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September 28, 2024 Istanbul to Atlanta Weather nice to post hurricane   We were able to sleep in today.  Missed the sunrise, alas. We had breakfast at the Hotel.  Shirley was able to recreate the breakfast she had 15 years ago in Istanbul, Yogurt, sour cherry syrup and cocoa puffs. Paul had a (boring) omelet. The coffee was really good.     After breakfast we went on a nice walk in the park next to the Hotel.       Our transfer was arranged to leave at 10 and we did.  A minibus managed to load the luggage for 12 passengers by utilizing some empty seats as well as the luggage compartments.  We made it to the Airport in 40 minutes.  It was Saturday, so there was very minimal traffic about.   We scanned our luggage after we entered gate 5 (business class gate) and so there were no lines. We made our way to the ticket counter, showed our passports and received our boarding passes. This was done by talk...
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  Friday September 27, 2024 Cappadocia back to Istanbul Temp in Istanbul high 70’s and a bit humid     We breakfasted at 5 AM, finished packing and were on the bus at 6 AM to trek to the Kayseri airport about an hour away.  We got there (3 buses) and the kiosks were down.    But soon the techs and attendants were there with help and we were through the double security by 7:40 for an 8:40 flight to Istanbul. On the plane on time and in the air on time and landed on time.     Our guide, Gukhan, gave us the drill on the way from the (incredibly large) airport to the  Conrad Bosphorus Hotel. I liked how he described the timing, 40 minutes without traffic, and 3 hours with traffic. He also gave us specific instructions on where to find Hazel’s present – one we have been searching for since Athens.   We got to the hotel in an hour and by 12:30 we were resting in our room.  We got the data on our transfer to the airport – i...
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September 26, 2024 Cappadocia Weather 70’s and sunny     Paul took a picture of Orion as we were on our way to meet the bus to take us to the place where the balloon is to be launched.    The Balloon Ride:   We were put in with a group of 25 others to make this van a compliment of balloon passengers. (Each balloon basket can hold 28 people in 8 compartments of between 3 and 4 people each.) Our driver was obviously new at this as it took him a long time and a circuitous and VERY bumpy route to find our designated balloon. Our friends were in the front seat and noted that he was on the phone constantly and looking at his GPS. (They also noted that the gas gauge was on “E”.) The ride was extremely bumpy – much bumpier than a ride up Cliff’s mountain.   But we eventually made it. We queued up to get in the balloon and when our turn came, we climbed a step ladder, sat on the basket edge, swung our legs over and ‘plopped’ into the basket. We were assigned a squar...
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  September 25, 2024 Anatolia Weather clear sunny, 80’s     What a day! Woke up at 1:30 to get ready to leave the ship. Viking stages the departures by color coded luggage tags.  Some guests left at 2 AM, we were called to depart at 3 AM.  They did have coffee and muffins and croissants while we waited in the Atrium of the ship. Then began the long trek out of the ship, through the Cruise Terminal, through Passport control, over to identify our large bags that were packed and set out last night, rolled the bags to the busses, put them in the queue to be delivered to the Conrad Bosporus, then got on the bus labeled Aqua 2.   There were 26 of us on that bus.  120 Viking guests opted for the Cappadocia Extension. Our guide for the duration is Gokhan (the o has an umlaut).  Gokhan is very energetic and during the 40 minute drive to the airport (light traffic) he explained the drill so that when we go there, we kinda knew what to do...
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  September 24, 2024 Istanbul Weather - clear and 70's (beautiful!)     The Viking Sea steamed into Istanbul just before dawn.  Paul was up and got a picture of the Hagia Sophia as we steamed by the Golden Horn. We docked and with an early breakfast (the usual) we were eager to start the day. The cruise terminal in Istanbul is state of the art.  Able to hold 5 cruise ships, with an immigration station and a huge tour bus terminal underground beneath some upscale shops and eateries.  We found our bus (#15) easily although it was quite a walk, maybe 15 minutes.   Once underway we entered the parking lot disguised as the streets of Istanbul and made our way to a scenic overlook on the Asian side of the river.  (We docked near the Galata Tower on the European side.) There was a good view of the bridge and the busy waterway called the Bosporus. Just north of where we were was a choke point for traffic going to and from posts on the ...
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  September 23, 2024 Canakkale (Troy) Weather clear, sunny low 80’s                      Sunrise over Asia  Minor   The trip, we realize is winding down. This is good and bad – anxious to get home, loathe to leave the pampering and adventuring. We decided to eschew our tour of the ruins of Troy because it is not that amazing (Shirley has been there before) and we need to organize our packing and chill a bit.  There is a good lecture, Lobster fest and a Beatles cover show to distract us. The lecture was good – a 50 minute history of Turkey from Constantine to Ataturk. Then to organizing our packing for our trip to Cappadocia and then to Atlanta.  We can tag our large luggage and it will be waiting for us at the Conrad Bosporus Friday when we return from Cappadocia. So, we only have to take one small suitcase and our carry-ons to the short stay in central Turkey. So we had to decide what to wea...
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