Tuesday
Dear Elsie
Today was the day we had a ball in Istanbul. But not everything goes perfectly when travelling and today we did a few things that would make our return trip on 16th May more comfortable. We changed hotels. The hotel we are currently in is very homely. They have tried to make things comfortable. The bed & linen is fine. On first glance the bathroom looks updated and functional, but it turns out there are a few underlying issues that made me decide to cancel our next booking and find another place. The shower leaks, so water is always on the floor & the tap in the sink is either full blast or a trickle. Also there is mold on the walls around the window. But the real deal-breaker is the internet or lack thereof. I am so dependent on a decent connection that the slow, intermittent, erratic WIFI had me looking elsewhere. I found it 2 buildings away & that’s where I’m sitting now, sipping the strongest of (complimentary) Turkish coffee at 7.23pm knowing that most likely my poor sleep pattern will disintegrate even further! But I’ll catch up eventually. I actually can’t finish it. I’m already feeling I’m getting palpitations! I’ve had this much and Mike had a sip.
Dinner arrived with this …
This was my pasta..
And this is the view..
The day began with a breakfast down at the coast, with this view..
Then we headed to the tram line and bought an Istanbul card which was about R300 for the card and credit for trips on the tram, bus or ferry. We hopped on the tram….
And buzzed up the line and down again and then back to where we began.
By then we were in need of refreshment, so had a coffee and went back to the hotel. I did some more work (I had worked between 5am & 7am, when the internet was as good as it could be). Then we hit the road – this time we caught the tram to the stop closest to the ferry. This was a good trick because tours of the Bosphorus start at about 25 Euros. Our trips on the ferry cost the equivalent of R17 each! Our ferry…
Front of the ferry on the Bosphorus…
The bridge where West meets East 
Part of the Asia side..
Asian side of Istanbul – the port we stopped at. We had to get off, go through the gate again, tap our card again and get back on.
The Western side…approaching our port..
We then chose to walk the 4km back to our hotel instead of taking the tram.
By then it was dinner time and we were ready for it. A good solid day in Istanbul.
Thinking of Stacey tomorrow. An important meeting for her.
Meanwhile, Julian has just over an hour to go before he lands in Istanbul. Tomorrow, we check out at 9-30am and we are off on another cruise.
Psalm 104:19 & 24
He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all;
It’s not about now – we are only passing through.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Gran xx 🙂