Travel Day: ADB to FCO via SAW

Wednesday, 14 September 2016
LGM Lounge, Sabİha Gökçen Airport — İstanbul, Turkey
Temps: 79F (26C) / 62F (17C) [in Civitavecchia]

The first phase of today’s travels is completed. We flew from İzmir to İstanbul and are currently ensconced in the LGM Lounge at Sabİha Gökçen Airport (SAW) awaiting our forward flight to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport (FCO). Time to catch up … in bits and pieces and from here and there.

Up at 4:00a, we were out the door an hour later.  We dragged our bags the few short steps to the taxi stand on the corner of Mustafa Bey and Plevne for the 30-minute or so ride to ADB.  Predictably, traffic was nil at that hour.  The domestic departures terminal was fairly quiet as well — no waiting at the Pegasus Airlines counter.  We checked in for our flight to SAW without delay ... bags tagged through to FCO.  With plenty of time on our hands, our next stop was Mail Café, where we got a bite to eat since budget-airline Pegasus only offers pay-meals. For the outrageous price of TL35 (~$12), we got access to the wi-fi along with a simple breakfast of kaşarlı gevrek and caffeinated beverages.

Although boarding was delayed 20 minutes due to late-arriving equipment, PC4119 pushed back on time at 7:40a. The flight time was listed as one hour and ten minutes, but we knew that was bogus … 40-50 minutes is the norm for this route. In fact, we barely had time to enjoy our exit row seats 16C/D before the pilot announced we were descending into SAW.

Since we already had our SAW-FCO boarding passes, we made our way directly to passport control. Good thing we did — the lines were outrageously long … for both Turkish and foreign passport holders. I thought I remembered that there was another checkpoint, but I couldn’t be sure, so we entered the first one we came to. The line inched along, but we had plenty of time before our 11:50 scheduled departure … so no stress, no mess. By contrast the security checkpoint was easy peasy.

Formalities completed, we made our way to the LGM Lounge to see if we could get in. Sure enough, Mui’s newly-minted İş Banks credit card was accepted — and there was a promotion to boot, so we got in for TL27.50 (~$9) each. There were just a few people and plenty of comfortable seating. The buffet was set up with a selection of pastries — simit, poğaça, tarts, and eclairs … to name but a few. Wine, beer, and assorted pastries were available gratis. An excellent place to wait for our flight … and for me to catch up on the events of this morning.

Later … Aboard PC535

The departures board at the LGM Lounge indicated that the gate assignment for our FCO flight would be posted at 10:50a … just 15 minutes prior to the schedule boarding time. At least the SAW system is prompt. At the designated time, we learned that we didn’t have far to walk … gate 204A was adjacent to the lounge. Boarding was delayed slightly, but when flight PC535 was called, things proceeded in an orderly fashion — none of the hullabaloo that usually accompanies the boarding of flights operated by Turkish carriers. The plane — a B737-800 — pushed back five minutes early at 11:45a; 10 minutes later we were in the air … no sign of the massive delays we were told to expect.

Shortly after the aircraft leveled off at flight altitude, the hot meals I had pre-ordered online were served … mushroom ravioli in a cheese sauce for me; köfte with bulgur and grilled veggies for Mui. My meal was accompanied by an artichoke and lettuce salad and chocolate mousse; Mui’s tray held a version of a çoban salatatası (tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and feta cheese) and revani for dessert. A bread roll each was provided, but no water … the latter available for a price … go figure. No matter, we expected as much and brought a couple of bottles of water onboard with us.

As I did for the ADB-SAW flight, I pre-purchased exit row seats for this flight — 16C/D again. Since this leg is just under three hours, we have time to enjoy the legroom … although the seat width does leave a bit to be desired. And that catches me up for the time being. Next entry … probably from our hotel in Civitavecchia when we get settled.

