Category: 2022 Epic Adventure

Istanbul airport is beautiful but gigantic. I’ve never seen so much security. As soon as we got into the airport the bags went through x-ray and we went through the mag. Since I’ve had a total hip. I always get a pat down.

Then we answered security questions before checking in. Then passport control. Then regular security…pat down #2.

Then at the gate it was another passport control, pat down and a search of cabin bags.

We got through all of this just in time to board. We always pick aisle seats across from each other as it’s easier for me to help him and I don’t want to get stuck in the center seat for 14 hours. Except, I’m sitting next to a 3-year-old for 14 hours. Lord help me.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

We didn’t’ expect to do too much today as we weren’t’ sure we would be able to get to the places we still wanted to visit. We met Aslan yesterday. He was the guide from the boat tour and was a big help getting Peter on/off the boat. He mentioned that today was his day off and asked if we were interested in seeing anything else in Istanbul. We told him where we wanted to go and, since his price was ridiculously inexpensive, we arranged to meet him at 9:00 for our half day private tour.

After a trip on the Metro, our first stop was Taksim Square in the heart of modern Istanbul. A few weeks ago, there was a terror bombing in the square which killed a few people and injured scores more. We were there pretty early, so the square wasn’t very crowded.

There is a monument dedicated to the formation of the republic in 1923.

We visited the Taksim Mosque which was completed in 2017.

We learned that the inside of every mosque in the world follows the same basic design. The “altar” is inset into the wall and faces Mecca. The emblem on the right side of the altar is Allah written in Arabic and the one on the left is Mohammed.

On the other side of the mosque, there are 4 additional emblems with the names of the next 4 prophets after Mohammed. Even though this mosque is 600 years newer and much smaller than the Hagia Sofia we saw on Monday, it was easy to see the resemblance between them. These are the only 2 mosques we’ve ever seen but now we have a better idea of how they look.

After leaving the square, we walked a pedestrian street of İstiklal lined with every type of shop you can imagine.

We stopped for our morning snack at Saray Muhallebicisi, a landmark Istanbul pastry shop. Oh foodies, you would have loved it.

Once we finished our amazing snacks, we continued our walk to Galata Tower. In 1267 a Genoese colony was established in Constantinople, and they built the tower as part of the city walls. The walls are long gone and now the tower is a museum.

This is something we would have never been able to see on our own as the road to get there was about 5 blocks long and straight downhill. And, once we left, we had a walk just as far back up the hill. I actually felt pretty bad as Aslan was pushing the chair and it was very difficult in both directions.

Once back on the top of the hill, we took the 2nd oldest metro in the world (London has the oldest), down the other side of the hill to get to the tram.

Then we used to tram to get to the Spice Bazaar. This is the one place we probably could have gotten to on our own as it’s on the tram line with a stop in front of the hotel but we’re glad we went with Aslan. The Spice Bazaar is also known as the Egyptian Bazaar and is the center of spice trade in Istanbul. While not as large as the Grand Bazaar, it’s still quite spacious with a total of 85 shops.

Every shop sold the same basic products, and the scent of the stores was amazing. Aslan’s nephew works in one of the stores, so that’s where we went for our purchases. Like in the Grand Bazaar, we were treated to tea. Peter had apple tea and I had pomegranate. I don’t like pomegranate, but this tea was absolutely delicious.

We bought some saffron (most expensive spice in the world), tea, dried fruit and nuts. We also got a box of 5 pieces of Turkish Delight. Everything is vacuum packed with labels, so we won’t have any difficulty getting them through customs. We got Peter a small bag of nuts he can munch on over the next couple of days and on the long plane ride home. Anything not eaten by the time we get to LAX will have to be thrown away before we go through customs. Although, if LAX is like the other airports we’ve been through, there won’t even be anyone at customs. We’ve not been stopped even once.

We grabbed a few sandwiches to take back to the room for lunch as we didn’t want to spend a ton of money again in the hotel restaurant. We spent $65 yesterday for lunch. Today we spent less than $6.00 for 2 large sandwiches and one can of soda. Good deal for delicious food.

After lunch it was time for my spa treatment. First, I had tradition Turkish bath or Hammam. This was a 40-minute bath on a marble slab and includes a body scrubbing with a handwoven was cloth called a kese. The bodywash is followed by a foam wash where I was covered by soap bubbles which were massaged into the skin. Then, my hair was washed followed by gallons of water were dumped on me to get all the soap off.

This ritual, which is an important part of the Turkish culture and has been around since the 1600s, is not for the modest as the very small towel I was originally covered with didn’t last long. The amount of dead skin the therapist pulled off my skin was disgusting but my skin is now baby soft.

