Yes, as far as going near the Ukrainian border (or Russia for that matter), I can't say I've felt unsafe or uneasy at any point. It is what it is, and you just keep an eye on the news for any developments. I look forward to visiting Ukraine once the situation has stabilized, too. Although I do remember being in Poland in April of last year on a train from Poznan to Wrocław and seeing that its final destination was Przemysl (right on the border). It did make me think crikey, imagine the stories and poor souls that train is going be bringing back with it.
For much of 2022, it was quite noticeable that trams in Poland would usually have little Ukrainian flags on them alongside the Polish/Regional flags. Even as far west as Hamburg, buses would have their displays flick over to
Stoppt den Krieg! (stop the war!) between showing the destinations.
Anyways, on we go with the travel...
Day 1 - Luton to Istanbul (and some ad-hoc exploring)
So, the first day of the adventure was upon me. I remember booking this and thinking that I want to see some new countries but also mix it in with some familiar/bashing stuff too, and try a couple of new airlines to boot. So that's what I was doing, and we were starting off with the 'new'.
My flight was the 0655 to Istanbul, so I strolled out of the Ibis near the Airport at around 0430, meaning that I'd have just over two hours before departure by the time I made it into the terminal. Just as well I left some time as well, because security actually took a wee while (about 30-40 minutes) to clear. That was luxurious compared to my record, though (1hr53m at Manchester Airport in May 2022).
I then headed to Boots for some supplies and waited for my gate to be announced. When the time came, I made my way over and had the odd feeling of being first in the queue to board (I needed Priority for all the low-cost carriers on the trip, as my backpack was a bigger one that needed to go up above). The wait was punctuated by a rather forlorn-looking bloke who'd clearly missed his flight and wanted to know how to get out and re-book, as well as a charming 'gent' who was insistent that the staff practically held his hand and showed him his gate (they did not).
My ride to Istanbul today was an Airbus A321neo in the form of
G-WUKK, and I was seated in 33F. It was a fully-booked flight too, but my seatmates had exactly the same idea as me. That is, after a relatively on-time taxi and take-off, we were knocked out asleep for much of the 3h20m or so flight
I remember waking up about half an hour before landing and consuming breakfast (eventually), but that's about it.
We landed at 1217 (23 minutes ahead of schedule), and I was thinking 'great, nice and early', but I was just a little bit off the mark. You see, Istanbul (IST) Airport is absolutely huge. The taxi actually took 20-25 minutes or so! It was quite fun though, admittedly. We were this little Wizz A321 amongst Turkish 777s, 787s, and all sorts of other widebody aircraft. It was also a great chance to see some 'banned' Airlines, like those from the Middle East.
Quite unusually for a Wizzair flight, we alighted using an airbridge. It was a pretty slow process too, and we were shouted at regularly to 'move forwards to maintain balance' (sorry, I'll just climb over the seats then!) but I was eventually off and wow, the airport itself was mighty impressive:
Less impressive was the fact that someone has pulled all of the barriers across so you couldn't actually get into passport control! A gaggle of us stood looking perplexed for an actual entrance, while a disinterested employee merely stood staring into space. Someone eventually took the initiative and removed a barrier, so we could all join the queue.
In fairness, it only took about 15 minutes to get through once I was in the queue. Turkey removed Visa requirements back in 2020 or so, so you can now just rock up and have a trip there without any pre-preparation needed. The officer who dealt with me was hardly...on the ball, shall we say. While scanning my passport, she tilted forwards and her eyes shut, before she jerked herself awake again! One stamp later (and a prayer that she'd get herself some coffee) and I was through.
Next up, I needed to find the Metro. Istanbul Airport has only had a rail connection since January of this year, despite the fact that it's actually quite some distance from the centre. Ataturk (now closed) meanwhile was fairly close and had excellent links on Metro line 1. As you can imagine, the interim years between Ataturk being shut and this Metro line being opened at IST were not popular for those wanting to reach the centre.
