Day 17 -- Istanbul Flooding

We arrived in Istanbul early this morning.  We are officially off of our 'backpacking' trip, so we taxied to the airport--it really felt luxurios not having to find the nearest train/bus schedule and navigate through public transportation; however, it was the first thing Michael brought up...it would have been much less expensive, but I think we were ready to splurge!  We arrived at the Hilton with dirty backpacks and looking a bit worn out.  Let's just say that I felt a bit looked down upon! Our rooms were not ready so we retreated to the Executive Lounge to relax until they were available.  Walking into that lounge looking the way we did with out over-stuffed backpacks resulted in some obvious stares to say the least. Sophia was horrified, Michael was oblivious, Melina was excited about the food, and I couldn't have cared less.  

The Hilton itself is fine, but this lounge is wonderful.  The food and the views over the Bosphorus are absolutely amazing. We watched as a massive storm rolled in-at some points the downpour was so hard we barely had visibility. A few hours later we checked got into our rooms where we quickly unpacked and decided to venture out, thinking the storm was over, to the spice market.  

We were in the market for less than 5 minutes when another storm hit--this one worst than the last.  We were trying to find refuge when a man from one of the stalls took pity on us and called us over to his stall to take shelter.  We stood looking out at this rain that was quickly causing a flood situation a bit in awe--there was so much rain that it was creating a river down the middle of the market.  

We stood chatting with the man (who was so funny and cute!) and his colleagues, who were incredibly gracious (we ended up buying some salami and cheese for a snack...I just wished there had been wine).  When the rain started to lighten up we ran for the cab station.  We jumped in the first cab and the driver was clear that he wasn't going anywhere unless we paid him double.  I haggled a bit and got him to reduce it, but truth be known I would have paid triple.  

On the way back the hotel we witnessed unbelievable flooding--roads were completely unaccessible and we were in at least 1-2 feet of water several times.  The tunnels were closed and much of the city was at a standstill.  The strangest thing is that I think this happens on a somewhat frequent basis.  The taxi driver just laughed, turned up his music and pointed out where people were stuck in the water.  I really like this city.