Turkey

We arrived in Turkey from Singapore at 5.20am, with a flight time of just under 11 hours. There was approximately 90 of us (Australian Light Horse Assn. members) on the flight - a really diverse bunch with ages ranging from 8-90! The rest of the ALHA group (approx. 90 more) will connect with us in Israel in a week or so.
Once we had cleared customs & collected our bags, the group was split into three & we were allocated to Bus 2 with Kelvin Crombie; historian, guide & author (amongst many other talents).
We were on the road by 7.30am, with our first stop being the famed Spice Markets where we were swindled out of an obscene amount of money for authentic turkish delight, tea & spices! It is here that we learnt a number of valuable lessons, best summarised by the Penguins of Madagascar "just smile & wave boys; smile & wave" 😁. Needless to say we will be enjoying authentic turkish tea & delights for the next 6 months!
With our wallets markedly lighter, we were back on the bus & heading to the ancient Hippodrome, home of the beautiful Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia. The photo opportunities, architecture & history here were incredible! After lunch we boarded a boat that took us on a two hour cruise on the mighty Bosphorous River where we learnt so much about this ancient & diverse city.
We were well & truly ready for a shower & a good night sleep by the time the cruise finished. Thankfully, our accommodation (Akgun Hotel) in the old part of the city had both bases covered.
Sitting in bed reflecting on our first impressions of Istanbul, the word that keeps popping up is Wow! It is an incredible city of approximately 20 million people spanning two continents - Europe & Asia! Essentially, the centre of the world, quite literally, for Millenia. It is nothing like what we are used to at home in Australia - in every way, both good & bad. We found survival instincts we never knew we had (or needed) - they kick in pretty quickly, as it is an "eat, or be eaten" way of living.
We witnessed everything on extreme ends of the spectrum - poverty & wealth; humankind at its best & worst; ancient architecture & relics alongside contemporary & modern structures - even a Synagogue, Mosque & Church built alongside of each other & sharing the same common wall! We fell asleep thinking about how blessed we are to have been raised & live in a country as wonderful as ours.Read more