Turkey has long ceased to be a curiosity for us. Our tourists fly to this warm and hospitable country, located at the junction of Europe and Asia, almost as if to their own home, and taking into account the favorable conditions of living on the principle of "all inclusive", they can break in with friends and family for the weekend. All my friends "with children and household" have visited the "hot packages" in Antalya, Bodrum and other famous Turkish resorts more than ten times in their lives. I confess, I flew to Istanbul for the first time.
The whole story began with my chance meeting with AIChE Misirli Mirza, Director of Turkish Airlines in Dubai and Sri Lanka, and Altan Buyuk Wilmaz, Vice President of the company in the Middle East and Cyprus. First, we talked about the fact that Turkish Airlines will soon begin flying to Sochi, and then, it was with their light hand that I ended up on board the Airbus A-320, departing early in the morning on the route Dubai - Istanbul.
The main purpose of the trip to Istanbul at the invitation of Turkish Airlines was announced to visit its headquarters, Ataturk Istanbul International Airport, training and catering centers of Turkish Airlines, which, as it turned out, was not limited to. Before we had time to drop our bags and suitcases at the Marmara Hotel, located in the bustling business district of Istanbul - Taksim, we were immediately taken to inspect the sights of this ancient and glorious city, starting, oddly enough, from prison ...
Prison and Hotel
Many people today believe that Sultanahmet is a district in the very "heart" of modern Istanbul. Indeed, this district got its name in honor of the famous Sultan Akhmet mosque, built in 1616, which is known in almost all corners of the planet as the “Blue Mosque” and which proudly rises on the city skyline near the massive dome of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral (Ayasofia or Haghia Sophia), built a thousand years earlier. However, over almost the entire past century, the name Sultanahmet had another meaning, thanks to a rather inconspicuous building located between these famous temples. Everyone knew that it was there that the ruler’s prison was located, in which those who were "out of court" were serving their sentences. Ironically, this building was originally built by Gaspard Fossati, a Swiss architect of Italian origin, for the university, but during the Crimean War (1851 - 1856), a French military hospital was located there. In 1876, the Parliament of the Ottoman Empire met in the building, then in 1908 it was transferred to the court, which began to use it as a prison for convicts awaiting sentence. Fortunately, in 1969 the prison was closed.
Today, in this amazing building, which offers a unique view of the Bosphorus, the Blue Mosque and the Museum of Islamic Art, the luxurious five-star Four Season Istanbul Hotel is located. From it you can easily reach all the main attractions of Istanbul - Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the already mentioned cathedrals can be reached on foot in less than five minutes. The hotel itself is small, comfortable and very beautiful. In its courtyard, surrounded by flowers, there is a restaurant in which locals and visitors alike love to have breakfast and lunch. We also decided not to miss such an opportunity and, taking advantage of the hospitality of Four Seasons management, dined with great pleasure in the fresh air. And for some reason, we were not at all embarrassed by the fact that once in this very courtyard the unfortunate prisoners of the Turkish Sultan were strolling. Yes, whatever you say, but life is a very complicated thing in which everything develops according to its own laws ...
Palace and Cathedral
We could not claim the title of "real travelers" if we did not go after lunch for a short excursion to the famous Topkapi Palace, where the Sultans' treasury is located, and to Hagia Sophia. Many have read and heard about Topkapi's treasury more than once. I can only recall that it contains relics such as the world's largest diamond, the throne of the Sultan, studded with precious stones, the footprint and hair of the beard of the Prophet Muhammad himself, the collection of his swords, the staff of Moses and other relics that today have an unimaginable cultural and historical value. Near each window in the treasury there are crowds of people who want to see, feel, touch at all costs. You can’t take pictures. Watch - as much as you like. At the exit, there are dozens of tourist groups from different countries, guides speaking different languages, camera flashes, street cries, children’s laughter.
