Here I am, almost in July – wondering where the bloody hell the year’s going! 2023’s certainly had its interesting moments so far, but I feel that I’ve a long list of things I want to do/see/achieve and I’m only scratching the surface in a race against time.
I’d intended to get out and about today but realised I’d more than enough things to do here at Bigland Towers – especially as I had a couple of hours set aside this afternoon to be part of a ‘Zoom’ seminar. Us Community Rail judges have made ourselves available on 2-hour long scheduled Q&A sessions to help people with their entries for the CRN awards. After the last one I’d contemplated holding the surgery whilst I was travelling but that wouldn’t have been fair on those popping in as you just know technology would let you down at the crucial moment.
So, I stayed at home, ignored the good(ish) weather and edited loads of pictures and dealt with paperwork instead. You can find the latest batch of pictures in the following galleries. Railway stations are here, whilst railway infrastructure and engineering is here. Borth galleries relate to my travels yesterday.
This evening I’ve been busy in the kitchen, giving Dawn a break after her culinary endeavors on our Norfolk holiday. Tonight’s effort was batch-cooking Thai green curry with chicken, which should keep us well fed for a few days and the freezer topped up for the future.
Of course, tomorrow’s another day. Will I make it out anywhere? Let’s wait and see. In the meantime, here’s today’s picture. As I was wading through the archives earlier I realised there’s one batch of pictures I still haven’t done anything with. These are the transport pictures from our visit to Turkey nearly two months ago. Eventually, they’ll go in their own gallery on my Zenfolio website, but for now, here’s a taste.
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The excitement of a break in Istanbul is slowly fading as we re-establish our UK routine back at Bigland Towers. Well routine for me. Dawn’s still on holiday, so – after pottering around at home she left to join Fran and Kath for an afternoon watching the King’s coronation on catch-up TV. Having the house to myself I pottered around solo. The garden’s really burst into life during the four days we were away so I soon lost an hour or so catching up on weeding and general maintenance in-between showers. The weather’s been crap since we got back with bouts of rain and temperatures only just in double figures – a good excuse to stay indoors and catch up on emails, paperwork and picture editing.
The shots I’ve taken in Istanbul are going to take several days to sort out, but the first collection (shipping) ended up on my Zenfolio website this evening. You can find the gallery via this link. Istanbul’s on the gateway to the Black Sea so the amount and variety of maritime traffic that passes is great for anyone interested in the nautical world. Add in the cruise liners that call and the multitude of ferries, tourists boats and pleasure craft that to and fro and you’ve a fascinating collection of craft to observe.
I suspect I’ll be trapped at home for the rest of this week as I’ve a lot of stuff to catch up on, plus, we’ve rail strikes on Friday and Saturday which will cramp my style anyway. I suppose I’ll be able to get all my picture backlog cleared at least…
I’ll leave you with the picture of the day which is one of my new shipping pictures. Here’s the passenger ship Ilker Karter which was built in 1980 at the Halic Shipyard in Istanbul. At 456 gross tonnes it’s not the largest ship in the world but it and its sister vessels put in a lot of nautical miles ferrying passengers around the Bosporus strait. In the background is one of the more modern ro-ro ferries.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Yep, we’re back in the UK after our long weekend in Istanbul which was enjoyed by all. I was certainly impressed with what the city had to offer in the way of history and architecture, but also in its people. Yes, some areas can be very touristy and you do get some hassle from touts in those places but it’s mild compared to other parts of the world I’ve visited and once you get away from that the atmosphere changes. All of us agreed that the vast majority of local people that we met made a really positive impression.
This morning it was time to fly back with a different airline from a different airport. Today we were flying with Turkish Airlines from the International airport on the European side rather than where we landed at Sabiha Gökçen on the Asian side. The airport was opened in 2018 and already covers a huge area, although there’s plans to expand it even more. Now, I have a love/hate relationship with flying. If I can avoid it I will because of the environmental cost and damage flying causes (especially domestic and short-haul), but sometimes there’s no viable alternative. That said, I do wince when I see massive new airports like Istanbul’s. The facilities may make life a lot easier for passengers but there’s a huge amount of steel and concrete involved in there construction, as well as clearing the land for the site and all the servicing facilities and power needed. Then there’s the fact that – really – they’re often huge shopping centres you merely catch flights from and International was no exception to this. There’s a mammoth amount of stalls selling luxury goods, expensive trinkets and the obligatory duty-free. On the plus side, the place isn’t cramped and claustrophobic the way some older airports can be, although there was a distinct lack of seating until you get to the gates. Maybe the planners just want you to spend your time wandering aimlessly through the shops in the hope you’ll buy something.
