Going Solo

This will be a first for me. I'm flying solo! Well, actually I am flying with about 300 others, I'm not piloting and I'm not in business class. And, well, I have flown alone before. It's just that I haven't flown alone overseas. And, I have never flown on Turkish Airlines. That's right! I'm going to Turkey. It requires the passport and the visa and all that good stuff. And it also requires a Visa, credit card.... the best way to pay for things there.

I'm going to the city of Constantinople. Istanbul, one of the most historic cities in the world. No longer the capital of Turkey it is yet by far the largest and most historic city in all that region. Off shore are the islands that make up part of Greece. There are hundreds of mosques, churches, pavilions, museums and other historic sites. Many of the hotels are renovated historic buildings. I am staying at one of them, the Antis Hotel Istanbul, which is in the Sultanahmet district. Istanbul lies on the north side of the Sea of Marmara and on the south side of the Black Sea. Hot and sticky in the summer. I'm bringing my nifty little camera and an open mind.

I don't expect to find a Starbucks but I am expecting to find some Turkish coffee, and who knows..... a Turkish bath. And I suppose I will dry off with Turkish towels. And guess what? They speak Turkish, which consists of a lot of syllables that only they can enunciate. But something tells me there are plenty of people that speak English, also. Just in case, I am going to make a few flash cards that have the address to my hotel. I'm sure the taxi driver can find it.

I'm getting excited about this trip.

I'm traveling light. I am taking only a carry on. There is only a two hour layover in Chicago, then straight to Istanbul. Can't afford to lose luggage. That's a vacation spoiler. I'll be there only 6 nights, not nearly enough, but maybe enough to entice me to return.

Does Turkish coffee keep your eyes open at night?