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Just a few notes from my recent trip round to Istanbul and Eastern Anatolia, in case anyone's thinking of going. First off Istanbul. I'd been hoping to visit the city for many years, and it certainly didn't disappoint. I arrived on a ridiculously timed flight from London leaving at After taking the Havatas bus from directly outside the terminal building, I travelled to Kadikoy port to catch a ferry over to the european side. I ended up waiting for over an hour for the first ferry of the day, in the mean time catching dawn and sunrise over the sea and surrounding landmarks.
A short ferry ride with the first cup of tea of the trip was a great experience. Stunning morning. I stayed in the Bada Bing hostel in Istanbul. I would recommend it, apart from the noisy lockers underneath the bunkbeds, and the lights in the shower which turned off I you are motionless for 10 seconds.
It had a nice location near Galata Bridge in Karakoy, and was within easy reach of the tram stop where you could get to the traditional city sights. I didn't really visit many of the usual tourist attractions.
I did visit Basilica Cystern, which was a nice tranquil place, with fewer tourists than I had expected. I guess being October, it was out of season, but with temperatures of between 25 and 31 deg c, it was nice and cool down there.