After the bath, it was time for my 60-minute massage. My back has been very tight, and I could barely move my neck this morning, so I was really looking forward to this part. The massage was incredible and, while still sore, my neck is much better.

It was certainly a very interesting experience. I get massages regularly, but I don’t see myself doing another Turkish bath. Being bathed in that manner by another person was too weird. I’ll invest in a good loofah when I get home and do that part myself in the shower. I’m glad I tried it, though.

Tomorrow, we’ll stick close to home as I have to repack (again) and get ready for Friday’s flight home. We arranged for a late checkout, so we have someplace to hang out before grabbing a taxi to our last on the road. I’ll check in with you tomorrow. Night everyone.

The minibus picked us up at 10am for an 11:30 cruise but we were the first of 5 hotel stops. Traffic was horrible so it was actually closer to 11:45 before we were on the boat heading down the Golden Horn to the Bosphorus River.

Istanbul is one of only 5 cities that are transcontinental. About 65% of Istanbul’s population live on the European side. Most of the big tourist attractions are on that side as well.

As you can see it was a cloudy day and it was also cool. But it’s the end of November so I guess that’s not a big surprise.

We passed the Dolmabahçe Palace, which was built in the mid 19th century by the Empire’s 31 Sultan. He felt that the Topkapi Palace lacked modern style and amenities, so he had this palace built in the European style. It was home to 6 Sultans from 1856 to 1923 when the Monarchy was abolished.

Next, we passed the Ciragan Palace built in 1863 by Sultan Abdulaziz because he didn’t want to live in the palace built by his predecessor. Now it’s a 5-star hotel and is the most expensive hotel in Istanbul. The Sultan’s Suite goes for the whopping price of over $35,000 per night. Some of its high-profile guests include Madona and Michael Jackson.

The Ortakoy Mosque is a beautiful building on the edge of the water. It was completed in 1854.

We stopped on the Asia side for about 30 minutes to visit the gardens of Kucuksu Pavillion. This was a royal hunting lodge rather than a residence. After the hunt, the Sultan and his party would hang out here until they were ready to go home.

Then it was back on the boat for the last 45 minutes of the cruise. We thought about joining the group for the bus part of the tour but changed our mind after we found out about all the stairs we would need to climb.

By the time we got off the boat, the rain had started. It was only a 10-minute walk to the tram station, but we had a lot of curbs to get up/down. Luckily, friendly strangers stopped to help when I had trouble.

After getting back to the hotel, we dried off and headed to the hotel restaurant for a late lunch/early dinner. Seated next to us was an American from Texas who has been living a nomad’s life in Europe and Asia since 2013. He’s heading to Bangkok on Friday. We had a lovely chat over lunch then headed back to the room.

It’s just after 6pm and it’s very exciting to get the blog posted so early. We may watch a movie tonight before a good night’s sleep. We may head out again tomorrow to visit the Spice Bazaar, but we’ll see what the day brings. Good night my friends.

Today we had a wonderful private tour of Istanbul. There was supposed to be another couple but at the last minute they decided not to go. So, we had the van and the guide, Ozi, all to ourselves.

We started at Topkapi Palace, built in 1460 and home to the Royal Family until the mid-19th century.

There were three different large courtyards surrounding the palace.

There really is no “inside” to the buildings. It was a U-shaped building with the rooms open to the outside and leading to the courtyard.

The site had originally been used by the Romans when they occupied the area.

The next gate is the Gate of Felicity which lead from the 2nd courtyard to the Sultan’s private apartments.

Just inside the door was the ceremonial golden throne the Sultan used for important visitors.

The palace has a museum in which they store the Holy Relics, but it was being renovated (as was a lot of the palace) but we got to see the items in a different part of the building.

Another building we visited was the library. Like all the buildings, there was not much furniture. The early Ottomans were nomads, so they didn’t have traditional furniture. They used rugs and pillows instead.

Then we headed to the armory where many types of ceremonial weapons were displayed.

The Topkapi Daggar is from the mid-18th century and was made as a gift for the Shah of Iran. It was returned to Istanbul when the Shah was assassinated before it could be delivered.

The spoon maker’s diamond is an 84-carat pear shaped stone. It is the 4th largest diamond in the world.

I think this was another audience room.

After an enjoyable time at the palace, we walked to the Hagia Sofia, built in 360AD. It was a Greek Orthodox church until Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453. This is also when the name of the city was changed to Istanbul.

Since it had been a Christian church before it was a mosque, there were several Christian mosaics on the walls.

When it was a church, it was used for coronations.

