Istanbul: Day One

I ended up taking an uber at 4:30am.  I arrived at Charles De Gaulle airport around 5am.  My flight was at 8am, but boarding time was at 7am.  It was very confusing, but needless to say, I felt better getting there earlier than later.  Once I boarded, I took a nap right away.  I knew I had to get some sleep since I was going to land in Istanbul at 12pm.  I still hadn’t figured out how to get to my hotel yet.

I was out of it once we landed.  Since they had transferred flights to the new airport, I noticed right away how long it was taking us to get to our gate.  Our pilot even reminded us that he had not taken off the remove-your-seat-belt sign.  Passengers got back to their seat and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  At first I felt the pilot was riding down the runway, but it took another 40 minutes until he pulled into our gate!  How big was this airport???

Well, it was HUGE.  Once we got off, it looked like a marathon race.  Passengers were walking quickly to get to passport control, but after they realized how much walking was going on, they slowed down their pace.  We must have passed at least 10 walking terminals until we reached check point.  Luckily, that line wasn’t too bad.

Since I had my carry-on luggage with me, my only concern was trying to find a place to exchange my euros so I wouldn’t have to do it outside of the airport.  The cashier took my bills, and once she asked for my passport, she looked at me and smiled and said, “America.”  I smiled back at her and realized my nerves went away.

My friends whom I was meeting later in the evening were messaging me.  They were still roaming around Naples.  I told them I landed safely, but needed to have some coffee so I could wake up and figure out how to get out of there.  According to google maps, there was a bus that would take me to Istanbul.  It was going to take 2 hours!  I was hoping that wasn’t true, but unfortunately they were right.  By the time I figured out where the ticket booth was to catch this bus, it was nearing 3pm!

I was worried when I boarded the bus since I almost got on the wrong one.  I was too busy following where everyone else was going, but the bus driver assured me I was on the right bus.  Once the bus filled up, he was all set to go.  Unfortunately, they were not going exactly according to schedule.

As we rode into the city, I took the opportunity to look out the window to check my surroundings.  Once we got into the city, I felt a little bit better.  But then I realized the traffic started to back up.  That’s when I looked into the horizon full of buildings after buildings.  Istanbul is HUGE!!  I realized how populated it was.  Sure enough, we got stuck in traffic, and the rest of the ride was bumper-to-bumper traffic.

I noticed palm trees and figured we were getting closer to the tourist part of Istanbul.  I ended up missing my stop.  I should have asked the bus driver but I knew something was up once the majority of people got off a stop.  He reassured me he will drop me off the next stop, but it was towards the port area.  A German lady tried to help me once we got off together and told me to head back to where I was supposed to get off.  I walked along the water front and noticed all the families enjoying the weather.  At this time, the temperature was nearing 80 degrees.

I felt I was way off course, but I knew I was going the right way.  My friends were now making their way to Naples airport, but were surprised I hadn’t gotten to the hotel yet.  After 30 minutes of walking I noticed a building up a hill that had a spike peeking out from the trees.  I felt it was the Blue Mosque.  I knew I was almost there.

I saw some tourists walking around and asked if I was near the Blue Mosque.  I had to go up the hill (a nightmare with my luggage) but the cabs wouldn’t take me up the narrow road.  Apparently, they were not allowed to go into the Old Town.  Only the large charter buses got inside.  I kept walking.

Of course, once I got inside the neighborhood, it took me another 20 minutes to find my hotel.  This area was heavily populated with back to back hotels.  A sweet old man came up to me after he found me standing in front of his hotel and asked if I was lost.  He took the number of my hotel and called on his cell phone to find the exact location.  So far everyone was super sweet to me.

