Unexpected Stopover in Washington, DC
My travel options were pretty limited when I booked my United Air frequently flyer miles to Turkey for September 11th through October 25th mid-July—cost 66,000 miles and $54.10 in fees.
There were few choices where US residents were not barred from visiting because our country continues to lead in the number of COVID 19 deaths and we continue to fail to control the spread of the virus. Some of the countries included Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Turkey, and a bunch of Caribbean islands.
I picked Turkey and also lined up an 18-day Intrepid Tours of Turkey from October 5th to October 22nd at a cost of $1,665.
About a week before I left, Turkish Air had canceled my September 11th flight from Washington, DC, and rebooked me on September 13th. I didn’t change my United flight because I figured that I could tour Washington, DC for three days. I had worked there from 1972 to 1975 as an internal auditor with the US Civil Service Commission and again on HR task groups with the US Office of Personnel Management and the Federal Aviation Administration from 1996 to 1999 when I retired.
I booked a bed and breakfast place up on Capitol Hill, but because of COVID-19, it was just a bed place.
I enjoyed getting around by metro and by foot to all of the typical tourist spots, but all the museums were closed. The White House was pretty well blocked off from views by huge barricades decorated with Black Lives Matter pictures and slogans.
Here is a portion of the Black Lives Matter in the plaza near Lafayette Park
I especially enjoyed visiting the FDR monument area with so many inspiring messages that we would be well to follow today.
I had not seen the ML King monument area and enjoyed that as well as it was swarmed by a huge contingent from a local Black bicycle club.
The Turkish Air flight was uneventful as I slept most of the time. The two COVID 19 packaged meals of filled flatbread, boxed fruit juice, and water were pretty disappointing compared to what they probably served pre-COVID 19.
Arrival in Istanbul on September 14th
Clearing Immigration and Customs was a breeze and I found an ATM to load up on Turkish Lira after trying three different machines.
When I went to find the right bus that would take me to a subway station, I discovered that I had to buy my bus ticket from a machine by the bus. Although it was not the bus mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide it got me all the way into the city around the corner from the M2 Sisli-Mecidiyekoy subway stop.
I rode this subway to the Vezneciler stop where I exited and walked through the Central Bazaar area to the T1 tram to the Sirkeci stop just a short walk to the Golden Horn Istanbul Hotel. In Istanbul, I was able to buy a bus and metro card for all travel. When the card got low on funds, I just had to upload more money on the card. Most individual rides cost just 4 Turkish Lira—about $0.55.
I asked for directions on the way and first ended up at the wrong Golden Horn Hotel. The staff there showed me I was just three blocks from my hotel.
The Golden Horn Istanbul Hotel is the same one where I will be meeting up with the Intrepid Tour group on October 5th. The receptionist gave me a room with a view of the Bosphorus Strait with its many boats.
I had mousaka at a nearby restaurant before going to bed for the night.
On September 14th, I just took in some of the waterfront activities with so many ferry boats coming and going from the Eminonu area and the Galata Bridge.
Since I would be returning to Istanbul and was planning to take the high-speed train to Ankara and then onward on a 27-hour train ride to Kars on the eastern border, I limited my tour to this area.
I visited the Spice Bazaar filled with spices and Turkish Delight goodies along with other items for sale. The Spice Bazaar building was built during the Ottoman era, around 1644 as a way to get income for the adjacent mosque, Yeni Camii. I resisted buying anything but did enjoy many samples offered of Turkish delight. The streets surrounding the Spice Bazaar most likely had the same items for sale at a lower cost.
The Galata Bridge has some great views of the busy harbor and it doubles as a place lined with restaurants. I enjoyed having dinner there as the sunset over the various mosques including the Yeni Camii, Rustem Pasa, and the Sulaymaniye near the top of the hill.
I had a shrimp casserole which came bubbling hot in a ceramic casserole dish served with rice and potatoes.
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