Across from the Hagia Sofia is the Blue Mosque from the early 17th century. The tour was supposed to include access to the mosque, but Ozi said it has undergoing reconstruction for the last 4 years and there is nothing to see on the inside as everything is under drapery.

Here are a few pictures of the inside I found on pixabay.

We had lunch at the Pudding Shop, a restaurant popular in the 60s as a meeting place for hippies and beatniks.

I had the Iskender Kebob (kebob is a style of meat rather than the way it’s served; there were no sticks).

Peter had the Diner Kebob, which was basically the same except it had no sauce and was served with rice and fries instead of the yoghurt. He ate it before I could get a photo.

After lunch we cut through the park to catch up with the van driver. On the way, we passed a water fountain.

We also passed an obelisk given as a gift from Egypt.

The base was marble and told the story of how the structure was made and transported to Istanbul.

We saw the reproduction of this brass pillar last week in Delphi. This is the original.

The last stop on the tour was the Grand Bazaar constructed in the early 15th century at the same time Topkapi Palace was built. But first we stopped at Vezirhan, a wholesaler of handmade carpets.

I saw a demonstration of how they make silk. It was so cool.

I’ve never seen so many rugs in one place before. They were literally piled everywhere in this massive building.

This building is also from the 15th century and had been a hotel for over 500 years.

Of course, the main reason for bringing us into the store was not just to help us learn about how they make carpets, but to sell us a rug. And they did. We bought a gorgeous one to put under the table in our dining area. All of their rugs are handmade and dyed naturally with vegetable dyes.

After that damage was done, it was on to the Grand Bazaar. The place is gigantic, with 4,000 stores on 61 covered streets. According to Wikipedia, it has between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. In 2014, it was listed as the #1 most visited tourist attraction in the world with over 91 million visitors annually. Ozi said that the locals never shop there…it’s all for the tourists.

It is a shopper’s paradise. You can buy virtually anything here.

After leaving the Bazaar, Ozi took us back to the hotel which is only about 10 minutes away. On the way, we passed the Istanbul University, which was founded in the early 15th century making it one of the oldest universities in the world.

It was a terrific, albeit expensive, day. Ozi was great and we’re really glad we had her as our guide.

Tomorrow, the only thing on the agenda is a 2 1/2-hour boat ride on the Bosphorus River. They will pick us up at the hotel, but we’ll need to get home on our own. My Greek SIM card doesn’t work here and it’s not worth getting another for just a couple of days, so I don’t have GPS. Before we leave in the morning, I’ll have the front desk write out directions for how to take the tram home from the dock. There’s a stop about 50 meters from our front door so as long as we get on the right tram, we should be fine.

Well, we’re finally at our last stop of our adventure. We had an uneventful 100-minute flight from Athens. Once on the ground that changed a little. It took over 15 minutes for our chair to get to the gate (usually it’s the first thing off the plane), and then we had to wait another 10 minutes or so for a wheelchair assistant to arrive as they wouldn’t let me push Peter myself. Then once out of the gate area, we waited some more while our guy went to assist someone else. Once he got back, we walked about 5 miles (at least it seemed that far) to get to passport control.

I had researched the need for a Visa and didn’t see anything that said it was needed. Well, it turns out we did need one which cost $60. No big deal except I didn’t have $60 so I tried to put it on my credit card. Except he didn’t want to take the credit card. He kept pointing to the sign that said I could pay in either Euro, Dollar or Pound, none of which I had. After about 5 minutes of back and forth, he finally took my credit card. So, now we can come back to Turkey as often as we want for the next 6 months. Of course, we don’t want to come back to Turkey, but we could if we wanted.

Then it was another LONG walk to baggage claim but the good news there was that it had taken so long to arrive, there weren’t many bags twirling on the carousel. Once I had the bags, I thought we were home free, but wait…our assistant walked away with the companion of the other wheelchair person he was helping. After about 10 minutes, I decided to find our driver on our own. By this time, it was almost 2pm and we had landed at 12:30pm and I wasn’t sure how long the driver would wait. As we were leaving, helper came back and led us out to meet the driver…. who wasn’t there.

Twenty minutes later, we’re finally in a mini-van, loaded and ready for the 1-hour drive into the Old City of Istanbul. Peter has trouble getting into mini vans because of the high step and the distance from the door to the seats. So, when we got to the hotel, the driver decided to help Peter by physically lifting him and carrying him in his arms out of the van and up 4 steps. I saw him doing that and almost had a heart attack. I kept saying, “he can walk, he can walk” but apparently, I needed to say it in Turkish as he didn’t understand.

