Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
Today I was leaving on a 630am flight. I had asked the guy at the apartment to drop me since he needed to be there to collect the key. When I asked them via email before arriving they said airport transfer is 10 Euro. When I arrived they told me $50 USD so I reminded them they told me via email it was 10 Euro.
This guy had been unreliable from the start with a dirty apartment on arrival and no tv connection for 3 days. I reminded him earlier in the day that tonight he had to get me at 3.30am. He was surprised it was today.
When I was ready to leave I texted him at 3.10am to see if he was on his way. The roads are clear at this time and I got no reply, he could be home sleeping for all I know. 3.40 I decided I'm not going to risk missing my flight for him. I left the key inside the door so it was still unlocked from the outside and left to find a cab. I found a nearby taxi for 20 Az ($14) to get me to the airport.
I was finally able to get my boarding cards and there were many Formula 1 crews also heading out.
After sunrise the plane took off. We headed away from the city so the skyline and flame towers were only visible at a distance at a bad angle as the plane turned.
This is the first time I had been on Turkish Airlines since 2007. The pricing just never worked for me before although they are Star Alliance so I earn Air Canada Aeroplan miles. On leaving they said 'have a nice day' instead of 'thank you for flying with us'.
Istanbul has just opened a brand new airport north of the city closer to the Black Sea on the Bosphorus. I had a brief glimpse of the Sultanhamet historic district before the plane diverted northward to the new airport.
I now had a six hour connection at the new Istanbul airport. First I wanted to find a quiet spot to sit and rest. Good luck with that.
For all the money they spent and building a glitzy shopping mall there were no seats in the terminal. People were strewn out across the floor with bags as though this was an evacuation shelter.
Even more absurd was the wifi. They told me you need a Turkish Sim card and phone # to use the wifi. Why would people transiting in an international airport have Turkish Sim cards and phone #s? So nobody could get into the wifi.
Yet more bizarre there were no shops to buy a bottle of drink despite all the designer shops. Eventually I found the lone shop with tiny bottles of one choice only
At the gates they did have seats. But they told us all to leave and closed the doors until 90 mins before boarding. They had to do another security screening and manually check hand luggage before I could finally sit inside the gate area.
Once on the plane it made up for all the ordeals. The service is actually quite nice on long haul and I would fly with them again. Another treat was I got to watch Turkish movies and dramas with English subtitles for once, as well as listen to all styles of Turkish music from pop to traditional
One 3 hour drama was set in the 1890s about one the last Sultans. He wanted to build railways and factories and modernize the country. Theodore Herzog the leader of Zionism was working with the banks and doubled the interest on the loans to thwart the project.
A British Governess was also working with her Government educating a group of Arabs in nationalism and to rise against the Ottomans. The Greek Ambassador was also using the opium trade to raise cash to buy arms against the Ottomans. Many competing factions.
On arrival in Toronto it was rain and cold. My youtube video of the flight seems to be the most popular with the most views - https://youtu.be/JLmEiDapmL4
2025-05-22