Our trip here went close to flawlessly, considering the havoc weather could have played if a storm had hit New York as we passed through. The only hitch was that Delta does not have a reciprocal agreement with Turkish Airlines so we could not check our bags straight through but had to collect them in NY, deposit them with Turkish Airlines and then go through security again, with the usual long NY lines.
Flying Turkish Airlines felt like flying first class (except for the size of the seats). We were provided with pillows and blankets and once we were in the air, stewardesses distributed slippers, socks, and ditty filled bags with everything one might need—eye coverings, lip balm, ear plugs, tooth paste and tooth brush. That was followed by the distribution of Turkish delights, a lovely powdered sugar covered gel embedded with pistachios, and then hot wash cloths, beverage service, and dinner (which at past midnight, I wasn’t interested in).
When we landed, we were told it was 40, but it was closer to the high 50s when we deplaned. I never once put on my jacket. After passing through passport control in Istanbul (I was glad we had visas and didn’t have to stand in another line), we were met by a Gate 1 representative and ushered outside to the smell of cigarette smoke (everyone here smokes) and the sounds of late afternoon traffic. As the six of us who arrived on the flight we were driven across town, we passed the old city walls that have protected Istanbul for centuries.
Old city walls
We were greeted by the evening call to prayers from this lovely mosque.
Evening call to prayers
We drove by the Blue Mosque illuminated against an azure sky.
The city is bustling with traffic and strollers along the waterfront and vendors selling roses to stalled traffic. We arrived at the Legacy Ottoman, a gorgeous century old hotel with a lobby of marble, four foot chandeliers, the most amazing collection of carved chairs and sofas I’ve ever laid eyes on, and walls covered with paintings depicting scenes from the Ottoman Empire, located in the bustling heart of old town.
Legacy Ottoman lobby
Lobby or ornate chairs
We opened the windows to our room overlooking an ancient many domed building that seems to function as a shopping mall, a mosque to the left, and a view of the Blue Mosque in the distance.
View to the left of our window
Building directly in front of our windows
The wailing call to prayers that fills the evening air sends chills down my spine. We are in another country.
Our group is small, 19, from all over the world—Australia, South Korea, Canada, and US, and they are quite the world travelers. During dinner on the 6th floor overlooking the bridges crossing the Bosphorous, we listened to tales of trips to Miranmar, Abu Dabi, India, Thailand, Jordan, South America. This is a group of people who like to travel. About ¾ have done Gate 1 tours before and the rest of us are newbies. Interestingly, they often travel independently, but choose to do tours in areas where independent travel would be difficult (the very reason we chose this tour).