As the Monty Python crew said many years ago, “And now for something completely different…….”
Yesterday, we left hot, humid, crowded, noisy, exciting, mysterious, amazing Istanbul, Turkey and flew to Amsterdam, Holland. The only similarities I could see in the two cities are the modern, clean, industrially-beautiful, comfortable airports in both cities.
Istanbul, Turkey
I bid fond farewells to the crew at the White House Hotel in the Sultanahmet district. All the people at the hotel were wonderful: friendly, kind, thoughtful, and helpful. They made me feel comfortable and at home for my entire stay in Istanbul. The location of the hotel was also perfect. It’s within walking distance of all the most important sights and sounds, but on a nice, quiet side-street. I recommend the hotel to everyone!!!
Bridge Across the Bosporus
A car came to the hotel to pick us up and drive us out to “the other airport”, not Ataturk Airport, on the Asian side of Istanbul. As a last farewell to the city, we got to ride through Istanbul from the European side, across the Golden Horn, then on the beautiful bridge across the Bosporus, and into the Asian part of Istanbul in morning rush-hour traffic. What a treat!!
It was warm and humid and the temperature was rising through the high 80s at 8:00 AM in Istanbul. When we arrived at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, after a three and a half hour flight, at about 3:00 PM, it was windy, cold, and raining…. and in the mid 60s for temperature.
We had made a reservation at one of the hotels near the airport because neither of us wanted to go into Amsterdam on this trip. We had visited the beautiful city last year and were ready for something different. We wanted to take a break, relax a little, and take care of planning for the rest of the day. We settled in and took care of details for this part of the trip: renting a car, changing the place & date of our return home, obtained some Euros, and had dinner.
Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam
I had an AMAZING trip through Anatolia with my cousins and my son. It was truly the trip of a lifetime, that none of us will ever forget. I will continue to add photos and memories to GallivantingGrandma, so please look back from time to time. But for now, just like in life, I have to move forward into “the present”. For now, I’ll continue to write about my experiences here in Western Europe and will post them when I have access to the Internet.
As Bilbo Baggins said, “Fare well where-ever you fare……”