Day 1: Saturday 29th October 2022.

Start: Athens, Greece (Currency: Euro)

Finish: Istanbul, Turkey (Currency: Turkish Lira)

Temperature: 20 degrees during the day 12 overnight, cooler with wind chill

Welcome back my literary friends!

This morning I leave Greece and fly to Turkey! My alarm went off at 5.15 am, with an anticipated train boarding time of 5.45 am to make my way to the airport. As I arrived at the station with the airport connection, one had just left the platform which meant I had 25 minutes to wait for another one! This caused me a little anxiety as it meant I’d be arriving at Athens International Airport at 7.10am with boarding for my flight at 7.40am! It was also my first time flying with Agean airlines, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from their boarding processes. Luckily, I walked into the airport, directly into the Passport control queue where I only waited about 10 minutes to pass through. On the other side of the Perspex wall, I could see the three security queues, and immediately beside that was Duty Free, so it helped me somewhat to know that the security space was tiny. Within another 10 minutes I was through security, fully dressed and striding toward my gate. Thanks to Lebara UK, I had internet in Greece so the gate changes were send directly to my phone. Immediately beside the gate was a Starbucks, so I stopped to pick up an iced coffee and a chocolate chip cookie. By the time these were served, I still had a few minutes before boarding, which ended up being delayed a little, so I had plenty of time to settle in.

The flight to Istanbul was relatively short, and having never flown with Agean before, I had no idea what to expect. Within a few minutes of reaching cruising altitude, the hosties were strolling down the aisle with complimentary sandwiches and drinks for each of the economy guests. About 15 minutes after eating they swept through to clean up and very shortly after we were packing up for landing. All in all, it was a very pleasant and extremely fast international flight!

Istanbul airport is big! I was impressed with how quickly I was able to disembark, walk through border control and pass through customs. It took me a few minutes to locate the TravelTalk rep at exit gate ‘9’, as he apparently wasn’t expecting me when I arrived. He kept saying ‘you’re so early!’ which I still haven’t quite figured out! He kindly carried my duffle bag to the carpark where we waited for a private van to drive up and collect me. My goodness! I’ve never been in such a fancy van! Leather interior and practically new, it was utter luxury. The drive to the hotel took about an hour, which I struggled to understand until I realised today is the National Day of Republic Celebrations for Turkey (99 years today), so the streets were crammed with people celebrating. Flags flew everywhere I looked, and it took me a minute to connect the dots! The ‘luxury’ surprises continued when the driver pulled to a stop outside the Legacy Ottoman Hotel on a cobblestone laneway absolutely crawling with people. He carried my bag inside and advised the staff in the marble filled lobby that I was checking in for Travel Talk. Several chandeliers hung from the ceiling, glittering across every sparkling surface in the gargantuan space. Having arrived too early for checkin, I stored my bags in the luggage room and spent a few hours battling the crowds to wander the streets, withdraw some money and find contact lens solution from a pharmacy. After a relaxing lunch in the peace and quiet of the restaurant upstairs in the hotel (160TRY) I was able to check in.

A staff member carried my bag to the elevator and diligently assisted me in connecting to the wifi once we arrived in the room. The room itself was a good size with a king sized bed (two king singles pushed together) and a generous sized bathroom. Towels were clean, water pressure was good and hot! I couldn’t have asked for more! I hope this is a good sign for the hotels to come and not the beginning of the end because the budget has been blown on the three nights we have here (two at the start and one at the end)!

Tonight we had our welcome meeting with our guide Mustafa who is incredibly enthusiastic and very kind. He took us through a short powerpoint presentation on what to expect for the trip and other basics. Afterward, he organised for those of us who were interested, to have dinner down the road at the Alpek Restaurant which has a lovely rooftop where we watched the fireworks. On the walk back to the hotel, we stopped at one of the spice and baklava stores where I bought a few Medjul dates and squares of rose water Turkish delight. They weren’t cheap but they were very good (6.50AUD).

Tips:

· Don’t drink the water, some travellers have trouble. Like with all countries with different tap water, it won’t make you ‘sick’ but can give travellers upset stomachs.

· 2023 will be the 100th Anniversary, so keep this in mind then booking accommodation/trips around late October (29th in particular).

Essential Turkey Trip Notes from Travel Talk can be found here.

Accommodation: Legacy Ottoman Hotel, Istanbul