Yesterday we caught the early train and Phyllis enjoyed seeing the scenery without driving for a change.  Although the route was pretty much inland and not as scenic as the coast has been.  Our plan was the train and then a mid-afternoon ferry to Istanbul.  However, when the train ride ended at Bandirma, we found that the mid-afternoon ferry did not exist until summer season.  So, we had six hours to kill before the 6:30 ferry, in a city well off the standard tourist trail.  That was just fine with us, we stored our bags at the station and walked around for a bit, stopping for a çay (tea) and a chocolate muffin to warm up (it was another gray and breezy day), and then had another fine doner lunch, late enough to hold us over for the evening.

We are really going to miss doners when we leave Turkey.  As the photos show, it is a stack of meat (either chicken, beef or lamb) on a vertical skewer that is slowly grilled throughout the day, either by a vertical heat source next to it or sometimes horizontally, either wood fired or gas.  They slice the meat off in thin slivers and then put it in sandwiches, wraps, or other dishes, while the big stack then continues to rotate and brown the next layer of the meat.  It’s great fast food and a main course as well.

The ferry to Istanbul arrived at a terminal surrounded by taxis all clamoring for our business, most of it off-meter and therefore very unreliable.  We had to fend off many offers, and got in one taxi only to be told the rate would be a fixed 50 Turkish lira, about twice what we expected or what it ought to be, whereupon we got out of that taxi and went looking for another.  Despite a few language barriers, we finally got to our new hotel in a different area of town, cleverly close (we thought) to the train station for our final departure a couple of days hence.

We woke up early today knowing we had several chores to accomplish on our last couple of days in Turkey.  We wanted a couple of cheap trinkets, and we desperately needed a roller suitcase in which to carry our new Turkish carpet.  Not only was Craig’s shoulder really sore from carrying the 44-pound carpet bag, but the bag was beginning to come apart from the weight.  We wanted to see the Grand Bazaar anyway, and thought we might find a suitcase there.  As it turned out, the Bazaar is very touristy and no deals on luggage to be found, although it was a pretty fascinating and old place.  We found a suitably cheap roller bag just outside the Bazaar.  With a choice between a neutral color and a very ugly red, we went with the red to remove all chance we might try to keep the bag any longer than necessary and crossed our fingers that it would not fall apart before reaching Anchorage.

Then, since our hotel was located closer to the waterfront than last time, we walked up and down along the meeting point of the Bosphorus and Golden Horn, and eventually took a ferry across the Bosphorus to the Asian side for dinner at a restaurant recommended by our friendly carpet vendor back in Goreme.  It was in a lively urban neighborhood, so a pleasant walk, although the restaurant itself was quite chaotic.  Without much common language, it was hard to figure out how the ordering was done, but we ended up with a very good meal of the largest artichoke hearts we have ever seen, stuffed with a lamb and eggplant mixture.  Together with the ferry back across the Bosphorus after nightfall, this outing provided us with the poor man’s equivalent of an evening dinner cruise.