An introduction to this diary is needed. It's only right! As every year in winter I start searching for the destination of the following summer's holiday; we're bound to leave in August and the problems are many, not least the outrageous cost of the period. After ruling out destinations like Namibia, Madagascar and Honduras, simply because of the high cost, we focused our searches on Syria and Jordan. After reading numerous accounts and starting to have numerous direct contacts, the choice came down to two: ************* of *********** Samer Rayes, a Syrian guide who now has a travel agency in Damascus (and who, according to those who have tried his services, is a truly reliable person).
The prices in March were similar, around 1500-1600 euros for 20 days half board; the price was definitely good, also bearing in mind that ours is a large, established group of 25 people......fate willed (and I've regretted it at least 100 times!!!) that the choice fell on the first proposal, because as well as being Italian (and this too must serve me as a lesson: in over ten years of organising with locals I've always been very satisfied) he gave us the opportunity to stop for three nights in Istanbul on the way back, because the flight was with Turkish Airways.
Already in the following months the behaviour of the said *********** wasn't exactly straightforward.......practically the cost of the package went beyond 1700 euros....and 20 days before departure he asked us for a supplement of 180.00.......which we were forced to pay because otherwise the holiday would have fallen through...but it doesn't end there: as soon as we arrived on Syrian soil we discovered that the Syrian counterpart hadn't been paid in full and demanded from us about 400 euros each in order to provide the requested services.........we had NEVER been taken for such a ride.
A piece of advice: rely on local counterparts if you want professionalism, guarantees and above all honesty, and I insist, leave this scoundrel alone because now it seems he's been pushed out of ***********...but who knows in which other Italian travel agency he's doing damage! 11 8 2008 After so much effort, this trip has finally begun! A group of 25 people without the young group, but with the addition of new people.
Meeting at Fiumicino airport around midday, long queue at the Syrian desk.......But there are a lot of people going to Syria! A calm flight, a decent lunch...but we discover the first lie of our contact *********** who organised the trip for us: the flight isn't direct to Damascus as he'd promised, but makes a stop of over an hour in Aleppo, and finally at 20.40 we arrive in Damascus...when we reach the baggage reclaim area a truly surreal situation presents itself: there must have been three hundred Iranian women (they were there for a pilgrimage to a monastery near Damascus) waiting for their very numerous and very bulky bags; they had practically occupied every possible space, so to get through you had to climb over!!.......
Once outside, our guide Ali comes forward and in a very short time gets us the visa and off we go towards the hotel TEECHRINE 3*** located inside the sports club, in a rather central position........we immediately discover the second lie of our dear***********....dinner wasn't included, even though we'd paid for a half-board package!!!!! 12 8 08 Tuesday DAMASCUS! An excursion to the hill cassium crossing the residential area, where we discovered that homes cost as much as in Italy.......We reach the top, where they say Cain killed Abel; from here you can admire a truly complete panorama of Damascus....which is immense! A quick visit to the souk to reach the Umayyad Mosque, where the women in the group are forced to wear hooded cloaks down to their feet.......inside we find the mausoleum of Saint John the Baptist.
We continue the tour of Damascus, we visit the mausoleum of Saladin and then we visit another mosque.........................................this one very, very crowded....a lunch stop in a very, very nice restaurant, where we ate the usual delicious starters, then an excellent dish of chicken, cheese, mushrooms, potatoes, peas and carrots.
A brief stop in a shop selling tablecloths...damask, of course, after all we're in Damascus! I buy a tablecloth and then visit a palace..visited because today, being Tuesday, the Azem Palace is closed! A walk in the Christian quarter where we visited the chapel of Ananias, the first disciple of Jesus, then we reached the church of Saint Paul where we saw the window from which Saint Paul is said to have escaped....on the straight street! At dinner time the Nightmare begins!!! Mr Muffak, the Syrian counterpart, arrives and makes a request that at the time seemed absurd to us: he wanted about 400 euros a head for the balance of the trip, otherwise he would cancel our services in Jordan. I immediately called ***********...and dozens and dozens of texts began (I don't dare think how much the charge on the foreign-mobile credit card will amount to!!!) that went on until late at night....
