Day 1 - Istanbul

Compliments of Emirates we landed late afternoon in Istanbul. First things first, visas! Of all the times not to take my UK passport resulted in me having to fork out an extra €35 for an Aussie passport entry visa into Turkey- grrr! Next phase - collecting our luggage. The concerning factor was the mammoth collection of luggage left at the Lost & Found station. Approximately 50 suitcases littered the area, which didn't help relieve our anxiety as we waited 45 minutes for our suitcases. I think the thought crossed all our minds " Was our luggage lost and about to join the ever growing pile at Istanbul Airport??" Hurrah! Once we picked up our luggage the car rental man was waiting patiently for us. Lucy, Aaron and I squeezed into our 5 door Renault which would be our companion for the next 17 days. Thankfully Aaron adjusted quickly to manual left hand driving. My time would come later in the trip. The downside was Aaron's GPS on his phone which decided to power down at the crucial part of navigating to our hostel located near the Blue Mosque. After numerous requests for directions from the ever friendly locals and a few too many left, right and left turns, we finally arrived an hour and a half later at our destination! Eat your heart out 'Amazing Race!' At the Big Apple Hostel we were pleasantly surprised to find our 14 bedroom dorm was currently unoccupied. Hmmmm which bunk bed should I sleep in?!?