They don’t make magic carpets anymore, and if they did you’d probably have to pay a fee for each suitcase and extra legroom. It’s a long flight from San Francisco to Istanbul, but it worth every minute of stale air and leg cramps. We left SFO on Monday afternoon, changed planes in Munich, and landed at Istanbul Airport on Tuesday night; our driver from the Sultanhan Hotel met us outside baggage pick-up. We had arrived on time and with all our bags, quite proud of ourselves and grateful to our travel agent, Anji Grainger of Panorama Travel.
The Sultanhan Hotel sits at the corner of Pierre Loti Square, in the Old Town section of Istanbul, within walking distance to the main drag. Shown to our room, we thought it was a bit small and asked if there was a larger room available. “I will ask my friend,” said the bellman, “please wait here.” Off he went and came back with a new room key. “Let us see if you like this room better, then if you do, I will bring your bags.” Room 206 at the Sultanhan was perfect: spacious, airy, with French doors and a balcony overlooking a new plaza. We were in bed and asleep by midnight, Turkish time. The leafy trees just outside our balcony danced with the sun in the morning and guaranteed our privacy.
The Old Town section is called Sultanhamet. Its streets are cobblestoned and narrow, the stone or wood buildings lean in toward you, or rest comfortably against each other. Small cafes and bufes materialize when you are hungry, or a man with a cart full of warm sesame sprinkled simet approaches. For one Turkish Lira you get a crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside cross between a bagel and a soft pretzel, and a smile from the vendor. Every experience we had in Sultanhamet was enchanting, near magical. But then of course, we had on our “visitors’ goggles.”
via Tri-City Voice Newspaper – Whats Happening – Fremont, Union City, Newark, California.