The Wenzel’s Big Adventure

Turkey was an absolute blast! We granted ourselves more freedom by renting a car and enjoyed our time immersing ourselves in the rich culture. In total, we spent almost three weeks exploring this Middle Eastern country. Our Turkey adventure started in Istanbul. However, before we fell in love with this city and country, we had to add a bit of “Dwight” adversity to the mix. 

Our flight from India had a layover in Dubai (not long enough to venture into the city) and didn’t arrive in Turkey until early evening. Hadley was sick for the day, and Jack was a bit wild; it was one of our more challenging days. Even though the day was tough, our spirits were high as we’d been looking forward to Turkey. Before leaving the airport, our resilience was tested once more by my inadequacy to hold onto a payment card.

We didn’t have coins for the luggage cart rental deposit, so I used my credit card.  After paying the deposit, I made the mistake of putting the card in the same pocket as my cell phone instead of in my wallet. At some point during our walk from the luggage conveyor to the airport exit, I pulled my phone out to check something. The card must have been on the face of the phone, and it inadvertently fell off without my notice. By the time I realized it was gone, we were through customs and almost out the door.  Immediately, I retraced my steps up to the customs gate, and when I didn’t find the card, I made my way to the airport services.  Unfortunately, they hadn’t received it but provided a guide to take me back through the airport so I could search the areas where I thought I had lost it.  The individual was deaf, rode a segway and had no time for slow walking; I had to keep a steady trot on to keep up with him. Joking aside, he was accommodating and patient, taking the time to wait for me as I searched the baggage pick-up area. 

Coming up empty on the foot search, I turned to the airport police.  At my guide’s advice, I tracked down the CCTV department on the off chance that their cameras may have picked something up.  The technician I spoke with immediately laughed at me when I explained what happened and what I was hoping to do.  He explained that despite multiple cameras in the airport, seeing a credit card get dropped or fall from a person was almost impossible.  We shared in the laugh, and he apologized for being unable to help. I opened a case with the Airport Authority and stayed in touch with them for a few weeks, but the card was never found.

We rented an apartment for our stay in Istanbul.  It was conveniently located near public transit and Istiklal Street, a 1.4km stretch of road with many stores and restaurants.  The apartment was nice but relatively small and not what we’d originally booked. Instead of individual beds for the kids, it had a futon, and the air conditioner had difficulty keeping up.  On the bright side, it had a kitchen, excellent water pressure and a beautiful city view. 

Istanbul was a great experience and a wonderful place to visit.  Even though it’s big and busy, it wasn’t overwhelming.  There is so much to see and do at every turn that you don’t get that “herded like cattle” or claustrophobic feel you get in most big tourist-driven cities.  We spent four days immersing ourselves in the rich culture and didn’t even scratch the surface of what Istanbul has to offer. Corey and I have discussed revisiting this storied city, probably without the kids; they weren’t overly interested in the old buildings and markets. The kids may be persuaded to return if only to see all the cats.  Istanbul is well known for having a large cat population.  They are beloved in the city and well cared for by locals and tourists alike. Cat food vending machines are set up throughout the city, allowing anyone to feed the animals. 

On our first day in Istanbul, our first stop was at a small cafe, although calling this place a cafe was a stretch. It was more of a kitchen on the street run by a single guy.  Across the street from him was the cafe we’d planned to visit, but we like supporting the little guys and chose to eat at the rustic street kitchen.  The menu was limited but good.  I had a Turkish breakfast (fresh tomatoes & peppers, olives, feta cheese, hard-boiled eggs & bread), the kids had grilled cheeses, and Corey ordered an omelette. Unfortunately, the cook ran out of propane while boiling my eggs, so she had to change her order to grilled cheese. I don’t think he was used to such a large group stopping in. We were introduced to “Çay” at breakfast, also known as Turkish tea.  This delicious black tea blend is heavily consumed throughout the country and is a staple in most meals. 

After breakfast, we set out into the city.  We put on a few miles exploring Istiklal Street and the surrounding streets that were filled with covered markets selling everything from handmade bags to rugs to old nazi war memorabilia.  We took a train across the river from the walking street and markets and stopped at the Blue Mosque.  This famous Mosque was constructed in 1617 and is a masterpiece.  The interior is beautifully decorated with intricate tile work and paintings; the attention to detail was remarkable. 

Finishing off the day, we rode on the world’s second-oldest subway train; London’s Tube is the oldest.   The Tünel is a 573m line that first opened in 1875.  It runs from the Karaköy station near the Bosphorus River uphill to the Beyoğlu station at the end of Istiklal Street. It is a rubber-tyred tram that uses large cables to move between stations.

The public transport network in Istanbul helped make our time in the city enjoyable.  There is nothing more frustrating than wasting a bunch of time trying to decipher bus and train schedules when you’ve limited time in a place. Add children who don’t understand, nor care, how getting around works, and you have the exact recipe for a heap of frustration.  The buses, ferries, trains, and trams are all clearly marked and run on time (or within a couple of minutes), and everything runs appropriately and in sync with Google Maps.  On top of everything, purchasing a transit card and keeping it topped up was a breeze. A person does not need to fear public transit in Istanbul. 

On our second day, we took a ferry to the Kadikoy district, located on the city’s eastern side. After savouring a couple of Gyros, we hopped on a tram for a leisurely tour, which concluded at a spacious park that overlooks where the Bosphorus River meets the Sea of Marmara. While the kids played on the playground and enjoyed the open area, Corey and I relaxed in the sun, watching boats glide by.  While at the park, we also found that Istanbul is the only city in the world which has figured out paid public toilets.  The washrooms were spotless and well taken care of, and you could pay for them with your public transit card, not just coins.  Most only accept coins, which, in some cases, we didn’t have.  In other places, we’d sometimes have to carry a sack of change that rivalled the one my Grandpa Melvin used to carry on his person; that man could have bought a car with the change he always had. 

