Day 16 - Sad to Leave Santorini, Happy to Be Back in Istanbul

To add to our woe of leaving Santorini, we had a miserable flight that was leaving at 6:50AM, so that meant catching a cab at 5:30, and therefore waking up at 5:00. Brutal. We didn't have an alarm clock, and weren't sure if we were even confirmed or if there would be a cab waiting for us. We finally tracked down Sima, and she had arranged everything, bless her. The cab would come at 5:20, the guy would take our bags around 5:10, and hopefully wake us up if we weren't up. Sima even lent us a clock.

Waking up was tough, but we managed. Kudos to the kids for being such troopers and being ready to hit the ground running. We didn't even have time to eat breakfast, so we really felt bad for the kids. Early flights are especially hard on them, and then there are the long hours of travel. The valet showed up to take our bags, and it was unnecessary, because I could have easily done it, but I was glad he showed up because there was always the chance we wouldn't have awoken. Also, we weren't the only ones leaving, there were other cabs, and other families in our hotel. Misery loves company.

It was actually a nice quiet ride, and the airport was not as far as the ferry landing. The place was hopping, all sorts of tourists catching planes back to Athens, and lots of Americans. It's always interesting hearing English for a change. The flight was actually very pleasant, mainly because it was short and sweet, and the plane was clean and nice. It lasted about 30 minutes, and before we knew it, we were back in Athens, and it was hot. From there, we had a long layover. For whatever reason, they booked us on a 6:50 flight, but we had a 2:00PM connection. That meant hours in the airport, short on Euros, tired, hungry, and miserable. R picked up a snack for the kids, we checked in, and then went to our gate. Now I noticed this with the smaller flights in Europe, they often stick you in no-man's land. The gates have nothing in the way of food or drink, and are barren and depressing. We were not in the best frame of mind.

To add to the drama, we still weren't sure if our hotel was confirmed, and if there was going to be a cab waiting there to pick us up. Truth be told, we could have found our way to the hotel, there are cabs everywhere, it's just nice to land and have a cab waiting. The hotel usually takes care of it. During the interminable gap between flights, we finally managed to get an email through to the hotel, and they said a car would be waiting, and our room was confirmed. The situation highlighted the benefits of having a working cell phone when you travel. Our new Trac phone works beautifully in the states, but doesn't work in Europe. I learned later that you can get cell phones that work in Europe by simply changing the chip, which you can get almost anywhere in Europe, I saw them. Something to think about.

After what seemed like hours, we finally boarded our plane, and we were off to Turkey. Again, the flight wasn't long, and we landed in Istanbul, and our car was waiting for us. Keep in mind, the Turkish Lira is weaker than the dollar, not like the Euro, so they treat you well for about half the price, so it's a bargain. Turkey, like Greece, was finally hot. The sun was out for what seemed like the first time in Istanbul. The previous time, I don't think we saw the sun once. It was nice to see the city all brightly lit, and people were out in force, hanging in the park and swimming the bay. For record, I'm not sure I'd swim where so many ships anchor.

It was great to be back at the hotel, and everyone there was so nice and happy to see us. We were thrilled to be back. We went immediately to tea time, wolfed down several finger sandwiches, and drank several cups of Turkish Tea. Then it was off to the pool. We were all exhausted, but it was really nice to be back in Istanbul, and back at the hotel that we really love.

After swimming, we showered, got dressed, and hit the town, this time a little bit more savvy. We were ready to see the city in a new light now that we were seasoned Euro travelers. We were determined not to get scammed, and to pick up some souvenirs from the vendors that we had become friends with, but more on this later.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to RIC and Kriss Szkurlatowski for the pics.