Escape to Istanbul 14th-20th June

We have always wanted to go to Istanbul. We did not want to take too long and fight the 5kn+ currents, nor dodge the hundreds of tankers that ply the Dardanelles and Sea of Marmara. So we hopped on the 9am ferry from Mytilini on Lesbos for the 1 ½ hr ferry trip to Ayvalik in Turkey. From there it was a taxi 8km up to the Otogar (coach station) to catch the 8 hr bus to Istanbul. It took over 10 ½ hrs (including another ferry) due to in-bound traffic jams - the entire 18million population trying to get back home after the weekend? We were befriended by a young lady, Bella, who whisked us off the coach on arrival, ran us up and across the road, grabbed 30TL off me to buy us a travelcard and charge it up, on out to the right train, wrote down where to get off and how to get a connecting tram to take us to the heart of the Old City. All at a terrific pace, quick kiss goodbye, she shouted to the other passengers in Turkish to make sure we got off at the right stop and disappeared off home. She was an angel (she was worried no-one would speak English to help us - they didn't - and that we would be mugged or worse). She saved us at least an hour of fumbling around in the dark, in the sleazier side of town that coach stations seem to inhabit. We finally found our funny little hotel about 11.30pm, with its view from the balcony of birds swooping in reflected light over the spires of the Blue Mosque.

We had a fabulous 3 ½ days here. The lasting impressions are: wonderful tiles everywhere, vivid colours, the sounds of the calls to prayer, the soaring shapes of the Mosques, intricate calligraphy, the carpets in the mosques (kept clean as we all took shoes off) and the segregation of women, whether for prayers or ablutions. The superb Turkish transport system; clean, efficient, modern and very cheap! And the kindness and helpfulness of the Turkish people. You only needed to stop and someone would offer to help - the fact that his cousin may also sell good carpets was potentially a bonus - for someone?

First day, we went to the Topkapi Palace, with its massive elegant rabbit warren of a Harem, gardens, Imperial staterooms, kitchens feeding 10,000 people, armouries and treasuries. That late afternoon, we took a tram down to the harbour to book a cruise up the Bosporus for the following day. We stayed on the tram (the travelcard covers trams, buses, trains, ferries and funicular) to go across the famous Galata Bridge. We went up the Galata Tower for a panoramic view of old and new Istanbul (huge, huge city) and the Bosporus. We walked back across the bridge, lined with fishing rods and with fish restaurants in the arches underneath the bridge, and meandered slowly back to the hotel, getting lost in the maze of little streets.

Day 2, we headed out for our cruise, stopping en-route at a pretty little mosque and the Egyptian or Spice Market adjacent to the port. The cruise lasted roughly 3 hours with an hour's lunch stop in the middle, up the Bosporus to where it meets the Black Sea. The route is lined with castles, palaces and traditional wooden weekend houses, as well as scrappy little shanty and fishing villages. We had rain and thunder forecast for Wednesday, hence the decision to cruise on Tuesday. Wrong! No sooner had we stopped and found a little place for lunch than the heavens opened and we had one of the wettest, loudest and brightest lightning and thunderstorms we have experienced in a good while. It cleared sufficiently that once back, we went to visit the Aghia Sophia, the oldest existing Church in Istanbul. It burnt down twice; the existing church was re-built in 537AD and converted to a Mosque in 1453. It is sadly in need of restoration, but still impressive in its architecture and detail. It has hanging up about 8 huge Islamic calligraphic roundels (each about 22ft across) that were painted by the most famous calligrapher in the Topkapi Palace.

We used our Museum Pass (one 3 or 5 day pass covers most sites) to gain entry to the Archaeological Museum, next to the Topkapi Palace and to a Mosaic Museum where it took 15 years to rescue, clean and replace what remained of 40 million little tiles that made up one floor in the Palace. Amongst many other displays in the Archaeological museum, was a reconstruction of and artefacts from Troy, from its first phase as outlined in the Iliad through to the expanded Troy IX. Probably saw more there than going to Troy itself!

As must, we went to the Grand Bazaar (maze-like and colourful) but it wasn't as bustling and pressure-selling as expected - in fact seemed quite regimented - with too many "modern" stalls selling T-shirts and jeans and tourist tat. Yes, the leather, silks, carpets, jewellery and pottery are still there, but…. We actually found the real back streets more interesting.

It was the mosques that made it for us, we went up to the biggest, the Suleyman mosque that was a community in itself (colleges, caravanserai, hamam, kitchens, library) - a vast soaring structure with miles of beautiful carpets, tiling, 200 stained glass windows and more. Our favourite though, was the Blue Mosque, a stone's throw from our hotel, beautiful proportions - stunning by day and lit up by night (especially for Ramadan, starting on our last day - poor Muhammed who looked after us at the hotel, was late in and looked decidedly tired, having been up most of the night, as they do, to usher in Ramadan).

Gallipoli - Phase 2

Not having planned or booked anything, we decided to go to Canakkale to visit Gallipoli on the way back rather than at the start. We booked a hotel (skewwhiff mirror and slightly dodgy wiring, but great otherwise) and boarded a fast ferry to get us part way down the Sea of Marmara to Bandirma. We got a Dolmus (mini bus) to the Otogar where a coach to Canakkale was on its way out. Someone shouted at the driver to stop, we were allowed on (without the normal pre- booking and payment) for the 2 ½ hr drive.

Unusually for us, we went on an organised tour, crossing the strategic pinch-point of the Dardanelles by ferry, then by coach to visit the beaches, memorials, cemeteries, tunnels & trenches; Brighton Beach, ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine Australian memorial, Johnston's Jolly, NZ memorial and Turkish memorial. The loss of life on both sides was terrible. Once on the summit, the strategic position that triggered the long-lasting and unsuccessful Gallipoli campaign was so clear. We were glad to have the opportunity to visit in this 100th anniversary year.

Et voila, yet another coach, dolmus (free) and ferry, and we are back on the boat in Greece in time for my (W's) birthday. We had bought a silk and cashmere scarf/shawl in Istanbul, so that was one present in the bag! A great escape, but nice to be back home on the boat!