My first reaction to Istanbul is that it’s really not that different. It’s such an international city and I am in an area that thrives on tourism; however, I expect to see more Muslim dress and signs I cannot understand, plus hear very little English. No, no, and no. It’s a lot like Spain, though I’m sure most Turks would rather me say that Spain was like Turkey. ;) English is available, dress is just European, most everyone is very kind, and I’ve heard an unusual selection of 80s American/English music today.
My almost immediate second reaction to Istanbul is that it is so different and SO OLD. And THE RIDE from the airport to our hotel down the side streets….OMG. I have no idea how we didn’t run into anybody or any other cars. One of the most memorable experiences was turning down a road and then going immediately down a very steep hill that would dead end into a building. But our driver handled it beautifully and all of this was under the hotel’s bill. In fact, we asked when we got out how much to tip him and at first, I received a look of confusion. Finally, I was told “no, 10 lira is good” (instead of the 40 we were going to give him).
THEN we were invited to tea and treats - including some Turkish Delight and Raki - and the guy from the front desk, named Ufuku (not pronounced the way you think) talked to us for about 45 minutes ALL about the city with maps and suggestions. THIS WAS AMAZINGLY HELPFUL. I was told by others who had recommended the Hotel Amira that the front desk personnel are very helpful, but I was not expecting this. WOW.
So then each to our rooms. Kim and I were hoping for the 2 double beds instead of 1 big one, but the room is SO HUGE that we just said don’t worry about it.
Earlier in the day, BTW, customs in Istanbul is BY FAR the easiest I have EVER gone through. I mean, I know the worst customs we will have is getting back into the states, but I thought Istanbul would be at least a bit of a challenge. NOPE. And everyone is SO NICE.
I’ve downloaded some photos and tried to provide a little explanation by each. I have now been up for 36 hours, minus a 10 minutes doze here and there. I’m so tired that I’m almost not tired anymore, but I’ve got to try. It is 8:14pm here now, which means it’s just past noon back home.
So until tomorrow, which will be very late evening for you. So good night or Iyi geceler. :)
My almost immediate second reaction to Istanbul is that it is so different and SO OLD. And THE RIDE from the airport to our hotel down the side streets….OMG. I have no idea how we didn’t run into anybody or any other cars. One of the most memorable experiences was turning down a road and then going immediately down a very steep hill that would dead end into a building. But our driver handled it beautifully and all of this was under the hotel’s bill. In fact, we asked when we got out how much to tip him and at first, I received a look of confusion. Finally, I was told “no, 10 lira is good” (instead of the 40 we were going to give him).
THEN we were invited to tea and treats - including some Turkish Delight and Raki - and the guy from the front desk, named Ufuku (not pronounced the way you think) talked to us for about 45 minutes ALL about the city with maps and suggestions. THIS WAS AMAZINGLY HELPFUL. I was told by others who had recommended the Hotel Amira that the front desk personnel are very helpful, but I was not expecting this. WOW.
So then each to our rooms. Kim and I were hoping for the 2 double beds instead of 1 big one, but the room is SO HUGE that we just said don’t worry about it.
Earlier in the day, BTW, customs in Istanbul is BY FAR the easiest I have EVER gone through. I mean, I know the worst customs we will have is getting back into the states, but I thought Istanbul would be at least a bit of a challenge. NOPE. And everyone is SO NICE.
I’ve downloaded some photos and tried to provide a little explanation by each. I have now been up for 36 hours, minus a 10 minutes doze here and there. I’m so tired that I’m almost not tired anymore, but I’ve got to try. It is 8:14pm here now, which means it’s just past noon back home.
So until tomorrow, which will be very late evening for you. So good night or Iyi geceler. :)