Probably from Chigwell, but the torment has started. There is always someone on the travel that you hope won’t be on the plane, in your hotel or the transit vehicles.
Moaning that they have already been through one lot of security checks and cannot see the sense of this additional one. “Where have you been woman – the world is at war with itself and this is a necessity bearing in mind the political turmoil”.
I have missed my vocation, “grumpy old men” is on TV nowadays and they haven’t asked me.
Here’s a tip when travelling to Istanbul “Do not be the first off the plane”, mind you I have never had that luxury, as when you’re not sure where you are going. In the end I was in the queue for customs but hadn’t yet got the Visa. Had to leave that queue early and find where to get the Visa. It is like the equivalent of playing Turkish snakes and ladders as you always end up at the back of the queue. Always get a car organised at the airport, it’s just effortless having someone carry your bags to the car.
Traffic is as the books and everyone described. It’s just wall-to-wall although the blazing horns in Cairo aren’t here; the cars inch forward bit by bit to beat the neighbours. The airport is well to the southwest of the city and within a few minutes the car is heading east with the Marmora sea on the right hand side. The car starts to turn inland with the main flow of traffic. The usual buses and flood of taxis jockey from the four lanes to two as the car comes up the hill and passes under a vast aqueduct which I later discover transported water to the original palaces of Constantinople which are now the complex around the Topkapi. Just spotting some of the minarets through the gaps of traffic and buildings gives you a sense of the scale of the city. When we were flying in earlier I could see out the windows from the plane hundreds of mosques and minarets in districts.
The hotel stands out on the hill just off the Taksin square. This is reached after crossing from old Istanbul via the Atatook Bridge to a more commercial Istanbul. There are tens of fishermen on the bridge attempting the catch of the day from the Golden Horn. The calm of the hotel is reached after about an hours drive from the airport.
Well it looks like I am in luck as I am invited to cocktails with the General Manager this evening. I hope he’s not expecting me to pay for the event. Interesting evening get introduced to those other “Ambassador guests”. ‘But I’m a Royal’. With Jonathan the GM, who is suave and immaculately attired are the guest relations and Sales Directors. All speak perfect English, French, German and Turkish as they welcome guests. I think they find it odd that I don’t drink, as they are incredibly interested why; this is turning out to be the only conversation until thank goodness some fellow guests arrive. These guests are from France, the wife (Intercontinental in Paris) and the hubby works for Accord. They are an extremely nice couple even though he sports a trendy unibrow.
Finally packed up and turned in early although a few texts woke me up, quite pleasant.