Waking Up
I woke up late again, around 11am. I guess I'm turning back into the night owl I always was. I had to be checked out of the hotel by 12:30pm, so I I showered and got my stuff ready to switch hotels. Tonight I'd spend the night at the hotel I originally booked in Istanbul.
Switching Hotel
After checking out of the Albatross, I started the walk to The Vezir. This was the hotel I originally booked for my first few days in Istanbul. Although the reservation was confirmed, the hotel was overbooked. At first the staff seemed somewhat helpless, but once the manager got involved they found me a room at another hotel. Although I was fine carrying my own bags, the manager and bellman followed me along to the new hotel. She also checked in several times to ensure I was comfortable. I figured the classy thing to do was stay at her hotel at least one night. I had no idea what the rate would be, but I figured it would be fair.
Although the manager I originally dealt with was not there, they had my room ready for me upon arrival. I was there a couple of hours early before normal check in time so I figured it was a crap shoot. All I really needed to do was drop the bags off so it really didn't matter to me.
The room was on the 3rd floor - I suspect it was the nicest single room in the hotel because it had a balcony off the front. The hotel had no lift (elevator), so it was a decent hike up the stairs. I prefer to carry my own bags, yet the bellman still insisted on showing me the way to the room.
This was a smaller boutique hotel with about 25 rooms, maybe less. I figured the manager did what she could to make up for the mistake. I had a lot of ground to cover so I dropped my bags off and head out. I wanted to check out the Archaeology Museum. It was closed on Mondays and was recommended heavily from Mike, someone from Ryan's tour group that has been to Turkey several times.
Istanbul Archaeology Museum
I had a few books on Istanbul for the iOS Kindle app. The Rick Steves book did an excellent job outlining the museum and the highlights of the various buildings. The museum is a collection of 3 or 4 buildings and a cafe. Just like in Egypt, ancient relics line the outside of the museum like lawn ornaments. There were a lot of connections between what I would see in this museum and the museums throughout Egypt. The centerpiece of the museum is the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great. There are also numerous mummies and other sarcophagus. I had a checklist of things I had wanted to see: ancient writings including the Egyptian - Hittite Peace Treaty (oldest surviving international peace treaty) , first written poem, Alexander the Great's sarcophagus, an ancient chain used to restrict access tot he Golden Horn, etc. I spent a few hours at the museum - there was a lot to see. Afterwards I strolled over to my favorite restaurant in Istanbul, The Khorsani, and had the chicken kebob. This time I took an outdoor seat. Afterwards I head over to Starbucks, I figured I could kill some time updating the blog. I was still very behind journaling the previous days activities.
Dinner
It was the hotel manager's birthday and she had asked if I would join her Taksim Square at 8pm for drinks and/or dinner a couple of days prior. Taksim Square is a collection of streets with retail shops, restaurants, and bars. Since visiting Emirates I've become accustomed to large malls and shopping centers - this place is a whole different level of enormous. I figured I had an hour or so to burn at Starbuck before heading to Taksim Square. Sometime around 7pm the hotel manager called me and said she had to cancel - the owner of the hotel and her family showed up by surprise and were taking her out. No big deal, I had wanted to get current on my journaling. I hung around Starbucks until they closed at midnight and wandered back to the hotel.
Back to the Hotel
I've watched very little television on this trip. However, at night I will occasionally turn on CNN for 10 minutes or so to stay current on world events. The television in the room was tiny, it was a 13 inches CRT tube style. The size of the television was no big deal, but it didn't work. No big deal, I thought, I'll just check the headlines on my computer. No dice, the WiFi didn't work in the room. Since I still had some things to research and owed someone a return email, I head to the lobby. Some of the staff use the couch in the lobby as a bed at night - I think they're allowed to sleep overnights during the slow times. I also noticed this in the first hostel I stayed at in Istanbul - when I arrived late the door was locked but the man working the front door was sleeping on the couch. Since I didn't want to start the next day off behind, I stayed up a bit researching where I might go next and writing a friend.
Tomorrow
I wasn't sure what was going to do tomorrow. I didn't arrange for another night at the hotel, so I was free to go and expected to check out in the AM. When I was touring the Dead Sea I met a Turkish girl who suggested I visit a place called Cappadocia, so that option was on my mind. I figured I'd check out of the hotel, check my bags, see what the options are, and tour Topkapi Palace.
I woke up late again, around 11am. I guess I'm turning back into the night owl I always was. I had to be checked out of the hotel by 12:30pm, so I I showered and got my stuff ready to switch hotels. Tonight I'd spend the night at the hotel I originally booked in Istanbul.
