Interesting travel experience

Flying one way and then returning on the same air path

My flight situation from Istanbul to Sarajevo, Bosnia was a very interesting and unique experience, due to the fact that the one way flight turned into a round trip flight, even as we flew all the way to Sarajevo.  We boarded a little late and then the flight was normal, and then we started descending normal, and then pretty much right as we were about to land, literally less than 100 feet, we pulled up suddenly and started a steep climb and kept going for more than 10 minutes without knowing anything.  Super quiet on the plane.  Finally they announced in Turkish and then broken English what was happening. I understood bad weather and fog and ice, and so we were not landing then, but then I asked the guy next to me where we were going and he said back to Istanbul.  Not to a nearby airport in Serbia, Croatia or anywhere in the area.  All the way back to Istanbul, almost 2 hours away.  Crazy.  The quiet planed turned into a loud, unhappy and argumentative group, asking loads of questions of the flight attendants, who barely had enough information themselves.  But we were going back  no matter what.  When we arrived and got off they said they were getting a hotel for all of us, and they would keep the baggage for us, unless we wanted it.

We had to give our passports again to say we were leaving the airport.  This whole process involved lots of waiting, not a lot being told to us, and took 1 and a half hours before we left the airport.  People getting pushy by this time waiting around doing nothing, as it was past midnight by then, when our flight had been supposed to arrive in Sarajevo at 8:35pm.  Then we went outside to the buses and had people pushing around cutting each other off to get into the buses.  Two babies on the flight so most people let them go on the buses first, but not everyone. 

Then to the hotel, 15 minutes away and a nice place, set up for airport problems with flight screens in the lobby.  Again the whole form a line thing didn't work out so well and people yelled at the check in people.  But I eventually got a room with the guy who shared his phone internet with me, Mehmet.  Nice guy.  Pretty sweet room with two single beds.  Got to bed around 2am, when our flight had been originally scheduled for 7:40pm earlier that night. 

Breakfast at 6:45am which was really good.  Being a traveler, I took some extras for the road.  The buses came late to pick us up, and then back at the airport we didn't know what to do at the start until finally the airline took charge and said they had all our boarding passes and had us go to a separate counter.  Again pushy people.  As I was going through security check in, they announced our flight was one hour later now.  Maybe because we were late going through everything at the airport, or because of weather.  In any case, the plane was pushed back over an hour before we finally took off.

In certain parts of the world, people applaud as soon as the airplane touches ground in the new city. This time, it as if the Beatles were coming on stage.  Lots of relief and smiles around.  And also people standing up and getting their bags as we were taxiing in to the gate.  Finally made it to Sarajevo around 16 hours later than planned, having flown to Sarajevo twice in that time period.  Not your usual flight experience.

Another blurry photo of our plane going back the way it came.

Aya Sofia

Aya Sofia which has many different spellings, which equally mean it is amazing and full of culture, is arguably the most famous sight in Istanbul. It dominates the postcard scene, stands out among the other mosques with it's variety of red stone and the fact that Constantine had it built originally as a church a long long time ago. As the expression goes, I saved the best for last, and saw Aya Sofia in my last couple days in Istanbul. I'd been in line once before, but I didn't like the wait so I left, but on this day, there was no line and I could go right in and get to enjoying the history and heights of the building. It's tough to know what to call Aya Sofia, as it was a church, then a mosque, depending on who was running the country. Now it's more of a museum, but the conservative government is trying to make it back into a mosque. This would knock off the entrance fee, and make it the central figure among the mosques in Istanbul, but in doing so, they would cover up the Christian mosaics and try to hide part of the buildings rich history. I can say that I saw Aya Sofia when it was a museum full of character, history and culture, and I was amazed by it.

