I was a little disappointed with Istanbul; in its defense I only saw a small part…..the road leading to the hotel, the hotel and the venue! I guess I expected one big colorful bazaar with tents full of exotic fabrics and I am sure that is there.
The open-air festival felt like it was set in a large hole in the ground, the surface was terribly uneven wherever we went; the dressing room/tent was up a steep, winding narrow stone staircase, that day was particularly taxing for the man and I had to stay with him most of the time.
But, the sun was out; the show went well, the people were delightful and always keen to help.
That night was made very special for another reason; Shep treated some of us to a meal at a famous restaurant called The Topaz. This is set high up overlooking the river and near a mosque with two tall towers.
The scenery was simply stunning; way in the distance we could see Asia! The sun was going down then at 9pm we heard the most amazing and haunting sound I have ever heard. It was an evening prayer being sung in Turkish. The singer glided between quarter tones, his voice floated across the water to our ears and I will never forget it.
Then came fireworks lighting up the sky in various locations along the river, which were accompanied by Iron Maiden starting their set over at the festival.
I will always remember Istanbul for that evening prayer.
Eventually Steve took me to a doctor, (as I have already reported on here)
We did not get to see very much of Basel, apart from the hotel room and one brief trip into town. The hotel staff were so sweet and kind during my sickly stay.
It’s very clean in Basel and very very expensive!
The road into Istanbul
Basel:
The man wearing one of Tommy's cool T-shirt designs and having a Starbucks:
That blue building at the back? That was my hotel. :)
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