Arriving in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople (formerly Byzantium))

24 years ago - #Turkey

I think I might have just blown out the charger for my palmtop. I had it plugged in to the evil, foreign outlets and there was a puff of smoke from the charger. Hmmmm....

It's the Morning after arriving in Istanbul. I had a hard time sleeping. I kept dreaming about work and Survivor.

When we drove in from the airport I was struck at just how foreign this culture is to ours. At first, the taxi ride was playfully dangerous. After we passed an accident, it wasn't so playful. The cab driver did not speak English. He offered us a cigarette. Take that New York. The road took us around the edge of the city along the water. Istanbul is closer to a third world city than I expected. It's not as European as I was expecting, but I've not been to other Middle Eastern cities.

After we got settled, we called our tour guide and went to a shish kebab place for dinner. The food was very good and covered with olive oil. Most everyone here is very thin. Go figure.

This post is part of a series called...
Mediterranean Cruise 2000: Istanbul to Athens
It's day 2 of our Great American Road Trip to Mount Rushmore. We have hit the heart of the trip with its alluring roadside attractions. Would we stop at Wall Drug for free ice water?
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The last day of the cruise. Getting the bill in the room is a real slap in the face. Although David and l have both said that we're ready to return, it still has been so wonderful that we don't want it to end.
The hotel is very nice. For breakfast there was a fresh honeycomb dripping honey and next to it, three different types of honey. The food in Turkey is great.
Today we were at port in Rhodes before we awakened. We had break fast and headed into the city. Rhodes has the reputation of being the Florida of Europe. I think it's specifically the South Beach with a medieval section.