The first thing you notice once you walk in, is how big it is. Ginormous is a good way to put it, with the ceilings being super tall, scaling up to the world's narrowest dome (or so says the video). The best part to me was the second level, some 20 meters high, called the upper galleries. The way up is via ramp, as back in the day, the empress was carried everywhere and didn't want stairs which would disrupt her minions' steps as they walked up. On this level are most of the highlighted mosaics. Full of intricate detail depicting Jesus, Mary, John the Baptist and of course the rulers, Constantine and other emperors. Nothing like a mosaic depicting an emperor giving the city to Mother Mary. Quite picturesque.

You can easily spend hours walking around soaking it all up. It was well worth the wait and made for a fun afternoon learning more about the past in Istanbul, as well as seeing some mosaics that rival any out there in the world. That was the last thing on my list to do in Istanbul, and so after over 2 months in the country, with almost 1.5 months spent in Istanbul, my time here is up and I'm off to Europe again. Turkey has been wicked, full of good times, many adventures, learning my way around Istanbul and making some great friends. The life is good, and I'm ready to take on the world once again!!!

Entryway with mosaic up above

Inside with the huge vaulted ceilings

Great stained glass windows around, having been changed to Arabic script

The ramp going up to the upper galleries

All that is left of one of the more famous mosaics

What the above mosaic used to look like

View out the window of the Blue Mosque next door

Another mosaic with presents for Mother Mary and Jesus coming from the emperors

Constantine on the left, Jesus and then some other famous dude from way back when

The size of the mosaics

Closeup of the mosaic

Yours truly and the mosaic.  No central heating in the museum as you can tell

Founder on Constantinople!

Me in the upper galleries looking back down below

One of the long corridors inside the museum

Pretty much every part of the building is amazing

Original engraving of a cross surrounded by two pigeons above the entryway

Here's a bit more on how it is to live in Istanbul for over a month. For a large city, I do feel I know my way around really well and have seen lots of places that not even the locals go. Definitely been a great place to live and explore.

• Simit. Like the bagel in the US, simit is a round piece of bread that is sold and eaten everywhere. Little stands are all over the place, from the ferries (literally 3-4 stands per ferry dock) to the main sights. People are always eating them, and I got hooked. They're thin, supposed to be slightly hard/crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. They're covered with sesame seeds and are the perfect snack to keep you going. The price is always 1 Turkish Lira ($.50 USD) and it's the fast, tasty food to keep you going.
• Buses here are more efficient than other countries in the fact that they don't fully stop to pick people up or drop them off. They've got places to go and you get on and off when you can, often with the bus moving slightly. Keeps things moving and grooving, as they weave in and out of traffic, honking and like all other moving vehicles in this country, drive inches away from everything.
• Don't expect to have a lot of clearance by a moving vehicle as they pass you. It gets super close at times, and if you're in their way, they honk at you. That's because people walk wherever they want, whenever they want. No waiting for the crosswalk to change, they only need a break in traffic and then people are off. Quite nice, as people like to keep moving, often so they can go grab a quick simit or meet a friend for some tea.
• I'm going to miss the exchange rate of 2 lira to the dollar. Makes it super easy to convert and prices are actually pretty good here, especially with public transport.
• I won't miss the beer here. Boring and with only 3 varieties.
• I also won't miss the fact that everyone smokes here. One of the countries where someone who doesn't smoke is more abnormal. And sometimes I got to experience the 1990s again and sit in smoking sections in restaurants. There's also bars/cafes that have a rolltop roof which allows people to smoke up top, even if the roof is closed.
• I love the dolmus, which is a yellow mini taxi which seats 8 people and goes from one place to another on direct routes. Kinda like a cross between a taxi and a bus, with cheap prices, going 24 hours and being efficient. To flag one down, just put your hand out, and boom, they stop. No special place to pick one up, other than the starting or final destination. Love them!

Going under water

That's under water, not underwater.  The Istanbul metro system recently opened up the first ever train to go under the mighty Boshporus.  Considering around 20 million people live in Istanbul, on both sides of the Boshporus, this seems a long time coming.  But it's finally here and has been met with happiness, skepticism, and anti-government feelings.  Some friends warned me of there being no electricity at times and that the tunnel is leaking.  From what people say, the first week had multiple problems and people had to finish their journey by walking through the tunnel several times when the trains failed.

