Hello from Istanbul! These long hour flights have been killer for us. The 13 hour flight to Istanbul was rough as Grant and I maybe received a good 4 hours of sleep off and on throughout the flight. However, we did enjoy some fun before hopping on the plane in LAX. After getting drinks and dinner at the Centurion lounge, we found a CPR training machine right by our gate. Grant did pretty well for not being CPR certified, but hopefully we won’t need to use any throughout our travels these coming months. Here’s video evidence of Grant’s attempt:

Upon landing in Istanbul, we continued to wait on the plane for another 1.5 hours as the runways needed to be de-iced prior to arriving at our gate. At that point, we were ready to be done with the airplane and lie down in a bed. Needless to say after an hour taxi drive to the AirBnB, we dropped our luggage off in the room and fell right asleep at 10pm Istanbul time (11 am PST).

The first morning in Istanbul, we were startled awake as we heard a loud voice coming through speakers outside our window. I wasn’t sure at first what was going on, but then Grant remembered the first Muslim call to prayer begins prior to sunrise. After grabbing another hour or two of sleep, it was time to begin our first “touristy” day. We decided to do Hagia Sofia and the other mosques on Day 2 and spend the morning walking through the Spice Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar. But first to grab a coffee and pastry at one of the local cafes up the street from our AirBnB. We had the barista teach us how to say “Thank you” in Turkish, though we couldn’t quite get it down. We also noted how many cats there were along the streets and even in the storefronts. As we were enjoying our coffee and croissant, we were joined by what seemed to be the cat of the cafe. She was super sweet and wanted to enjoy our cappuccinos with us. However, Grant quickly shooed her away when she tried to get up on the table.

Walking through the Spice Bazaar, you are bombarded with multiple vendors trying to get you to stop in their booth. We finally stopped in one booth and ended up staying there chatting with the owners for 30-45 minutes. When he asked our names, he noted that his girlfriend and him have been watching the Harry & Meghan special on Netflix. He noted there was a resemblance in our looks to the Royal couple (although Grant’s hairline is more like Prince Williams). One of the older gentlemen working in the store began talking to us about the best places to get authentic Turkish cuisine and noting some history on Istanbul and the multitude of cultures living cohesively in the city. He also noted that during the Ottoman period, the citizens built things beautifully and made to last for centuries to come whereas nowadays we are just focused on building the next highest skyscraper. Grant also noted how people of a particular country will talk in a negative light about their surrounding countries. We ended up buying some blackberry tea and some almond treats (still not sure what they are called) to enjoy for the next few days.

Then it was off to the Grand Bazaar to see what all the hubbub was about. There were multiple vendors selling the same variety of spices, Turkish delights, knock off designer bags, coats, and jewelry. We encountered various tactics from the store owners trying to get us to stop in and see what they were selling. But when you are one of many storefronts selling the same thing, I guess you have to find the best way to stand out. The trip through the Grand Bazaar ended up being a quick one, but was worth the visit. The hard thing about having a weight limit traveling through the first few legs of Africa is it leaves no room for any souvenirs from Turkey. Before landing in Istanbul, I heard one of the passengers talking about how the Spice Bazaar was better than the Grand Bazaar and I would definitely have to agree. Though both are worth the visit!

After a quick lunch break at a Doner Kebab spot along the street, we headed back to the apartment for what we thought was going to be a quick stop to warm up and read a little. However, the jet lag caught up to us and a quick stop turned into a 4 hour nap (at least for me). Grant was better and only napped for about an hour or so. And was able to catch one of the call to prayer on video.

We got up only to grab a quick dinner so that we would not be waking up starving the next morning. Then it was back to sleep to prepare for Day 2!

Random tidbits:

• Definitely more stray cats present than dogs
• Restaurant owners try to persuade you to eat at their restaurant
• Porters help move large items with a backpack looking device (see photo here)
• Miles traveled: 7,043 (1 airplane)
• World trip miles: 26,249