OE DAY 3 – ISTANBUL

My blog for day 3 was “Elicit goings on” and I now realise that my blog for the Heathrow journey was also “posted” and then I wrote it again. Luckily my recall was similar to the original. Confused? If you aren’t now, you soon will be! This is the crazy part of retiredandcrazy!

The photograph was taken in the Spice Market.

OE DAY 2 – ISTANBUL

Today was the start of the “Grand Tour”. Up and onto the coach by 8.30 for a full day whistle stop tour of the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Haghia Sophia, the Spice Market (where we had lunch) and the Grand Bazaar. Whew, too much culture in one day.

First stop The Blue Mosque named after the blue Iznic tiles that adorn the walls and ceiling. Our guide told us that an identical tile was sold at Christie’s Auction in London for many thousands of £’s. Although I had read up on the mosque nothing had prepared me for its scale and grandure. The area in front of the mosque had been an ancient massive Hippadrome. They certainly knew how to strut their stuff in those days.

The guide was the same guy that had escorted us from the airport and was the best guide of the whole trip. In fact the best guide of any trip that I have ever been on (others said the same). He has a knack of encouraging everyone to participate in his commentary, and does not shy away from contentious issues like terrorism and the 72 virgins.

His take is that the Koran certainly does not condone suicide bombers and the 72 virgins came from a story about a bridge-groom who was killed in battle on the eve of his wedding. Mohammad is reputed to have told his family not to grieve because there was an even better life waiting for him on the other side. My question, do 72 virgins make for a better life? What about 71 virgins and a whore, or better still 72 whoes? Wouldn’t that be more like man heaven?

In the Blue Mosque someone in our group asked him if Moslems tithe money like some Christians do. He said that in Turkey they are expected to tithe 2.5% of their annual income first to a needy relative (not to parents because they should be taken care of anyway), then a neighbour up to four doors away, then the town, country, world. This seemed like a good plan. If only the world could be this place there would surely be no troubles. Where are things going wrong?

Another person said “are arranged marriages still common in Turkey and was yours an arranged marriage?” “Yes, 70% of marriages are still arranged and yes, my mother did arrange mine and she made an excellent choice” “do you have children?” “not yet, but if my wife isn’t pregnant by the end of the year I’m in big trouble”. He said he was 39 and due to retire in a couple of years. Turkish people retire at 42? He a) didn’t look 39 and b) was too “fit” (and I mean that in the modern way, like really fanciable!) to be a retiree.

Lunch was in an authentic Turkish restaurant and was absolutely delicious. I even tried Turkish coffee and enjoyed it. It seemed fitting to completely immerse myself in the culture. It was a truly fascinating and exhausting day.

OE DAY 1 - HEATHROW/ISTANBUL

Good drive down to Heathrow to stay overnight. Knew the way, no need for SatNav. Go to the big roundabout before the tunnel where the replica Concorde is displayed, turn right onto the Bath Road and the hotel would be there. Wrong!

Sign said turn left for Bath Road. What?! “No, keep in this lane, we turn right at the next roundabout. I know the way”. In nose to tail traffic we limp along at a snails pace. “Are you sure?” “Yes, I know the way”. Fifteen long minutes later, “that’s the roundabout, Oh! they've taken Concorde away. Oh! they’ve blocked off the right turn” I groan as the traffic shunts us into the tunnel. We helplessly have to crawl around the terminals, out the otherside, and finally onto the right road. Good start!

Next day was more successful. We (the other half of the we is my mad mate and neighbour from Switzerland), had opted to spoil ourselves in Business Class where fortunately for us, and unfortunately for them, they served champagne. On arrival in Istanbul we were well and truly sociable.

The Orient Express experience began at the Istanbul baggage reclaim where a representative greeted everyone and porters reclaimed the luggage for onward transport. We were being so sociable that we missed him, reclaimed our own baggage, forgot to pass Go and collect £200 and went straight into the arrivals hall. As the guide hired to accompany us on the coach said, looking directly at us, “we are in for an interesting three days”. I don’t know what he could have meant.