It might be leaking now, but that still didn't stop a full train from going from Asia to Europe.  Super fast!  What normally is a 20 minute ferry ride (with great views, seagulls following the ships) turned into less than 4 minutes of a journey in which it goes super deep and yet doesn't feel that deep.  Felt just like a normal ride in any metro system in the world: fast, bouncy and dark.  But this seems a bit different with all the hype about it and people having more worried faces on than normal.

I could call it an adventure, I could call it a means of transportation.  Whatever I feel like qualifying this trip as, it was on the list of things to do in Istanbul before I left, and that is now crossed off the list.  The list is about done as I leave tomorrow for more good times in Europe.  Flying to Sarajevo and then will start my journey slowly westward to Portugal, visiting friends along the way, and finally meeting my family in Lisbon for Christmas.  December is looking mighty fun and full of adventures.  Bring it on!!

The train pulling in

Wow!  Brand new and looks just like any other train.  Why did I take a picture?

Follow the journey under water!

Happy Holidays from Istanbul!

Istanbul Street Food

Here is a good website with the top 10 things to eat on the streets of Istanbul.  I've proudly eaten everything on this list, most things multiple times.

Istanbul Street Food

Aya Sofia, blue skies, Justus = perfect day

More time out and about exploring Sultanahmet, the part of the city where the Ottoman's rules from and where most of the main sites in the city are found.  It's nice to have the free time to just wander around the city, soak in the flavors in the air and see daily life.  Things are a bit more touristic here, with higher prices than over in Kadikoy (in the Asian side) where I live.  Just means more English and foreign languages spoken as well as numerous things to take pictures of. 

Below are pictures from the famous Suleymaniye Mosque, the largest mosque in the city and also one of the most impressive.  The late afternoon clouds made for a good background.

Suleymaniye!

Minarets and the main entrance

Cemetery where you can find the mausoleum of Suleiman the First 

Side of the mosque

Turkish wedding photos!

Amazingness!

Sunset working next to the mosque

View across the Golden Horn from the mosque with the sun at my back                                      

Notes on the life of late

I've been living in Turkey for over two months now, and here are a few things I've observed about the culture:

They drink Çay (tea; pronounced chai) any time, any where, any place.  You can be in the midst of serious bargaining with a vendor at a market and he's drinking his Çay.  A store selling electronics will have some seats out front for you to order Çay (practically any place will sell you Çay).  On board the ferries, men go around selling Çay to the passengers no matter what weather.

People who want to sell something, sell it, plain and simple.  No real apparent law regulating where they can sell, so you see people walking the streets selling things, people setting up shop on blankets on the ground, little flea markets popping up everywhere, new (often fake) and used products for sale all over.  And often the same products are sold in certain areas, so if you want electronics, go here, for wedding dresses go here.  

There is a level of trust and respect out there, as seen with vendors covering up their wears with blankets when they go on a break.  So all their product is still out there, just under wraps and no one messes with them.

Street signs are difficult to find in Istanbul, and with such a large, sprawling city, people are lost all the time, not knowing where to go.  This includes taxi drivers.  I've been asked by several how to get to a location.  One friend had us call her several times along the way for further directions as she thought in terms of how you walk, not what street you take.  And then she didn't know her exact apartment number (true story) and was sitting out the window on the 4th floor waiting for us to show up.

Random carnival games on the streets:  the line of balloons strung up on a string for you to shoot down right along the waterfront (apparently you pay 1 lira ($.50) and if you hit 5 balloons, you get a cigarette (not a good deal for 1 lira).  Or the fortune game involving a live rabbit: give the man 1 lira, and the rabbit chooses a fortune to nibble on and that's the one you get.  So don't be surprised to be walking down a street and see a rabbit on a small table amidst hundreds of people.  Just normal day life.

