Border Crossing and Visas
Our journey started by train through Bulgaria and into Turkey. After crossing Bulgaria, around 3:00 AM, we all had to get off the train and line up for passport and visas. The first guy in line was Romanian and was speaking in broken English to the Turkish border patrol agent. The agent was explaining something about a visa and another gentleman in line behind us spoke in Romanian explaining that certain travelers had to obtain a visa somewhere else in order to enter Turkey. It was nice to understand something, even though it wasn't in our native language. So more than half of the people in line, went back outside to ask where the visas could be purchased and we were directed in a general direction of a cigarette stand and some other offices and buildings. The cute older gentleman in front stopped at the stand to ask if he could obtain a visa and it took him a minute to realize he was in the wrong place... by then everyone else had gotten ahead of him and were obtaining their visas at another window. I can't blame him, it was really hard to find out where to go and what to do... especially at 3 o'clock in the morning!
So there was this American guy traveling on the train with us. Now, the visa into Turkey is 15 euro or 20 USD. He had 13 dollars on him... a 10 and 3 crumpled 1's. He wasn't totally unprepared, carrying his trusty plastic cards. Oh, but guess what... no ATM machines handy. It's so funny how inconvenient things can be at a border crossing. And there is definitely no mercy. Luckily, Nils and I had some extra Euros to spot him so he could get safely across. We weren't sure whether we'd get paid back, but a friend in need... well, it was worth helping someone out. Besides, we've been in plenty of problems ourselves and it's nice to have someone there to help. I mean, we couldn't just leave the guy there at the border between Bulgaria and Turkey. And you know what, it definitely paid off. Once we arrived in Istanbul, the guy took our some money and not only let us keep his 13 dollars, but also gave Nils a 50 turkish lyra (worth about 34 USD).
Finding Our Hostel
Unfortunately, Nils and I had forgotten all of the information for the hostel we'd reserved. Fortunately, Nils knew which metro stop to get off of. Unfortunately, we didn't know exactly where to go from there. Fortunately, Nils knew the general direction having studied the map prior to our departure. Unfortunately, he'd never been to Istanbul before. Fortunately, we didn't have too many bags with us, so walking around was no problem. Unfortunately, bags start to get heavy after 20 minutes. Fortunately, we started seeing other hostels apprearing along the streets. Unfortunately, none of them were our hostel. Fortunately, we decided to ask the owner of Sinbad Hostel who just happened to be standing on the sidewalk where our "Budget Hostel" (yes, that's the name) was. Unfortunately, we didn't understand Turkish. Fortunately all he had to do was point.... around the corner.
Quality over Price
For anyone who's traveled using hostels, you'll know how diverse each place can me. When you "shop" online for the right place, you're never quite sure what you're getting. Nils found Budget Hostel to provide the best bang for the buck. In truth, we got free breakfast, clean sheets, and a bathroom/shower. But there are certain qualities of a hostel that go far beyond what can possibly be advertised. Our room which could hold 5 people (4 on bunk beds) was actually the room where 4 guests and the manager slept. It was also conveniently located in the basement and at a good spot for hearing the "tweeting-bird" door bell which had to be used anytime a guest wanted to come back in since no keys were actually given to guests (although I think some guests received room keys...?). Our bathroom was on the same level, but without a functioning toilet. No worries, up two flights (climbing a very narrow staircase) was another bathroom used by us and the other guests on that floor. Most of the time it was free, so it didn't cause any real inconvenience. Showering was another matter. The shower didn't really have its own spot in the bathroom and for the one on our basement level, the shower was right ontop of the toilet. The upstairs bathroom provided a little more space, but not much... and don't even think about a shower curtain. Needless to say, most of us "roughed" it.
On the very top floor of the hostel you found the eating area where breakfast was served. Pete ended up drinking A LOT of Turkish tea until Nils and I mastered the ability to say "no thank you" before our gentle hosts served us. They're really fast and just the nicest hosts! It was a really nice place to have breakfast given that the building was fairly tall and brought you up out of the mass of buildings, allowing you to see around you including a mosque and some of the bodies of water. Our hosts were so wonderful, extremely kind and friendly. Our first day we opened up a travel guide and tried to learn some of the essentials like "thank you" and "where is the bathroom" (this last one we actually used to make sure we knew which bathroom to use in the hostel). The manager spoke English very well, and of the two assistants, one spoke fairly well, the other not a word. The latter who didn't know very much English was the sweetest. An older gentleman, we often communicated with lots of smiling and nodding.
And so...
Istanbul constantly surprises you with beautiful and interesting things that hold so much history and age. It's also very much accustomed to tourists and how to attract your attention. A very wonderful 3 days!
Highlight Pictures
The inner court of the Blue Mosque (built right across from the Hagia Sophia by Sultan Ahmed in 1616 hoping to make it bigger and better mosque than the Hagia Sophia).
Hagia Sophia (locally called the Aya Sofya) and gardens. Click here to learn more about the history of this amazing biserica turned mosque.
The Topkapi Palace built during the mid-15th century
Along the harbor of the Golden Horn looking over the other European side of Istanbul.
A cool picture of Peter and Nils in the Hagia Sophia.
A bicycle race that was going on our first day
Crossing on a local ferry through the Straits of Bosphorus into Asia.(well, actually this was taken on the return trip)
