Waking Up
We arrived at the Istanbul central bus depot sometime in the 6-7AM hour. A shuttle van is offered to downtown Istanbul, but it would be about 45 minutes before the van came. Bus depots are usually not the safest area in major towns and Istanbul was no exception. Thankfully, the time at the depot was uneventful. I kept a very, very close eye on my things as I waited. Finding people who spoke English to understand which of the numerous vans went downtown was a bit of a challenge, but eventually I figured it out. After getting to downtown Istanbul I wanted to run by the hotel to thank the manager for all she had done throughout my stay. She had called numerous times on skype but the call wouldn't connect. She suggested numerous times I stay longer, but as much as I enjoyed Turkey I was ready to move on to someplace else. Someplace else would be Germany! I had heard back from my childhood friend, Tim, and he suggested he was free over the weekend. Off I go.
Getting to IST Airport
I looked for a Starbucks close to the metro station for about 20 minutes, but eventually gave up and head to the airport. It was around 8am at this point and my flight didn't depart until after 4pm. I had a lot of time to kill. My hope was that I could either change my ticket to get on the 12pm flight to Munich or purchase a day pass to one of the fancy lounges.
Airport Lounge
The first lounge I checked was operated by Turkish Air - it's said to be one of the best in the world. Unfortunately for me, Turkish Air does not issue day passes. Status or class of service controls entry. There were a couple of other airport lounges on the same side of the airport, but they were all based on annual membership. On the opposite side of the airport I'd find a lounge that offers daily access for around $24. My wants were rather simple: shower, comfortable chair or table, soft drinks, and light snacks. This lounge exceed all expectations. It not only offered very nice, modern, and clean showers with toiletries, breakfast (hot and cold), lunch, internet, sleep rooms, and an open bar I didn't use. Since I was there for 6 hours I really felt I got my monies worth.
Arriving in Munich
I wonder if the Airbuses Turkish Air uses have less leg room than other carriers, because I was crammed. The ticket agent said he booked me an exit row, but that was a lie. Since this was the second time I was promised an exit row from a Turkish Airlines agent I'll assume there's a better way of describing what I want. O'well. I slept most of the flight. All three seats were filled in my row, but a woman darted for an open exit row seat leaving a middle seat opening. All in all, not bad.
Before leaving any international airport I like to make sure I have both cash and a SIM card for whatever country I am visiting. Finding the SIM took a bit of walking around. I first wanted to research offerings via WiFi, but just like in Turkey, WiFi requires SMS activation and I didn't know my Turkey mobile number. No internet means shopping around locally by foot is the best I can do. Having not seen a kiosk for a cell phone vendor, I set off for the other side of the airport. The other side of the airport is across a covered pavilion (see pic below) and is where ticketing is handled. After walking around I came up with nothing and went to the information Kiosk. I was redirected where I came from, to a small market that sold SIM and data cards. For about $20 euro ($26 USD) I'd get the sim card and 1gb of data for a month. Afterwards I could call my AirBnB host to confirm check in time and get directions to the flat. He directed me to public transportation - I'd take the S8 to a stop near the flat taking about 40 minutes. At around $19 the fare was steep, but still several times cheaper than a cab.
Munich Airport
Checking In
Munich in general is expensive, but the area was especially so. I couldn't find a single hotel for under $150. I resorted to AirBnB and found an entire studio apartment for right under $100. The apartment was nice and had a washing machine, but no dryer. It was late, but before heading out I figured I should do the laundry and set it to dry. The clothes would need all the time they could to dry, especially since I was leaving in the morning early. After setting the laundry I called Tim to see when he could get together the next day. Since he was leaving Germany the following week he had a lot of goodbye party obligations to tend to, so Friday he was not available. I knew this before booking the flight. However, he'd be free the few days so we'd have more than enough time to catch up.
Tim and Norah had suggested I visit Hofbräuhaus, a well known brauhause (brewery) that exports all over the world. The brauhause was only a short walk from my apartment so I ventured off. Walking downtown Munich was cool. I'm not sure if it was simply because the weather was nice and it was a Friday night, but the downtown was very clean and lively. The streets were cobblestone and tons of various shops line the streets in old Bavarian style buildings. I knew I'd need at least a couple of nights in Munich to fully enjoy it. The first thing I noticed walking into the Brauhause was how warm it was. The property was enormous and filled with picnic tables of people. The place was packed. Tim suggested I sit at a table and wait for someone - apparently the place is very social. I was tired and not necessarily feeling the crowd, so I jetted shortly after walking around the facility.
Tomorrow
Tim suggested we meet in Regenstein, a town an hour away by train. There was an express train that left Munich station at 9am. The station was a short 15 minute walk, Tim and family would pick me up from the station shortly arrival. So, I had to be up, packed, and check out by 8:15am. It would be an early morning again!
