I started my day with a hotel breakfast again. Then we all got ready to go and headed for the Vodafone stadium where Besiktas plays because we had to pick up our tickets before the game. It was an easy tram ride to the end of the line and then a 10 minute walk. Of course, befor3 you get to the ticket office, you go past the fan shop. We didn’t go past. When we made to the ticket office, it was easy to pick up the tickets but we had to show our passports. The tickets don’t have the seat numbers on them so you have to remember it from the transfer of the owner of the ticket. The guy at the ticket office said we could not change seats, even among ourselves. Every ticket is associated with the photo that we had to upload to get the fan IDs. In case there is trouble in the stadium, they want to know exactly who is sitting where and who started the trouble. This went into effect when some people in the stadium insulted the president of Turkey and he didn’t take kindly to it. This guy is not to be messed with. We walka way from the ticket counter and run into a Finn who thinks he’s going to stand outside the stadium tonight and buy a ticket from scalper. Oh no, you’re not.
We were going to go to the Dolmabahce Palace , which is right across from the stadium next, but the lines were so long we didn’t want to wait. So we walked up the hill past the German Embassy and went to the Galata Tower. We were going to climb this tower no matter how long the lines.
While waiting in line, we met women from Kenya and Kazakhstan. This line went relatively quickly. Once we got inside we went through security and got the tickets. (Every single tourist point has at list one security check point.) but we couldn’t walk up. It was required that we take the elevator. When we get out of the elevator there are several restaurants and three flights of stairs. We make it to the doorway to the outside. It is extremely narrow and slopes downward away from the tower. You really hav3 the feeling you’re going to fall over the railing. And, since the ledge is so narrow, it’s one way traffic in a clockwise direction. The people who get nervous don’t care about this, however, and several of them are moving back towards the door in the wrong direction. I wasn’t feeling great about this ledge, but I decided to tough it out. I was glad I did, but I was sweating bricks there for a few minutes. I was glad to get back inside, and now it was possible to walk to the bottom an not take the elevator. Good decision!
We sat down at a little outdoor place for lunch. I had something called menemen. It looked like a tomato stew with an egg and maybe some cheese cooked in it. It was actually very tasty.
I had seen a sign that said Jewish Museum of Turkey and knew I had to see that. Sonia and Fouad weren’t interested so they headed back to the pedestrian zone and I looked for my museum. I walked down the street about 200 feet and see a synagogue, but no sign that says museum. So I ring the doorbell and get no answer. Meanwhile, I see two policemen across the street. When I ask them, they say they have no idea what I am talking about. So I walk another 200 feet to the end of the street. Nothing. I turn around to look back up the street and I see I’m standing in front of another sign that says Jewish Museum of Turkey point in the direction from which I just came. Hmmmm. I walk back up the street and, next to the synagogue, there’s a building with a small symbol which might indicate that it’s a museum. I ring the doorbell. This time someone answers. When I ask if I can see the museum, the voice answers, “Closed.” So much for that adventure. I walked backed up the hill through the pedestrian zone. There happened to be a large police presence and there were some people demonstrating, but I didn’t feel like staying around to get caught up in it.
I took the funicular back town the hill to the tram, and the tram back to the hotel area. I wanted to see if I could get in at the Basilica Cistern but, by the time I would have gotten to the ticket counter, I would have had to turn around again and headed back to the game. So I walked over to the courtyard of the Blue Mosque and looked around. It’s being renovated so I couldn’t get inside. But the sun was shining, the weather was perfect, and it was nice to look around.
So, ow it was time to head back to the stadium. I took a book with me because I wanted to be there in plenty of time and wanted to keep busy until the game started. I got there at about 5:30 for the 7:00 game. I was frisked four times and my backpack was opened and examined as many times. I had to stand and drink my half bottle of wate4 before I entered the stadium. I couldn’t take it with me. So, I had up the correct stairs and show the usher the piece of paper where I ha$cwritten down section 411, row 21, seat 15. It points to a place and says “go there”. I go there. It doesn’t feel right to me but I’m not about to argue. I sit down and rea$ a little, but it’s more fun to watch the fans get excited. These people (mostly men, and way more men’s toilets than women’s toilets in the stadium) are really psyched. Man, I thought German fans were excited, but these people take the prize. And nobody was drunk. There was no beer in the stadium. But every second person was smoking.
So, it’s getting to game time and no Sonia. I knew that fouad’s Seat was in a different s3ction, so I .
thought maybe she had tried to stay with hi,. The seats on both sides of me remained empty. Finally, during halftime I texted here. Where ar you? Imin my seat. No, you’re not. Yes, I am. No, you’re seat next to me is empty.
It turns out the usher pointed me to row 12 instead of row 21. I only found out because th3 guy’s behind me asked m3cwhere I was from. We got talking about the game and I showed the, my piece of paper with the info on it and they pointed out my mistake. But they told me it was ok to smith there and since I didn’t plan to scream insults at the president, I did. The game was poorly played but we one on a beautiful left-footed shot. The refs were lousy, there were lots of fouls, but the fans were terrific. It was a great way to spend our last evening in Istanbul. Thank you, Sherhat, for arranging to get the tickets for us.
We met after the game at the designated spot and hopped on the already full tram car back to the hotel. It was another long day.
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