Later … Wrapping Up from Civitavecchia

The balance of our flight to FCO was uneventful. So much so that we actually landed at 1:00p, Central European Time — 40 minutes ahead of schedule. The downside to our early arrival was that the buses to transfer us to the terminal were nowhere to be found, so we were delayed about 10 minutes deplaning. The upside — we made it to passport control just before all the other passengers arriving at FCO at about when we should have landed.

By 1:40p, we had our bags and were walking to the train station attached to the airport. Having used the trains a couple of times during our three-week stay in Rome last year, buying tickets for the local train to Civitavecchia was a piece of cake … we weren’t even surprised when the TrenItalia vending machines spit out tickets that were good for any train after 2:00p even though the system had us pick a specific departure. We missed the earliest departure by just a minute or two — blame it on the temperamental ticket validation machine on the station’s platform. No matter, the 2:42p train to Rome arrived early enough that we didn’t have to stand around waiting on the platform.

The only glitch — and it wasn’t much of one anyway — happened when we detrained at the Trastevere Station to switch to the Civitavecchia train. We didn’t notice the overhead sign that indicated we were already at the right binario [platform], so we ended up making an unnecessary elevator trip to get to the terminal only to retrace our steps in short order. The entire trip from FCO to Civitavecchia took about 1½ hours.

When we disembarked at the terminal, we followed roughly the route I had mapped out to Hotel Traghetto for our overnight stay. The walk was less than a mile (1.4 km per Google) and took about 20 minutes. Not a bad walk at all — even with the luggage. By 5:00p, we were at the hotel’s front desk, handing over our passports to have them photocopied.

I had already requested a room overlooking the port, and the clerk at the front desk confirmed our room as being 302. The hotel isn’t much to look at. The furnishings are quite outdated, but everything is spic and span clean. That’s really all we need for an overnight stay. The Traghetto has the added advantage of being across the street from where the port shuttles depart to take passengers to the various terminals. Definitely a bonus. And we have a view of the ship’s in port … but if my recollection of the port map is accurate we may not be able to see much of Silhouette when she comes into port tomorrow.

After dropping off our bags, we walked back into downtown Civitavecchia. Our goal: get a bite to eat before calling it a day. We ended up choosing a place called Gran Caffè on Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi. I enjoyed my pizza … something called Bufalino (pomodoro sauce and buffalo milk mozzarella); and Mui said his grilled fresh fish was really good, too. A shared insalate completed our meal. We skipped desert at the café in lieu of gelato from Casa del Gelato on the way back to the hotel.

A tasty dinner at Gran Caffè.	A peak @ Forte Michelangelo.

I seem to have a slight case of dock-rock even before embarking the ship … in this case from being dead tired after getting just three hours of sleep last night. Plan to get a good night’s rest tonight. We have no plans to do anything but relax tomorrow before we check out of the hotel to embark Silhouette.

IAH to FCO Cont’d … We Arrive in Rome

Sunday, 30 August 2015 (Part II)

So, the previous post brought us from Houston to New York’s JFK Airport for our flight to İstanbul.  Oh wait, why go all the way to Turkey if we are going to Rome?  Well, the best one-way fare we found was on Turkish Airlines (THY) … all of THY’s flights to destinations around the world connect through İstanbul’s Atatürk Airport (IST).

Anyway, if you want the backstory on how we got to JFK, start here.  If not, just keep reading.

In İzmir … the Long Haul Is Over

Friday, 30 May
Crossing “the Pond” — somewhere over the Atlantic

We are three hours into the Trans-
Atlantic flight that we boarded at Washington Dulles International (IAD) just before midnight on Thursday — that would be last night.  It’s already bright outside!  Not a surprise, really … we are, after all, flying east and slightly north.

TK0008 — somewhere over the Atlantic, en route to İstanbul … first leg of our summer travels.

The window shades are down, and most of the passengers are asleep — including Mui.  As usual, I’m wide awake.  We’ve been on the go for 22 hours, so you would think I’d be pooped.  I am; but not enough to fall asleep — or maybe I am too tired … I often find I can’t sleep when that’s the case.

