Istanbul

I flew from Bucharest to Istanbul this morning. I had a 10am flight so I left the hostel early; around 7am. Because it was so early on a Sunday, there weren't any bus ticket windows open. Luckily I had gotten one from a friend the night before. Or so I thought.

When I got on the bus, it wouldn't scan. Since I had no other option, i decided to risk it and stay on. Sure enough, next stop there's a cop checking tickets. I tried playing dumb but they dinged me with a 50 lei fine, which really is only $13 or so. I also tried to pretend I didn't have the cash to cover and offered 20 lei. They took my passport and were going to make it 150 lei if I didn't pay so I did. Terrible way to end a great city.

Another thing, the city of Bucharest decided to have a huge party last night for some reason. I didn't get to bed until 2. Woke up at 630 for my flight. I'm spending tonight in the airport. Needless to say I look like hell. I'll also wear the same clothes for 3 straight days.

Today in Istanbul, I arrived at around 11. And before I go any further, I want to say airlines in Europe treat passengers like royalty. On my 1 hour flight, I got a meal (that I think had some sort of raw meat, ate it anyway), drinks, and a newspaper. I got to the airport in Istanbul, stashed my luggage, and wandered around the city for the afternoon.

Istanbul is huge. I never realized it's bigger than NYC. The metro system is super modern but the city had pockets that haven't aged well. In 20 years, it will be without a doubt a cutting edge city but for now, its about half way there.

I got lost walking around this massive city and ate delicious food. Turkish food is slowly becoming my favorite. And now here I am in Istanbul airport. Flight leaves in 10 hours to London and I still don't have a place to crash. I'll worry about that when I get there. For now, I just want a quiet corner to sleep.