Giant trees grow in the gigantic garden surrounding the palace complex, rose bushes with flowers the size of a good fist are scattered everywhere, and dozens of cats and cats of all stripes roam, sleep, or simply wallow around. Probably, they were entrusted with the protection of the treasury from the raids of mice and rats. In any case, the cats in Topkapi are treated with respect, no one bothers or touches them. Hagia Sophia is amazing with its gigantic size and amazing interior decoration. And thoughtful readers will forgive me for not going deeper into his further description. This cathedral needs to be seen once. And the point. Not a single story about him is worth the experience with which you leave Hagia Sophia, once again falling into the noisy and bustling streets of Istanbul or its famous Grand Bazaar, where you can buy everything and a little more ...
Violin, tambourine and iron
Our first and, most interesting, sunny day in Istanbul came to an end. Toward the close, a group of Dubai journalists decided to acquaint themselves with local exoticism, or, in other words, they led them to dinner at one of the traditional local restaurants, located on a street filled with a whole bunch of exactly the same popular twin taverns. The street greeted us with a bright illumination, a noisy boom and the breathtaking aromas of food. As it turned out, our restaurant was chosen for a reason. It served dishes prepared from freshly caught fish. Even the process of ordering food looked unusual. A waiter came up to the table with two raw fish looking grimly at us from the plate and asked everyone one question: "Sea Bass or Sea Brim?". For some reason, I immediately remembered how Alice in Wonderland was introduced to Lamb Bock during dinner ... It became funny. But, back to our marine inhabitants. The fish, both being, in fact, varieties of sea bass, did not differ much from each other. All our friendly company chose one or another instance, and the high-spirited waiter rushed to the nearest fish market with all his legs to get fresh fish in a row for the number of mouths and exactly for our order. The tastes already fried over charcoal and Bass, and Brim, were incomparable. And since the whole meal, which also included numerous local appetizers from vegetables and beans, was held under traditional local beer and strong grape brandy (resembling arak or aniseed vodka), mass fun soon began. And he was not slow to support the musicians, before that quietly sitting at one of the tables. Grabbing a violin, a tambourine and .... No, of course, there was no iron. Some string instrument resembling a harp was for sure. Well, and dombra ... Musicians from all the dope began to play over our heads all that they could: and mournful Turkish songs, all as a selection about love, and "Black Eyes", and even some variations on the theme of "Beatles" Yesterday. And all would be fine if in all the neighboring restaurants, separated from each other by cardboard walls, exactly the same musical groups would start their own performances. And then the ladies performing the "belly dance" and collecting tips put to him (literally, right in the dance costume) from the people chewing at the tables didn’t even attract them. In a word, after about an hour, the fun covered already the whole street. And when we, having thanked for dinner and said goodbye, gathered at the hotel, the guide accompanying us noted that "in vain, the most interesting is just beginning." We took his word for it, because tomorrow the most interesting thing was waiting for us, but already at the headquarters of Turkish Airlines.
Airport and Catering
The head office of Turkish Airlines, located on the territory of Istanbul Ataturk International Airport, met us with silence, eloquently speaking of universal employment. But after five minutes, our entire group plunged headlong into the hectic activities of the main aviation services. The first thing we saw was a crew training center where training sessions were held to evacuate passengers from an aircraft in the event of an emergency landing on land or on water. Future stewardesses and stewards (by the way, this work is considered very honorable and highly paid, and to get it, you need to pass a dozen tests, and only 100 out of 100 possible points) famously rolled down the inflatable ramps from the training salon of the A-320 airliner, completely imitating a real plane. The head of the crew training service introduced us in detail to the requirements for the crews and told that today Turkish Airlines employs young girls and children who must at least speak two or three foreign languages, including English and Russian.
Then we went to the place where the pilots train. In the huge hall, simulators of various types of modern passenger Airbus and Boeing aircraft were installed, in which pilots are being trained. We were allowed to visit one of these "cockpits" and try to land the plane on the runway, clearly visible from the "windows" of the pilot's cabin. And when the first landing attempt by journalists was failed, it became scary. Believe me, the "presence effect" in the simulator is complete. Even the head is spinning from "height". I don’t know who how, but I believe that all professions related to heaven are heroic.
