Turkey tour- Istanbul

So we are in Turkey, ready for our next tour... 3 days early. Following some talk with friends recently, I have realised that I am a little 'compulsive' about being early for things. I'm sure some might us other words, less complimentary.... ( I would be a nightmare tour leader... ) But 3 days is excessive even for me. So we are not here 3 days ahead of time just in case flights might be delayed, but to spend more time in a non-Schengen country.

Our flights from Paris went via Kiev, in the Ukraine. This trip is certainly adding to our knowledge of world geography. I remember booking these flights, and the different meal options on offer - to suit multicultural travellers. A huge range I'd not encountered before, and probably didnt understand. On the trip we saw meals being delivered individually first, and then the general distribution from the trolley. What did we have? Something unrecognisable, but included pasta.

Not sure what I expected from Istanbul, but it's an explosion of sights and sounds. The trip from the airport shows a massive city, and I'm sure that was only a small part. Huge roads, lots of traffic, multi-story modern buildings. Everything a modern city has. We are staying in the old city, which is a mixture of old and new. New modern, double-trams ( 2 long trams hooked together, usually packed), trundle noisily down morrow streets. As a pedestrian, you need to be extra careful, as the road blends into the even narrower footpath, especially on corners. Even the trams blast their horns to other road users.

Mosques and their minarets dominate the skyline, and the call to prayer rings out several times a day. 'Ring' is not really the best word to describe this guttural sound.

The Bosphorus is an amazingly active waterway. Massive cruise ships are in port at the moment, adding to the influx of tourists.

Fish restaurants occupy the lower level of the bridge on both ends, leaving the centre section open for shipping.

Just had to capture this sight. Shoe shine boxes never looked so glamorous. Definitely a different concept from the small wooden boxes boys carry around in Cusco. Probably a 'gold' price as well.

Visited the Mausoleums at Hagia Sophia. Beautiful ceramic work, and an interesting story about a mosaic which was sent to France for restoration, but only a copy returned. The copy has faded, whereas a similar original is in good condition. The copied original is in a Paris museum, apparently. :-(

We chose a hotel very close to the starting hotel for our tour, so this morning we have checked out, walked about 100m to the diagonal opposite corner of a small block, and checked in again. Nice. So, we are off to do some more exploring.

Visited the Blue Mosque today. Spectacular ceramic tiles work over ceilings and walls. I have much to learn and understand about this religion. Men and women pray separately in different areas. Shoes had to be taken off, women's hair and arms need to be covered. I bought a scarf, but others had to wear caftan style gown, and head scarf. Even men in shorts had to wrap along scarf around their legs.

And the Basilica Cistern - a huge, as in massive underground water storage system built in the sixth century. Impressive.

Tour group meeting tonight. We are a group of 12, Aussies, Kiwis and Canadians. Sounds familiar. Our tour leader is Turkish and seems very nice. Looks like we have a private mini-bus for transportation.

Turkey, we're gonna love it.

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On our own - Paris

Next stop.... Paris. Woohoo. I do love Paris, unfortunately so do millions of others!! Sooooo many big tour groups everywhere!!

We have spent a few days in Paris several years ago, but it was all new for our travelling companions, Jill and Jeff, and we were meeting up with great friend from home, Jen. What a bonus, half way around the world!!!

I had booked an apartment, great location, within walking distance from most significant sites, but the apartment itself was a disappointment, and 5 flights of stairs were a challenge. But, everyone was very gracious, and the only person giving me a hard time about it was myself. Thanks guys.

What to do and what to see. The list was endless, and we have left some things for next time...... Again.

We did walk miles, especially the first long day. Jill's feet gave her a hard time, but she hung in there. It wasn't until the second day when we rode the Hop On Hop Off bus most of the way round, and spotted sites we had walked to previously that she realised how far we had walked. ;-).