Once in the hotel, we were treated like royalty. It’s a Hilton Doubletree and I have no shame in taking advantage of my Diamond status. While we waited for our room, they brought tea and coffee which we enjoyed while munching on our Doubletree cookie. BTW, they’ve changed the recipe and they’re not nearly as good as they used to be. That didn’t stop us from eating them, though.

They upgraded us to a deluxe room (no suites available this time) and it’s lovely. After freshening up, we went to the hotel restaurant for dinner where Peter enjoyed pasta while I had a cheeseburger. It had been a while since I’d had one and it was filling, but delicious.

We had a moment of panic when we remembered that Turkey is a Muslim country, and they don’t drink alcohol. In spite of evidence to the contrary on this trip, we’re not big drinkers but we were looking forward to a cocktail with dinner. But not to worry as they have a full bar, so I had a lovely Sex on the Beach.

There’s a veranda attached to the restaurant, so we stepped out for just a moment to enjoy the view.

Now it’s just almost 7:30 and Peter is settling down for the night while I work on the blog. Tomorrow, we have an all-day city tour that will take us to Sultanahmet Square and the Grand Bazaar. Oh, Desiree, wait to you see that place. It’s amazing!

I’m not sure what we’re doing the rest of the week, but we’d like to do a cruise down the Bosphorus, and I’m already scheduled for a massage on Wednesday afternoon. Can’t wait! Night everyone.

There really is a Black Friday here; we’ve seen signs all over Athens. But I’m not sure people are shopping any more than they usually do as today is another workday.

We’re having a quiet day as Peter didn’t want to go out. It’s a bit chilly, low 50s but very windy. He has no upper body muscle/fat to help keep him warm, so even in his jacket he gets very cold. I went out for a while as I wanted to get some better pictures of the Acropolis. I headed out in the general direction and managed to higher on the hill than we were last Saturday. So, I got some nice shots.

I also took a short video at an overlook I found. It’s a bit jiggly as it was very windy, but I think you can still see the pretty view.

But just in case my poor camera work made you seasick, here’s a couple still photos.

I came home through the market area and found a couple of interesting windows.

I’ve been looking everywhere for the pastry we had in Delphi, filled with the cream, but have had no luck. These looked good, though.

The market is a rabbit warren group of streets just a few blocks from the flat. I finally figured out how to get there quickly, but now it’s about time to leave so I don’t think I’ll head back there again unless we go there tomorrow for lunch.

It’s only 1pm but I think I’m in for the day. I don’t like to leave Peter for too long and there’s really nothing else I want to see. Tonight, I’ll do one last load of laundry so it has time to dry before I pack tomorrow. We may go out to lunch tomorrow, but other than that I think we’ll stay close to home. Peter hates it when I have to struggle at the curbs.

So, unless something happens tomorrow, this will probably be my last post until we get to Istanbul. We land around 10:30AM and should be settled in the hotel by noon or shortly after. Not sure what we’re going to do in the afternoon as I don’t know what will be open on Sunday. At the very least we’ll find someplace for lunch. Have a wonderful weekend and you’ll hear from us again soon.

In Athens today is just another Thursday but Peter and I want to wish all of you a very happy holiday. We hope you enjoyed time with family and friends.

We’ve gone quiet for the last couple of days because, well, we’ve gone quiet. We haven’t done much since returning from Delphi on Monday. Tuesday, we took a walk in the afternoon to get Peter a couple pair of pants. He’s having difficulty with zippers and buttons, so we found some at H&M that have elastic waist.

On our walk we passed the building that used to be the Parliament building but is now a Historical Museum.

We also passed the new Parliament building that used to be the Royal Palace. We visited Sunday for the special changing of the guard but this time it wasn’t very crowded, so we were able to get up close and personal.

After shopping we stopped for gelato on the way home.

Yesterday (Wednesday) Peter never left the house, but I went out for a short while to pick up chicken for dinner and to buy a headscarf for when we get to Istanbul. We’re doing a day trip on Monday to the Blue Mosque, and I need something to cover my head. Since I wasn’t sure if I’d have time to get something on Sunday, I thought it would be easier to buy it here.

That was our last 2 days. Today we headed to the National Archeological Museum about 30-minute walk from the flat. The plan was to take the bus, but we had too much trouble navigating the sidewalks, so we finally gave up and got into a cab. Anyone need 2 bus/metro tickets for Athens?

Luckily, there was a wheelchair ramp to the left side of the building leading to a door in the museum. There was no handle on the door, but Peter spotted the doorbell, so we were inside in no time. It was just us and about 1,000 school kids. There had to have been at least 20 different groups of kids of all ages. Every time we rounded a corner, there was at least one group.