Practically I spent a truly nightmarish night and I realised that this Mr *********** really has scammed us! Practically, over the course of organising the trip, he would occasionally tell me that we had to pay taxes and tips on the spot, but clearly there was no problem with that, we always did it; practically he had agreed with the counterpart of the Syrian tour operator Cyrrhus that, once we arrived in Damascus, we should settle the trip for about 400 euros a head.......when we had a total package all-inclusive, bought and paid for really well in advance! 13 8 08 Wednesday DAMASCUS-KRAK-HAMA After breakfast, with the psychological help of Ali, our guide, a delegation, Mirella, Antonietta and Gabriella, headed to the Italian embassy, escorted by our driver. After countless checks we reached the consul.
Who, having heard the matter, telephoned an Italian legal adviser at the embassy, who, after gathering the appropriate information about the Syrian counterpart....confirmed to us that the rot is in Italy! So, after direct talks with Mr Muffak, we arrange to meet on 18 August, when we'd be back in Damascus, to pay this enormous sum...which we had absolutely not budgeted for! We rejoin the group, which meanwhile has visited the archaeological museum of Damascus, and we leave the Syrian capital, heading for Hama, the city of the Norias. After about an hour of travel we arrive at Krak des Chevaliers, the best-preserved crusader castle, indeed the most beautiful castle in the world, as Lawrence of Arabia called it...........This fortress played a very important role in controlling the coastal region and the Syrian hinterland.
We do the visit in the castle and I must say it was truly thrilling to pass through the rooms and the gateways where thousands of soldiers lived; there's a loggia with slender columns in the Gothic style. We finally arrive in Hama, the city of the Norias, which are creaking wooden wheels that served to carry water for irrigation; about ten of them are still working but, in my opinion, only for tourism! We arrive at the hotel Noria 3***......which is on the fourth floor of a very crowded building.....the first impression isn't exactly the best...but then, once in the lift, the look isn't bad at all, the rooms are clean and welcoming!
Day 114 Aug 2008
continued
14 8 08 Thursday HAMA- UGARIT-LATTAKIA
After breakfast, we set off quite early so we could visit Apamea at a decent hour! The site is wonderful, very sunny, but truly spectacular, the road lined with a beautiful colonnade, it's truly unique! If it weren't for Palmyra, Apamea would certainly be the most beautiful archaeological site in the country. Visit to Saladin's castle, a truly panoramic position! In the afternoon arrival at the Palace Hotel in Lattakia……..they say it's a three-star, but in my opinion it doesn't deserve any stars at all………the hotel is truly the worst of all the ones we'll encounter later!! Before dinner we visit Ugarit, where we can see the remains of the palace and of some stately homes, this place is famous because here the tablet with the first alphabet in history was found! 15 8 08 Friday LATTAKIA-EBLA-SAN SIMEON-ALEPPO
Today is Ferragosto
We leave this dump of a hotel and go visit Ebla, as our first visit….the heat is very intense……, the remains are truly unimpressive, even though it was certainly one of the most important cities in Syria in antiquity, perhaps one would need greater knowledge of archaeology to understand more! The guard speaks perfect Italian because a group of Italian archaeologists has been working here for dozens of years handling the excavations, still ongoing.
We resume our journey and stop at San Simeon, truly spectacular…..with a breathtaking panorama! The remains of the basilica stand on a rocky height in the middle of a beautiful oasis rich in vegetation, here a man named Simeon decided in 392 AD to move to this hill to live the life of an ascetic, his isolation made people curious and they came to visit him asking for his blessing, and he, increasingly withdrawn, was forced to isolate himself atop a column that he built ever higher to distance himself from the world.
Arrival in Aleppo in the late afternoon, the Beit Salahieh 4**** hotel is right in the center, below the Citadel, you get there on foot, the bus doesn't fit in the alleys of the center, it's beautiful, it's a renovated patrician house, truly a lovely place!
