Having a great time!
Clive Holloway
(trip To Turkey)
We are about to sail out of Istanbul. Just wanted to thank you very much for the wine and give you a quick update. So far we have had a great time. Managed to see most of the major sights in Istanbul. Weather has been good, today is the first shower but mainly been sunny and not too cold. Istanbul is a great city, seems very safe and clean, people extremely friendly and hospitable. The transportation systems here are great and easy to use, especially the tram. We have resisted the many attempts to sell us carpets and other merchandise except for a few trinkets. The Ottoman Imperial was a great choice; very close to everything and extremely helpful staff, good buffet breakfast, would definitely recommend it. Our trip to Cappadocia, also was wonderful and we are pleased we did it despite having to get up at unearthly our going and coming. Turkish Airlines are pretty good. Byu the way we would never have made our connection in Frankfurt without the special assistance, so that worked well. The Urgup Evi cave hotel was very picturesque with great views, although probably not the right choice for us given Carol's mobility issues. She managed to see quite a bit on the tours but could not manage the underground city or the 5km hike through the Rose valley at Goreme. The scenery there is truly amazing and the endless cave & cliff dwellings incredible. This area really only opened up for tourism in 1980. In fact the underground city was only rediscovered in 1962. All in all, so far a great trip. An Australian couple we met in Cappadocia who had done the reverse cruise from Athens to Istanbul, told us that Turkey was by far the best, so we'll keep our fingers crossed for the remainder of the trip. Many thanks for all your help.