2011 - Greg's Vienna to Istanbul Cycle Tour: Day 49: Fri 15 Jul

Weather: fine and sunny

After another great breakfast (fresh fruit, cereal and great coffee) we settled the bill and hit the road.

The drive back to Istanbul didn't take as long and wasn't nearly as busy as the drive out. We thought we were going great guns, until about 10 minutes from our drop off point (International Airport) we got a puncture in the front left tyre. It was on very busy freeway which didn't have much room to change it on the traffic side. A good bit of team work and 10 minutes later we were on our way.

The drop off went well and we caught the Metro and then a tram into our hotel in the centre of the city. The hotel people were very nice and welcomed us back, enquiring about our trip etc. We received a complimentary iced apple juice while we waited for our rooms.

As we had skipped lunch we opted for afternoon tea at a lovely coffee and Turkish sweets place next to the Central Station. Baklava and Turkish delight satisfied our worms till dinner.

There's a big advantage to being in Europe during the Tour De France, you can watch it live without staying awake half the night. We have the choice of a German transmission in our rooms or English at the local Sports Pub. And it is not at midnight like at home!

Dinner was taken at an Ottoman style restaurant on top of a hotel just down the road. Both the atmosphere and the food were fantastic. A$16 for entrée, side bread, main and apple tea. I had the lamb which was served on a bed of spinach.

As it was Fri night, after dinner we went for a wander around the famous Blue Mosque. Although it is a big night for prayers etc there was also a carnival atmosphere, with street sellers, food stalls, kids running around everywhere and thousands of people just having a leisurely stroll. The nearby restaurants were very busy, some with live entertainment. Saw my first live Dervishes performers, (Turkish twirling dance).

Another fantastic and interesting day in

Turkey