I FINALLY found my hotel.  I was exhausted.  It was now 5:30pm.  I had landed in Istanbul at

12pm and it almost took me 6 hours to get to my hotel.  Unbelievable.  I messaged my friends and told them I was safe.  They’re flight was going to be delayed, but only for 20 minutes.  I ended up knocking out for a bit.  I slept for about 40 minutes, but wanted to have some dinner since by now I was starving.  I jumped in the shower and got ready.  When I checked in, the concierge told me people in Istanbul have dinner around 7 or 8pm.  I knew I didn’t want to walk around by myself too late.

I walked down the street off my hotel and found a Bazaar.  One particular restaurant looked lively, so I settled in there.  They had live music playing.  People seemed to be enjoying themselves.  Others were ordering hookahs for their tables.  I think I found the right spot!

The waiter was very friendly and I ordered the most delicious kabobs I’ve ever had in my life!  At one point a whirling deverish dancer came out and twirled for the audience.  I had to pinch myself!  My first night in Istanbul was magical and I was loving it!

Paris: A ride up The Eiffel Tower!

Hello everyone!  I am back and feeling better than ever!  This is ONE OF THE REASONS I LOVE TRAVELING!  When you get that euphoric feeling of bliss looking back on all the pictures you took and realizing it was not a dream!  I can confess my anxiety was pretty bad leading up to this trip.  I would wake up in the middle of the night having terrifying thoughts.  I was informed a few weeks ago that my friend who I was going to meet up in Istanbul had a flight modification.  She was now arriving 12 hours later with her family.  Initially I had booked my flight based on the time she was arriving so I could meet up with her at the airport.  Now everything had changed.

Although I have traveled solo to other countries, I have never been to such a huge city!!  I was mortified when I realized 15 million people live in Istanbul.  The last big city I had visited was London and that had a population of just 9 million.  I was worried I was going to get lost, or would stand out wandering around by myself.  I read up as much as I could leading up to my trip.  Initially that backfired on me (I had read a disturbing article about a female solo traveler who went missing in Istanbul).  I knew the only way to overcome my fears was to be fully prepared for anything.

One of the tidbits I learned during my frantic need of information is ways to be safe in another country for female travelers.  I attached a whistle to my key chain to carry with me at all times.  I registered to the United States Embassy for any updates on France and Turkey.  I also brought with me a plastic door stopper to use for my hotel door room in case I didn’t feel safe.  I realized I should have been doing these things years ago, but now I felt better in knowing that I did the best that I could to prepare myself.

Turkey were holding their local elections the week prior and I monitored the news as well.  In the meantime, Paris were still battling the Yellow Jackets on a weekly basis.  For the first time in years I felt uneasy about visiting Paris.  The only comfort I had was knowing that most of the protests were taking place during the weekends, and I would be in Istanbul during that time.  

Regardless, I had to get through my time in Paris first before worrying about Istanbul.  As usual, I didn’t have much sleep leading up to the trip.  I worked that day and left early to go back home.

I was pretty nervous at the airport.  Luckily, my brother who works for O’hare airport, came by to visit me at Frontera Grill while I had my pre-flight glass of wine.  That was very sweet of him.

Unfortunately, my flight was not too comfortable.  I couldn’t put my seat back.  I slept on and off throughout the whole time.  I did manage to watch some films.  I finally saw Lady Gaga’s movie “A Star is Born”.  At least now I know what the fuss was about!

Once I landed I contacted my friend who wanted to see me during his lunchtime from work.  I took a cab to Paris (which ran about 55 euros) and waited for him until he showed up.  It was nice seeing him.  We made plans to see each other later on again.

I made my way to my hotel and showered up.  Since now it was late afternoon, I knew I didn’t have much time to check out a museum.  I decided to find Rue L’Universite on my own.  I’ve been secretly wondering where the infamous shot of the Eifel Tower was and I managed to track it down on Instagram.  Many tourists have taken photos there because of the street leading up to the tower.  It was gorgeous indeed.  I decided to walk over to see how long the line was to ride up the elevator.  Since the weather was crappy, the line was not too bad.  I decided to go for it!

