Fortunately, this embarrassment was not experienced alone. I met a man from Kosovar who also missed it and we commiserated. We sorted out how to get on the next flight (which is today) and caught the metro into town. En route to Sultan Ahmet, we bumped into a Brazilian fellow who was looking for a hostel. We found accommodation and bunked for the night.
This mishap allowed me a day of sightseeing in Istanbul, a city with which I am unfamiliar. Given my appearance, I was an easy mark for the carpet salespeople. Even so, the inevitable spiel included a tour of the standard sights: the Blue Mosque, the basilica cistern, the Egyptian columns, etc. after the obligatory cup of local coffee, I wandered down to the water and hiked for several kilometres. It is a dense city that straddles the European commercial connection and the Islamic history of the region. My local guide, Murat, just finished his compulsory military service and he managed to teach me the pleasantries in Turkish. The mere attempt to say thank you in another tongue ingratiates one to the community, no matter how badly you pronounce the courtesy.
The Bosporus with ferries crossing. A curious phenomenon was the cat population that appears to live on these rocks, fed by locals.
Guess I will wait and see if there is a carpet in the mail. Hope so :)). Xo love you
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed meeting up with you at Starbucks, and I hope that your travel plans got all sorted out. I look forward to hearing about your trip[ during the coming weeks. All the best from Saudi.
ReplyDeleteIstanbul! One of my favourite cities in all the world. If you have time on the way back, miss your flight and go to Ciya Sofrasi on the Asian side for the most delectable Turkish food. Happy travels, Cam!
ReplyDeleteI think those unplanned moments amongst the plans are the best! We're enjoying all your stories back here in MTL.Keep them coming!
ReplyDeleteXO
LOL! That is awesome! Way to go. Making new friends at every turn.
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