16 8 08 Saturday ALEPPO
Breakfast in the hotel's beautiful restaurant…….abundant and very varied. The day begins with a visit to the Aleppo Museum…which wasn't part of the program, a quick visit, but interesting! We continue visiting the Citadel, from which you can admire a panorama over the whole city, on the way out we stopped at a craft center, where the first purchases took place……..next a visit to the Mosque, but perhaps it's not really the most beautiful of the ones we've seen. Aleppo is a very crowded city, some have lunch with a kebab sandwich and then, having the afternoon free, most headed to the souq. Here in Aleppo the souq is more characteristic than in Damascus and the people are friendlier…purchases continue, even though there aren't many things to buy! Another excellent dinner on the hotel's panoramic terrace, where Claudio and Nazzareno also smoked their hookah again this evening…..
KRAK DES CHEVALIERS
Day 217 Aug 2008
17 8 08 Sunday ALEPPO-Lake Assad- Rafasa-PALMYRA
Wake-up at 6:00 am…today is finally the day of Palmyra! The first stop is to see the famous beehive houses. Next stop to visit the dam on the Euphrates that forms Lake Assad, a truly mammoth undertaking…it looks like a sea.
We buy some fruit and go visit a dead city, Resafa…it's very hot, here are the remains of a beautiful city…and there are fantastic children, with whom we traded pens, hair clips in exchange for finds……..recovered by themselves! Finally around 4:30 pm I arrive in Palmyra: spectacular! Palmyra is a very ancient city, perhaps its birth dates back to the third millennium BC, its position in the middle of the desert made it a mandatory stop for the caravans that traveled the stretch from the Mediterranean to the Arabian Gulf, the language spoken here was Aramaic, the language of Jesus, in Roman times Zenobia became regent of the city, a very beautiful and cunning woman who made it become a great kingdom that even came to challenge Rome, but in 274 Queen Zenobia was taken prisoner to Rome where, in chains, she died at Villa Adriana. From then on the decline of this city began.
Visit to the temple of Bel, which presents itself with all its spectacularity….it's very hot, but we don't notice, what we're seeing is so beautiful…The place is fantastic, …a shame about the motorcycles and scooters of kids racing around chasing us to offer us their merchandise…! Unforgettable sunset from the top of the castle, from which you can glimpse the whole site, what we saw today will truly be unforgettable…there are no words to describe the majesty of this place…… 18 8 08 Monday PALMYRA- MAHLULA-DAMASCUS
Wake-up early, we go visit the necropolis of Palmyra which rests on a succession of dunes that offer a very suggestive landscape. First we visit a multi-level tomb, from whose little windows you get an excellent view of the colonnade of Palmyra, then we visit the hypogeum of the three brothers, an underground tomb that housed several hundred deceased…. About 50 kilometers before arriving in Damascus, we stop at Malula, a small town of about twenty thousand people, very famous because Aramaic, the language of Jesus, is still spoken here, we visit the church of Saint Sergius and a girl recites the Our Father for us in this language.
Arrival at 3:00 pm in Damascus and we go visit the Azem Palace, crossing the souq, very busy at this hour……some did not enjoy this visit at all, because the appointment with the lawyer is approaching, whom we can't find, and Mr. Muffak to whom we have to hand over this pile of money with extreme displeasure as we prepare to do this thing….the feeling of being scammed is very sharp and bothers each of us…we hope we can later make those who took advantage of this situation pay.
The Syrian agency is in a very modern neighborhood, full of offices and beautiful shops……after an exhausting negotiation we have a tea and leave the loot, upon delivery of all the necessary receipts, including the voucher for Jordan, which later turns out not to be sufficiently clear! We rejoin the group at the hotel who were waiting for us for the transfer to the restaurant in the souq of Damascus, where, while we eat, a whirling dervish will perform…..the place is very nice and the little show isn't bad either. Aside from the travel agency episode…this last evening in Damascus was pleasant, and let's not forget that Damascus is the oldest city in the world, at least the one inhabited without interruption from its birth to today, in fact, mention of it has been found in Egyptian texts from the 19th century BC and even in the archives of Mari dating back to the 25th century BC!
