Ankara and Istanbul

Yeah yeah, I know this is late, but I faked the date on the post, so that makes it ok.

I was asked on short notice to take a business trip to Ankara for a day. Unfortunately, I already had plans for the weekend following that, so I didn't have a chance to take any extra time while in Turkey. Getting to Ankara was a rush. My flight from Amsterdam was late, so I had to run from the international to the domestic terminal in Istanbul. I made it just as the flight was closing, and noticed my bosses weren't on the plane. So that meant I got to wait at the airport in Ankara for them to arrive. Ankara was a very modern looking city from what I could see. Wide streets, new buildings, and lots of traffic. On the return trip, we stopped in Istanbul for the night to catch an early flight back. Istanbul, seen from the air, is huge. It covers an enormous area. Of course, all I got to see was the hotel, then back to the airport and home again. But, another country to add to the list!

Prague

The next two days of the long weekend were spent in Prague. Prague is a very compact and beautiful city, but also a very confusing city to get around. My maps were consistently missing streets and intersections. That, combined with the way the streets there tend to weave and meander meant that getting off course was a frequent occurence. The first day was spent almost entirely doing Prague castle. The castle is a huge complex of buildings which are very well preseved and interesting to see and read about.

From Prague

Unfortunately, it is also completely overrun with toursists.

From Prague

On the unexpected side, I ran into a Lotus 7 gathering outside the main gates as I was leaving.

From Prague

Dinner was also an interesting experience. After an excellent dinner with a friend at a nice restaurant, I asked the hostess to call a taxi to take us back to the hotel. First, she said that it would take 10 or 15 minutes for a taxi to arrive. Then she had another idea, "Why don't we take you in the hotel car?" That seemed like a good (and free idea). Even better, the restaurant car turned out to be an X-type Jaguar, very cool. So, from now on when I go to a restaurant I will be saying "Hmm, this was nice, but no Jag."

The last day in Prague was spent doing the old town area across the river from the castle.

From Prague

There are numerous buildings that are worth seeing, and most of the normal buildings are nicely decorated as well.

Walking around one of the fancier shopping areas, I found this

From Prague

Yes, that is a Bentley with a wheel clamp. That is somehow amusing and satisfying.

After all that walking around, it was time to spend a few hours relaxing in the main square before heading back to the airport.

From Prague