Might as well get started on this blog post.

Earlier: Thursday into Friday …

We woke up to overcast skies and a light drizzle, and a temp of only 59F (15C).  The forecasted high of 61F (16C) was quite a change from the 88F (31C) that greeted us when we arrived at IAD yesterday.  Not complaining — except maybe a little bit about the rain, since we had a 55-mile (88 km) drive ahead of us.  Destination: our storage unit in Winchester, Virginia.  The light rain followed us all the way there; but at least there were no heavy downpours or thunderstorms to be concerned about.

After a breakfast stop at the Panera in Reston Town Center, we got on the road.  This was our first time driving to Winchester from this part of Northern Virginia, so we let the GPS give us directions.  Good thing we did; the drive was a lot shorter via the 12.5-mile (21 km) Dulles Greenway, a privately owned toll road, that connected us to Route 7.  It was worth the $5.20 toll each way — we saved on gas and, more importantly, on time.

C’mon Mui; get those bags unloaded so we can get to work!
(Alamo upgraded our economy reservation to this Toyota Corolla, considered a mid-size car.)

We were in Winchester to replace the well-worn luggage we had in the basement of the motorhome with like-new bags we had in the storage unit.  With plenty of time on our hands, we took our time transferring the contents of the bags, and even picked out a few things to ship back to our home pad at Gulf Waters RV Resort in Port Aransas, Texas.  We were back on the road to Reston by 1:00p.

Almost packed re-packed for the trip.

The rental car was due to be turned in at 4:30p.  We debated keeping it longer since we had a late flight, but at the $30/hour rate, that was an expensive proposition.  Instead, we decided to grab lunch at Jackson’s in Reston and then head to the airport.  Jackson’s is another one of the Great American Restaurants where we’ve enjoyed many a meal in the past.  It didn’t disappoint.  Mui ordered the warm goat cheese & spiced pecan salad, and helped me with my penne pasta, served in a tequila lime cream sauce and topped with chicken and shrimp.  Both were prepared well and quite tasty.

Two of our favorites at Jackson’s — ozzie bread and penne in a tequila lime cream sauce.

It was 4:15p when we arrived at the airport.  I grabbed a luggage cart and Mui left me there with the bags while he went to return the car.  In his absence, I found the Turkish Airlines (THY) counter and verified that it would be another three hours before it opened for check-in.  Here’s where we made a mistake.  Assuming the USO Lounge was after security, we didn’t even look for it.  Turns out, it wasn’t.  Oh well; there were plenty of seats not far from the THY counter, including a sought-after amenity at every airport — an outlet to charge electronics.  With our Millenicom MiFi powered up, we surfed the web while we waited — the time passed in the blink of an eye.

We were amongst the first to check-in for the flight.  That turned out to be a good thing.  The Airbus A330-200/300 we’re flying has four sets of exit doors.  But only one has exit row seats — four seats in all, and we managed to snag two of them.  We were originally in bulkhead seats with good legroom … but the exit seats in row 25 were even better — great for a 5,052-mile (8,421 km) flight.

Anyway, we still had a couple of hours to kill after we went through passport control and security.  We wandered the length of Terminal B before finding ourselves a quiet gate at the far end where we waited until boarding was called at 10:30p.  Ten minutes later we were settling into our seats; an hour later we were in the air.

Nice!

Once TK0008 was airborne, a cabin attendant came by with some lokum [Turkish Delight] — a sweet start to our 10-hour flight.  Dinner followed soon after.  THY has a reputation for serving better-than-your-run-of-the-mill airline food.  I’m afraid that wasn’t the case on this flight.  The food tasted more like it had been prepared by the same catering company that provisions United.  Good thing we had a tasty lunch and could pass on the meal service.

The menu looks good … on paper.

The lokum gets a thumb up …

… the dinner service … not so much!