Today we'll leave Syria to begin our Jordanian vacation! However we still have to visit Bosra, one of the most important Nabatean cities of very ancient origins, even a century before Christ, anyway capital of the province of Arabia in Roman times. Bosra still has standing and functioning one of the largest amphitheaters still in existence where wonderful shows are still performed! It's very beautiful, it also has a beautiful colonnade of particular dark stone….last purchases before reaching the bus of very beautiful and also inexpensive blown glass.
We arrive at the border and after paying the 7 euro tax, ….here a string of considerable checks awaits us, we had to unload all the luggage from the bus and pass it under the metal detector (which will be the first of a long series, in this country even entry to hotels is regulated by metal detector…)…all under a truly disarming heat! After about a couple of hours…..finally our journey in Jordan begins, first stop Jerash, Gerace, called the Pompeii of the east….and indeed this visit is very beautiful! We enter through Hadrian's Gate, visit the circus maximus and stop for a gelato and to catch our breath, it's very hot.
We continue the visit and arrive at the oval plaza with a practically perfect pavement and an immense and well-preserved Corinthian colonnade, we continue into the amphitheater where we find three gentlemen equipped with bagpipes (a bit Scottish…) and drums who have organized a little show, with the help of a ballet by some children, very pleasant. We also visited the temple of Artemis, where we noticed that in the restoration, having not repositioned well the blocks of the very tall pink columns, some of these….wobble, and you can see it even with the naked eye….they say it's not dangerous, but perhaps it's better to stay out of their reach.
We saw the still intact mosaics of the three chapels Saints Cosmas and Damian, Saint George and Saint John and finally we walked the very long cardo maximus with an Ionic colonnade truly still in excellent condition….it's very hot, but the visit was truly beautiful. We get back on the bus and arrive at the Arena Hotel 4**** a European-style hotel located in the new city…where, however, we had to have the sheets changed…..even in the restaurant the tablecloths weren't exactly clean!
20 8 08 Wednesday AMMAN-MHAABA-DEAD SEA we began the day's visits, the destination is Mhaaba with its beautiful mosaic of Palestine in the church of Saint George, almost intact, some pieces were unfortunately lost during restoration. From here we headed to the bus on foot and once on board we headed for Mount Nebo…… where Moses is said to be buried, the place is truly special, the panorama is unique: the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, Bethany, Jerusalem….the place is truly moving! We took photos where John Paul II arrived in 2000.
Now 40 minutes by bus await us to descend into the Dead Sea depression, considering that we're at about 700 m above sea level and have to reach a depression of about 400 below sea level, the descent is very steep, the landscape is very peculiar, Israel is right there a step away! We arrive at our hotel Deed See Spa 4****, which looks very good, an excellent facility, we take our rooms, very well furnished and spacious, and immediately to the beach to try this very salty water!. Indeed, it's very hot and the water is truly at a high temperature, but it's truly a unique experience to swim here, you don't sink even if you want to, and then the water has a particular density, perhaps due to the large amount of salt it contains.
Right away they bring us a bag of black mud and it's really fun to smear yourself from head to toe with this kind of tar that they say is beneficial for the skin! The water is so salty that it stings terribly not only in the eyes, but also on any small abrasion of the skin. We all move to the pool, which has a very fun high slide. We wait there for the sunset and it's very beautiful to see the sun disappear in Palestinian land
PETRA
Day 421 Aug 2008
continues
21 8 08 Thursday DEAD SEA-PETRA:
Super super breakfast and another dip in the very salty waters of the Dead Sea, and this morning at the far end of the beach we find the natural mushrooms within reach; at first glance they look like rocks emerging from the water, but on the surface there's the salt drying in the sun and underneath are the various types of mud of different colors — the ferrous ones, black, the clay ones, grey, the sulfurous ones, yellow — each with different therapeutic properties. Another swim in the pool and at 13:00 departure for Petra. We take the King's Highway, the scenery is very beautiful, the desert opens up before us in all its grandeur, the colored rocks keep changing, a stop in a particularly steppe-like stretch of desert and an encounter with a chameleon.
