Istanbul not Constantinople

This past weekend, my lovely chum Lanny & I flew out to Istanbul for a long overdue escape from kids, work and general shenanigans!! Of course, I could do a jolly sensible travellers blog about the visit but instead, I thought it would be more fun to do some top tens. So here they are!

Things we learnt about Istanbul…..

1. It’s hilly.
2. The cab drivers are lunatics.
3. The shopkeepers are “persistent”.
4. All the women appear to have disappeared.
5. Vegetarians live on a diet of cheese & aubergines.
6. Wine is ridiculously expensive.
7. They have prayer calls over very loud speakers at 530am.
8. There are a LOT of cats.
9. They sell pomegranate juice. Gallons of the stuff.
10. They’re due a major earthquake……

Things I learnt about Lanny…..

1. She’s slightly dyslexic – Lanny: “Oh look, we’re in the Faith district!” Lorna: “No Lanny, It’s Fatih” Lanny: “Oh yes…..”
2. She’s paranoid about dying under the wheels of a tram;
3. She can’t put on eyeliner;
4. Her perfume smells of strawberries;
5. She likes an afternoon nap:
6. She drinks beer in bed;
7. She attracts 60yo ugly Turkish men;
8. She drinks beer anywhere;
9. She has absolutely no sense of direction;
10. She’s great fun!

Things Lanny learnt about me…..

1. I look like a German (think it was the short hair and excessive height);
2. I fart. A lot. (See 4);
3. I take a lotta photos, largely involving pouting in touristy hotspots;
4. I eat a BIG breakfast;
5. I belch. A lot. (See 4);
6. I’m obsessed with Turkish coffee;
7. I really don’t like beer (after SEVERAL reminders…..);
8. I wear a fez well;
9. I’m a little paranoid about earthquakes (paranoid = OCD = an hour online researching the next major quake prediction in Turkey);
10. I’m not pregnant – contrary to the opinion of the nice staff at Turkish Airlines .

And two serious notes – if you visit, we stayed at the Rose Garden Hotel – Highly recommended:

http://www.rosegardenistanbul.com/

And for a special night out – great food and amazing views, Topaz Restaurant – try the tasting menu:

http://www.topazistanbul.com/index_eng.asp

We’re going to the Zoo

So then. A couple of weeks ago, I promised to take my two youngest children, Morgan & Matti to London Zoo. I’d been there as a child and had taken my older children there some years ago. Fond memories and a great place to go. I’d been waiting for good weather, sun was shining so London Zoo, here we came!

Saturday 9th April I set off with two very excited children – “Will we see elephants? Will we see tigers? Will we see Zebras?” – I didn’t do much checking beforehand, assumed that the Zoo was the same zoo I’d been to all those years ago, so happily answered “Yes” to all questions! Couple of people mentioned downloading vouchers to save on the entry fee, but I didn’t have a printer at home and there was nothing electronic in any of the “apps” I had on my phone. Didn’t even think to check prices on the web. You can therefore imagine my surprise when I got there and found that as the second weekend in April was “Peak Season” I would be paying the following – Adult £20.50 Children (3 & over) £16.40. EACH. Excuse me but FUCKING HELL! That’s right, for me and my two small children to get into the Zoo, I paid over £50. Even with a voucher, I would have been paying almost £40 to get in. I was somewhat astounded. Obviously I couldn’t turn back at the entrance, but I have to say, that entrance fee left a VERY dirty taste in my mouth – and even more so once I had been inside the zoo.

So then, what wonders awaited us in the zoo? Lions & tigers & bears? Hmmm, not quite. Tigers, yes. Lions, were hiding (fair enough, they are in a zoo, it’s their prerogative. Bears? Nope. Chimps? Nope. Elephants? Nope. Hippos? Nope. Seals? Nope. Penguins? Closure being refurbished, counted about 6 in a temporary home. Gorillas? Yep. Various cages empty with nothing inside? Yep – including the Maplin Terraces where they used to have the bears & the old Elephant house. Turns out the Elephants, Rhinos, Hippos, Bears and all the other exciting animals were moved to Whipsnade Zoo to have a bigger & better environment. Yes, yes, I know. it’s all about the animals and their welfare, but honestly, I wished I’d checked up on the zoo before I’d gone because honestly, I was MASSIVELY disappointed. Not even a dirty big Boa Constrictor to scare the kids. Seems like the number of animals there has dropped hugely and I thought even as a learning experience it was very, very bad value for money.

So, in summary, if you want an expensive day out, see somewhere that seems to be relying on it’s place in history to get visitors and see a few animals in a few refurbished enclosures, then go right ahead and visit London Zoo (extortionate prices here -> http://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/visit/entry-costs,118,AR.html). However, if you want to go to a fantastic Zoo, then I’d really recommend going to Chester Zoo (http://www.chesterzoo.org/) – it’s fabulous, plenty to see AND it’s cheaper than London Zoo.