The personal entertainment system offered a lot of selections.  Mui and I both started to watch Monuments Men on our screens, but gave up after a few minutes.  Not because the movie was bad, but because the audio was.  We’ll stream it when we get home.  Instead, Mui watched a couple of short TV shows before finally falling asleep.  I watched another movie — Phantom; based on the true story of a Cold War Era Soviet submarine.

And that brings me to the here and now.  We are at the half-way point of the 10-hour flight.  The flight screen shows us on schedule for a 4:41p landing.  Time to put the laptop away and get some shuteye.  I have a difficult enough time sleeping on airplanes; it’s going to be particularly hard to do so with the brat across the aisle screaming every time she doesn’t get her way — which seems to be most of the time.

Later: Alsancak — İzmİr, Turkey …
Saturday, 31 May

Despite being on the go for 33 hours; despite it being past midnight — I am still wide awake.  So, I might as well finish up this post.  We don’t have plans for tomorrow, so I can sleep in if necessary.

The remainder of the flight from IAD to İstanbul’s Atatürk Airport (IST) was uneventful.  I got a few z’s in 15-minute increments that might have totaled one hour in all — if that.

I spent a good deal of the time reading an Arctic primer, and processing photos for this post.  By the time the cabin lights came on to indicate that the final meal service was imminent, we were three hours out of IST.  I opened the window shade to find the plane flying over the Alps.  Most of the range was hidden from sight by puffy white clouds.  Still, I managed to get glimpses of some snow-dusted peaks.

I have no idea where we are, but I like the way the clouds in the distance are puffed up.

I wish I could say that the snack service — breakfast, really — was any better than dinner.  THY is 0 for 2 as far as meals are concerned on this flight.  At least the service, while not as attentive as the first time we flew this route, has been decent.  We’re going to reserve judgment on THY until we complete the remaining flights that are part of our itinerary.  We’re hoping today’s sub-par experience is a one-off thing.

Breakfast also gets a thumb down from me.

On approach to IST, the pilot announced that he’d be flying over İstanbul and giving us an aerial tour of what he described as the “world’s grandest city.”  Having a window seat paid off and I got to take photos of some of the landmarks.

As they say in airline lingo, we're feet dry over Turkey.

Buildings stretch out as far as the eye can see.

Boğaz Köprüsü (Bosphorus Bridge)

Topkapi Palace at Sarayburnu.

We were in sight of the runway and seconds from landing when the visibility went from 100% to 0%.  The culprit — a sudden squall, complete with hail, that took everyone by surprise.  Looking out the window, it seemed like someone had pulled heavy drapes across the landscape.  In fact, the storm was so bad that within minutes it was on all the TV stations as breaking news — something Aylin later told me.

The pilot revved the engines and put the aircraft in a steep climb.  Those who didn’t have a window to look out of were left wondering at the maneuver.  Once the plane was back at altitude, the pilot came on the PA. He explained the situation and told us that he was looping around for a re-do.  The bonus … another aerial tour of İstanbul.

On the Asian side of the city, the sun is already out … although there are thick clouds above us.

Three bridges span Halİç (Golden Horn) — (top to bottom) Galata, Metro Transit, and Atatürk.
Below the wing is Sarayburnu, the site of Topkapi Palace.

Looking towards the Sea of Marmara and Adalar (Princes Islands).

The pylons of the yet-to-be constructed third bridge over the Bosphorus,
which will be named for Yavuz Sultan Selİm, one of the Ottoman sultans.

The Hippodrome

It took maybe 15 minutes for us to make a second attempt at landing — this time successfully.  By that time, the sun was out and the sky was brightening.  The only sign of the sudden storm was all the water pooling on the runway and taxiways … the jet engines put up quite a spray when the pilot reversed the engines to slow the plane down once we were wheels down.

Welcome to İstanbul’s Atatürk Airport!

After deplaning, we headed to immigration where we got in the passport queue for Turkish nationals, which seems to always be a shorter line.  Soon, our passports stamped, we were on the other side of the kiosk.  Transit passengers who are continuing onto other Turkish airports that have customs and immigration capabilities do not have to collect their luggage in İstanbul.  That being the case, we strolled through the international terminal and made our way to the domestic terminal to go through security for the final leg of our trip.

