On The Sea Again, I Just Can't Wait To Get On The Sea Again: Let's Talk Turkiye

We made it! The flights (LA to Frankfurt and Frankfurt to Istanbul) were easy and close to on time.

Getting through passport control in Istanbul was remarkably fast. The only small issue we had was the Oceania transfer from the airport to the ship. First, we had to wait while some others were dealing with a missing suitcase. Then, the escort said we could go but where we could go was a place to sit while they waited for another flight. At that point it was late enough and I was frustrated enough to say that we would take a taxi to the ship. So, we grabbed our suitcases and got a taxi for the 45 minute ride and $25 dollar fare to the port. By the time we got to the port, it was raining and, for some reason, port security would not allow the taxi to pull into the covered and close drop off point. He had to take us to an outside entrance where we had to brave the rain and the longer walk. Oh well, at least we got there. After a late buffet dinner we unpacked and went to bed.

This morning we were greeted by a cloudy, cold day.

We decided to just take a walk from the ship. Before leaving the ship, we ran into our good friend Marlenia, the Executive Concierge. She told us that we had to go to a restaurant, Beyzada, and have the Kunefe. So off we went.

At the restaurant, we ordered the recommended Kunefe with a side of Kaymak. In case you're wondering, a Kunefe is a Turkish sweet cheese pastry and the Kaymak is heavy cream. With the coffee, fruit and nuts, it made for quite a spread. And it was delicious - thanks Marlenia!

On the way back to the ship, we walked through a pedestrian area that was lined with many restaurants. In the afternoon, we set sail for the next port - Kusadasi, Turkiye.