At 17:30 arrival at the Petra Palace Hotel ***, a decent hotel in an excellent position relative to the site, very close to the entrance, only the Movenpick is closer. We decide to have dinner at 19:00 so we can take part in the Petra by night excursion, which was very beautiful, but not particularly thrilling…the path to reach the treasury was lined with candles placed inside pita bread paper bags, held steady by a layer of sand, truly excellent as a stage set! Once we reached the treasury they had us sit on the ground and, amid the silence of many, but not all, Bedouin music began, they also offered us hot tea and then a gentleman said a few words in English, requesting three minutes of absolute silence so we could savor the Magic of Petra!...but the facade was never illuminated, and the show was really short…….to justify the 12 dinars of the entrance ticket!
22 8 08 Friday PETRA-AQABA
Wake-up at 5:30, quick breakfast and at 6:30 begins the most interesting and exciting day of the trip! Once inside the site, some on horseback for a short stretch up to the entrance of the Siq, beyond which only horse-drawn carts are allowed (20 dinars round trip), most of the group set off on foot among the wonders of these multicolored rocks that accompany us along the entire route that will lead us to the TREASURY.
Every curve offers us a spectacle of incredible shapes and colors, the very high walls on either side almost touch in some places, there are no words to describe the beauty of the roughly 2-kilometer route that will lead us to the discovery of the Khaznah….you really have to go there! The shades of pink are infinite and the ray of sun that illuminates the upper part of the facade through the gap in the Siq…I really think it's unforgettable! We were lucky to arrive among the first, in fact the site was not particularly crowded, as we saw it again in the afternoon. Here the cameras went wild…but the best was yet to come. We continued the visit walking along the main street that leads to the lower city, the sides are lined with tombs and dwellings of unexpected beauty.
We reach the theater and after a stop in a bar we headed to the right up a staircase where we admired a very beautiful and very large wall, perhaps the largest in the whole site; first you come across the Tomb of the Urn, also called the Tribunal, because it was later used for that purpose, then there is a Corinthian tomb and lastly a multi-storied tomb called the palace. From here the view over the site is beautiful, over the entire lower city, you can clearly see the amphitheater and the ritual rock for sacrifices. We continue our walk, encountering donkeys, horses, camels offering themselves as transport, there are also lots and lots of children and…lots of stalls along the sides of the road selling ugly objects that really disfigure the landscape! The sun begins to make itself felt, it's very hot, but the spectacle exceeds expectations.
We walk along the cardo maximus, we are in the Roman part, there's a temple and we arrive in the museum area where there is also a very well-equipped restaurant. Here our guide Hani, who is proving to be a truly excellent guide, prepared and full of attentiveness toward us, gives us a meeting time at 14:30 outside the site, it's about 10:30 and whoever wants has time to tackle the climb to Ed-Deir, where the famous Monastery is. Part of the group decides to go and visit it, there are 800 steps to climb, but there are also donkeys that can take you up more comfortably….maybe not exactly, whoever took one was very scared, because the route, besides being mostly made of stone steps..
is also very very steep…..anyway now the sun is really beating down and it took almost an hour to get up there, but the spectacle that presented itself was truly fantastic, the Monastery is perhaps even more beautiful than the facade of the Treasury, very similar in features, but larger and set into the mountain, right in front there's a bar with colorful and very comfortable sofas, made precisely for resting and admiring the Monastery. Then we pushed on even further and climbed to the highest point to admire the truly breathtaking 360° view over the Wadi Araba, standing there you don't know which way to look, what you see around you is truly an unforgettable landscape, peaks of every color and very deep canyons.
