Departure Frustrations

We are scheduled to fly out of Pearson at 10:25 pm on Turkish Airlines, connecting through Istanbul with just over 4 hours of layover.  We became a little more apprehensive about that choice of flights after the recent escalation of terrorism events in Turkey, but reasoned that the airport is large with excellent security, so not much reason to worry.  I am able to finish up work in Lindsay by 1:00, so Dan & Nadine pick up Sue and I just before 2.  Carly & Scott left earlier to spend a few days in London, then will fly to Istanbul and travel to Entebbe with us on Turkish Air.  I have recently been making the switch from a Nikon DSLR to a Sony mirrorless camera, but I was worried about depending on one camera for such an important trip, so I bought a second camera body a week ago.  Sadly, the new camera is defective with a shutter that sticks, but the Vistek shop was very good about offering to exchange without any hassles, so we drop by their Mississauga location which is handy to Pearson.  With that business out of the way, we pop into Perkins restaurant to satisfy Dan & Nadine's wishes to honour a family tradition before travel adventures, then off to the airport to discover our flight to Istanbul is delayed with revised departure estimate of 2:20 AM!!

This gives us over 8 hours to spend at the airport, and the distinct possibility of missing our connection to Entebbe.  We cool our heels in a lounge and email Carly and Jemimah, the proprietor of Banana Village, about our woes.  No explanation for the delay, but Istanbul has recently been hammered by snowfalls which are quite unusual for them, and many flights have been delayed or cancelled earlier in the week.  The pilot puts "pedal to the metal" and we make the almost 10 hour flight in just over 8 hours, arriving at the time our Entebbe flight is scheduled to board.  Hopes soar when we are met coming off the plane by a Turkish Airlines official who gathers the Entebbe passengers and quick marches us through the terminal, to the front of the line through security, and down endless hallways in a second terminal area - all the while speaking on his cell phone in Turkish, presumably advising attendants at the departure gate of our progress.  Imagine our horror when we finally arrive at the gate to be told simply that the flight just left!

Four hours of frustration being shuffled from one support desk queue to another and forking over $70 USD each for a visitor visa for Turkey, and we are on a shuttle bus to a very nice Ramada Inn about 40 minutes' drive from the airport, with boarding passes in hand for the next Entebbe flight departing at 7:50 pm the following evening.  I am so very grateful that Dan & Nadine are such seasoned and calm travellers who take things in stride and seek solutions rather than conflict.


Istanbul - a pleasant surprise

Despite the recent terrorism events, we decide we cannot pass up the opportunity to take in some of this remarkable city on the day that has been given us.  Following an early breakfast, we hire a cab to be driven to the gate of the Grand Bazaar in the old walled city.  Istanbul straddles the border between Europe and Asia, and is steeped in history.  Being an important trading centre from ancient times, the construction of a commercial marketplace began over a century ago.  Suffering damage and reconstruction resulting from fires and earthquakes, the present Grand Bazaar for the most part is over 500 years old and encompasses over 60 streets and alleys in an enclosed building with thousands of shops offering carpets, leather goods, spices, sweets, coffee, food products, etc, etc.  It is a living, thriving piece of history which hosts between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily.

The array of leather goods is astounding

One steet in the Grand Bazaar before opening

No Starbucks here

The girls sample some Turkish delight

Istanbul is still cold, and the temperature is right around freezing this morning.  We only have our carry-on bags with us, so Dan and the ladies need to purchase some warm clothing.  We arrive as the shops are just starting to open, so there are only a few shoppers, and the shopkeepers are arranging and dusting off their wares, kibbutzing and sharing strong Turkish tea with one another.  We are enticed into a shop by a couple of very charming young men who show the ladies many, many scarves along with some sweaters and throws.  I can tell Susan quite likes a particular sweater which looks great on her, but she balks at the initial price, and is not even interested after the owner comes down on his price almost 50%.  He is pleading with her as we walk away and follows her down the alleyway, finally shouting that he will cut the price even more.  This final bid entices me to turn around and make the purchase.  Nadine finds a warm scarf, and Dan gets a great track suit.  I had a light zip sweater jacket with me, so only needed to spend 10 Turkish Lira (about $3 CAD) on a toque.

Sue tries on a fashionable scarf

Nadine practices "the look"

Dan patiently awaits a serving of Turkish tea

patio lanterns anyone?

small cafe in the bazaar

Walking through the narrow cobblestone streets and alleys in the direction of the Blue Mosque, we are repeatedly approached by store owners, and I am very impressed at the ingenuity of these entrepreneurs in the approaches they take to entice tourists.  That Mosque is closed to tourists until 2:30 because of Friday prayers, so we hire a guide to take us through Hagia Sophia, which is just across the square.  This domed structure was originally built in 5 years back in 526AD by the Greeks and remained the largest church in the world for a millenium.  The use of scavenged pillars and arches from other temples allowed construction to be completed so quickly.  Muslims took it over and converted it to a mosque, but chose to preserve much of the artwork by plastering or painting over it, rather than destroying it.  The building thus has a remarkable mixture of Christian and Muslim elements, mirroring the position of the city itself, straddling Eastern and Western cultures and commerce.  Our guide, Kalim, is very entertaining and knowledgeable, and we feel the time and money spent visiting this site is well worth it.

City street scene

view of Hagia Sophia

Kalim enriches our museum visit experience

the dome structure continues to inspire mosque design

looking toward the Blue Mosque

the large urn in the foreground was carved from a single piece of marble

marble from many countries was used in the construction

truly an inspiring entryway

Eastern orthodox artwork is being carefully restored

Afterwards we traverse much quieter streets and alleys toward the waterfront to marvel at the amount of commercial shipping traffic in evidence.  Istanbul guards the inlet connecting the Black Sea with the Aegean Sea, and a steady flow of ships are in evidence.  We enjoy a very nice lunch at a quaint Best Western hotel right on the waterfront.  The food is excellent, and the hotel itself is remarkably quaint and has the atmosphere of a small boutique inn.  A little more walking around, then it is time to catch a cab back to the hotel to ensure we don't miss the shuttle bus pick up at 4:00.  The first cabbie we flag down does not seem entirely sure of the directions to our hotel, and quotes us a fare triple that of what we paid on the trip down, so we tell him to pull over after a couple of blocks and climb out.  Nadine and Sue convince a nearby hotel clerk to summon a different cab, with the stipulation that the final tab will not be more than double the trip down to the old city.  I'm guessing our honed negotiating skills may have utility in Uganda.

Carly has messaged Susan that she is enjoying coffee in the company of the monkees at Banana Village, and we are very keen to be joining her as boarding the Entebbe flight goes quite smoothly.