Grand Star Istanbul

Went to the indian consulate this morning as i now had my letter of recommendation. $60 USD and i have to go back on Friday at 5pm to pick it up. I also went to find the syrian consulate and pick up an application to apply for a visa there. however, i will probably need to get another letter of recommendation for them as well. you can either get a multi entry ...

... d back ch&#305;cago outf&#305;t: wh&#305;te w&#305;fe beater, khak&#305; pants, sneakers and a baseball hat hang&#305;ng from the belt loop . . that w&#305;th my backpack pretty much pa&#305;nted me flourescent.<br><br>We got out of the cab at about 2 &#305;n the morn&#305;ng and dec&#305;ded we could f&#305;nd our own way wh&#305;ch we d&#305;d but not after h&#305;sses, shock&#305;ng stares and pure awe from some people. M&#305;nd you th&#305;s &#305;s &#305;n the m&#305 ...

... and palaces. We usually eat lunch over there, then head back to the house to relax until dinner. Muzzafer is the president of a soccer club and the other day we played on his field with some people who are associated with the club. This will also likely become a part of the routine.<br><br>I'm still having a great time and learning a lot of Turkish. I will try to send notifications from now on when I make new entries.<br><br>Will

... ver cru&#305;se, toured a museum about Istanbuls &#305;ndustr&#305;al her&#305;tage, and cl&#305;mbed a scen&#305;c h&#305;ll l&#305;ttered w&#305;th gravestones. Afterwards I went to a popular Mosque and &#305;mportant rel&#305;g&#305;ous s&#305;te, wh&#305;ch &#305;s also the Mosque where young boys are taken to v&#305;s&#305;t after the&#305;r c&#305;rcums&#305;s&#305;on, wh&#305;ch expla&#305;ns the totally thr&#305;lled youngster &#305;n a fr&#305;lly wh&#305;te robe w&#305;th a ...

... to weave- and to be realýstýc- more than lýkely not EVERY carpet you have ýn here ýs handmade. Weve been told oh no- you cant put that type of carpet on the floor- ýts only meant for hangýng. However- at the next store when you ask about the SAME type of carpet- they confýrm ýt wýll wear well on the floor - no problem. Frustratýng, Im sure you can ýmagýne. However- we dýd have a hýghly recommended dealer ýn Istanbul that a frýend of M ...

... possibly the next day, and definitely Friday". Ja, like I haven't heard this story before. The next day's inquiry: "Maybe tomorrow, possibly Friday and definitely Saturday." Russian visas are extremely strict. There is no extension possible. And warnings abound about overstaying your welcome. How about a bus or train to Turkey. It's only around 500km or so away, a mere stone's throw after the ride so far. Ha. The border to Georgia, a few kilometers south of Sochi, is closed ...

... mosques and hamams around Istanbul in the 16th century. Upon payment at the entrance, we received tokens that said "scrub" and "mask", a new mitten, and a thin towel. We stripped down in the locker room and put on rubber sandals that they provided. Many people were wearing bathing suits (tourists!), and equally as many people were full out nude. When I walked into the lounge, I got a full view of a woman in a spread eagle position ...

... look at his face as he tasted the supposedly milder one of three and wouldn't even let him try the spicier version! We bought loads though and all for really good prices. Wish we could do that at home. We finished with a Bosphorus mini cruise which was good as by then neither of us could have walked another step. All in all we had a great weekend and wouldn't hesitate to recommend Istanbul as a "must see" destination.

... and we have discovered that "teshakur ederim", thank you in Turkish, goes an awfully long wy to making friends. After the long walk, we caught first a trolley, and then a tram to get back to the hotel at about 6 for a break in the room. We ended up eating in the hotel, atypical Turkish meal of egg-plant and lamb, in the hotel's restaurant. That is located in an ancient cistern with columns, discovered when the hotel was built in 1984. Just an added delight at the end of a great day.

... sleep! Anyway, he promised it was and I boarded the bus only to find out that it was not actually a window seat. I moved to someone else's seat instead as the conductor refused to deal with it properly. Then at the next stop there was all manner of yelling and cafuffle as I refused to give up the seat that "wasn't mine". I explaiend to them that it was their mistake and I wasn't moving, even though yes, I was now sitting in a seat that wasn't mine. The big ...