Let's Talk Turkey!

Hey there, it's been a long couple of days but we have arrived in Sochi.  Although, I'm not sure how alive we are, we haven't had much sleep since Saturday night.  I feel like a train wreck right now, and my brain is quite foggy, so bear with me.

Our plane left Toronto at 10:55 pm Sunday night and we travelled nine hours to Istanbul, Turkey.  It was a little bit hard to sleep on the plane because they just kept feeding you.  First off, we were treated with a little Turkish Delight, then I think it was about 1:30 in the morning when we received our first meal, after that the lights were out for a few hours then around 5:30 am the lights came back on and they are giving you a full hot breakfast.  What?  Wait a second- I just ate surely you don't want me to eat again.  I've figured it out that in Turkey you just eat all day long, so it's no wonder Turkish Airlines wants to do the same.  Wonderful airline, I would highly recommend them to anyone travelling to this part of the world.
As for Istanbul, we loved it!  It is definitely one of those places you have to put on your bucket list.

Basilica Cistern

Blue Mosque

Check that one off mine!  It is a beautiful city, full of old world charm.  The people are so friendly and everyone speaks English.  We felt right at home and perfectly safe.  Monday night we took a walk to feel our way around and I must say there are as many hotels in old Istanbul as there are Tim Hortons in Canada.  No sorry, there are more, many many more!  We met some new people that quickly became our 'family' and were treated to Turkish tea and a history lesson on rug making.  After we refused to buy that $800 rug though we were just plain tourists and booted out the door, seriously, no just kidding.

 The next morning we were treated to a wonderful breakfast in our hotel and set out early for a walking tour.  I am so glad we did this, otherwise we would have missed so much.  Our guide was a bit of a Turkish historian and filled us with a wealth of information.  We saw many Mosques and learned the basics of their religion, it was very interesting.  We toured the Grand Bazaar  which is huge and very expensive but were also treated to the local markets.  To get to these, we had to walk down to what seemed like the bowels of the earth.  Our guide took us for tea and a sampling of a few Turkish pastries! We didn't get to smoke the pipe though, not sure why??  It was overall, an awesome experience!  The people of Istanbul thrive on tourists and everyone wants to sell you something.  Even though we were great marks for vendors with our Canadian wear, we managed to escape buying the Turkish Rug and get out with only a few souvenirs, but next time I go back, I'm getting that $800 rug Dean!!!  I loved Istanbul, love, love, loved it!  Wish we had more time there, but it was off to Sochi late that night.

After a very short flight, we arrived in Sochi at 4:05 am this morning.  Security wasn't that big of an issue, I think it's the same process going through customs as in any other country only Russia is just taking extra precautions.  I am happy for that and feel very safe here, just hoping the rest of the continent settles down so we can get on with these Paralympic Games.
We were picked up at the airport and delivered to the first check point which is where you are given your residence pass for the family and friends hotel.  Not a big deal, only that it's the middle of the night and all the volunteer staff are falling asleep on us.  Finally, we checked into our dorm rooms around 7:00 am this morning and were treated to nice big comfy rooms with a balcony.  I have my door open right now, the breeze feels good and it's about 11 degrees celsius.  No complaints here!

Nice big rooms!

 Later after breakfast, the four of us went for a walk to get our spectator passes.  It was a very long walk!  I wore my flip flops which felt really good, but not so much on the way back when my feet were sore.
 Anyways, we now have our passes to get into the games and have found a shorter route to shopping, all in all a good first day.  Bev and I decided we needed a nap after our outing but Nat and Dean decided to walk over to see the sledge team practice.  I think it took them an hour to walk over to the gate of the venues only to find they couldn't get in..so then another hour to walk back.  Looks like we are going to do a lot of walking this week!  The only issue we have had so far is the language.  Luckily the menus are in Russian and English and most of the signs, but the people do not speak much or any at all.  We found a young volunteer tonight that spoke decent English, but I couldn't pay him enough to be our personal translator for the week.  Not to worry, with the help of Karli (our go-to  Hockey Canada girl) and Michael (our go-to Paralympic committee man) we will be just fine!  Only problem so far, we aren't able to see Tyler.  Weird, it's like they are in quarantine and no one can see them till the Opening Ceremonies.  It's only two days away, I'm sure Nat will survive!

Go Tyler! Go Canada!