Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

Sunday February 16, 2026

It proved a beautiful day to travel. So much so, it seemed a waste of a day to spend it in a car. On the super highway from Izmir to Istanbul (and vice versa), it was an amazingly smooth five hour trip with possible top speeds of 190 kmph – legally! There are wonderful roadside pitstops with gas stations and a wide variety of retail outlets and restaurants. The fast food restaurants, you seat yourself at a table and there are servers to take your order and bring your food. None of this standing in line nonsense. The servers move quickly and efficiently and the work is done expeditiously – no fooling around. Our pit stop for lunch (around 13H30) was in a valley filled with olive trees growing up the adjacent hillsides. There must have been 15 or 20 retail outlets selling olives at that stop.

Arriving by car in Istanbul, there is always a bridge, I think. Entering that city always gives me goosebumps in a positive way. There are so many levels of history, culture, and cuisine in a city of over 15 million people spanning two continents, Europe and Asia.

Our accommodations were on the Asian side overlooking the Bosphorus Strait about 13 kms from the old city. It had easy access to the highway for going to Istanbul airport early Wednesday morning and they were at the top of a renovated late Ottoman Empire building. My goal was to explore the neighbourhood!

We settled in and then went looking for a local restaurant and dinner. Found a great view, too!

Road trips are frequently fatiguing, so it was early to bed in hopes of clement weather for the morrow. Thank you for riding along! Until next time!