Security’s tight here too. Your baggage gets x-rayed as soon as you enter the terminal, then there’s the ID checks at the check-in desk, and again at baggage drop. Then you go through passport control and have your hand-luggage x-rayed once more. Finally, when you arrive at the gate there’s another ID and ticket check as well as another security search.
Finally, we made it onto the plane which was 25 mins late departing, but that was no big deal. Airlines get away with a lot when it comes to late flights. If it was a train people would be playing merry hell but at an airport people just seem to accept it. However, I can’t complain about the flight. Our plane was an Airbus A321-271NX which was as old as the airport. Unlike Pegasus, Turkish Airlines offer a full service onboard as part of the ticket price (just don’t ask how much extra you pay for luggage!). The staff were both friendly and efficient and the service really good. On the 3hr 50m journey we were served a hot meal which is in my case consisted of a Hummus starter with bread roll, chicken with rice and veg, then a chocolate pudding. You had a choice of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, plus tea or coffee to wash it all down with at the end.
It felt like a far cry from some of the offerings of British Airways where you get a cardboard box with a sandwich and a chocolate bar – although to be fair the BA I’ve never flown more than short-haul into Europe with them for many years. Oh, and not booked by me I may add, but by companies on press trips when the Eurostar trains were full!
After such a good flight even Manchester airport didn’t let us down. We breezed through passport control, picked up our bags in reasonable time, then made our way to the station to catch a busy Trans-Pennine Express service to Huddersfield where Aubrey (having had a successful day in court where the jury was sworn-in) was waiting to pick us up and ferry us back to Halifax.
Now it’s time to unwind, having unpacked and prepared to resume life back in the UK. Dawn’s still on holiday tomorrow and off to watch the coronation with Fran and Kath (two more of the five) whilst I’ll be having a busy day at home catching up with work and picture editing from our travels. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with another highlight of our Turkish trip. Regular readers will know of our love for cats. This is a love that’s obviously shared by many Turks. Several mornings when we eating breakfast we had this charming companion distracting us – as we did today before we left…
Here’s another thing that caught my eye. Tsunami warning/instruction signs in the Karaköy district where were staying.
There’s many more Turkish pictures to follow over the next few days, from tourist sites to streetlife, food to shipping. I’ll let you know where (and when) they appear…
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Today the 5 became 4. Aubrey’s had to head home early as a jury’s being sworn-in (long story not for me to tell, but he works in the legal profession), so our numbers have shrunk. This morning I let the girls go off on their own for some female time whilst I wandered solo with the camera.
Having seen the antiquities yesterday I’ve stayed ‘our’ side of the river to wander uphill to Taksim in search of one of the vintage tram routes. It’s been an interesting trip as I can go at my pace ans stop and stare as I will. This side of the city has a different feel. There’s a bit of a boho air in some parts that belie the current conservatism of the government – but that’s capital cities for you. There’s some fascinating architecture – and cats. Lots and lots of cats. They’re one of the reasons I like the place. A city where people think cats are cool can’t be all bad!
Eventually I tracked (literally) the trams. Or I should say tram as there’s only one running. It’s difficult to get a decent picture of it due to the preponderance of people who like to have their picture stood in the way of things, but here it is…
13:45.
Having worn down a fair bit of shoe-leather I’ve stopped to rest my weary feet and have a beer close to home. I’m sat outside a bar in the backstreets enjoying an Efes and listening totheir choice of music. Right now it’s Johnny Cash singing ‘House of the rising sun’ which brings back a few memories.
I’m having a fantastic wander with the camera, people and architecture spotting (as well as the odd tram, obviously!) earlier I passed the Greek consulate which was indulging in some top trolling by flying both their national flag and that of the EU.Remember when ‘vote leave’ ran their lying campaign claiming Turkey was about to join the EU and 80 million Turks would be flooding into the UK? It was total bollocks of course, but it did appeal to some Britons racism and xenophobia. Truth is, Turkey is further away than ever to joining the UK due to the actions of the Erdoğan government.
Politicans aside, I have to admit I’m really enjoying Turkey. I’ve found people really friendly. Sure, in the tourist areas you get the usual salesmanship and hassle from a few people but once you get away from those areas it’s far more relaxed. I love street photography and Istanbul’s a wonderful place to practise that art because there’s so much life on the streets.
