Getting to Istanbul

As the term neared its end, I started thinking about how I wanted to spend the last three weeks before returning to the states.  Throughout the autumn in the city of Worcester, signs encouraged folks to book reservations at this or that restaurant or hotel for Christmas.  I had considered doing that,  but the weeks passed by, one after the other, and I never got around to doing it. 

I had thought about going over to Ireland the week before Christmas.  I've never been and have always wanted to go, so that seemed like a good option, but time started running short. 

And then my son called.  He had been doing dissertation research in Africa throughout the month of November, and had plans to go to Israel for a workshop and tour in mid-December, all of which meant he was going to be relatively close to the U.K.  We started talking about how we might be able to rendezvous.  We went back and forth identifying places we could use as a midway point.  Rome was an option, as was Athens, but the place which seemed most exciting was Istanbul.  We explored the costs of flights and Istanbul seemed to be the least expensive.  I later learned I might have been able to book a less expensive ticket to Istanbul  by way of Easy Jet.  Oh well...live and learn.  I flew Turkish Air and was pleased with the flight.  It's a good airline.  We then explored accommodations.  My son found an inexpensive hostel in the old part of Istanbul, so we were good to go. 

It rained a lot during the last few days of my time in Worcester, threatening yet another flood, the third since I arrived at the end of August.  My flight was scheduled to leave from Gatwick Sunday, December 23rd.  The Sunday train from Worcester would have meant I would be cutting it far too close, so I changed my train ticket from the 23rd to the 22nd.  That of course meant I would have to arrange a hotel stay for one night.  I chose to go online to find a room close to Victoria, where I would catch an express train to Gatwick the morning of the 23rd.  As it happened, the flood hampered travel from the west country on the 23rd, and I might not have made it at all had I followed my original plan.  Fate works in mysterious ways.

I found an inexpensive room at the Blair Victoria and Tudor Inn, which promises the cheapest rate online.  Mind you, the neighborhood is pretty nice.  There are a number of hotels in the area, as well as nice private homes.   I had no qualms walking the neighborhood.  The room was very simple, with few "extras".

There were two single beds, a television, and an en suite bath and toilet.  The room met my three primary criteria:  Cheap, Clean and Safe.  Breakfast was a simple affair--cereal and coffee--and then I headed off to Gatwick.  My flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 3:00 p.m., so I had a long wait.  I couldn't even check my bag until noon. Once my bag was checked, I was able to proceed to the huge shopping area in the north terminal (the point of departure for most international flights).  This proved to be quite the cultural experience.  Gatwick does not announce gates until about 20 minutes or so before the flight.  Travelers hang out in this shopping mall cum food court for about two hours prior to their flights.  It's a very effective marketing strategy.  Just about everyone I saw had purchased food and drink, and many had shopped in the stores.  I did both.  One of the shops had an extensive sale on clothing--I bought a shirt for 10 pounds--down from 40.  This is something I generally do not do. 

Finally, I saw the gate announcement which also included the admonition to hightail it as the walk to the gate was about 10 minutes .  Once inside the gate area, I was joined by a friendly woman from Scotland who had just that morning booked her ticket to Istanbul.  As luck would have it, she had the seat right next to mine.  We chatted briefly and she revealed she had recently experienced health problems which led her to want a change of scenery. 

The flight didn't land until after 9 p.m., so I had arranged with the hostel to take their shuttle.  My new friend asked if she might ride along.  The proved to be a bit challenging as the person who met me had to consult multiple times with his home office before agreeing  to drop her off at her hotel before taking me to the hostel.  Finally, the arrangements were made, and we loaded our bags on to the van.  We drove in to the old city, and then it seemed we went "'round Robin Hood's Barn" to get to her hotel.  She gave the driver 20 Euros after he brought her to her door and helped her inside with her bag.  The contact person kept telling me my ride was free.  I thought that was strange, since I had read I would have to pay a hefty price (which, I had thought worthwhile given the late hour).  The driver then made his way to the Metropolis Hostel where he dumped me out on the sidewalk telling me to walk along to the corner to find the hostel.  Confused by the mixed message about cost, I gave him 10 Euros. 

After stumbling around in the dark, I finally found the place I was seeking and checked in to the Metropolis Hostel and the clerk told me I still owed for the ride.  Frankly, I was angry.  My "friend" paid only 20 Euros, I ended up paying 50 by the time all was said and done.  Note to self--the mass transit option would have been MUCH cheaper.

I booked a single room for myself for the first night since my son and his girlfriend were not scheduled to be there until the next morning.  It was very spare, but met my needs and criteria--Cheap, Safe, and Clean.

Breakfast was scheduled for 8:30-10:00 a.m. on the roof.

The view from the rooftop breakfast room.

The breakfast fare consisted of cheese, tomatoes, meat, eggs, fruit and fresh rolls.  We had juice, coffee and tea as well.  I met a number of guests, including a couple in their 40s from Texas.  We all chatted briefly, and before I knew it, there was my son and his girlfriend.

The poor dears had been traveling all night, first by car and then by plane  They started with public transportation once they arrived in Istanbul, but then gave in and took a taxi.  Clearly, a nap was in order. Fortunately, we were able to move in to our new room with two bunk beds.  This room was considerably cheaper.  We didn't have to share until later in the week (closer to New Year's) when we were joined by a young man from Dusseldorf.  For the first four days, we had the room to ourselves.

That first day, we took it very easy--napping and resting for quite a few hours before we wandered out for a late lunch at one of the many restaurants along the avenue one block up from our hostel.

Beyond these colorful ceiling lamps, there were Christmas decorations.

Later on I retired to the roof to write and reflect, joined later by my son who agreed to play a Scrabble-like game.  As we played our first word, we met a young man from Perth, Australia via New Zealand.  Vibav was an engaging young man who had just recently graduated and started practicing as a dentist.  He became a great friend and led us on many an adventure, as I'll recount in blogs to follow.

We had dinner at the Metropolis Restaurant--after learning about the discount we would receive simply by virtue of our residence at the Hostel.  It turns out that many of the hostels had similar arrangements--hostels had restaurant partnerships--no doubt owned by the same operation.  We had good meals and weren't disappointed.

We walked around after supper and decided on our excursions for the next day.  We retired reasonably early as we listened to the last call to prayer echoing from one mosque to the other.