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We entered Istanbul amidst rush hour and the endless suburbs were snarling with traffic. It felt like we'd never make it to our hotel but as we cornered into the refurbished and ancient area of Sultanahmet the mass of chaos seemed far away. Being the centre of Istanbul's backpacker and tourist attraction scene, I expected Sultanahmet to be a bustling mess of people but our surprise was welcome and we dotted down quickly before turning around for dinner.
Today was the end of our tour, another sad time as our family for the last 5 weeks was to disband again. To top off the tour we treated ourselves to a traditional Turkish dinner at traditional European prices. A few kicked on into the wee hours but we opted out in favour of having some mojo for sightseeing the next morning.
We started our first full day off taking in the main attractions of Istanbul. The Topkapi Palace and the massive religious neighbours the Haghia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. Fearing failure of our own ability to organise anything we then sorted out our train tickets to Athens in Greece. Strolling the streets of Istanbul was actually quite invigorating. I guess after so long on organised excursions we enjoyed the freedom of roaming. That was until we reached the Grand Bazaar. This massive complex houses every imaginable item you could want. From the proverbial crap to your fiancee's wedding dress and jewellery. Jaunting through here was proving to be painful. Firstly for the fact that we weren't wanting to purchase anything and lots of inviting things kept leaping out at us. Secondly for the pesky carpet salesman guaranteeing a fair price. We just told them we were from the Chatham Islands and whilst they attempted to picture it on their mental atlas we hightailed it outside.
A date that afternoon was planned with the television. The AB's first game versus Italy and we were stationed in possibly the most expensive bar imaginable. As we nursed our beers through the entirety of the 80 minutes of rugby we took more pleasure in viewing the cringing on the few Italians in the bars faces than the shellacking happening on the field. As the final hooter sounded we ran quickly away to find sanctuary of a realistically priced bar.
The next morning we continued with renewed enthusiasm for sightseeing and headed across the Golden Horn to the new part of Istanbul. We took the tram and decided to get a few stops before to soak up the neighbourhood before reaching Taksim Square. What we didn't realise is that the tram stopped at the foot of a 100 metre ascent meaning that by the time we reached the square we were exhausted and minging with sweat. With all shops in Sultanahmet closed on a Sunday we soon found where everybody was. The main drag from Taksim Square resembled a queue leaving the World Cup Final. People jostled for space whilst they zigzagged between high street stores and coffee shops. We completed our 2.5km 'run with the bulls' and headed back to the safety of our little corner of Istanbul.
We finished our Turkey experience off in style. Camped in a dingy bar playing backgammon, smoking honey-mint water pipes and sipping on a cool Efes, or apple tea to the non-alcoholics. Our time in Istanbul turned out to be short and there was much more to see and do. An excellent end to a most fascinating journey.
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