Currently in Istanbul - great city, great hostel. The only problem is, I can't get out - Greek railways are on strike (so are customs and everything else) so I've got to change plans and try to get a cheap flight back to France or Germany (anywhere in Western Europe will do!) The train journey from Budapest to Istanbul was not a pleasant experience - Bucuresti Nord station particularly nasty - and the story of passport controls and experiences on the train through Bulgaria and the Turkish border is an evening worth of beers in itself! In Istanbul the trams have to pass the same road test as the cars - it goes something like this - 1. Does your horn work? 2. Is it loud? OK, you pass. Going through the covered bazaar is an experience in itself. Carpet selling should be made an Olympic Sport - one team trying to sell carpets, other team trying to avoid buying. Swap over at half-time. Bonus points for the funniest, or most original, story designed to dupe gullible tourists into visiting your brother's carpet shop! The Turks would win hands down - I expect the Egyptians would probably play them in the final... Yesterday I had a Turkish Bath - the masseur found new ways of inflicting pain, but I felt fabulously relaxed afterwards, walking about six inches off the ground! Istanbul was overrun last night with football supporters for the Galatasaray v Juventus match. There were police in riot gear all over the place, anticipating potential trouble due to the tension between Turkey and Italy over the Kurdish Ocalan situation - so we all stayed in the hostel and watched the game on TV over a few beers with all the guys who run the place (they're all Galatasaray supporters). Next stop Rome, if I can get out! Nigel
Currently in Istanbul - great city, great hostel. The only problem is, I can't get out - Greek railways are on strike (so are customs and everything else) so I've got to change plans and try to get a cheap flight back to France or Germany (anywhere in Western Europe will do!) The train journey from Budapest to Istanbul was not a pleasant experience - Bucuresti Nord station particularly nasty - and the story of passport controls and experiences on the train through Bulgaria and the Turkish border is an evening worth of beers in itself! In Istanbul the trams have to pass the same road test as the cars - it goes something like this - 1. Does your horn work? 2. Is it loud? OK, you pass. Going through the covered bazaar is an experience in itself. Carpet selling should be made an Olympic Sport - one team trying to sell carpets, other team trying to avoid buying. Swap over at half-time. Bonus points for the funniest, or most original, story designed to dupe gullible tourists into visiting your brother's carpet shop! The Turks would win hands down - I expect the Egyptians would probably play them in the final... Yesterday I had a Turkish Bath - the masseur found new ways of inflicting pain, but I felt fabulously relaxed afterwards, walking about six inches off the ground! Istanbul was overrun last night with football supporters for the Galatasaray v Juventus match. There were police in riot gear all over the place, anticipating potential trouble due to the tension between Turkey and Italy over the Kurdish Ocalan situation - so we all stayed in the hostel and watched the game on TV over a few beers with all the guys who run the place (they're all Galatasaray supporters). Next stop Rome, if I can get out! Nigel