Over the Ocean!

the last time
we flew over the ocean,
we were in our twenties,
fairly newly married,
and had no children.
that is, it's been
a looooooong time!

this was the start of the flight across the ocean -

when i was still feeling rested & festive...

but, my goodness, they pack you in like sardines!!!

actually the first photo of our journey, on the quick flight Greensboro to Charlotte. we quickly abandoned masking...

over it...and healthy enough to be okay (we hope).

the long flight was Charlotte to Munich, Germany...

on our way to Istanbul!

we had saved money by not booking all the way through to Istanbul - but, instead, booked through to Munich then transferring to Turkish Airlines from there into Istanbul. having not flown internationally or with transfers in quite some time, we made the mistake of thinking we could get our boarding passes at the Turkish Airlines desk at the gate (we had no checked luggage). well.....

while we skipped the long lines going through arrivals at the Munich airport (and, instead, were the ONLY ones on the raised walkway from our gate to the Turkish Airlines gate - and the ONLY ones going through a small security checkpoint [lost our NC H2O there - whoops!]), and while we arrived in plenty of time to safely secure boarding passes...well....

by the time the folks arrived at the Turkish Airlines gate desk, it was about an hour until flight departure...and there were a LOT of people going to Istanbul! we still were operating under the belief that our confirmation of tickets purchased was 'holding' our seats, even though we didn't have boarding passes...well....

they were asking for folks to check carry-ons at no cost, the flight was so full. we declined...so sure in our situation. i decided to get in line, as it seemed lots of folks were milling about trying to decide to do the same...and once i stood purposefully behind a couple already at the desk, a long, snaking line quickly formed behind us. we were quickly motioned up to the desk by the one-man-band who appeared to be in charge of everything flight-related, only to discover....

our lack of boarding passes was an issue this late in the game.

they had re-sold our tickets!

oh, my! 

we were exhausted, not at all prepared to stay in Munich until the next available flight to Istanbul, and frustrated! we had confirmed ticket purchases & had been waiting for check-in at the gate!

in an incredibly magnanimous gesture,

the one-man-band moved us to first class at no extra cost,

where the only remaining seats existed.

(and told us to definitely not tell anyone he had done so)

which led to likely our lifelong ONLY experience in first class!

first class is - we discovered - the land of food & comfort

fresh lemonade as we settled in,

foot rests, large seats (two to a row!), leg room,

multi-course meal on real plates with real cutlery,

fresh rolls served with tongs, hot towel to refresh...

and lots of discomfort as ALL of the economy class folks

(where we would have been)

file past as they board the airplane.

our brief airport time in Munich reinforced that we would not choose a northerly country for any December travel....gray, cold, & snow! the airport was similar in color-theme,

though it was nice to look at from the airplane, as we jetted off to Turkey.

snowy fields near Munich Airport

Istanbul is REALLY pretty far east - it's not just a little ways away from Western Europe...

you fly diagonally, across Austria, Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria...

flying us over the Dolomites (the eastern part of the Alps) - gorgeous!

we gradually left the cold & snow behind

for the green of Turkey!

over our many flights on this trip, in every airport, the arrivals décor is BLEAK. why is that? you would think they would want to really glam up for those arriving into their country. like "welcome! we're so glad you've arrived & are going to spend money here!"

it is the departures area...when you are leaving...that has all the duty-free bling, fountains, artwork, good lighting & seating. 

arrivals has this gritty, basement feel to it, for some reason.

this was true in every airport on this trip.

so, we arrived in what felt like the back door of Istanbul, scurried through the maze of gates, passport inspection and stamping, and out to the parking garage where the buses picked up to take us the hour-long journey into ISTANBUL!!!

we were SO excited to be there!!!

just off the bus, late afternoon

on minimal to no sleep for 24 hours

at Taksim Square, at the top of the hill

with Taksim Camii (mosque) behind us

as was the trend on this trip, 

we WALKED (with luggage & no sleep)

down, down, down the hill to our place in Karakoy

first stunning revelation: Istanbul is full of HILLS

& streets on hills. you cannot avoid the hills.

with it being on the water, i had assumed it would be rather flat -

but it is NOT. it is an amazing, HILLY city!

we still hadn't slept...we were running on adrenalin...

so we went out to eat at Fish Port on the Galata Bridge,

further down the HILL from our place.

of course, we walked.

we look back on that meal as quite a tourist trap,

but it was good fishy food in a scenic locale

with the lights of the city around us,

the long fishing lines draped over the side of the bridge

(with small glittery fish ascending upward,

impaled on the multiple hooks, 

as the fishermen reeled in the lines),

and a stunning view of the Suleymaniye Camii (mosque)

still in our american mode, we left a tip -

a 5 lira Turkish bill,

which amounts to approximately twenty-five cents.

(to give you an idea of the cost of items, 

a liter-sized bottled water costs about 5 Turkish lira, as well)

the money was carefully handed off to the head waiter,

who took it inside the fancy tourist restaurant

and slid it into a tip jar.