An 8.30am pick-up this morning had us on the go early. We had an hour's drive along the coast and through some very intensive market gardening areas before reaching Izmur - the third most populous city in Turkey. From here we were flying to Istanbul.
On entering the airport building, we went through a security check and for the first time I was asked to open my computer (I think they check that it is charged). We then checked in and headed for our gate and another security check, again opening the computer.
Finally at our gate, we had about an hour before take-off so I decided to take out the computer and hook into the free wifi. No sooner had I done this than our flight was called - 50 minutes before departure. We headed onto the plane - a B-777ER - 53 rows of 7 seats each. We were in seat 53 and as we walked through the aircraft it was mostly empty. Over the next period of time, it slowly filled up however there was no congestion in the aisles as people tried to stow their goods and chattels.
During the 50 minute Turkish Air flight we were served a toasted sandwich and coffee, most efficiently. On touchdown we then taxied for a considerable period of time to our 'parking' space and then had to wait as the ground crew worked out exactly where they would put us (we could see this unfolding on the aircraft-cam). Eventually we stopped and everyone (maybe 300 passengers) disembarked through the aft doors to waiting buses and then to the terminal. We then waited for our bags to appear. It took longer from touchdown to bag collection than we were in the air!
We headed to the hotel and fortunately Michael was able to negotiate a bigger room than our last one at no extra cost! We settled in and did some research on the sightseeing for the next few days.
Caitlin messaged to let us know that she had also arrived - her hostel is about 2 minutes walk from us - and we met up, heading out to the Galata Bridge for a drink and to watch the sunset. It was really good to hear all about her travels. The sun slowly sank and we watched the passing parade, as well as the fishermen from the deck above. Some caught fish, however we were unsure whether we would eat them as the water is fairly dirty with oil slicks and rubbish.
On entering the airport building, we went through a security check and for the first time I was asked to open my computer (I think they check that it is charged). We then checked in and headed for our gate and another security check, again opening the computer.
Finally at our gate, we had about an hour before take-off so I decided to take out the computer and hook into the free wifi. No sooner had I done this than our flight was called - 50 minutes before departure. We headed onto the plane - a B-777ER - 53 rows of 7 seats each. We were in seat 53 and as we walked through the aircraft it was mostly empty. Over the next period of time, it slowly filled up however there was no congestion in the aisles as people tried to stow their goods and chattels.
During the 50 minute Turkish Air flight we were served a toasted sandwich and coffee, most efficiently. On touchdown we then taxied for a considerable period of time to our 'parking' space and then had to wait as the ground crew worked out exactly where they would put us (we could see this unfolding on the aircraft-cam). Eventually we stopped and everyone (maybe 300 passengers) disembarked through the aft doors to waiting buses and then to the terminal. We then waited for our bags to appear. It took longer from touchdown to bag collection than we were in the air!
We headed to the hotel and fortunately Michael was able to negotiate a bigger room than our last one at no extra cost! We settled in and did some research on the sightseeing for the next few days.
Caitlin messaged to let us know that she had also arrived - her hostel is about 2 minutes walk from us - and we met up, heading out to the Galata Bridge for a drink and to watch the sunset. It was really good to hear all about her travels. The sun slowly sank and we watched the passing parade, as well as the fishermen from the deck above. Some caught fish, however we were unsure whether we would eat them as the water is fairly dirty with oil slicks and rubbish.
The sun sank behind the Blue Mosque and the restauranteur provided us with a free fruit platter in the hope we would stay and drink more. The lights started to come on across the city, making the whole scene quite magical as we left. We visited Caitlin's hostel before heading off for an early night.
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