We have to go back down quickly because time is passing, it takes about 30 minutes and much, much less effort than going up…stop at the restaurant and then some begin exhausting negotiations to be carried by truly tiny donkeys and there are just as many truly tiny children leading them. The site has filled with people, when we pass by the treasury again there's an endless crowd. More negotiations from those who want to be helped by any means of transport, but I must say that instead the return path through the Siq is beautiful with the different light compared to this morning.. We travel the desert road and the scenery is fantastic, blocks of colored rocks rise from the sand, the landscape is truly very spectacular.
At 17:30 after crossing the city of Aqaba, a rather chaotic city with a very large port overlooking the Red Sea, on the border with Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, we arrive at our hotel > which is about 6 kilometers from Saudi Arabia. The first impression is not the best…..the place is nice, the structure isn't bad either, but it's not at all clean, it really seems like a structure in decline, the staff is very indolent, the rooms are not at all clean, some have a flooded bathroom, some have dirty pillows, some have no sheet……but some head straight off to take their first swim! We meet up at the restaurant for dinner, which was not bad at all, in fact the dishes were varied and tasty….we go to bed because this day has really been exhausting, though beautiful.
JERASH
Day 523 Aug 2008
23 8 08 Saturday-AQABA
A better awakening on a sea that has beautiful colors, maybe last night we hadn't observed it well, but it's truly a spectacle. Excellent and abundant breakfast and then everyone on the beach under the umbrella, because it's practically impossible to stay in the sun, it really beats down. The day passes very pleasantly, between one swim and another, a shower, a nap at the water's edge, there's also a bar on the beach…we are re-evaluating this place, especially for what you see underwater and at a minimal distance from the shore!
24 8 08 Sunday-AQABA
More relaxation on the beach, the swimming continues……it's very hot, but fortunately there are umbrellas and the water is truly crystal clear and close by so you can cool off pleasantly over and over. Today we decided to go to Aqaba for dinner, so at 17:00 with the hotel shuttle we moved to the city as a group. As soon as we arrived we visited a fantastic bakery, where they showed us the long process of making the typical bread of this area. Purchases of bread, focaccia and truly delicious biscuits.
25 8 08 Monday-AQABA
The relaxation continues…although in front of our beach there's a disturbing presence….there's an American warship that keeps going back and forth! Anyway, more swimming and beach life, and the evening ended in a disco, where there was wild dancing with a group of girls and ladies wearing veils!
26 8 08 Tuesday-AQABA
The relaxation and beach life continue, the ship is still there patrolling the area and every now and then it's flanked by not very reassuring landing craft! Today is our last day at the sea, the place here is very nice, the reef is right in front, the structure is pleasant, but the organization and cleanliness really leave something to be desired! Hani called us to confirm the bus for tomorrow with a guide, which will be him, we'll go on the desert excursion and visit Amman…all clearly paying a supplement of 20 euros per person…this trip has really been a surprise from that point of view!!!!! It had never happened to us that the written program wasn't respected……. Evening with shisha at the bar on the beach.
27 8 08 Wednesday-AQABA
This will be a very long day.....departure at 9:30 from the Coral Bay with dragging of suitcases…..they couldn't even organize porter service! At 11:00 we took the 4x4 jeeps and began the excursion to Wadi Rum, very beautiful. This desert compared to the one we know is a very different, very natural spectacle, the presence of these pink rocky mountains, with a thousand shades and very strange shapes. We saw very ancient graffiti and writings and enjoyed hot tea under a Bedouin tent, where we also made some purchases. We continued the visit and stopped at a particular crack in the mountain and finally found a classic dune…but a very solitary one. We continued the journey toward Amman, a stop for lunch in a sort of very expensive supermarket where we had already stopped a few days ago…..but today too, no purchases.
