Christmas Vacation Part 3…

As we continue the adventures of two Peace Corps Volunteers we are now on our way to  Turkey.  Before I left for Knezha I had purchased the tickets to Istanbul and I should have known something would be wrong with those too.  I had believed that I had purchased tickets for 8am and when we arrived at the bus station we learned that nope, the tickets were for 8pm.  So I asked and for 5 extra leva a piece we were able to change our tickets for 9am with a different company.  So after waiting an hour and grabbing a breakfast treat, Nancy and I were off to Istanbul on the Metro bus line.  For starters this was a NICE bus.  It had entertainment in the head rests, like airplanes, and internet.  They also gave snacks and coffee.  It was sweet.  The ride was pretty average.  Getting the visa at the border was fun.  We had to go through a couple of gates, and then into a cashiers office.  Make sure you have lira, dollars, or euro when you buy your visa.  It took about 10 hours to get to the bus station in Istanbul, we also got caught in traffic when we arrived.  Nancy and I found our way to the Metro, then got off at the wrong stop and took a taxi to our hostel.  We then went to dinner, and had a delicious sea food dinner.  It makes sense but I never thought of how good the sea food would be in Istanbul.

After a full nights sleep we woke up for our included breakfast.  Nancy and I stayed at “The Best Island Hostel” and included with our stay was a free breakfast and I would rate it a 3 out of 5.  Not great but hell it was free and had unlimited bread and coffee.  The first day we headed to the Hagia Sophia.  From our hostel this was about a 5 minute walk.  This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life.  I seriously felt as though I had walked into the screen saver on my computer.  It is seriously breath-taking and then realizing how old this place is, reminds me why I studied history.  It’s 20 lira to go, and well worth it.  Next we had some apple tea and baklava, delicious.  We then walked to the train station to find some information about going back to Bulgaria and found that all the computers were down.  So we decided to take the metro to the Grand Bazaar.  I don’t know how I had imagined the Grand Bazaar, but it surpassed my expectations.  People constantly yelling and haggling, trying to convince you to buy things you don’t want.  Realizing that you are the boss there.  I had fun, and it was pretty.  We were finished after the bazaar and went back to the hostel.  In the mean time some Peace Corps Volunteers from Montenegro and Azerbaijan had arrived and I went up to the roof bar and had and beer with them.  All in all it was a great first two days in Istanbul.

In the next installment. Days two and three in Istanbul, including New Years Eve!!

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