Sleep7

Our connection in Paris was an hour and twenty minutes (about an hour since we landed a little late) and we REALLY hustled to get to our second flight. We arrived from Istanbul in Terminal 2E but our Air France flight to the USA left from the M terminal which you had to take a tram to and go through security again. The flight was half boarded when we got there. As observed earlier about LHR by Blue willow.. when you book your tickets do leave yourself plenty of time to connect to your next flight. I would say at least 2 hours at minimum.

Our flight to Paris boarded a little late but arrived pretty much on time. I slept for most of it. Woke up for a few moments over the Alps.. so beautiful!

About a 30 plus minute ride to IST and for being one in the morning the airport was pretty busy. I guess passengers at major airports are like patients in hospitals.. it's a 24 hour a day operation. Istanbul's airport is like their cruise terminal.. brand new and cavernously beautiful. There is a Skyteam Lounge upstairs and a lot of shops all open and doing business at 2am.

It was very quiet..

A great Latin expression to describe my detailed journey home is "Creatio ex nihilo" which means creation out of nothing.. Nothing remarkable happened.. just like to document everything.😃 Some might say this entire trip report is just that! lol!!😉 So I packed our bags and we waited in the cabin until 11:45pm. At first I thought we would roll our own suitcases off the ship down to the bus but after seeing how far it was and how many escalators there were I put my bags outside our door at 9:30pm and they were taken soon after. It was clear from the Viking Daily that the Viking knew our bags needed to be in the terminal and ready to go before midnight.. and of course they were there waiting for us. 👌 We assembled in the Atrium at midnight.. there were about 15 of us?

SATURDAY - ISTANBUL - NEW YORK There's my girl Liesl on the bottom left!😍

Very full from dinner we strolled the deck for a while.. Two sides of the ship.. two sides of Istanbul. One modern.. one ancient.. the old and the new all together in one beautiful city.

We came full circle and ate our last dinner on the ship as we did on the first.. at Manfredi's and it was delicious.

Then we walked around the Asian side (right off the ship) and kind of went on a hot and sunny wild goose chase.. If you are looking for designer goods to buy in Istanbul, the area where are all the fancy shops are is called Nisantasi. It was about a 45 minute to an hour walk from the ship and we were sweating bullets by the time we got there. Left empty handed though.. didn't have what I was looking for.🤷‍♀️ We did go into the Swisshotel and it had a glorious view from the lobby. No bracelet but did find some interesting varieties of potato chips! 🙃

🙋‍♀️OK.. back to 2022 and back to the ship!! This sad sight... means your luggage is going to be packed back up soon..😭 One last lunch at the World Cafe..

And a whole bunch of Fezzes (looked the plural up) just because it's a pretty picture!

And the Underground Basilica Cistern that was featured in the James Bond film "From Russia With Love."

Also.. for you Agatha Christie fans.. In 2012 we visited Sirkeci Railway Station where the Orient Express left from. It's on the European side close to the Spice Market. And on the Asian side is the Pera Palace hotel where she wrote the book. Very cool birdcage elevator there.. bellhops in pill box hats.. a real throwback to a golden age.

We only got to see a small portion of the city on the tour so I am going to include some pictures from our trip in 2012 of the major sites.. too beautiful to gloss over. The Blue Mosque. The Hagia Sophia. Topkapi Palace The Grand Bazaar

Last but not least onto the hour and a half sightseeing boat on the Bosphorus. Asia on one side.. Europe on the other. Lots of mansions and fancy hotels along the shore. This is the Ciragan Palace Hotel where JFK jr. and his wife had stayed on their honeymoon. Even thought the sightseeing boat left from the European side of the Bosphorus (where the Spice Market, Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are) it dropped us off at the Galataport on the Asian side where the Sky was berthed.

Then onto the Spice Bazaar for a short walk around.. This was sheep milk cheese in a goat skin container.

The mosque was built in 1561.. the tile patterns were mesmerizing..

Then onto the Rustem Pasha Mosque which is covered "head to toe" with the most gorgeous blue Iznik tiles. Our guide gave everyone a bag to hold their shoes in and the ladies who didn't have a scarf were given one at the door to cover their head for the the visit.

We chose the included "Istanbul's Majestic Waterway" tour for our last day. Boarded our buses and were taken for a ride around the outskirts of the city to see the ancient city walls.

First we must discuss the new Galata cruise port! We have never seen anything like it.. it's huge and totally different than any other port we have been to. It's just not a terminal but it's an enormous complex that not only services ships underground but has acres of restaurants and shopping above ground that almost makes it a destination itself. Here is some info on it that I copied and pasted. "Galataport Istanbul’s hatch system, the first of its kind in the world, and a 29,000-square meter underground cruise ship terminal have enabled the passengers and crew of cruise ships a comfortable and safe travel experience in accordance with the new normal. Equipped with the latest technologies and four-times larger than the previous structure, Galataport Istanbul’s entire passenger and luggage traffic has been carried underground. These include passport control and customs as well as road access by taxi, minibuses and tour buses, enabling unrestricted view of the sea." It's also HUGE and requires a lot of walking and sign following to get in and out. You need a bar code card to scan yourself in and out when you are getting on and off the ship. That card is given to you the night before in your cabin. It's almost like an airport underground complete with an enormous duty free shop that you must walk through to access the ship.

Good morning Istanbul! Ahh... what is there to say about Istanbul, Turkey? It's truly an exotic and magical city that needs WAY more than a day to see all of it's treasures. We had visited there twice before.. just the two of us in 2007 and then again in 2012 when we brought our daughters. I'm so glad we did as it would have been a genuine shame to not have explored the city to it's fullest.

FRIDAY - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

👋Good morning Debbie and Norm! Oh so glad that you enjoyed my posts and that they were helpful to you.😊 Lucky you sailing so soon.. and on your first Viking Ocean Cruise!! I think the first is always the sweetest since everything is so new and exciting. Also so great that you are flying in a few days early and will have time to shake off some jet lag and explore on your own. And I agree about not having to deal with luggage and checking in and out of hotels.. makes the whole vacation so much easier on a cruise.. kind of like a class trip at sea. The teacher does all the work.😁 As far as the surprise COVID tests at the port.. no we were not charged and it was a well oiled machine there. We just filled out a little paperwork, had our noses swabbed and then sat and waited for the results.

👋Good morning MarkTapley! Thank you thank you thank you!! Your kind words truly touched me.😍 I remember you were so sweet about my blog last fall too.. so glad that you are enjoying this one as well. We don't have anything booked but I was looking into a Barcelona to Lisbon one this fall or a Rome to Venice one next spring. Sam usually goes back to work on the Monday after we get home so we are kind of limited to 7 day cruises that begin and end on a Saturday or Sunday.💁‍♀️

👋Good morning cruisinchrissy! Thank you so much for reading and enjoying what I have been posting! I plan to finish it this morning.. I was full steam ahead yesterday and then had to take a break as the cobwebs in my head were creeping in. Today.. is a new day.. I'm looking forward to continuing this happy tale.😊