RECOVERING IN ISTANBUL...

Our first morning in Istanbul. Well its no longer morning when we drag our asses out of bed after 1pm. The worst part is we missed out on breakfast at the hotel, which means we have to buy breakfast now. Breakfast is served between 7am and 10am. Since were both sick as a dog none of us could actually bother getting out of bed.

To top things off the hotel had several blackouts last night and the air-con switched itself off a few times. The room was worst than a sauna. Lucy woke up a few times to turn the air-con on but when the blackouts keep happening it made a massive noise and kept waking us up. So it wasn’t exactly a comfortable night. I hate it when I wake up several times a night. I feel like I don’t get my proper sleep when that happens.

We finally get ready and leave the room to find breakfast some where. Mind you my throat is still killing me so I don’t know how much I can eat. We walk down to reception where we are confronted by bellboy. Lucy and bellboy have their moment before we leave the hotel for breakfast.

We walk down towards the water to plant ourselves in Simit Sarayi. We purchase tea and argue over what else we should order. We eventually decide to order a pizza made from simit dough. I think this was a bad choice that we made. I usually cant eat sesame seeds. Its makes me feel sick to some extend.

Simit Pizza & Tea

We slowly stuff our face with breakfast before planning our day. You think we would stay in bed all day to get over our sickness but no we don’t. Instead I call Seyda to see where we can go shopping for cheap stuff. Seyda recommends Besiktas. We finish up with breakfast and walk over to the tram. The plan is to catch a tram to Besiktas.

Within 10 minutes we arrive to Besiktas. We decide to sit down and have Cay before shopping. As you can see we have adapted to Turkish life already. We had Cay less than 10 minutes ago and here we are again with another cup.

We scull the tea like a shot, use the toilets and start out shopping spree. I think our theory was that we were feeling so sick that maybe retail therapy would make us feel better. We start strolling around and barely even enter any shops. Majority of the shops are closed because its Sunday. The other half looks like a flea market. To top it off there are barely any people around. After 20 minutes Lucy and I decide this isn’t helping our situation. An urgent decision is made and we jump in a cab to Taksim.

The minute we get off the cab we feel so much better. There’s a crowd, there’s life here! We start strolling down Istikkal Cad when we come across a pair of underpants for Gus. It has an elephant on the front of it. For some reason this has Gus name all over it. We enter the store to buy it when we barely make it into the store due to the crowd. We cant be fucked so we storm back out. Sorry Gus you missed out mate!

We start our shopping spree when I feel an urge to throw my self into a CD shop. Within minutes I’m stacking up on Turkish CD’s in my hand and I’m already feeling a whole lot better. By the time we finished up in the CD shop we decided to grab lunch. Yes I know we only had breakfast about one and half hours ago. Lucy wanted to head back to the restaurant where we once had stuffed cabbage.

We enter Otantik restaurant to cause a scene in the first few seconds. We didn’t know where to sit. The owner told me we can sit anywhere we like so I decide to head upstairs to the level we sat on previously.

The waiter hands us menus and we pretty much have a rough idea on what we want to order. While were arguing over what to order the waiter heads to this massive cupboard, swings the doors open and pulls out a basket of bread and slams it onto our table. Right that must be the bread cupboard. While were discussing the bread the food comes out:

Shish Kebab Plate & Stuffed Cabbage

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

We finish our meals and decide to walk around Taksim to burn it off. The minute we leave the restaurant Lucy demands that she needs a toilet. Its beyond me why she didn’t use the one at the restaurant. Actually I don’t even remember why she didn’t. I remember using the toilets before we left.

Anyway I take Lucy to Starbucks to use the toilets there. The problem with Taksim is that there are hardly any public toilets around. You usually have to go into one of the restaurants and use theirs.

We stroll into Starbucks and Lucy disappears downstairs while I sit down waiting for her. I wait and I wait and there is still no sign of Lucy. This worries me because Lucy’s usually quick. Its and in and out job for her. Its been over 5 minutes and there’s still no sign of her. Meanwhile so many people have walked out of the toilet. I start to hit panic mode thinking she either got locked inside the toilet again or she’s in serious trouble.

Finally Lucy comes strolling out looking like she just murdered someone in the toilets. We walk out while she gives me the quick run down of how she got caught in a queue outside the toilets and caused a scene with a group of people. For some reason she decided to steal all the toilet paper for spite. Don’t ask me why!

We leave Starbucks to spot street performers:

Walking at Istikkal Cad we spotted this Gothic Church:

Were walking to the top of Istikkal Cad to catch a cab when I decided to stretch my sunglasses when the entire thing snapped in half:

So much for my Designer sunnies from Milan....

We continued walking when we spotted another potential sugar daddy for Christine:

We eventually reach the top of Istakkal Cad to fight for a cab. Its every man for himself. The way we are feeling right now we would probably stab someone for a cab. We eventually jump into a cab to realise our lives are on the line. The cab is tearing down the streets of Istanbul and Lucy and I are praying to arrive in one piece. Before the cab reaches our hotel we order him to stop the cab. We shove some money into his hand and jump out of the cab. Its safer to walk the remaining distance than to risk our lives.

We start strolling towards our hotel when we spot another potential sugar daddy for Christine:

We head back to the hotel to shower and have a nap - yes Mykonos style. We relax before deciding to head out for dinner to Maestro. We both really wanted soup. God it feels like all were doing is eating and drinking.

The minute we stroll into Maestro we order our soup and a salad.

The yummy Summer Salad:

Filling out stomaches we head back to the hotel into the sauna. The room is hot and has lack of air. The air-con isn’t really helping us as well. I think that thing is broken. Anyway I’m finding it hard to sleep. Maybe it’s the fact I slept all day and then had a siesta?

Anyway I toss and turn for a good hour before I manage to smack my head on the bed piece. I’m in so much pain I shove my face into the pillow trying hard not to scream from the pain. Meanwhile Lucy’s screaming out to see if I’m ok but I can tell she’s on the edge of bursting out laughing. Before I finish answering Lucy’s having a massive laughing fit over the fact that I smacked my head on the bed piece. Great! I’m in pain, suffocating from the lack of air and she’s laughing her head off. I think she managed to laugh herself to sleep…..