Day One and Two: Departure and Istanbul

Our group of 44 travellers  met at the Calgary airport at 1:00 pm on Sunday, April 13 for our departure to Turkey Greece and Italy with EF Tours. Once all our bags were tagged and weighed we went through security and then practised getting into our "magnet groups", our fast and efficient way of ensuring we haven't lost anyone. We took our first group photo and then said goodbye to our families and we were off!!

Eatonia Marengo Europe 2014 Group

We boarded the plane earlier than expected and everyone settled into their seats for the 8 hour flight. Some people slept while others visited or watched movies. Some of our group were flying for their first time but all were excellent travellers. We arrived in Amsterdam ahead of schedule and made our way to our next departure gate. We had a 3 hour wait. There was time for some shopping, snacking and resting. Many of us were getting very sleepy by the time we boarded the next flight.

We caught up on some sleep during the 3 hour flight to Istanbul and were so excited to finally reach our destination and first stop on our European Tour. We were not prepared for how busy the airport was, the lineup to go through passport control seemed to go on forever. A lesson on being a more aggressive person in busy lines was learned as people cut into the lines and pushed their way in front of our group. Over an hour later we  finally picked up our luggage and went to meet our Suleyman, our Turkish guide.

On the drive to the hotel we saw beautiful tulips everywhere.  April is Tulip Festival month in Istanbul and we found out that although the Netherlands is known for its tulips, they were actually first cultivated by the Turks in about 1000 A.D. and later exported to the Netherlands.  We arrived at the Hotel Hamidiye and after we freshened up we went on a short walk before dinner.  Our first stop was the Sezade Mosque just across the street.  We entered the courtyard and Suleyman talked to us about Muslim culture.

Sezade Mosque

We walked a bit further and saw the Valens Aqueduct which was a built by the Romans in late 4th century  and remains one of the most important landmarks of the city.    Then we stopped at Fatih Anit Park.  It was a beautiful evening and there were many families at the park, children riding bikes and playing games and others sitting on the benches.  We could also see the Municipal House which houses the offices of the  Mayor of Istanbul.

Valens Aqueduct

Then we stopped at Fatih Anit Park.  It was a beautiful evening and there were many families at the park, children riding bikes and playing games and others sitting on the benches.  We could also see the Municipal House which houses the offices of the  Mayor of Istanbul.

Statues in Fatih Anit Park

We made our way back to the hotel and had dinner which included many salads, soup, chicken and fries and rice.  After dinner many of the group walked to the small market on the corner and bought water and snacks.  We were all very tired and headed for bed early since we had a full day ahead of us tomorrow!!

Hamidiye Hotel