Day 45 (14/1/10) - Budapest --> Istanbul (Hungary For Turkey, or: Full Of Shish)

Our flight out of Budapest (with Malev Airlines) left with minimal delay, which was good considering the ground staff had been striking for a couple of days. The only noteworthy point about the flight (and it is hardly pleasant) is that there was a hysterical woman one row back who kept vomiting and hyperventilating.

We had expected a long wait at the Istanbul end (due to having to purchase a visa and pass through immigration) but had collected our bags and passed through within 30 minutes of disembarking. We were met at the airport by Erhan, from Hotel Peninsula (where we are staying). It was nice to be picked up and driven to the hotel - I was not in the mood to negotiate the Turkish taxi drivers.

The hotel is in Sultanahmet, the old city. It is almost like a little town within the city - we passed through the entrance in the wall and found ourselves on undulating, cobbled streets surrounded by open-air bars, restaurants and (of course) rug shops.


There are stray and domestic cats everywhere, and many nice hotels (including The Four Seasons, just around the corner from us). The hotel is not huge, but our room is pretty big (and the shower is the biggest we've had on this trip). The staff we have encountered so far have been friendly and helpful. We chose the hotel because it was recommended by Lonely Planet - and it is not expensive either.


We were very hungry by the time we got to the hotel (around 5pm) so after settling in we went to a Turkish restaurant literally meters from the hotel. The front desk had recommended it. We wasted no time in gobbling down humus and quite possibly the biggest piece of Turkish bread I have ever seen - fresh from the oven and billowing steam. Then it was on to a large platter of grilled chicken and lamb shish kebobs, chicken wings, yoghurt, salad, fragrant rice and mashed potatoes. Yes, we finished it. Washed down with hot apple tea and traditional Turkish coffee.


We wandered up and down the surrounding streets for a while to take some photos. There are coloured lights everywhere, strung up around the numerous hotels, cafes and shops.



A Turkish restauranter openly mocked me for stopping to look at a cat that looked similar to Kirby (he actually pointed and laughed). It was very mean; I returned an equally-mean gesture. Nik hurried me along, but we still had to deal with the constant calls to "please to come and view my menu" and "hellllo, smart couple!" Reminded me a little of India.

Tomorrow we hope to do more around Sultanahmet: starting with breakfast on the hotel's rooftop terrace, with views of the Blue Mosque and Marmara Sea.