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27 October 2022
I love taking the public ferries to Istanbul’s islands. Like Hong Kong’s Star Ferry, it’s a cheap way of getting a seaborne view of the city. The schedules seem to have changed and I couldn’t find a suitable departure from Eminonu to Princes’ Islands. So, I decided that we would leave around 0900 to Kadikoy […]
26 October 2022
Ayasofya Today I start showing Ming around in earnest, starting with the Ayasofya. We headed out straight after breakfast around 0900 and found a long queue for the Ayasofya. As it is now a mosque rather than a museum, entry is free but suspended during prayer hours. A security man suggested that the queue would […]
25 October 2022
Flying to Istanbul I woke at 0530 and walked to Trg Slavija at 0610 for the 0630 bus to the airport. I had hoped to catch the bus at a nearer stop to my hotel, which was supposedly the retired railway station, but wasn’t able to locate the stop. Finally, today, I found the bus […]
24 October 2022
Solo exploration It was a little cool as I ventured out for some sightseeing. The forecast was for extreme weather of up to 27 degC, which is unseasonally hot for late October. I called past Trg Slavija to find the airport bus, this time successfully, before continuing to the St Sava church. Ground-breaking for the […]
23 October 2022
Above: St Sava in Belgrade. Bus ride to Belgrade I walked to the station for my 0900 departure from Prizren to Belgrade. At the station I was directed to a small office just outside the station boundaries. I checked that my online booking was OK and the lady asked me to go buy her a […]
22 October 2022
Lazy day Having done today’s share of sightseeing yesterday, I had no pressure to get going this morning. When Ieft the room around 1000, the weather was cold, dull but dry. It made me glad that I did so much yesterday. My cereal breakfast in the room didn’t quite satisfy me so I had a […]
21 October 2022
Moving to Prizren Buses from Gjakova to Prizren run around every 30-60 minutes so I didn’t have to plan my departure time in advance. When I felt ready after breakfast, I checked the schedule and delayed myself a little so that I would get to the station just right for the 0940 departure. It was […]
20 October 2022
Going to Gjakova I left the hotel after breakfast around 0810 and managed to get a bus straight away towards the Bill Clinton statue. With another stroke of luck, I boarded a connecting bus nearly immediately which took me to Pristina bus station where I waited about 10 mins for the 0900 bus to Gjakova. […]
19 October 2022
Exploring Pristina The hotel gave a nice breakfast with Turkish music videos playing softly in the background. I left around 0900 to explore the main sights of the city and a free walking tour. First up was the old town nearby. Most of it wasn’t old old but it certainly had an old feel with […]
18 October 2022
Above: Kosova meatballs for dinner Novi Sad to Belgrade Roadworks on the main street where I was supposed to have caught the bus was a blessing in disguise. Buses have been rerouted to the next street, along with the normal bus route there, which meant that I didn’t have to wait to wait before hopping […]