Switching Hotel
After checking out of the Albatross, I started the walk to The Vezir. This was the hotel I originally booked for my first few days in Istanbul. Although the reservation was confirmed, the hotel was overbooked. At first the staff seemed somewhat helpless, but once the manager got involved they found me a room at another hotel. Although I was fine carrying my own bags, the manager and bellman followed me along to the new hotel. She also checked in several times to ensure I was comfortable. I figured the classy thing to do was stay at her hotel at least one night. I had no idea what the rate would be, but I figured it would be fair.
Although the manager I originally dealt with was not there, they had my room ready for me upon arrival. I was there a couple of hours early before normal check in time so I figured it was a crap shoot. All I really needed to do was drop the bags off so it really didn't matter to me.
The room was on the 3rd floor - I suspect it was the nicest single room in the hotel because it had a balcony off the front. The hotel had no lift (elevator), so it was a decent hike up the stairs. I prefer to carry my own bags, yet the bellman still insisted on showing me the way to the room.
This was a smaller boutique hotel with about 25 rooms, maybe less. I figured the manager did what she could to make up for the mistake. I had a lot of ground to cover so I dropped my bags off and head out. I wanted to check out the Archaeology Museum. It was closed on Mondays and was recommended heavily from Mike, someone from Ryan's tour group that has been to Turkey several times.
Exterior of hotel
Room
Bathroom
Balcony
Istanbul Archaeology Museum
I had a few books on Istanbul for the iOS Kindle app. The Rick Steves book did an excellent job outlining the museum and the highlights of the various buildings. The museum is a collection of 3 or 4 buildings and a cafe. Just like in Egypt, ancient relics line the outside of the museum like lawn ornaments. There were a lot of connections between what I would see in this museum and the museums throughout Egypt. The centerpiece of the museum is the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great. There are also numerous mummies and other sarcophagus. I had a checklist of things I had wanted to see: ancient writings including the Egyptian - Hittite Peace Treaty (oldest surviving international peace treaty) , first written poem, Alexander the Great's sarcophagus, an ancient chain used to restrict access tot he Golden Horn, etc. I spent a few hours at the museum - there was a lot to see. Afterwards I strolled over to my favorite restaurant in Istanbul, The Khorsani, and had the chicken kebob. This time I took an outdoor seat. Afterwards I head over to Starbucks, I figured I could kill some time updating the blog. I was still very behind journaling the previous days activities.
Entrance to Museum
Me, in front of the Tiled Kiosk (one of the Museum Buildings)
Sarcophagus of Alexander the Great
Ramses Hattusili Peace Treaty
(almost 4,000 years old)
Me, in front the Golden Horn chain
It was the hotel manager's birthday and she had asked if I would join her Taksim Square at 8pm for drinks and/or dinner a couple of days prior. Taksim Square is a collection of streets with retail shops, restaurants, and bars. Since visiting Emirates I've become accustomed to large malls and shopping centers - this place is a whole different level of enormous. I figured I had an hour or so to burn at Starbuck before heading to Taksim Square. Sometime around 7pm the hotel manager called me and said she had to cancel - the owner of the hotel and her family showed up by surprise and were taking her out. No big deal, I had wanted to get current on my journaling. I hung around Starbucks until they closed at midnight and wandered back to the hotel.
Back to the Hotel
I've watched very little television on this trip. However, at night I will occasionally turn on CNN for 10 minutes or so to stay current on world events. The television in the room was tiny, it was a 13 inches CRT tube style. The size of the television was no big deal, but it didn't work. No big deal, I thought, I'll just check the headlines on my computer. No dice, the WiFi didn't work in the room. Since I still had some things to research and owed someone a return email, I head to the lobby. Some of the staff use the couch in the lobby as a bed at night - I think they're allowed to sleep overnights during the slow times. I also noticed this in the first hostel I stayed at in Istanbul - when I arrived late the door was locked but the man working the front door was sleeping on the couch. Since I didn't want to start the next day off behind, I stayed up a bit researching where I might go next and writing a friend.
I wasn't sure what was going to do tomorrow. I didn't arrange for another night at the hotel, so I was free to go and expected to check out in the AM. When I was touring the Dead Sea I met a Turkish girl who suggested I visit a place called Cappadocia, so that option was on my mind. I figured I'd check out of the hotel, check my bags, see what the options are, and tour Topkapi Palace.
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