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Turkey sandwich + Slovenia (part 1)

 
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stealthpilot
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Joined: 19 Dec 2006
Posts: 2325
Location: BLR, DXB

PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 8:18 pm    Post subject: Turkey sandwich + Slovenia (part 1) Reply with quote

10 days vacation. Option 1 = Turkey. Option 2 = Greece.
Greece would be Athens + Crete + islands of Santorini/Mykonos etc. We were just in the Maldives so didn't necessarily feel like a part beachy holiday so Turkey it was. The decision wasn't that simple, took me ages to figure it out and R mostly leaves the holiday planning to me. The plan was 9 days in Istanbul, Cappadocia and Izmir. A week before our trip my October schedule came out and I got 4 days off after my vacation days, yay extended holiday Very Happy We could stay in Turkey longer but why not use the Schengen visa? Looked at smaller European city options from IST and Ljubljana it was. I later realized my parents went to Slovenia a few months ago and loved it, so good decision.

Please note I remembered to note down the registrations. I don't usually care but I know most of you are registration geeks Razz so give credit where it's due hehehehe.

Trip overview. My first 330-300 and 5 new airlines.
DXB-FRA Emirates EK043 77W
FRA-IST (Istanbul Atatürk) Turkish TK1588 333
3 days in Istanbul
(Sabiha Gökçen) SAW- ASR (Kayseri) Pegasus PC-162 738
2 days in Cappadocia
ASR-ADB (Izmir) SunExpress XQ-9039 738
3 days in Izmir
ADB-IST Onur Air 8Q-151 320
IST-LJU (Ljubljana) Turkish Airlines TK-1061 320
3 days
LJU-PRG (Prague) Adria Airways JP-568 CRJ-200
PRG-DXB Emirates EK-140 77W




DXB-FRA EK043 77W
(0355-0850) = 6:55 A6-EBE

The direct DXB-IST flights were full on EK and TK, so had to look at other options. ATH was the quickest but the EK flights there were kinda full as well. Looked at going thru Italy/other European countries via FCO/VCE/FRA/MUC etc and FRA was the best bet (multiple reasons) even tho it was a longish detour.
Thanks once again Ojas (load master) for helping me with options and ideas of routing.
I landed late from a flight, went home showered changed and we left for the airport. When I checked the loads the day before it looked ok, but when we got to the counter the flight was full. what!!! ahhh thank you LH strike. I guess a few of LH pax were rerouted on EK? Anyway we managed to get the last seats.

I Got on board and slept. I asked to be woken up for breakfast then tried to sleep after that. It was foggy in FRA so we were holding for a while + auto land. I love low vis approaches!!












FRA was stinky and smelly as usual next to the gates .... This is only the third time I'm not transiting thru. The first time I was flying FRA-BLR and they asked for volunteers to take the next days flight ... so I did. Second time doesn't really count it was work.
Bags took 10 minutes to show up, then we took the train and changed terminals.

FRA-IST TK1588 330-300
(1145-1545) = 3:00 Registration TC-JNP

most of the Turkish FRA-IST flights are narrow bodies, so I was really lucky the 1145 one was a 333, first time on the subtype. I couldn't get a decent picture but she was very good looking Wink



At the gate our neighbours - an ANA787 and SQ 380 (no pic she was on the other side)













Boarding was announced 25 mins before departure. We sat in aircraft for almost an hour with no announcement about the delay we just sat waiting. Pushed maybe 25 mins late and a 25 mins taxi. Couldn't see much we had the middle seat + mid isle.
Great IFE very responsive- quick and good touch screen. Very good content as well. Only downside was the 2 pin headphones Rolling Eyes
The meal (lunch) was nice but small. Even R felt it wasn't enough and she barely eats. The Turkish delight was a great touch.
Pillows were not given to everyone in economy, every other seat had them which was weird. We didn't get pillows, some did, some got blankets.
Overall a very nice flight. The smallish lunch was the biggest negative and the lack of pillows etc didn't bother me much on this sector (I assume they are more careful on longer flights). The IFE was great.

IST immigration took 25 mins but kept moving.

I was surprised there was no designated taxi lane at the airport (or we didn't see it...) It was rather random flagging a taxi down, we just saw a bunch of taxis and stood there flagged them down as they drove by. Others did the same. It was a super long drive into town the traffic was terrible it took almost 2 hours. Not as chaotic as BLR tho.

Here are some random pics of Istanbul.
I was impressed by the city, it's a great blend of Asian and European. Conservatively dressed people walking by couples holding hands and kissing in the parks etc. Was great to see.
The Hagia Sophia was the most interesting, not only its architecture but mainly its history. It was secularised in the 1930s and was converted into a museum.
At the risk of being negative I'm shamed that such a thing cant happen in India. Blood is shed over monuments and places of worship, religions will fight over 'ownership' .... why cant we just say enough is enough and make them public spaces/museums? It's not that hard, we just make it complicated.



















