East meets West Journey Begins...

Our first meal was two hours into the flight. I enjoyed the Penne pasta and Karen had the butter chicken. The meal was remarkably good for airline food.

We departed SFO at 7:30 PM on Saturday evening (October 18, 2025). the flight was about 70% full and Karen and I had seats on the aisles in the center section hoping to have an open seat in the middle but no luck. Karen eventually exchanged her seat with the gentleman in the middle and we sat together for the majority of the flight.

Owen and Eli were seated in front of us with the empty middle seat we were happy to have. They did great on this long flight playing video games, watching movies, eating and napping.

Our entourage all safe and sound on the ground in Istanbul's massive airport. We arrived at 5:45 PM on Sunday, October 19th and caught our shuttle transportation to the downtown area about 45 minutes away.

We arrived at the charming Darussaade Hotel in Istanbul, checked in and decided to walk around the local area to find a place to eat. We discovered Dubb Ethnic restaurant and were not disappointed. The delicious food that we all shared "family style" included a variety of Turkish spreads with bread, a massive double kebab platter finished with Turkish baklava and chai tea. The owner likes to put on a cooking show preparing some of the dishes outside next to the street.

This is the street view from our room. This is not a walkway but the narrow street driven by taxis, delivery trucks and buses.

After dinner we walked back to our hotel to "attempt" sleeping. This would be the greatest initial challenge for all of us. I used my cellphone white noise app to drown out the ambient street noise. People here eat late and stay up late. We will need some time to adapt to this new circadian rhythm and cultural norm.

Monday morning breakfast was early and we all enjoyed quite an extensive array of traditional Turkish breakfast items that included a variety of cheeses, breads and spreads. Yogurt and rice pudding were available along with fresh fruits. Eggs were available but no bacon or sausage due to the Muslim nature of the country.

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With a population over 15 million, it is home to 18% of the population of Turkey. It is a city on two continents; about two-thirds of its population live in Europe and the rest in Asia. Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus—one of the world's busiest waterways—in northwestern Turkey, between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.

Istanbul's strategic position along the historic Silk Road with rail networks to Europe and West Asia and the only sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean have helped foster an eclectic populace, although less so since the establishment of the Republic in 1923. Overlooked for the new capital during the interwar period, the city has since regained much of its prominence. The population of the city has increased tenfold since the 1950s, as migrants from across Anatolia have flocked to the metropolis and city limits have expanded to accommodate them. Most Turkish citizens in Istanbul are ethnic Turks, while ethnic Kurds are the largest ethnic minority. Art festivals were established at the end of the 20th century, while infrastructure improvements have produced a complex transportation network.

Hagia Sophia, officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, is a church serving as a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey.

Our first full day, Monday October 20, would be spent getting an overview of the city. To do this we purchased tickets for two days on the Hop On Hop Off Red (HOHO) bus that would depart Sultanahmet Square near the Hagia Sophia Mosque about 4/10th of a mile walk from our hotel. This two day HOHO ticket also included a ferry ride admission to cruise up the Bosphorus.

The HOHO bus has 11 stops. The bus stops at each location and a new bus arrives every 45 minutes.

Stop 1: Sultanahmet Square, start of the tour.

Stop 2: Galata Bridge

Stop 3: Tophane  - we got off for a brief bathroom break and coffee at Starbucks

Stop 4: Port

Stop 5: Dolmabahce Palace, one of the most popular palaces in Istanbul.

Stop 6: Naval Museum, here I would recommend you get off and spend at least 1 hour. The museum contains a large collection of maritime and military artifacts. Admission is included in the HOHO ticket. Just remember that this museum is closed on Mondays.

Stop 7: Beylerbeyi Palace - we stopped for lunch on the Asian side of Istanbul across the Bosphorus Bridge.

Stop 8: Akaretler / W Hotel

Stop 9: Taksim Square, here I recommend you to get off and spend at least 1-2 hours walking along the famous Istiklal Street, visit the church of St. Anthony of Padua and the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

Stop 10: Sishane - we stopped here to visit the Galata Tower,

Stop 11: Egyptian Spice Bazaar in Istanbul, here you could also get off and spend at least 1 hour in the bazaar, this very famous place is near Eminonu Square and is ideal to experience the lively atmosphere of the locals.

Sultanahmet Square: End of the tour.

Tophane Square, with the Tophane Barracks and the Nusretiye Mosque.

The Galata Tower is a medieval Genoese tower in the Galata part of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey.

A symbol for the spirit of İstanbul that has adorned the lines of several authors and poets, Galata Tower is without doubt the number one landmark to see in İstanbul. But, you might ask, what is it that is so special about this Tower that we encounter in almost every shot of İstanbul? The Tower, whose history spans nearly 1,500 years, was commissioned by the Byzantine emperor Justinian the Great in the 6th century as a lighthouse, which would then serve as a strategic watchtower. But little remained of its Byzantine glamour when it was majorly damaged in a huge fire. In 1348, the Genoese built a new tower, this time from rock, at the very same place and named it the “Tower of Christ.” When İstanbul was conquered on May 29, 1454, Galata Tower fell into the hands of the Ottoman Empire. Hard hit by the earthquake of 1509, the Tower had undergone a repairment by 1510. The Tower, which suffered from several consecutive fires, has been renewed a few times, its function changing each and every time.

Built as a watchtower at the highest point of the mostly demolished Walls of Galata, the tower is now a museum, and a symbol of Beyoğlu and Istanbul.

A wonderful first full day completed with 7,832 steps for 3.54 miles of walking. After another excellent Turkish dinner that completed the evening we all returned back to the hotel for bed.