The second part of my trip was Turkey. I took the bus from Thessalonika to Istanbul, it took about 11 hours – it was really hot, and it took nearly 1 and a 1/2 hours to get across the Greek/Turkish border.
One of the first things I noticed is that there us a lot of money being pumped into infrastructure and building work on general into Turkey, roads are coming on well. Also, the big sky scrapers on the way into Istanbul were very impressive.
I stayed for a few nights in Istanbul. I got myself a travel card so I could use the various public transport – trams/metro and buses. It was well priced and easy to use/access. The city itself looked magnificent, at least I can now say I’ve stood in Asia.
I think someone told me once that Turkey prides itself on being secular, and I think it was great – plenty of people doing their daily worship, an interesting spectacle, I felt kind if humbled taking it all in.
There are so many sights to see, probably shouldve stayed longer. In certain parts it was a good nightlife, and I can say that Istanbul, although a little crazy traffic wise, is a wholly modern city – highly recommended!
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