We arrived at the Istanbul central bus depot sometime in the 6-7AM hour. A shuttle van is offered to downtown Istanbul, but it would be about 45 minutes before the van came. Bus depots are usually not the safest area in major towns and Istanbul was no exception. Thankfully, the time at the depot was uneventful. I kept a very, very close eye on my things as I waited. Finding people who spoke English to understand which of the numerous vans went downtown was a bit of a challenge, but eventually I figured it out. After getting to downtown Istanbul I wanted to run by the hotel to thank the manager for all she had done throughout my stay. She had called numerous times on skype but the call wouldn't connect. She suggested numerous times I stay longer, but as much as I enjoyed Turkey I was ready to move on to someplace else. Someplace else would be Germany! I had heard back from my childhood friend, Tim, and he suggested he was free over the weekend. Off I go.
Istanbul Bus Terminal
Getting to IST Airport
I looked for a Starbucks close to the metro station for about 20 minutes, but eventually gave up and head to the airport. It was around 8am at this point and my flight didn't depart until after 4pm. I had a lot of time to kill. My hope was that I could either change my ticket to get on the 12pm flight to Munich or purchase a day pass to one of the fancy lounges.
Airport Lounge
The first lounge I checked was operated by Turkish Air - it's said to be one of the best in the world. Unfortunately for me, Turkish Air does not issue day passes. Status or class of service controls entry. There were a couple of other airport lounges on the same side of the airport, but they were all based on annual membership. On the opposite side of the airport I'd find a lounge that offers daily access for around $24. My wants were rather simple: shower, comfortable chair or table, soft drinks, and light snacks. This lounge exceed all expectations. It not only offered very nice, modern, and clean showers with toiletries, breakfast (hot and cold), lunch, internet, sleep rooms, and an open bar I didn't use. Since I was there for 6 hours I really felt I got my monies worth.
Primeclass Lounge
Arriving in Munich
I wonder if the Airbuses Turkish Air uses have less leg room than other carriers, because I was crammed. The ticket agent said he booked me an exit row, but that was a lie. Since this was the second time I was promised an exit row from a Turkish Airlines agent I'll assume there's a better way of describing what I want. O'well. I slept most of the flight. All three seats were filled in my row, but a woman darted for an open exit row seat leaving a middle seat opening. All in all, not bad.
Before leaving any international airport I like to make sure I have both cash and a SIM card for whatever country I am visiting. Finding the SIM took a bit of walking around. I first wanted to research offerings via WiFi, but just like in Turkey, WiFi requires SMS activation and I didn't know my Turkey mobile number. No internet means shopping around locally by foot is the best I can do. Having not seen a kiosk for a cell phone vendor, I set off for the other side of the airport. The other side of the airport is across a covered pavilion (see pic below) and is where ticketing is handled. After walking around I came up with nothing and went to the information Kiosk. I was redirected where I came from, to a small market that sold SIM and data cards. For about $20 euro ($26 USD) I'd get the sim card and 1gb of data for a month. Afterwards I could call my AirBnB host to confirm check in time and get directions to the flat. He directed me to public transportation - I'd take the S8 to a stop near the flat taking about 40 minutes. At around $19 the fare was steep, but still several times cheaper than a cab.
Munich Airport
Off the plane!
Checking In
Munich in general is expensive, but the area was especially so. I couldn't find a single hotel for under $150. I resorted to AirBnB and found an entire studio apartment for right under $100. The apartment was nice and had a washing machine, but no dryer. It was late, but before heading out I figured I should do the laundry and set it to dry. The clothes would need all the time they could to dry, especially since I was leaving in the morning early. After setting the laundry I called Tim to see when he could get together the next day. Since he was leaving Germany the following week he had a lot of goodbye party obligations to tend to, so Friday he was not available. I knew this before booking the flight. However, he'd be free the few days so we'd have more than enough time to catch up.
Outside
Studio Interior
Studio Interior
Bathroom
NightTim and Norah had suggested I visit Hofbräuhaus, a well known brauhause (brewery) that exports all over the world. The brauhause was only a short walk from my apartment so I ventured off. Walking downtown Munich was cool. I'm not sure if it was simply because the weather was nice and it was a Friday night, but the downtown was very clean and lively. The streets were cobblestone and tons of various shops line the streets in old Bavarian style buildings. I knew I'd need at least a couple of nights in Munich to fully enjoy it. The first thing I noticed walking into the Brauhause was how warm it was. The property was enormous and filled with picnic tables of people. The place was packed. Tim suggested I sit at a table and wait for someone - apparently the place is very social. I was tired and not necessarily feeling the crowd, so I jetted shortly after walking around the facility.
Outside brauhause
Munich city center
Tim suggested we meet in Regenstein, a town an hour away by train. There was an express train that left Munich station at 9am. The station was a short 15 minute walk, Tim and family would pick me up from the station shortly arrival. So, I had to be up, packed, and check out by 8:15am. It would be an early morning again!
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