Although Mui and I were heading to different destinations, both our flights were at 8:00p, so we had a couple of hours to kill.  Since it was dinner time, we decided to get some food at Tadında Anadolu, an airport restaurant that specializes in regional Turkish food.

Left: Cevİzlİ Erİşte (noodles with walnuts).
Right Top: Tepsİ oruǧu (a kind of meat pie between sheets of bulgur dough).
Right Bottom: Mualla (a dish made with eggplant and green lentils).

Around 6:45p (Turkey time; it was only 11:45a in DC), just as I was bidding Mui safe travels for his onward flight to Ankara, an announcement came over the PA, urgently calling passengers on my İzmir flight to the gate.  What’s up with that?  Turns out the 7:00p flight was being flown on an A330-200; the same type of aircraft that we flew from the US.  As it was less than half-full, THY was trying to move passengers from the subsequent flights to fill the plane.  Assured that my bags would be transferred as well, I went through the gate and onto the bus waiting to take passengers to TK2336.  Of course, I didn’t really think the bags would make it onto the flight, but I didn’t really care either.  I was going to my final destination, and THY would deliver the bags if they missed the flight since transferring me from TK2338 was their idea and not mine.

Güle güle İstanbul — or as they say in English, good bye!

Since I was still on the passenger shuttle at 7:15p, it came as no surprise that the 7:00p flight didn’t depart on time.  In fact, it was 7:40p by the time we were wheels up.  I was comfy in my window seat for the 40 minute flight, which included a meal service.  The sandwiches served on these short flights are usually quite good, but I was full from the meal I had eaten at the airport, so I passed.

The pilot flew over İzmir on the way to Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB).  I recognized many of the landmarks, and hard as it might be to believe, even managed to pick out familiar streets and landmarks in Alsancak.  Too bad my camera was in the overhead bin.

Upon deplaning, those of us who were transit passengers from overseas flights were directed to a shuttle on the tarmac.  There were about 35 of us who were then taken to the international terminal to collect our luggage and go through customs.  A few passengers did get their bags, but 29 of us were left holding the bag … so to speak.  No problem.  While the other passengers raised a fuss, I took the form I was given to the THY baggage counter and completed the steps to have my bags delivered — I’ll have them sometime tomorrow — make that today since it is almost 1:30a on Saturday … 31 May.

Cutting the rest of the story short … Aylin and Murat were at the terminal to pick me up.  Hugs and kisses; welcome greetings.  Soon we were on our way to Alsancak, the neighborhood where mom lives.  More hugs and kisses; chit chat and travel stories.  And it was time to go to bed and get a good night’s rest.

Which is what I am going to do now that I’m all caught up with the events of this long travel day.

Pre-Cruise in İstanbul: Naval Museum (Cont’d)

Wednesday, 13 November … into Thursday, 14 November
Sailing the Sea of Marmara, Turkey

Picking up from where I left off with the exhibit of Saltanat Kayıkları [Imperial Caiques] at the Deniz Müzesi [Naval Museum] … post here.

When one walks into the ground floor gallery one’s attention is split between two in-your-face exhibits.  One is the gilded imperial caiques.  The other is a historic galley that could be rowed — 3 men to an oar; 48 oars — or sailed.  Built at the end of the 16th century, it is said to be the oldest surviving galley in the world, and was used by Sultan Mehmet IV as a pleasure craft.  The galley’s most striking feature for me was the spectacular stern kiosk surrounded by banisters with decorative latticework and covered with a barrel vault ceiling — the entire structure adorned with mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, and semiprecious stones.

Another interesting boat on display was a dingy/lifeboat from the Ertuğrul.  According to the inscription on the stern it was built in 1911-1912 by the Imperial Dockyard.  What makes this small boat historically significant is that Atatürk used it to transfer over from the yacht to the Hamidiye Cruiser, an Ottoman battleship that saw action during the Balkan War as well as WWI.

the lifeboat is from the Ertuğrul, which served as the presidential yacht between 1926-1937.