After the "take-off and landing" the fun began. We found ourselves in the holy of holies of any airport - the catering department, which is responsible for the on-board meals on all flights of Turkish Airlines, as well as many other airlines operating transit flights through Istanbul, and provides us, passengers, with everything you need for relaxation and entertainment on board - From warm socks, rugs, headphones and sleep masks in the first and business classes to collections of films, music, newspapers and magazines in the economy class.
The Turkish Airlines catering division, headquartered in Vienna, is responsible for the full range of these services at Turkish Airlines. Upon closer acquaintance with Do & Co, it turned out that it was a whole empire of taste. From 75 to 80 thousand servings of food are produced per day in its kitchens, where more than 1,200 people work. Saying "portion", I mean the whole set of on-board meals that we are accustomed to, consisting of cold appetizers, hot dishes, desserts, drinks, and even chocolate bars with me. In addition to the actual cooking and daily tastings, Do & Co specialists at their training areas, simulating the first, business and economy classes, conduct workshops on board meals for young stewards and stewardesses, who, by the way, must annually reaffirm their knowledge and skills, as well as periodically get acquainted with new dishes appearing on the menu. Chefs are also trained here, who then enlist at Do & Co. Do & Co clearly complies with all passenger requirements for food, drink and even entertainment. Food is prepared here for vegetarians, and for those who need to have halal meat, they know what types of wine, beer and juices to put on one side or another, here they respect the choice of films for flights flying to religious countries, in a word, everyone here knows about us and is ready to satisfy any whim of a passenger. If only he was well. On this, we say Do & Co "many human thanks" for caring and do not say goodbye ...
A heart-to-heart conversation and "farewell tour" on the Bosphorus
Summing up our trip was a heart-to-heart meeting and conversation with the most important person at Turkish Airlines - Dr. Temel Kotil, its chief executive officer. Having received basic education, having worked in the USA, in 2003 Dr. Temel Kotil came to work at Turkish Airlines, and today he heads one of the most successful aviation companies in Europe and the world.
In 2008, Turkish Airlines became a member of the Star Alliance Aviation Alliance, whose network offers 19,700 daily flights to 1,077 destinations in 175 countries. According to the results of 2009, Turkish Airlines took the 4th place among the best air carriers in Europe. Today, it operates a flotilla of 139 aircraft and flies to 120 destinations in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America, as well as 37 cities in Turkey.
According to Dr. Temel Kotil: “In 2010, the company will continue its strategy to expand its presence in various markets and will begin to fly to ten new directions, including to cities such as Sochi and Novosibirsk in Russia. We are proud of the high level of service and reasonable prices of our flights. We hope that this indicator will become the key for many passengers when choosing a carrier, especially in the current conditions of the global financial crisis. "
On the day of our meeting, the most convincing proof of the words and predictions of Dr. Temel was the deserved awards received by Turkish Airlines during the Skytrax World Aviation Awards 2010 for the "Best in-flight meals in economy salons" (another "thank you" Do & Co), for The best on-board service in economy class ", as well as the recognition of the company" Best Airlines in Southern Europe ". And finally, Turkish Airlines took the 3rd place of honor among the best air carriers in Europe. All these awards were presented on May 20, 2010, when, after summing up the results of the conversation, we said goodbye to the Turkish Airlines CEO and sincerely wished his company further success and prosperity.
And in the end I will tell… . How we made a wonderful boat trip along the Bosphorus Strait, which (presumably everyone knows about it) does not belong to Turkey and is considered neutral waters. I was dripping nasty fine gray rain, it was damp, but breathing - just wonderful. For almost an hour and a half we plowed the Bosphorus, examining the villas and mosques built along its banks, the palaces and summer residences of the Sultans, the remains of the old fortress wall and watch towers. We said Istanbul "goodbye and see you soon!". And the city, apparently upset by our speedy departure, burst out in the end with violent “tears” - a downpour, due to which our return flight to Dubai was delayed for a short time at Istanbul Ataturk Airport. So, you still have to return to this eternal and beautiful city - Constantinople, Istanbul, Istanbul .... The former capital of the three great empires.
The author thanks Turkish Airlines and personally AIChE Misirli Mirza, director of the Turkish Airlines office in Dubai and Sri Lanka, for organizing the trip.