Arrival in Amman around 17:30, the city is really very chaotic, it presents itself as a truly modern city with modern buildings and streets. We say goodbye to Hani who leaves us in the center, in front of the Roman amphitheater, and they grant us about an hour of freedom to shop in the small shops of the souq, walking along we arrive in front of the mosque, but there's prayer and you can't go in. The shops are the usual ones, a few purchases of keffiyeh and some particular object, dinner in a typical Amman restaurant with the usual dishes of meat and chicken, everything was very pleasant seated around nice round tables with a plate of worked brass on top. (price 11 JD) Then the driver and the agency representative decided it was time to go to the airport and we couldn't even take a walk in the modern area of Amman.
Once we arrived we began waiting for our flight…there are still 4 hours to go…each one manages as best they can on the benches. Flight departure delayed by almost an hour compared to scheduled…this night never ends!
28 8 08 Thursday-ISTANBUL
We witnessed a fantastic sunrise in flight toward Istanbul. After all the mishaps of our trip, we had truly feared there would be no one at the airport to pick us up, after all the organization of this year's trip had leaked from every side, and instead there were two gentlemen from the hotel. Arrival at the Erboy hotel 3***, very central, near Hagia Sophia, at 8:30 the rooms are all ready, except some, most of the group goes to take a shower in the room, others while waiting have breakfast outside, some in the hotel.
We get the room after 2 hours…and thank goodness I'm the group leader….in the room I also find a bouquet of flowers, signed by ***********…speechless, after all the disservices and the colossal scam they pulled on us I really feel like throwing them out the window! Anyway we immediately start the city tour together, we can't help but see the numerous red Turkish flags waving, we visit (for some it's the third time) the Basilica Cistern, it's truly fantastic, after years it appears even more beautiful, the lighting is perfect, the background music is evocative, the nearly three hundred columns rise from the water, full of fish, with a unique elegance! The two Medusa heads on which 2 columns rest seem even bigger to me…and then we all put our finger in the hole of the Allah column once again, making our own wish.
Then those new to Istanbul went to visit Hagia Sophia and the veterans instead went to the Bazaar under the Blue Mosque. This city in 7 years has truly transformed, it's really ready to enter Europe, it presents itself as cleaner and better organized, truly a European capital. Visit of the whole group to the Blue Mosque which, although modern, has a truly particular charm no less than the ancient ones seen in Syria and Jordan. Stop at a Mc Donalds for lunch to the joy of the kids and then we began the adventure of the grand Bazaar! Here too the makeover that has taken place in recent years is evident, but it's always pleasant to let yourself be immersed in shopping or perhaps just in the bargaining! Truly pleasant dinner from every point of view on the hotel terrace with a breathtaking view over the city! This long day finally comes to an end, it was very tiring, but truly pleasant.
WADI RUM
Day 631 Aug 2008
29 8 08 Friday-ISTANBUL
Fantastic breakfast…today there will be a split of the group, the veterans will go for a walk toward the Bosphorus, Galata and Taksim, while the newcomers will venture into the detailed visit of Topkapi. The position of our hotel is truly strategic, on foot we head toward the Bosphorus and stop immediately at the Sirkeci railway station, from here the Orient Express departed for Paris, where we visit the small museum that displays many interesting finds, including part of a locomotive. We continue toward the Bosphorus bridge where the city comes more alive, it's all a swarming of a very bustling scene! There are numerous boats, ferries, cruise ships, small boats, on the bridge there's even a traffic light.
Immediately after the bridge we happily saw again the barges that prepare the famous and delicious fish sandwiches, a sort of oily fish, perhaps mackerel, very tasty, they too have been greatly beautified and in front on the sidewalk the very dirty plastic stools have been replaced by very elegant wooden tables and chairs. Let's at least hope the taste of the sandwiches has remained the same…we'll try on the way back! To go to the other side of the Golden Horn, we pass under the bridge where numerous little fish restaurants follow one after another, we go back up to the central part of the bridge where there are a great many fishermen, there's even a gentleman who rents fishing rods with everything needed for fishing.
