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August 9, 2008 - Frankfurt.
I got upgraded on the way to Frankfurt.I watched '21', slept hours, and shared my Jolie-Pitt babies magazine with the flight attendants (they loved it!)The food was terrific.Arrived in Frankfurt at 7am, got to get to my gate by 9. Spent 2 hours walking around and looked through some duty free shops.The Euro is still so expensive. Went to the magazine stand.Magazines were 7 Euro and up.So over $10 USD for an English magazine. When we got on the bus for the plane, I wasn't sure if we were ever going to get there - from the gate we had a 10 minute bus ride to the plane.We went past the cargo planes, past the FedEx and DHL planes, etc. and were the very last plane on the row. I had 2 naughty kids in front of my and 2 behind me.All I wanted to do was sleep. I am getting very excited about my afternoon in Turkey. I have never been there and the culture (I have read) will be different from anything else I have seen.
August 9, 2008 - Istanbul
Slept all the way from Frankfurt.I got off the plane, bought my visa, went through passport control & customs (didn't take long), and headed to luggage claim.By the time I got there, my luggage was waiting for me!!!Great start to the trip!!
So I am used to being approached by illegal taxis in every airport I go to.Here, they are clever.They aren't illegal, just trying to rip you off.A person from "airport information" with a legit-looking badge came up and asked me if I was looking for a taxi. He takes me to a counter where they tell me it will be 160 TRL (exchange rate is 1 USD to 1.2 TRL) to get to my hotel.I thought he was kidding.So then he dropped it to 140 TRL.I asked about regular taxis and they told me that the taxis would rip me off.So I called the hotel to ask how much the taxi should be and they said 70-80.So I get out of there.
The first thing I notice about Turkey is that the minarets from the mosques really stand out against the skyline. The landscape, trees, homes, etc. all look Mediterranean.We cross the Bosphorus River and the city looked so beautiful - I could see the European fortress and the city walls.I was not tired anymore - I was ready to go sightseeing.
I think my hotel (Marriott Asia) is new because the taxi driver had to yell out the window to other drivers to find out where he was going. The taxis here are more expensive than I imagined, but then again, I will come to find out, so is everything!!
We get to the hotel and there are people checking trunks of cars, baggage x-rays, and a metal detector. I feel a little over-secure for the location we were in - it was a decent area and the hotel has a Mercedes dealership literally in the hotel.I got upgraded to an Executive Room meaning I get a free mini-bar. Jenn, this is not like Paris.This has alcohol, bottles of wine, chocolate… I am so glad I choose to spend over 100 nights per year making Marriott my second home!
So I decide to head to the Grand Bazaar - doesn't require too much touristy attention. I was a little nervous about having to take a taxi to a ferry, ferry to a tram, tram to the Bazaar - but the Bazaar is closed Sundays. I was supposed to go from the Karakoy ferry dock to the Eminonu dock, but I had no clue where to go - all signs in Turkish!! Oh well, I wasn't on the tourist side of the city.I finally figured it out, and it only cost TRL 1.4 for a 20 minute ride from Europe to Asia. Boarding the ferry reminded me a little of China - couple hundred people all trying to get to the same place at the same time.There were people climbing the railings and jumping on the ferry trying to get the best seat possible instead of using the walkway.
I thought of Lyuba and Charles because they would love this - there was a guy selling kids toys on the ferry - unlike Moscow though where the guy was trying to sell kitchen knives on the metro.
So I arrived on the Europe side of Istanbul, went to my hotel on the Asian side of Istanbul, went to walk around on the Europe side of Istanbul, and then went to bed back on the Asian side of Istanbul.Europe & Asia - 2 times each in 1 day!
I get to the Grand Bazaar and I keep looking at the map so that I won't get lost among the 4,500 shops in here. I keep looking at the map that is supposed to show me where to go. I get approached by a guy who tries to help me and has me come to his shop to see the map and have some tea. I try to explain I just got here 4 hours ago and I am not ready to buy anything yet. The next thing I know I am sitting on their sofa, drinking the best apple tea ever and being shown carpets. Of course this turned into an adventure. I don't know anything about rugs - how much they cost, quality, etc. So this guy passes me off to a Turkish American who lives in Texas. I am sitting there with him showing me all these rugs and I go along with it because why not, I wasn't doing anything else tonight and I wanted to see how much it cost. Apparently I had the look of shock when he told me the small rug (6x8) was 2,000 USD. So I tried to think of the most tactful way to get out of there because there is no way I am going to walk on 2,000 dollars a day. So the guy is thinking I am using this as a bargaining chip, which for once, I am not.
So far the city has been nice, not too dirty, but I have only been in the main tourist sections so far. Like most cities, I am sure those areas are cleaner than others. On the Ferry back, I am watching the Bridge change colors from red to purple to blue. There are cruise ships docked, fireworks going off in the distance, and a beautiful moon over the mosque. What a good way to start off!
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