At the hotel we were taken directly to the Orient Express hospitality suite No need to check in like normal mortals, that had already been taken care of by Orient Express. And what a hotel! It was wow! WOw! WOW!. 6* standard, reputedly the best in Istanbul, in a location to die for overlooking the Bosphorus. Things were looking up.

The photographs were taken from my bedroom window overlooking Asia.

DISASTER

Back from the “Grand Tour” to discover that most of my daily and sometimes twice daily blogs did not “post” and I have deleted them from my BlackBerry, maybe to be lost forever. I think that I detected the fleeting shadow of a soft smug smile pass over the face of one the IT guys when I said that! The others just openly laughed at me!!

With fear and trepidation I awaited the outcome of an enquiry. Can they be traced and retrieved? Or is this to live on as another Little Boss legendary right royal mess up? My only hope for conserving some modicum of credibility is that I have proof that my last post was marked “sent” but didn’t “post”. So who’s to bless and who’s to blame.

THE VERDICT HAS NOW BEEN RETURNED and it is that they are probably stuck in cyberspace with my service provider. As one guy put it, this technology is great, when it works. The endeavours to recover the blogs will continue, but in the meantime I will attempt to re-create my spontaneous ramblings, but not today because today, as the song says, “I’m a lonely little petunia in an onion patch, boohoo, boohoo.

The photograph is of two of our wonderful Italian waiters.

WE'RE ON OUR WAY

WE'RE ON OUR WAY
Originally uploaded by anninfotel

Once again a photo can't capture the carnival atmosphere. This was the send off we got. A Turkish band, red carpet and throngs of onlookers waving and chearing is on our way. Amazing.

ELICIT GOINGS ON

7

Today was taken at a more leisurely pace with breakfast at this fabulous hotel on the shores of the Bosphorus, then a cruise up to the Black Sea with more cultural history thrown in, a quick museum visit and back in time for lunch. Once again we were told that this is the best hotel in Istanbul. In fact 6* standard.

The original old Palace building has 12 horrendously expensive suites and conference and banqueting facilities. All extremely grand and, I would imagine, strictly out of bounds to the likes of us. . In fact when we tried to walk on the esplanade beside the sea in front of the Palace building on our first night we were quickly chased away.

HOWEVER, two of our fellow travellers have been in the building and were anxious to show us the extreme opulence of the place. They had sneaked in around the back and with little need for encouragement we agreed to follow them. So off we set, four ladies of retirement age, giggling like naughty children.

They had the red carpets out today and the place was alive with busy worker ants moving furniture, bringing in trolleys of prepared foods, setting up sound systems etc. They were obviously expecting someone very important. I timidly reminded everyone that the Turkish army is very large and we were in danger of triggering a full-scale security alert. "Don't worry, we'll deal with that if it happens". Yeh like deal with rotting in a foreign jail for several years. "Am I the only one with a bit of sense around here?" "Oh come on, lighten up, you only live once". I had found the remnants of the happening, baby boomer, and flower power generation again. We are all around in the guise of sedate suburban retirees.

The amazing thing was that we didn't get arrested and were allowed to walk unchallenged among the throngs of workers to admire the priceless chandeliers, carpets and artefacts that adored this breathlessly beautiful building. Room after room of beauty. I have never, never seen anything like it before, nor probably every will again. I did take a photograph, but I forgot and took it with my camera instead of the BlackBerry, so I can't blog it until I get back home. But, as my ex-friend DogLover likes to point out I take crap photographs anyway. Tomorrow is the big day. We board the Orient Express at 1530 and travel for six days to Venice. If that is as good as our time here we are in for a real treat.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

WOOPS! FORGOT THE 'PHOTO

WOOPS! FORGOT THE 'PHOTO
Originally uploaded by anninfotel