It took about half an hour to finally get up the elevator.  I am afraid of heights so I chose to not go all the way to the top.  Regardless the view was amazing!
Afterwards my friend messaged me that he was getting off from work.  The winds were very gusty and I decided to head over to his place instead of venturing out some more.  Like they say, tomorrow is another day!

Paris: Day Three

Day 3 in Paris was by far the BEST day of my trip.  Looking back on it now, I didn’t realize how perfect this day was going to turn out.  Isn’t it funny how that works sometimes?

I woke up and got ready.  Once I made my way down there I figured I should have breakfast before the day got busier unlike the day before.  I quickly found a café and ordered some croissants, coffee and juice.  This was their breakfast special and it was about to end soon.  Travel tip:  Since I was a bit tight on schedule, I forgot how much slower the service can be in Paris, especially if you want to grab something quick.  I took my time when the food arrived regardless.  I realized I have not sat down in a café since I got here.

The waiter got aggravated with someone and literally kicked him out of the restaurant; no pun intended.  That part surprised me, even if he was bothering customers for money.  I didn’t realize Parisians can have a temper.

I got lost (again) looking for Atelier des Lumieres.  I really wanted to see their art installation on Gustav Klimt but now I was wasting too much time looking for this place.  I told myself not to get too cheap in situations like these.  Even though I knew I was close by, I hailed a cab and gave them the address.  After a couple of twirls through the rues, she dropped me off in front.  I was so grateful.

The security had a line for tickets, but I did not have one.  I could not understand what was going on or what he was saying to people coming up to him, but once it was my turn, he told me to go inside.  I got the tickets from the ticket booth and walked through the door they told me to go to.  I must have missed something but the lights were on in the room.  There were people everywhere but I looked around to see what was going to happen.

Then, out of the blue, the lights shut off.  It did scare people a bit, but the lights quickly turned back on, with the opening credits of the installation.  I found a spot to watch everything.  It was basically set up in a warehouse, but the visuals were amazing.  The whole thing lasted about 45 minutes, but I loved every minute of it.

I browsed through their gift shop and then realized I could knock something else off of my itinerary.  I wanted to see the Sainte Chapelle de Paris.  I found the train and headed back towards Notre Dame.  I knew I was nearby again, but this time I walked up to two police officers and asked them where it was.  They were helpful and told me to go down the street.  I found the line forming and waited for a bit to get inside.  I didn’t realize once we got around the corner that there was another line to get in.  Here we had to pay for a ticket to get inside which I found odd. I didn’t realize how much smaller this cathedral was compared to the other ones I have visited in Paris.  You had to climb up a narrow stairway to get inside, but once you did, the beauty of the stain glass overwhelms you.  People would stop dead in their tracks!  I took my time inside and admired the details.

I didn’t take as long as I thought I would because of how small it is in size.   I had always wanted to check out the neighborhood of Trocadero.  Since I knew it would be close to the Eiffel Tower, I decided to head towards that direction via metro.  I entered the directions through my phone and was pleasantly surprised when I rode the train above ground.  I caught the stunning view of Paris and grew excited to get to my destination.  Btw, there were a TON of people in the Trocadero neighborhood!  It was a little overwhelming at first, but I managed to find the infamous platform in no time.  I grabbed a baguette sandwich while I walked around.  I enjoyed people watching too.  Everyone just loves the Eiffel Tower!

At that point, I wanted to head back to my hotel and freshen up since I was out in the sun all day.  I also wanted to get my suitcase together since I had to get up in the morning.  My flight was at 1pm but I knew I had to be at the airport a lot sooner.  

My friend was waiting for me at a café.  It was officially my last night in Paris and I needed to make the most of it.  For my commute, I had to catch a bus outside of my hotel.  It was nice looking out the window and seeing the passing streets.  A half hour later, I got off my stop and walked down the street.  I found my friends at the café and we enjoyed a glass of wine.  We decided to walk around and find another café and there we ran into Le Dome.  It was a happening place, and luckily they seated us right away.