In spite of the noise, we enjoyed looking at the items that have been excavated from Greece over the years.

One thing we’ve noticed in all the museums is that these folks decorated everything! This next picture is of frying pans.

But my favorite is the white vase from the 5th century BC.

There was a pretty courtyard on the lower level adjacent to the cafe. But we were headed to lunch, so we didn’t stop for a snack.

Once out of the museum, we walked about 1 mile back to where we had gelato on Tuesday. Our walk followed the main street, so the sidewalk was wide and relatively flat. We had a little trouble at some of the curbs, but it was a much easier walk than the one we had getting to the museum.

When we were out on Tuesday, we noticed that next to the gelato store was one that sold pizza and fresh pasta. The pizza looked delicious, so we went back today for lunch. The place is called Lady n’ Tramp, and yes, the pizza was delicious.

Then we had a gelato dessert.

Before we left, we picked up a carton of fresh rigatoni with Bolognese sauce. We’re too full to have a big dinner tonight so we’ll probably just have sandwiches. But tomorrow, we’ll have pasta as a side with our chicken. Then we’ll finish it for dinner on Saturday.

I’m not sure what we’re doing tomorrow. It’s supposed to be another sunny day so we may take sandwiches to the National Garden for lunch. According to GPS, it’s only a 3-minute walk. Even in a city with good sidewalks that would be 5-7 minutes for us. Here, who knows how long it will take.

We miss everyone. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

The day started at 8am when our driver, Nikkos, picked us up at our flat for the 2 1/2-hour drive northwest of Athens to Delphi.

After a couple of hours, we made a rest stop where we had a tasty Greek snack. I don’t remember the name, but it was a fluffy pastry filled with cream.

Once at the archeological museum, we met our guide, Georgia, who spent the next 2 hours showing us the most important pieces in the museum and at the site.

In ancient times Delphi was a sacred area considered to be the center of the world. It was also the seat of the Oracle of Delphi who was consulted before all important decisions.

We’d never done a private tour through a museum before, and we really enjoyed it. Instead of looking at whatever caught our eye and/or Peter reading every word on each plaque, Georgia told us stories about specific pieces, which was also more interesting for me. I actually learned things!! Who knew that could happen in a museum.

Here’s the story of Kleobis and Biton. The twins pulled their mother’s cart 6 miles so she could attend a festival for the goddess Hera. When they arrived, the mother prayed to Hera to reward her sons. The boys fell asleep in the temple and never woke up. Hera’s reward was to allow the twins to die. Well, I’m not sure I like that reward but there it is.

Charioteer of Delphi (475BC).

There were a series of heads made of ivory with gold leaf decorations.

This sphinx was on top of a 41-foot column.

After about an hour in the museum, we headed outside to the site. Unfortunately, Peter couldn’t get any further than the entrance as the rock stairs were uneven and slippery as it had rained while we were in the museum. We left him under the canopy while we headed up to the Temple of Apollo.

Archeologists are in the process of restoring the amphitheater which used to hold up to 5,000 people.

The view from the site was amazing.

Then it was back down the hill to pick up my sweetie. Nikkos was waiting for us and a few minutes later we were stopping in the new town of Delphi for lunch.

We started lunch with delicious Saganaki of fried goat and sheep cheese. Usually, Saganaki is either one or the other, but this was mixed. Nikkos recommended it and it was delicious.

Peter had Chicken Souvlaki and I had a delicious beef stew. I wanted a stuffed tomato but apparently the type of tomatoes they use aren’t in season.

Here’s the view without the window frame in the middle.

On our way home, we stopped for a brief photo op at a spot overlooking the town of Arachova. Nikkos told us that many tourists have said the town looks like Amalfi without the water. It actually does.

Then it was another 2 hours before we made it home, just around 5pm. It was a long day but since much of it was spent in the car, we’re not too tired. But we decided to cancel the trip on Wednesday to Corinth and a few other places on the Peloponnesian Peninsula. I looked at pictures of the sites, and while flat, they have rocky, uneven pathways so it will be almost impossible to push the wheelchair. One of the stops was at a small seaside village with quaint cobbled streets. Yeah, cobbled streets and wheelchairs are not a good match. We were looking forward to the trip, but I think it will be too hard for us to get around safely. I don’t want Peter to spend 45 minutes sitting around waiting for me to finish the tour with the guide like he did today. So, we’ll spend the day in Athens instead.

I’m not sure what we’ll do tomorrow but I’m sure we’ll find something interesting to see. I’ll let you know. Good night!