This is pretty tough to take!

Sunday's plan was to walk up to a gluten free cafe and shop north of the old harbor to see if they have any decent bread. We had found this little place last time we were here in Antalya, and they also have lots of bakery treats... all gluten free!

So we headed out and up through the old harbor area.

Kind of a funny story, actually

We don't have much planned for our time here in Antalya. That's one of the reasons we chose to pay a little extra for a central location, because at least there is a lot of walking to be done. Antalya has some beautiful coastal walks right here in the center of the city.

The other reason we have no plans is because Ruth has a medical issue she wants an opinion on. I won't get into the details yet, until we know for sure what the problem and solution is. Don't worry, it's not life threatening!

A situation like that could get out of control

We were up at 5:45am Friday morning and out of the apartment by 6:00am in order to get to Istanbul's SAW airport in time for our 9:50am flight to Antalya.

It was a 15 minute walk to the metro station, and then almost an hour on the subway, running the full line from Kadikoy to the airport.

Someday we will have a rematch!

Cheryl is still on holiday, so on Thursday, she and her boyfriend Ahmet, took off for the day, and we didn't mind looking after Gus again. We've been so lucky with the weather, and yes, it was another gorgeous day. It's spring in Istanbul, and you can tell by the people out in the park that they've been looking forward to this kind of weather!

Lunch with fellow full time travelers

On Wednesday, we took the ferries to the Istanbul neighborhood of Fener to meet fellow full time travelers Ken and Mary for lunch. This is one of the couples we had met the day we arrived back in Istanbul a week ago.

Our friend Cheryl had recommended the Fener area because of the old and colorful houses built onto the hillside.

We love going to the local Turkish market

There are a lot of nice fruit and veggie shops in the area that we are staying here in the Kadikoy area of Istanbul, however it's always cheapest to get your supply at the local market. Unfortunately the nearest one is 2.5 kms (1.2 miles) away, and the main market only takes place on Tuesday... but yesterday was Tuesday!

So we walked over there to pick some things up.

The spring tulips in Istanbul are really pretty

We figured we should get out and do some exploring, so we hopped on the ferry to Eminonu which is the main historical district. We have been there before, but we wanted to go back to Gulhane Park to see if the spring tulips were still in bloom. 

Another beautiful day, but with a cooler high of about 18C (64F) and a strong breeze. Lots of sunshine though!

Our second eSIM experience was much better!

The day wore on yesterday without ever hearing back from Maya Mobile. Really terrible customer service, and I will leave a review in that regard. Eventually, 24 hours after buying their eSIM, I sent a new email to customer service asking for a refund. Ten minutes later, the refund was granted... no questions asked.

So at least there is that.

Not a good first eSIM experience

The last time we spent any length of time here in Turkiye, we had no problem getting an inexpensive data plan on my phone. However, things have changed!

The local providers only have expensive "tourist" plans available for non residents. And there is only one choice... and it costs 1,100 lira ($34.50 USD, $46.75 CAD) for 20GB of data over 30 days.

Scammed on our first day in Istanbul!

I mentioned the other day that we had a story to tell, but I didn't want to tell it until I knew the end of the story. And I tell the story as a warning to others so hopefully it won't happen to you!

We arrived in Istanbul at SAW airport in the eastern end of the city. From there, it is an easy ride on the underground metro system to the ferry terminals at Kadikoy.