I think my favourite places in Paris are

• The Eiffel Tower - only Jill and Jeff braved the long queues for that, but we trekked back there for a night visit to see it lit up. Midnight, no less so we got the full show. The massive structure has such a commanding presence, both day and night.
  

• Notre Dame- I love the views of this magnificent building from the outside, and the garden spaces around it. Stunning. Reasonable queues moved in fairly quickly. Not such a long wait

• Sacre Couer - a majestic position high on the hill for this beauty. I love the views of the church itself, as well as the fabulous views for the tower. Free entry into the church, and although there were LOTS of people around, the crowd moved freely. Less people climbed the 300+ stairs up the tower, so no waiting there, but it isn't free. Must see a sunset from this spot one day.

So many big, grand, and uniquely French structures. Galleries Lafayette, a department store is stunning - 3 buildings, one for women's wear, one for men's and one for household things. We went into the main one ( women's of course) and it is jaw dropping - a big central dome ..... Elegance!

In the men's store we found a gourmet food store. Nutella is not exactly gourmet food, but not exactly common either.

Last night in Paris- at Jeff's suggestion, Moulin Rouge. What a feast for the eyes! Probably better that we were not permitted to use cameras there. I can't imaging trying to see it all through the lens of a camera. Memories must suffice.

After the show, 11pm, we did a mad dash to the tower via the metro, to see the lights, and fearing a long walk home if the trains stopped, we didn't stay too long, although it is mesmerising. Sadly no cameras here either

 

 

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On our own - Germany.

Arrived in Stuttgart early afternoon, with nothing booked. Another adventure.

So far so good. Used online booking to book a hotel in Stuttgart. Only planning to stay one night so a hotel right at the station seemed a good choice. Wifi costs extra. We are not used to that elsewhere on this trip. ;-(

First impressions of Stuttgart ... It seems to have fewer old historic buildings, and those that are there are less ornate. There's also a lot of construction going on.

Lex and Jeff opted for a visit to the Mercedes Benz Museum - boys toys, and they definitely enjoyed that.

Looks like he found a boat as well!

Jill and I chose the Hop On Hop Off bus tours. Sights were not as impressive as other cities, but the commentary was very good. 85% of the city centre destroyed in WW2. New infrastructure was erected rapidly, and now much of that needs to be replaced, hence all the present construction.

The city has huge tracts of natural woodland throughout the wider city, and surprisingly many small vineyards, many not very far from the city centre. Even more amazing is that these vineyards are heritage listed, and can never be built on. We heard about local wine pubs, similar to what we experienced in Vienna with Hannah. The tradition began many years ago, when vineyards were trying to dispose of the previous year's wine before the next one was ready. Government made this a tax free period, to assist farmers, and neighbours, more than willing to help out frequented these establishments. The wine pub custom has continued, with vineyards selling food and their own wines, although the tax free period no longer exists.

Then on to Karlsruhe to visit Susie. Woohoo

Staying 2 nights with Susie was fabulous. What a wonderful welcome we received. Staying with friends has such a different feel to hotel/hostel accommodation.

We got a guided tour of the city and surroundings, always better with a local guide, especially when it cames to ordering food. For lunch we had 'flame cakes', a bit like pizza made on flat bread, but without tomato. A culinary highlight was our ice-cream treats. Sooooo much icecream and cream. Perhaps we should have shared one!!

There's lots of construction happening in Karlsruhe, as they move the city trams underground. Currently the inner city is shared by pedestrians and trams. It seems to have a very good public transport system, which is magnificent, given that the city is so spread out. There's lots of woodland areas throughout the whole city... That's impressive.

 

First class TGV train to Paris. Train reached speed in excess of 310 km/hr, but was still quite smooth. Meal packages, including beer or wine were served in our seats. Very comfortable, but no wifi was a big disappointment. We have certainly become spoiled! ;-(

 

Only a couple of days in Germany is not really enough. We have definitely left things for our next trip.

 

 

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