I liked the food a lot, but didn't fall in love with it. This meal was outstanding tho, minced beef with tomato and an mezze plate.


SAW- ASR PC-162 Pegasus
(0615-0735) = 1:20 738 TC-AAS

Woke up early and it was a long drive to Sabiha Gökçen. GMR has a stake in the airport if im not mistaken?
Istanbuls secondary airport was bustling at 5 in the morning, very busy airport it handles almost 18 million pax per annum. More than BLR and MAA.

Pegasus has a 15kg limit, one was 17 (wonder whos). At check in we had to pay 14 lira (5 euro) extra for 2 kg. it was only 2 kgs but since its a low cost didn't expect them to wave it.

















Pegasus are a huge airline, flights starting shortly to Hurghada and Sharm Al Sheikh = 86 destinations in 36 countries.
Nothing special, a normal short flight on time and clean aircraft. Before the FA started the buy on board she handed us our pre booked sandwiches + coke. I don't remember how much I paid but I do remembering selecting the option online. The food may have been included actually coz it wasn't the cheapest fare. The sandwich was really good.

Kayseri is one of the airports which serves the Cappadocia area. The other being Nevşehir which I tried to fly too/from but it has limited service.

Breakfast at some cafe.


Some pictures of Pasabagi (Monk's Valley), Devrent Valley, Kaymakli Underground City and Goreme Open Air Museum. Sorry for not giving more descriptions Confused .... lazy.











\

Some desert we got a lot of.


One of the highlights of Cappadocia was a balloon ride. They had an early morning option and an evening one. The morning one would be too rushed/tiring so the evening one looked better.
There were 20 of us per balloon and there are LOTS of companies to choose from. One of the most interesting things was the way they launched them, and how manoeuvrable they were. Our pilot skirted trees and flew 5 feet over terrain at places. The highest we went was 1000m up. It wasn't that cold up there actually and the view was great.








Have to be brave to stand there Laughing




















Finishing drink, sparkling wine + sour cherry something.




ASR-ADB XQ-9039 SunExpress
(0830-1005) = 1:35 738 TC-SNJ


The website was simple but had a bug.
When you changed the currency multiple times the cost stacked up. If you switched from lira to USA back to lira etc it would keep going up everytime. I checked lira then dollar then euro then back to dollar and $195 magically bloated to $700 😶
Weird ... The first currency change you do is all right but the subsequent ones the price kept stacking up. I assume (hope) it wouldn't let you book the ticket then.





Kayseri was a nice small airport. 2 security points + 2 gates + a snack shop. Relatively busy there were 6 flights headed to SAW/IST- mine was the only to Izmir. Basic but functional, great for the no frills type which only gets a handful of flights a day.










I had pre booked a 'sandwich + 2 non alcoholic beverages' for 5.36 USD
+ 5kg extra luggage person for $1.79
+ seat selection for $1.34.


BoB, mine was pre booked.
The sandwich was quite bad and we only got one drink. veggie sandwich lettuce + cheese + cucumber + sundries tomato.
Left 5 mins early arrived 40 mins early.









Izmir airport was very nice the new terminal was very modern, a lot of glass and funky lines.


Street food Smile

Few pictures of our stay, all trips out of the city.
A day trip to Ephesus. The temple of Artemis (Diana) what's left, House of Virgin Mary.














The Temple of Artemis is/was one of the ancient wonders of the world. Sadly all that remains is the foundation and bits of stone. The first structure originally dates back to the bronze age, around the 8th century BC. It was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times before its eventual destruction in 401 (from Wikipedia). The columns were 60 feet high, it must have been awe inspiring. This pic gives you an idea of it's size.





Then a day trip to Pamukkale + ruins of Hierapolis.






Forgot what this was called.


I loved this desert. Künefe. A cheesy sweet desert.

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sumantra
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 11:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mmm...a wonderful TR from you, stealthpilot! It always lends an extra zing to a TR if a member of the exalted club of front office bearers also takes time off from his busy schedule, and does a trip in the main cabin (albeit mostly in a class well-beyond my means), and that too, to exotic places, as always! And I must say Sir, your routings are exotic, as ever.
Your food pictures as usual, get me hungry at all odd times, this time, close to midnight here in India.
Your FRA-IST TK experience looks quite nice. It is nice to see connecting gates being mentioned on the IFE right inside the plane: TK are taking their hub business quite seriously, and doing it relatively well as well. It is nice to see this.
Lovely pictures from Istanbul! And if you think you got lazy with the descriptions of the other places, your pictures had us spell-bound!
Wow, wine+sour cherry after the balloon flight, to take one on a new high!
Why do I get the feeling that this TR is a bit incomplete?
Cheers, and looking forward to the parts coming in, Sumantra.
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jbalonso777
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 8:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great TR Nikhil, thank you so much for sharing this with us!