After a good session at the park, we continued our exploration of Kadikoy’s streets, taking breaks for the kids to play with cats. They soon understood that not every cat appreciates “Jack & Hadley love,” and they walked away with minor scratches. Eventually, we stopped for lunch at a cozy bakery. While chatting with us, the owner learned we were Canadian and immediately began playing Justin Bieber—a common occurrence on our trip that has made the kids, especially Jack, fond of his music! Afterward, we strolled back toward the pier, stopping at a small spot serving cold beer and playing the Macarena on repeat; in just half an hour, they played it four times. Even Hadley, who loves to dance, remarked, “Why do they keep playing this song? It’s not even that good.”  

Finishing our day, we took the ferry back to the core area and took a train to our last stop, the Cistern of Theodosius. Construction of the 20m x 40m cistern was completed in 443 AD, and the place went undiscovered until 2010, when it was uncovered during a building renovation. During the Ottoman Empire, this cistern (and others in the city) was not used because they were considered unclean and unhealthy. The cistern tour started a bit slow, and Corey and I thought we got hosed on paying admission to see an ancient, oversized, yet beautiful water tank. This changed 10 minutes into our visit when a pretty awesome light show illuminated the landmark. The show lasted around 20 minutes and highlighted the ongoing history of the city. All in all, we quite enjoyed it. 

Our last day in Istanbul was one that Jack had been looking forward to.  We started our day with a visit to Legoland, cue-heavenly music. The visit consisted of a tour through some large lego displays depicting different scenes, such as the whole city of Istanbul, the Taj Mahal and Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witch Craft; this one was fascinating since Jack and I started reading the Harry Potter series on the trip.  After the tour, we participated in a video game and then spent a few hours playing with Lego, building cars and racing them on different tracks; Jack was in his glory. On the way out, we passed through the Lego store, which had some fantastic kits, including a fully automated crane that had 25,000 pieces and cost a staggering $1,100; naturally, Jack and I put this on our Christmas list.  The store was a bit overpriced, and we didn’t have room to pack around Lego, so we snapped pictures of sets Jack liked and purchased them on Amazon; they were waiting for us when we arrived back in Canada. 

Istanbul has found unique ways to utilize space. The Galata Bridge connects the Eminönü and Fatih districts, acting not only as a passageway for transit but also as a restaurant area. Underneath the roadway, in the bridge’s support structure, are over a dozen restaurants offering a variety of cuisines. Another example of great space utilization is the underground markets found in the pedestrian corridors connecting the subway system and the underpasses below the streets. You can find almost anything you need in one of the many markets, shops, or cafés. It was in one shop that we found cheap shoes for the kids. The shoes they started the trip with were wearing our and becoming too small. We found a couple of pairs of Nike knock-offs that fit great and, in Jack’s words, “increase his speed and horsepower.” Aside from the increased abilities they provided Jack, they were also extremely well-priced, which is always a struggle when buying clothes for kids; they outgrow things so fast that it’s sometimes hard to justify spending much on something that will be too small in a couple of months. 

With a new set of shoes, 50 km/hr added to Jack’s speed, we set off to one of the world’s largest and oldest covered markets, the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul; we did not give ourselves enough time for this place. It was sprawling, to say the least, and had everything you could imagine: food, cologne, perfumes, glass lanterns, rugs, teapots, spices; the list went on, and most items were handmade! We would have definitely purchased a few items if we hadn’t been halfway through our trip. Similar to other parts of Istanbul, the place was busy but not overwhelming. As expected, the kids didn’t find much excitement in the place, and we ended up carrying them through most of it; it was worth it.

After the Grand Bazaar, we stopped for a bite to eat and then did a quick tour of the Egyptian Spice Market, located a few blocks from the Grand Bazaar. Entering the covered spice market, we were engulfed in a cacophony of smells. Like the spice market in Delhi, each vendor had massive piles of spices, all begging me to take them home. The twins also enjoyed the spice market; not for the same reasons as Corey and I, but because each shop we stopped at gave them Turkish delights, and by the time we left the market, they were vibrating and bouncing off the walls. Vendors laughed at our expense as we tried to navigate the two Tasmanian devils through the busy area. Thankfully, there was a large open square in front of the market, where they were able to burn off some energy.  

Our fourth day in Istanbul was a travel day.  Since we’d become pros at navigating Istanbul’s public transit, we used it to get to our rental car place on the far east side of town.  Our total trip took 2 hours.  Loaded up with all our gear, we rode the subway for an hour, the bus for 45 minutes, and then walked 15 minutes to the car rental place; both kids did amazingly well and let us know that the only way they made it through was because of their new shoes.  The trek to the rental location ended up being the easy part of our exit out of Istanbul. 

Losing the credit card caused a bit of a snafu, especially for our upcoming car rental.  I was to be the primary driver, which meant the car needed to be booked and paid for by me.  The chip on my other card had been damaged, and the stripe did not work, so it was useless.  The rental company wouldn’t let me perform multiple taps to pay; in the end, we had to spend a bit more to add Corey as a driver so we could use her card.  The rental agent was a bit intimidating and, thankfully, chose to take her frustration from our situation out on those who would call her.  Instead of yelling at us, she yelled at one of her fellow employees who kept calling her while we worked through our shit storm.  Too bad we didn’t speak Turkish; it would have been interesting to hear what the angry eastern European lady was saying. After around an hour, with the paperwork finalized, we loaded into our little Clio and hit the open road.