In the end, it was bitter sweet leaving Paris.  I didn’t expect to enjoy my last day so much.  The morning was a bit chaotic.  I’m glad I got to the airport early again, because there was another backup, and this time people were yelling at the employees in French.  Not good on my nerves, but I caught my flight back to Iceland.  This time, my layover was 6 hours.  I figured I could make arrangements to go to the Blue Lagoon, but no such luck.  They told me right then and there that they were at capacity.  Oh well.  I found a spot at the airport used their WiFi to catch up with my friend in Italy.  I even had dinner there at the airport since I was going to land in Chicago later in the evening.

Recapping my stories have made me miss Paris all over again.  It’s funny that a place can leave you feeling that way…

Paris: Day Two

I woke up early to head down to the Catacombs of Paris.  I heard the lines to get in were terrible, and they were right!  I also read online that it’s a bit chilly down there, so I wore some leggings underneath my dress.  I figured I could easily take them off somewhere once it was over.  The weather was tipping 80 degrees, but I did my best not to think about how warm it was.  Since I literally ran up to the line, it never occurred to me to grab some coffee and munch on a croissant while I waited.  The line was moving very slowly.  At one point, I couldn’t take it anymore.  I asked the people in front of me if they could hold my place in line.  I was so out of it.  I needed my java fix.  I ran to a bakery nearby and ordered a cup of espresso along with a baguette sandwich.  I scarfed it down as soon as it was ready.  I enjoyed talking to some of the people in line with me.  Behind me were two pretty girls from Demark.  They had been staying in Paris for one week now.

Once we finally got inside the entrance, I realized my tickets came with the audio.  I offered to share my headphones to the girls behind me so they could listen in on what was happening.  I didn’t realize how far down we were going!  I counted 150 steps!  This is definitely not for the weak-minded.  Luckily, no one was freaking out, although there was a group of students that started to screech a little.

The catacombs were very impressive.  Each of the bones were layered up evenly as if they were bricks.  There were times I felt I wasn’t really “there”.  It’s hard to grasp seeing 6 million people layered up like that.

I never felt afraid, and everyone around me was well behaved.  I bought a book from the shop above and said bye to the girls.  They were flying out that day.  I decided I still had time to do something else off of my itinerary.  It was now past 3pm.  I wanted to continue so I headed to le Cimetière du Pere-Lachaise to see if I could find Jim Morrison’s tomb.

It took me another 45 minutes to get there.  By now I had been using my phone to find directions.  I entered the cemetery with a 30 percent charge.  I walked around and took some footage but my phone started to act up.  Next thing you know, it turned off completely.  I tried turning it back on, but it said I was out of battery.  Weird.  I figured “someone” didn’t want me to film.  I didn’t let it creep me out.  I just went on my way. 
Too bad I kept going in circles.  I walked around aimlessly but couldn’t find any help around, and the tourists I did run into didn’t know where his tomb was.  I figured I will walk back to the main entrance to look at the floor map again, but people told me it was now closing.  I must have misread the wrong information online.  I thought the cemetery closed at 8pm but it closes at 6pm.  I had to leave.

I found a café to charge up my phone.  I thought about my time in Paris.  I felt I could still knock off le Jardin du Luxembourg.  It was sunny out and I knew I didn’t have time to see another museum.  Off I went!

Since it was now early evening, people were dining everywhere outside.  The cafes were filled with people.  I walked my way over to the entrance.  It was pretty massive.  I covered as much ground work as I could before resting up.  It was nice seeing everyone enjoy their time in the garden.  People were reading, taking pictures, and absorbing the beauty of the palace.  I didn’t get a chance to go inside, but it looked lovely.  

