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LGAV - LTBA
My alarm goes off at 7:00 a.m.
and rouses me from a deep sleep. We arise, do our normal routine
of packing, and are downstairs in the hotel's restaurant to
enjoy their buffet breakfast one last time. The Athens subway/metro
system is on strike and the traffic is heavier than normal
on the streets, so our driver calls to say he will be about
fifteen minutes late, coming at 8:45 instead of 8:30.
At the airport, we are met at
the curb by the excellent handling personnel and are quickly
through the security checkpoint and on our way to the airplane.
As we've said, the Athens airport is brand new, gorgeous,
and huge. The walking distances are also huge, but the only
delay encountered was when Pam had a brief panic attack because
she couldn't put her fingers on her passport or crew ID badge.
After a brief search of her bag, they showed up. When you
have packed for a three-month trip, it is darn difficult keeping
track of what's where in the little nooks and crannies of
all the bags. And, to make matters worse, sometime things
are intentionally "hid" to make them more difficult to be
filched by a dishonest maid. However, sometimes we hide them
so well that even we cannot find them!
The airplane's preflight inspection
goes without any hitches, we are advised that the departure
time ATC has assigned is only twelve minutes later than our
scheduled time, and Pat and Ashley show up without any snags
or delays. Pam is flying this leg, so I call for clearance
and start permission and we taxi out at 0732Z, 10:32 a.m.
Athens time. There is no delay and after taxiing over two
miles to the end of the huge runway we are airborne at 0737
into nearly clear skies. The morning dawned much colder than
the day before and the wind is strong, too.
Again, the IFR clearance is identical
to what Universal had filed for us and it follows quite a
circuitous routing, going east before turning north toward
Istanbul. 290 nm is the direct distance between Athens and
Istanbul but our routing covers a distance of 385 nm.
Our initial altitude assignment
is 6,000 feet but departure control rapidly clears us higher
such that our climb is not stopped. In fact, when approaching
our assigned flight level of 110, we are told to climb to
FL190 and expedite through FL120. Pam pitches the nose three
degrees higher and adds full torque and we zoom skyward rapidly
in the cool air. The controller says "Thank you for your cooperation"
when she passes us along to the next sector.
The wind is from 287 degrees
at 45 knots, giving us an 18 knot tailwind component. We are
over the Aegean Sea and have a lovely view of the Greek islands
below. About an hour after takeoff we are told to descent
a thousand feet to FL260 since the northerly airway we were
flying asked for even altitudes when flown in our direction.
Good old Sven, the computerized ATIS voice, told us that Istanbul's
weather included winds of 050 degrees at 15 knots, gusts to
20, with 16 kilometers visibility. Scattered clouds at 3,500
feet and broken clouds at 10,000 feet. Altimeter was given
in both normal sets of units: 1026 hectopascals and 30.31
inches of Mercury. Temperature is16 degrees Celsius (60 degrees
Fahrenheit), the ILS approach to Runway 6 is in use, and the
Transition Level is 040.
I use the Garmin GMA 340 audio
panel's great "split comm." feature, so that I can talk to
our handling service at Istanbul while Pam keeps monitoring
ATC. They let us know that they are expecting us and will
be waiting at the parking stand.
We have a little confusion about
the arrival routing but ask and receive clarification from
ATC of what is expected. The last intersection on the arrival
routing puts us just about on the extended centerline of the
ILS and soon we are on final for Runway 6. Our approach is
over the Sea of Marmara and the end of the runway is basically
at the shoreline. I get a good photo of the airport environment
as we come in.
Wow! What a feeling of excitement!
We are at such a crossroads of history and civilization! To
our left, Europe. To our right, across the Bosphorus, is Asia.
On the other end of the small Sea of Marmara are the Dardenelles,
the waterway connecting into the Aegean Sea, then to the Mediterranean
and the Atlantic, or via the Suez Canal, to the Persian Gulf.
All traffic from the Black Sea must pass through this spot.
On the Greek side of the Dardenelles is the Gallipoli Penisula.
(Great movie, and a very sad one, "Gallipoli.") Istanbul,
meaning "To the City," the newer name for Constantinople,
the seat of power of the Eastern Roman Empire, where Christianity
first became the official religion of the Roman Empire, supplanting
the pagan worship of the multiple deities of Latin mythology.
Wow! We really aren't in Kansas now, Toto!
At 0915Z, 12:15 p.m. local, we
touch down and taxi to our assigned location on the A7 apron.
This is another huge airport and, for the first time, we see
a great number of airliners built on the Eastern side of the
old Iron Curtain. At one time, dutifully trailing the "Follow
Me" car, Pam finds herself nose-to-nose with an Airbus A310
that dwarfs us. After the lengthy taxi, shutdown comes at
0926Z, for a block time of 1.9 hours. We burn 1100 pounds
of fuel.
Mr. Olcay Dulger is the supervisor
for the handling crew that awaits us. "Call me O.J.!" he says.
Pat and Ashley are whisked away in the waiting van after they
do a little re-arranging of their travel bags. Pam and I remain
to tidy the airplane and be there for the fueling. The fuel
truck is busy and takes nearly forty-five minutes before arriving.
O.J. returns, the fuel and lavatory service is completed,
we secure the airplane - they even put a strip of adhesive
paper over the cabin door/fuselage junction, so as to be able
to ascertain that no cabin tampering occurred during our absence!
- and off we go in the van to clear customs and catch our
ride to the hotel. For a flight crew - and remember, we wear
uniforms for flying internationally - customs is a breeze.
We have yet to have our bags inspected by anyone. Oh yes,
they have been x-rayed a few times, but nothing else. As we
load the van for the hotel ride, I snap a photo of O.J. and
his associate, whom were ever so helpful in welcoming us to
Turkey.
Istanbul is a seaside city, quite
clean and very beautiful and vibrant. The ride takes about
twenty minutes - the driver must ask for directions a couple
of times from folks on the street - and soon we are at the
Four Seasons Hotel.
Well! We have stayed in some
great hotels in our lives, and some great hotels already on
this trip, but the Four Seasons Istanbul now ranks a solid,
solid, Number One! It caters to American tourists and business
people and has taken a massive hit since the events of 9/11.
Everyone speaks excellent English and goes out of their way
to be friendly and accommodating. Believe it or not, the hotel
was built by converting a Turkish prison in the old town area!
I wish our room could talk - or maybe I don't! - because I
am sure it could tell many interesting tales. What would the
inmates of old think if they could know that one day the site
where they spent endless miserable days would be transformed
into the best hotel in the city?
We do the unpacking routine and
then go to the hotel restaurant for lunch, near its closing
time of 3:00 p.m. Our waiter, Mehmet, is a talkative and helpful
young man who explains the menu choices well and gives us
some good advice about what to do during out visit. P & A
show up, but since they missed the closing time they are seated
in the lounge and we join them briefly after lunch and compare
notes. We agree that the hotel is, by far, the best thus far.
Today we will vegetate in our luxurious rooms, then tomorrow
we have a day to do as we want before our scheduled tour with
a guide on Saturday.
We had heard many friends and
acquaintances say, before leaving, how much we would enjoy
Turkey. They appear to have been spot-on correct! The Greeks
and Turks share a mutual animosity that goes back eons of
time, and it makes me feel almost guilty to find both cultures
inviting. Nonetheless, I do. To find myself in a country that
is 99% Muslim, and to feel welcome and safe…I am really thankful
that we are doing what we are doing!
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