Left: Stern nameplate of the yacht.

Right: Coat-of-arms with the tuğra (Calligrahic Monogram) of Sultan Mehmet Reşat V,
during whose reign the yacht was built and commissioned.

With time moving faster than we were, we skipped some of the displays in the main gallery and headed to the basement gallery to take a quick look see at the exhibit entitled The Art of Wood Carving in the Ottoman Navy.  Our eyes were immediately drawn to the far end of the room where the bow escutcheon from the Orhaniye was displayed in gilded glory.  The ship, a broadside ironclad, was built during the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz (1861-1876), and served during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878.  For a while after the war it served as a barracks vessel, and was finally sold for scrap in 1913.

Photo op with Ferda and Hakan in front of the Orhanİye escutcheon.
In the foreground is a ceiling medallion from the Sultan’s apartment in Kalyoncular Barracks.

Top: The Orhanİye bow escutcheon is 48 feet (14.5 m) long.
Left: Detail from the bow escutcheon.
Right: The stern Escutcheon.

The exhibit included numerous other escutcheons, and some paintings as well as other artifacts.  We didn’t do this area justice … so much to see, so much to read.  But here are some of the things that caught our eye.

Bow (left) and stern escutcheons from 19th century Ottoman ships.

Painting depicting the transporting of the lighter ships overland during the
siege of Constantinople by Fatİh Sultan Mehmet (Mehmed the Conquerer) in 1453.

A section of the boom chain that was laid across the Golden Horn
during the siege of Constantinople by the Ottomans.

Ceramic tableau … Preveza Naval Battle — Günselİ Devrİm.

Galley … embroidery on velvet.

Wood and oil tableau on canvas … Çirağan Palace — Migirdİç Melkon (1844).

Wood and oil tableau on canvas … Coastline from Tophane to Galata — Migirdİç Melkon (1844).

Our last stop at the museum was at a special exhibit entitled Pîrî Reis and His Cartography.  Pîrî Reis (1470-1553) was an Ottoman admiral, geographer, and cartographer.  He is best known for the detailed and remarkably accurate (for its time) maps and charts he collected in a navigation book.

Pîrî Reİs — world renowned Ottoman admiral, geographer, and cartographer.

Wandering through the exhibit, first we found ourselves in a room that had a moving map projected on the walls, as well as the ceiling and floor.  The display took visitors on a fantasy trip in the world of Pîrî Reis.  It was interesting, but impossible to photograph.

In another room we found what we were looking for — a copy of his first world map — presented on a sliding panel that allowed visitors to compare it against a modern day world map.  Drawn in 1513, it is the oldest known Turkish atlas showing the New World, and one of the oldest maps of America still in existence anywhere.  Though only a fragment of this map survives, its discovery during the conversion of the Topkapı Palace into a museum attracted worldwide attention in 1929.

Left: The fragment of Pîrî Reİs’s world map on a sliding panel against a modern day map.
Right: Chart of the Mediterranean shores and islands hand drawn by Pîrî Reİs in 1521.

Copy of a chart and accompanying notes Pîrî Reİs prepared by hand in
1526 to present to Kanunİ Sultan Süleyman.  The book that this was taken
from is 427 pages and contains 233 pages of maps and illustrations.

Today’s visit to the museum was necessarily short as Hakan wanted to take us to lunch at a restaurant across the Bosphorus.  The Deniz Müzesi has a lot more to offer visitors; perhaps someday I will return to check out what I missed this time.

OK … that’s it.  İstanbul is now truly behind me.  Time to focus on the cruise and the ports we’ll be visiting.  But first … I get to relax.  Tomorrow Today — it’s past midnight — is a day at sea.  And if I am to be up for the passage through the Dardanelles, I’d better take myself off to bed.