By now it was getting close to 8pm.  I figured I should head back if I wanted to rest up first.  I took a quick shower and laid down once I got to the hotel.  I didn’t want to leave my hotel too late.  This time around, I found my hotel a bit unsettling.  I had some very noisy neighbors who kept going in and out of their hotel room which was right next to mine.  I felt uneasy but I didn’t want to make a fuss since I knew my hotel was at full capacity when I booked online.  I wanted to rush out before I ran into any of them in the hallway.  Oh well.  What could you do?  The area was filled with people, so I never felt unsafe there.  I just felt uneasy.  The receptionist who was wonderful to me last time I had visited was not there anymore.  I missed him a lot.

From a friend’s recommendation, I wanted to checkout Kong.  I had on my new red ankle strap heels which were barely 3 inches.  I felt fine the whole  night I was walking in them.  They are now my go-to heels for traveling.  I found the Seine river and went down to the river walk thinking it was there.  I found out Kong was up on the street, but I did walk around a bit and enjoyed the view.  The Eiffel Tower was twinkling.

I finally found Kong and walked up to the bouncers.  They let me in, but this place was intimidating.  I was worried it was out of my price range.  Luckily, I did ask the bouncers if I could have a drink at the bar since I didn’t have reservations for dinner and they said it was fine.

Once upstairs, I tried to compose myself.  The bartenders were sweet.  I ordered the Asian Porn Star cocktail and loved it.

Since it was a bit pricey in there, I finished up my cocktail and messaged my other friend in Paris.  He was bar hopping all over and we decided to meet at O’Sullivans.  I took a cab and ended up st the wrong place.  I guess there’s two different O’Sullivans, but I finally found my friend in the end.   Everyone inside was so young.  But they had so much energy!  I loved it!  We danced all night long.  I had a blast with him and his friend.  We caught up a bit before we ended our night there.  I’m glad I got the chance to see him…

Paris: Day One

I decided at the last minute not to get a hotel in Reykjavik.  I did not want to worry about getting transportation at 3am for my 6am flight.  I figured the only way to calm my nerves was to hang out at the airport with the rest of the youngsters.  I read beforehand that you could check in at midnight, and that’s what I did.  I found a spot and put my head down until it was time to head to my gate.  I was exhausted but I knew I could knock out peacefully on my 3 hour flight to Paris.  Once we landed I went to catch the RER B train to the city.  Can you believe what happened next?  The train stopped running after two stops out of the airport.  I was confused since my French is still horrible, but people on the train explained to the other passengers what was going on.  Some people got off and got ubers.  I was still skeptical that our train would eventually start moving.  I decided to wait it out.  I think if we had moved further along, I would have considered other options, but I did not want to blow my budget already on a pricey cab ride.  I waited for 30 minutes.  Luckily they did make another announcement, but it was not good news.  They still did not have clearance to move forward and were not sure when they were allowed to.  More people got off, but I stayed on and knocked out for a bit.  I felt they would move one way or another since it is a popular train line but this was altering my plans for the day. 

I had waited for a full hour before the conductor announced we were ready to go.  I booked the same hotel as I had back in December, (by Gare du Nord).  Once I checked in my room I quickly showered and got ready for my day. 

I ended up getting to Musée Rodin around 3pm.  Pretty late in the day considering most museums close around 5:45pm.  I figured I would take my time there since I probably would not be able to knock out another museum.  There was a pretty big crowd already ahead of me.  It made me nervous that I wouldn’t be able to see much, but luckily it was moving along.  Part of the exhibitions were also in the garden.  There were times I felt a bit jammed inside, but outside was a different story.  Everyone had more room to enjoy the statues.  I completely fell in love with Rodin’s work and admired the Gates of Hell up close.  Since it was very hot that day, I decided to sit down for a bit at the café.  Unfortunately, I had time for one glass of rosé before the museum closed.  I managed to see as much as I could.  So much for that train mishap earlier.

My friend in Paris contacted me to meet up around 6:30pm.  I started heading towards his direction and even picked up a bottle of white wine for us.  I think I would like to do a French wine tasting in the near future since I’ve done a couple in Italy.  It would give me a chance to compare the two...