. 

We fly into Vienna, missing our connection – hoping for a night in a hotel – to find we have been rebooked on a Turkish Airlines flight in 2 hours.  Of the 15 rows of seats on the flight, we manage to get the one where someone had thrown up the flight before.  Nice smell!  At 8.30pm, with my ears screaming in pain from the descent, we arrive in Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. 

We get through passport control without a hitch and our bags are waiting.  It is now dark and we are unsure of what to do, so we decide to get an agency to book us into a hotel.  He suggested 3 (we took the cheapest).  We took Hotel Eris as it looked OK in the brochure.  The drive into town was scarier than any roller coaster I had been on, and at several points I thought we weren’t going to make it.  The drive through the city was great.  I was pleased with where we were going.  Then the driver took a turn off the main road and within 2 minutes we were at the hotel.  It looked like a seedy part of town, but we were only going to be here for the night.  We got our US$65 room (can someone say “rip off”) and just crashed – equally parts tired and scared to leave the hotel.

Voodoo Glow Skulls @ Cockpit

The Crap Facts

This is my 189th concert.
This is my 2nd concert at The Cockpit.

This is my 3rd concert in Leeds.

This is my 3rd concert in West Yorkshire.

This is my 3rd concert in England.

Voodoo Glow Skulls are the 246th band I've seen.