500+ year old fortress

Rumeli Fortress, with the proud flag flying high amidst the autumn foliage

What to do on a perfect autumn day in Istanbul?  Get out and explore more of the city, with Tuesday's mission to check out the Rumeli Fortress on the narrowest place on the Bosphorus.  Each week, I've been exploring new parts of Istanbul, from the city itself with the small alleyways to villages along the Bosphorus.  This city never stops.  You can travel 1-2 hours by bus/ferry and still be in the city.

Anyway, with a ferry across to Europe and then a bus ride that took me further up the Bosphorus, I arrived at the fortress on the wrong side and walked 345 degrees around it before finding the entrance.  But that allowed me to explore a cemetery, see saw amazing, colourful houses and soak up more sunshine.  Plus the views of the Bosphorus were always good.

The Rumeli fortress is over 500 years old and is still in pretty good shape.  When built in the 1400s, the pamphlet bragged that they built it in just 4 months.  Judging from my grasp of history and visiting places around the world, that seems mighty fast for a stone fortress to be built.  But if correct, I applaud the fast working Turks.  They were doing this while Columbus was asking for money to go on a sail.

Maybe the best part of the fortress is its originality, in that they haven't changed much.  No guard rails, safety measures in effect.  Age old stone stairs going straight up 25 meters with a sheer drop?  50 meter drops straight down inside towers?  Yup, this fortress has it all.  Best watch your step! 

I spent a couple hours walking around, getting in a good stair workout with some quite large stairs all over.  And often going back down the same stairs to get to the next section of the tower, as well, that's how it was built.  Not always practical, but that was the style.  Good views all around, of the fortress, the Bosphorus, the mighty Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, passing freighters and more.  Plus the typical flock of seagulls everywhere, the true sign of the city ( might be because they get bread from people on every ferry).

Here are some pictures to relive the glory days of stone fortresses:

Panorama from the upper corner

Mustache!

Now that is a serious entranceway

Freighters cruising by

Stairs everywhere

Looks cool from the bottom looking up.  From up top, looking down, back away!  Or try to jump across like James Bond

Stairs going right up, no railing in sight

Black Sea hiking!

On Sunday this little boy went on a trip to the Black Sea, leaving the expansive city of Istanbul behind for a day.  Felt good to get out into the country a bit more, seeing new parts of Turkey and again setting my eyes on a large body of water.  Beach time!

Luckily after a week of fairly grey weather, we had mostly blue skies and great weather for exploring the area around the village of Sile on the Black Sea.  I went with a couch surfing group, of around 25 people in two vans, many of whom had already gone through their mid-life crisis.  Yes, I was in a mix of people who were on average over the age of 40.  Solid hikers and explorers with a good sense of humor, lots of jokes and some impromptu singing.  Good times throughout the whole day, in which I learned some more Turkish, feasted like a king on Turkish BBQ and ate lots of random fruit deemed safe to eat.

The Black Sea isn't all that salty, at least the bit I tasted, and was still a decent temperature.  Sadly on the beaches we went to, there was loads of trash that has washed up.  In some countries when you hike into a beach, it is pristine and wonderful.  Here, it looked that way, until you got down and saw that with not many visitors, there was little trash everywhere.  Just how it goes sometimes out there in the world.

We hiked into a huge cave, saw a bat and learned about old religion taking place in their.  My limited Turkish kept me in the dark regarding which religion, other than there were carved steps and places for candles in the wall.  After the BBQ of marinated chicken, and Turkish meatballs (Kofte), a few of the group members commenced to jam out traditional Turkish songs on classical Turkish instruments and a drum.  Pretty good stuff, with lots of dance moves in full effect, all Turkish style and traditional.  Good vibes!

Here are a few pictures from the day:

Like a reflection of the world in the water

Aysun and I on the beach

Lulu from Columbia, I and Aysun  Like the Olympics, America reached the highest level.  Ba-boom!

Careful of low clearance in the cave

Half the group posing while the other half was lost/talking/meandering/eating wild fruit

Black Sea!

Sun coming through the forest.  Look for ET in the front left