On the other side of the bridge on the left there's a fish market and a series of stalls selling hardware, and Giuseppe can't resist buying a pair of pliers that he really needed and made the rest of the group wait at the cable car stop for at least half an hour…..he must be punished! We take the Tunel2, a cable car that will take us after the Galata tower, saving us a very steep climb. On arrival a nearly pedestrian street opens up, it's traveled only by the Romantic Tram that connects the Tunel 2 station to Taksim square. The shops are many and of all kinds, it really feels like being in the center of Rome! We passed by the Galatasaray high school that takes in all the well-off kids of the city. After making diverse purchases — Camper shoes, soaps and also several souvenirs finally at fixed prices, without the effort of bargaining.
For the return we take the romantic tram and do the last part of the very steep street on foot, but downhill it's not tiring, in fact the street lined with musical instrument shops is pleasant. Once we reach the bridge we can't resist, given the time, tasting a fish sandwich…truly tasty, tonight we'll come to eat here. We met up with the Topkapi group and decided to take a Bosphorus cruise together, after fierce bargaining, we managed to get a price lower than that applied by the big ferry, for a very elegant boat and..above all just for us! The trip was wonderful, very long, over two hours, we reached the second bridge that connects the Asian part and we also enjoyed tea on board.
By now we are very wary, but I must say instead it was an excellent excursion at an interesting price, we admired the Bosphorus coast with all its palaces, little harbors and we also had the luck to admire dolphins…from the Black Sea! Back at Eminonu we ventured into the spice market, also called the Egyptian one, the place is very fragrant, but the walk is short, at 19:30 the market closes. Visit to the Yeni Cami Mosque, which means New Mosque, and I must say that visiting the mosque at night is much more evocative, the lighting helps create a different atmosphere, we also witnessed the evening prayer. Dinner at the little fish restaurant under the Bosphorus bridge, after some bargaining, also within the group, there was a division of opinion, some wanted to eat normally and some wanted to dine on the famous fish sandwiches which turned out to be truly very tasty.
And then the view over the Bosphorus at night is enchanting, there's also a pleasant breeze, almost cold, the climate is truly fantastic, even this year this August vacation in hot countries has been very acceptable in terms of climate, personally I suffered the heat much more in Rome before leaving in July.
30 8 08 Saturday-ISTANBUL
Today again a split of the group! Some are tired and just want to walk, others head toward the mosaics of San Salvatore in Chora, a bit off-center relative to the center, and others including me, finally venture toward the Dolmabahce palace (it's the third visit to Istanbul and I had wanted to do this visit the other two times too, but it was never possible, so I'm very happy) We take the tram under the hotel that takes us directly to the palace, you have to get off at the terminus which is right in front of the palace mosque. We witness the very spectacular changing of the guard and enter this marvelous palace truly rich in noble ornaments, tapestries, ceramics, chandeliers, carpets and even a crystal staircase.
We visit about thirty rooms, very quickly because only group visits are allowed and they stay right behind you rushing you….but it's all so beautiful that you can't help but linger to observe the details. The position of the palace is enchanting, on the Bosphorus, with truly spectacular white gates. We also visit the harem which is equally beautiful but a bit more bare and at 13:00 we are outside and try to regroup the group that had ventured toward Taksim by setting a meeting at the Blue Mosque. Visit to the Bazaar, bargaining for the purchase of carpets and then transfer to the Grand Bazaar where we made the last purchases. Dinner at the > restaurant which is right under the hotel, where we ate well spending little.
31 8 08 Sunday ISTANBUL ROME
Today is the day of return! Last rip-off, we discover that the transfer to the airport is not included…this trip has been all about unexpected demands for money. Last walk in the Sulthanamet neighborhood, a neighborhood of wooden houses, where the little wooden houses have all been restored as guesthouses, last purchases and at 12:30 transfer to the airport. Arrival in Rome with extreme punctuality…maybe it's not the moment for assessments, but I think that despite all the setbacks we had due to the bad and fraudulent organization of the trip, we had a fantastic trip in fantastic countries, the only regret is not having shared it with our kids who for the first time decided to do another experience
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