To give you an idea of how relaxed things are here, the bar I stopped at has two parts – on opposite sides of the street. The staff consisted of one chap with very little English and his young son, aged about 12. I was the only customer, so dad wandered off to do some shopping, leaving the young lad in charge of both establishments. When I’d finished my beer and wanted to pay there was only the young lad there, who then had to shoot off to find dad, leaving me in possession of two bars! Here they are…
14:50.
I’ve had to nip back to the hotel as I realised I’d left my phone charging cable behind, so despite having a power-pack with me I’d no way of connecting the bloody thing! As I was back at home I’ve taken a few minutes to download the camera, so here’s the first of the street photographs. This guy was happy for me to take his picture, but you have to wonder who owns whom? A minute before the cat was sitting across his shoulders…
20:30.
Here’s another shot I took earlier of the fishermen on the Galata bridge. There’s dozens of them lining each side and they hook a huge amount of fish.
I met up with the girls a few hours ago in time for dinner at what became our ‘go to’ restaurant – the Afrodit on the harbour front in Karakoy. We discovered it a few days ago when we popped in for a drink and to admire the views across the harbour from the top floor. Yesterday we tried the food and we enjoyed it so much we went back today. Not only is the food excellent, the staff are also. Oh, and the views across the Bosporus and the shipping lanes are brilliant – as you can see from this shot taken with a 400mm lens.
Right, time to bring things to an end. We’ve had a wonderful time here in Istanbul but we fly back to the UK tomorrow. I’kk try and blog about our return and talk more about Istanbul when we get back.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Wow! What can I say? We’ve had a fantastic first full day in Istanbul. So much so it’s late snd I haven’t time to do more than post a couple of pictures with more details to follow…
7th May update. Here’s a few more pictures.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Finally, after having this break planned for so long that we kinda forgot about it – we’re off to Istanbul with the gang. Dee’s finishing her packing whilst I’m on coffee duty and pottering around and making sure various devices are fully charged so that I can cut down on the amount of kit I’m carrying. We’re only away a few nights so it’s hardly packing for Asia.
Today’s a good day to be heading off. It’s snother grey, misty day here in the Calder Valley alhough this morning’s political news has added a bright spot. The local election results that have come through in overnight counting show the Tories suffereing heavy defeats, UKIP being annihilated and the Reform party getting nowhere. It’s not looking good for the Tories in either ‘red wall’ seats or their Southern heartlands…
We’ve less than an hour before we get picked up to begin our journey to Manchester Airport to join a Turkish Airlines flight. Admittedly, I’d rather be getting there on the Orient Express, but those days are long gone and Brexit has just killed off the last lingering UK leg of that romantic train. I’ll blog through the day (time and wifi) permitting. It’s a four-hour flight and Aubrey’s arranged transport at the other end to get us straight to the hotel, so we should be having a pleasant late afternoon in Istanbul. Let’s see how it goes…
09:45
We’ve had an easy and stress-free taxi trip from Halifax to Manchester Airport, even the infamous ‘cobbled motorway’ (M62) played ball. Now it’s time to check in at terminal 2.
11:40.
Here we go…
Our flight with Pegasus was rather good. An Airbus A321 Neo carried us to Istanbul. Here’s take-off from Manchester.
For much of the 3hr 40m flight it wasn’t possible to glimpse ground due to heavy clouds but every so often we got a decent break to compare different field systems in different countries. The one thing all the countries had in common was rapeseed crops. The bright yellow flowers are a bit of a give-away.
Once off the plane we breezed through customs snd immigration, which made a pleasant change. Aubrey has arranged a vehicle to take us straight to the hotel so that part was simple too. The roads were rammed but surprisingly free of hassle. No-one used their horns but the amount of people driving whilst using their phone’s was a bit of an eye-opener!
My first impressions were that arriving in Istanbul was very similar to arriving in Athens. Busy roads, lots of concrete and apartment blocks. The only difference was mosques and minarets.
We’re staying in the Wolf Hotel in the Karakoy district. The barrow streets are full of cafes, restaurants and bars – but not cars, which makes for a relaxed atmosphere and outside tables are great for people watching. There’s a fascinating mix of people, both tourists and locals. The biggest difference to the UK is the amount of smokers. Even conservatively dressed young Moslem women can be seen sitting outside cafes puffing away, something you’d rarely see in Britain.
More to follow…
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/