I saw this coming after the Air Pegasus discussion on the WhatsApp group Razz

Food pictures look amazing!

Looking forward to the other parts.

Regards
Jish
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ameya
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Posts: 3671
Location: Pune,Maharashtra

PostPosted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 10:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You seem to have had a blast . . great TR and some exotic location – Slovenia ! Wow!

The Turkish experience of not announcing delay looks common, have heard this from 4-5 others and experienced it myself, when even for a delay of 1.5 hours, there was no announcement and the staff kept saying its on time even when the boarding time was behind us and there was no aircraft at the gate
This lucky draw of pillows and blankets sounds weird.

In 2011, there was a dedicated taxi lane, as far as I remember. . a lot may have changed since then or could be specific to exit.

Did you stay in the Asian side of the European side in IST ?

Look forward to the remainder !
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rakesh959
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lovely TR Nikhil along with some awesome pictures!As Sumantra Sir rightly pointed out,Its so nice to see you taking time off your busy flying schedule to post these kind of Awesome TRs!Hatsoff Smile FRA has been the same always!
Interesting things about the balloons and the food Smile Very Nice TR on some exotic places Very Happy Looking forward to the other parts too!

Cheers!
Rakesh.
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stealthpilot
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Location: BLR, DXB

PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2014 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks a lot guys, appreciate it.
I need to catch up on reading some TRs before I put up part 2.

sumantra wrote:


J travel is limited to EK for obvious reasons Smile No more trips for a while though, 2 quick trips to DEL this month and Dec (if I can make it for 2 friends weddings) next holiday is Feb- Bandhavgarh national park.
FRA-IST was great, more so because iv been waiting for a 330-300 for ages!

jbalonso777 wrote:


Hahahaha good memory thanks.

ameya wrote:


We stayed on the European side, maybe 5 mins walk from the river? The red bus (big bus) stop was right opposite the street so we took that mostly (had a 2 day pass)
Think you're right about the taxi lane, maybe it was just the exit we took but it sure confused a whole lot of us passengers. Taxis were slowing down on the road/lane picking us up.

rakesh959 wrote:


Thanks Rakesh. Come on everyone has time to sit at a computer Laughing
Keeping up with the airliners india whatsapp group ..... now that takes time which I can't seem to make.
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Karan69
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 1:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A real nice read NiT,

Your routing style mimics something i would pick, when direct options are available Very Happy Very Happy

Like the pics from Turkey, and quite amazed to learn that this was your first flight on the 300 variant of the 330,

Dint consider options to IST. From AUH or MCT.?

Good job on regs

Very Happy

Karan
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avbuff
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nikhil ,

An absolutely stunning report ..... really mesmerising pictures ....

Thanks for the credit, I'm happy to be a pre cursor to your trips as always ! Very Happy and you are always welcome to drop by my cabin to check flight loads Very Happy

So where are you heading next on vacation?
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sri_bom
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What a great report and picutres were so stunning and crisp. Thanks for taking time out and posting it.

I hope Istanbul is able to maintain it secularism in the coming years so that it can continue to attract tourists.

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sukritmunjal
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For a second I read flypgs.com as flypigs.com. If only pigs could fly.
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Nimish
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lovely report Nikhil - thanks for sharing! The pictures from Turkey look awesome, and it's good to see that Turkey has well developed secondary airlines (beyond just TK). I've been meaning to go to Turkey for ages, I liked that fact that you guys look time there, not just a day per city and running between hotels. I've heard great things about the food in Turkey, but from your comments I think I should keep my expectations moderated Smile.
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stealthpilot
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2014 5:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Karan69 wrote:
Dint consider options to IST. From AUH or MCT.?

Good job on regs

Hard work that is Wink don't know how you guys keep track of regs
I haven't been on many 330s sadly.

Nah didn't consider AUH/MCT. I was happy with a night flight in J with a quick connection eventually the TK 333 settled it.

avbuff wrote:
Nikhil , Thanks for the credit, I'm happy to be a pre cursor to your trips as always ! Very Happy and you are always welcome to drop by my cabin to check flight loads Very Happy

Hahhahaha was great catching up the other day on the top floor.
Next? Bandhavgarh national park in Feb and hopefully Euro road trip in April.


Thanks Srini and Sukrit.

Nimish ..... I think I went to the wrong places to eat Confused
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