​Weathering the Storm with the WP#160

Welcome back to the musings of the puffin and wow, it has been a whirlwind, but our honeymoon was amazing in Turkey. I had been once, off a cruise ship years ago, and saw Ephesus and the House of St. Mary, but in a relatively short tour, albeit private. I am not one for the large motorcoach tours, but that is for another day. The fact is that Rosa had never been to Turkey and so, really everything was new for both of us, and we were there, just ahead of the all the local elections which took place, just the day, and it seems that this country is headed for a change, and hopefully a positive one, but so much for the politics and greetings from Roma where we are now. It was wonderful to see this wonderful destination through her eyes. ​

Rosa and I arrived back on the 17th of March from different spots, I, from Amsterdam and she, from Roma. We had been apart about 2 weeks, but on the continent. She arrived earlier than I did, and so she awaited my arrival, and well, she was there at baggage claim, just chilling. After my bags arrived, and remember I am moving things slowly to Rome, so I have a lot (or maybe it is a little) since most of my worldly possessions are gone and some items, already here. In any case, we got out of the airport, but she had to have fried potatoes, and there just had to be a Burger King, so we stopped, and she partook in the experience. Me no and found our driver to take us to Istanbul. The airport is a bit far out, but the drive, until we go to town, was good. Finding the hotel through all the narrow streets was interesting to say the least, but we made it, checked in, had dinner at the hotel, as we were both tired.

​To tell the whole of our adventures in Turkey, in one blog would not be good, so we have decided that breaking it up into parts, as we were in many different places would be best over the next couple of weeks. Pictures to share, of course, but we were busy, shall I say. Istanbul is an amazing city as you may be aware, or not, sits on two continents, Europe, and Asia, and we stayed on the European side, but spent time on both sides. It should be noted that I have an excellent supplier in Turkey, no, not that kind of supplier, based in Istanbul, with whom I work, when arranging client’s trips to Turkey, so I asked Tijen to arrange our honeymoon, which she did with our specifications, some classic experiences, some out of the ordinary. Istanbul, of course, had the classics of Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Cisterne, a cruise on the Bosphorus, a local foodie tour and the Grand Bazaar. I have to say that while, I have been to the Medina in Morocco where they are on you the minute you arrive, I did not feel that same feeling of being hassled to buy at the Grand Bazaar or the Spice Market. We did, however, but some things, needless to say. ​

We were in Istanbul for 3 full days, so plenty of time to walk around and we were well located to see the major sites and sounds. We took a ferry around the water, the metro from the Asia side to get back, a private boat ride to see both sides of this metropolis of 12 to 14 million people and the heartbeat of this living history museum called Turkey. Even with three days to explore and we had excellent guides throughout the time, including in Istanbul, you still need time to wander, and we did do some of that. Our guide, Ali, on the second full day out, asked if we were comfortable there and yes, I felt quite comfortable. You must be cognizant of your surroundings, but it is a relatively safe destination. The only bad side, as it was on a full day of exploration, was the rain, but even that was not a problem, really, as we found a Columbia store, Rosa was cold, and while she found something to warm up, so did I, so we ended up buying some warmer, waterproof things and we went on. Not cheap, but comfort does not have a cost when you are wet from the rain. ​

Our two guides in Istanbul, Nilufer and Ali, were both wonderful and really helped bring Istanbul to life. I would say that we accomplished a lot and perhaps one more day, just on our own would have been good, but we had so much more to experience in Turkey. The foods we had, including the fish dishes, the local kabobs, the fried potatoes, yes, and other foods were very enjoyable. Using the days wisely, we did a lot, thanks to Tijen, my colleague, and one more day would have been good.  Be prepared for a hectic and lively city wherever you go throughout Istanbul, on both sides of the Bosphorus. The Asia side with its quaint neighborhoods, bakeries, coffee shops, bring a vibrancy, which is different from the European side where most people spend their time, so try to get across to the other side, to the Asian side. We really enjoyed strolling around here, and seeing some of the palaces on this side, as well. ​

Oh, and for the record, Istanbul has a Caribou and other cities as well. What is a Caribou, you ask? It is a chain coffee shop based in Minnesota, for those not from there and much better than Starbucks, but no coffee wars now. Apparently, a rather wealthy individual in the Middle East bought Caribou and brought it to Turkey and the Middle East, so it was shocking to see. Did not order anything, just chatted with the people inside. By the way, Turks are very friendly people and very welcoming!!! Thank you. 
As always, I hope you have enjoyed my offerings each week and appreciate that you have read my blog posts and look forward to continuing with sharing. As always, thank you so much for your support of Rosa’s and my little world now that they have been merged into one. We hope you enjoyed the Elvis experiential wedding we had on the 19th. Rosa and I truly appreciate your support and congratulations. Stay safe, healthy, and most importantly happy, and as always, your shared comments and thoughts are most welcome!!!