Arrival in Istanbul

There are generally three ways to arrive in Istanbul --- by plane, by road or train and by sea. The first is the most convenient but also by far the least interesting. All the complexities of east meeting west, the historical references and metaphors of overland travel with its discomforts but deep roots in our early migrations, are lost to airplanes. The smells, the colors or the brush, the oily reek of ports or sun baked dirt and stone—all that is forfeited to the altar of speed. It was no coincidence that in Cavafy’s great poem, Ithaca, the narrator explains the importance of arrival

“…Then pray that the road is long./That the summer mornings are many,/that you will enter ports seen for the first time/with such pleasure, with such joy!...”

And so I suggest the best way to arrive in Istanbul is by train or boat from Greece. (unless of course you are arriving via taxi from Iraq)The connection from Greece is straightforward. You can go by car bus or train through Northern Greece with takes a total of about 21 hours of driving or 20-24 hours on a train, or you can take ferry boat from Pireaus to Mitilini, Lesvos and connect with a small ferry to Ayvalik in Turkey. From Ayvalik you can take a bus directly to Istanbul (about 9 hours) or you can take a bus to Bandirma and catch a high speed Catamaran directly to the Yenikapi docks in Istanbul, right near the old town . The boat takes about 2 hours and saves you the long drive around the Sea of Marmara. Unfortunately, the boat schedules and delays at customs mean you will probably not arrive until after dark. That and the sealed, air-conditioned modernity of the fast boats, kills the romance associated with arriving in the harbor on the windy deck of a slow ferry.

TRAVEL INFO:

NEL Lines Ferry. Generally leaves around 7pm from Pireaus (Gate E2) and takes aprox. 12 hours. A cabin for 2 (highly recommended) costs 130Euros. The Mytilini is a decent old boat, but the Theophilos, currently out of order after running aground, needs a complete overhall which the company does not have the money to do. So take the Hellenic Seaways Nissos Chios which only takes 8 hours and is a beautiful, clean new ship with nice cabins and air-conditioning that really works. The ferry from Mitilini to Ayvalik can be bought from JALE Tours (book the day before!) and leaves every morning at 8:30am. Cost is 35 Euros per person. Trip takes aprox. 1 ½ hours.

After almost 30 hours of travel, we took a cab from the harbor to the Aya Sofya Hotel which had been booked through a Turkish travel agent affiliated with Fantasy Travel in Athens. This hotel is not to be confused with the Ayasofya Pensiyonlari, one of the more exclusive restored mansions in the city. All cab drivers will of course make this mistake, and so our first hell-bent ride through the cobbled streets led us to the wrong place. The driver was so mad, or embarrassed by his error, that he tried to run over a few pedestrians in the old town, ran three red lights and hit 140 kph in his Hundai on the short stretch of ring road that took us back the way we’d come. One would think that if a hotel manager knows an arriving guest is going to review his establishment for a travel site, he would provide the best room, throw in some extras, and so on. My hopes for special treatment were quickly dashed. The psychology of the Hotel Aya Sofya seems to be –if a travel writer is reviewing you, give him the shittiest room in a practically windowless corner room and go back to your reception desk and continue your work crucial work on facebook. When the guest asks for a room with a view, tell him no rooms have a view. When the guest, finally, tells you he is writing an article on Istanbul, including your hotel, look at him sideways through one eye with leery skepticism, and tell him that maybe, just maybe, in a couple of days, he can make a change.So we spent two nights in the pistachio green box with a stinky shower drain and view through a tiny window of a wall and the neighbor’s underwear on the line. To be fair, it did have air-conditioning and a mini bar.But the mini bar is an old trick. People stick a mini bar in an outhouse and tell you it’s officially three star.

On the third day we received word from the omnipotent receptionist, that we could switch rooms. The change was dramatic. The double room was filled with light,had a sea view over some rooftops (above photo), a bay window with an armchair for reading, air conditioning, reading lamps, satellite T.V and of course, a mini bar. The room was wonderful, and changed our impression of the place immediately. I would recommend this modest hotel for the following reasons--- it’s off the main grid of Sultanahmet (Old Town) so it’s quieter and in a regular, less tourist ridden neighborhood. It’s actually a renovated Ottoman style mansion. The interior has been remodeled and is sadly a little kitsch with too much salmon colored paint and faux marble finish, but the bones of the place are historic. The roof terrace is wonderful, and under exploited. It’s within walking distance (15 minutes) of the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofia Cathedral, as well as relatively near the amazing Armenian neighborhood of Kumkapi and several undiscovered restaurants.

For booking hotels in Turkey plus assistance with transportation and all your travel needs in Greece contact Fantasy Travel through their website at www.fantasytravelofgreece.com
They can help you create itineraries which combine Greece and Turkey and they also offer several of their own. You can also contact them directly by using this form

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