The Metro (which I've seen designated as Line U and Line 11, depending on where you look) runs every 20 minutes to Kagithane, which is reasonably close to the centre and a short walk from Metro line 7. Don't pay attention to Google Maps either, which seems to think that this line takes around an hour! It's a 25-minute journey to Kagithane.
First though, I had to get myself an Istanbul card. It's essentially an Oyster, but with much cheaper fares (naturally) though with little concept of capping or even transfers. Most lines function as their own separate railway, so you pay for each one in isolation (with some reduced rates for transferring between lines).
Cash is still king in Turkey, and all machines at the Airport were cash only. It's a bit of a frustrating experience getting a card, as you need to select it then press the red button on the machine (which you'd think would cancel the transaction) before it'll accept any money. After you've done this, you start the process again to load the card. Except, it'll only take
one note at a time per transaction! Multiple times I'd find myself stuck behind people taking forever to load 100-200 Lira's worth of 10 Lira notes. Fares start at 9,90TRY (about £0.39) and the highest I've seen is 19,30TRY (about £0.78).
All of this done, I headed to the platform. It was a fairly bland but clean station, with the trains behind platform screen doors (making them difficult to photograph). I can however tell you that the trains are CRRC-built units (originating from China, of course) and they're pretty speedy things. The line has few stops, but also no phone signal, so bring a book or enjoy looking at the same video of President Erdogan being portrayed as a wonderful man who loves to open Metro stations over and over again! (He features a lot on posters and signage on the railway and Metro, shall we say).
After I reached Kagithane, it was a three-minute or so walk to the line 7 station, which is clearly signed and easy enough to do. The trains on this line are Hyundai-Rotem driverless units, which are fairly modern but have a somewhat 'vintage' look to them, in my eyes:
Finally, I needed to get off at Mecidyekoy and walk over to Sisli station on line 2, where I alighted at Halic. This line had some slightly older Hyundai-Rotem units, dating from around 2009. I'd been toying with the idea of heading straight for the hotel (it was about 4pm) but figured that I'd never get back out again once I sat down, so I may as well have a wander around and get to grips with the place. Sisli was situated on a bridge spanning the Golden Horn, so it was a great place to start, both for photographing the trains and the local felines:
The air was permeated by the smell of local fishermen smoking up their catch of the day on charcoal grills as I wandered along the waterfront. The first obvious landmark to head for was the Galata Kulesi, a 14th Century tower that once housed a prison. It was a bit of a steep uphill climb (a nice work-out with a heavy bag on your back!) but indeed, it was an impressive-looking tower. The crowds around it, less so, so I snapped a couple of pictures and headed on my way again:
Having realised that the city itself was absolutely rammed (Istanbul does have a larger population than London, after all, plus all those tourists) I decided to head for somewhere a little greener. Gulhane Park seemed like a good call, so I snaked my way back downhill and joined Tram line 1. It was pretty busy when I jumped on, but I just put my backpack between my legs and figured I'd better just grin and bear it.
That was, until we got two stops in. At Eminonu (a little short of where I wanted to be, but on the right side of the river), I saw the gigantic crowd on the platform and decided I'd rather walk the rest of the way. So, while I watched far too many people try (and fail) to force themselves on, I snapped a few photos of the trams instead:
I walked the rest of the way to Gulhane Park, which was a very nice place to wander indeed. It houses the Topkapi Palace, as well as various relics/monuments from the Roman and Ottoman eras. Above all else, it's a far cry from a very crowded Istanbul.
Having walked the length of the park, I picked up some charcoaled corn on the cob for a street vendor (about a quid) and headed for a Marmaray station to finish my trip today. I was staying in the Mercure Istanbul Bakirkoy, which was a 10-minute ride or so, followed by a 10-minute walk. The Marmaray trains are built by Hyundai-Rotem and date from 2013-2017:
It was time to start planning the proper sightseeing for tomorrow. A couple more pictures will follow below...
