We’re home

Just typing this in my lunchbreak, while stuffing a smoked ham and mustard buttie – absolutely NO food in the house !

Well , we returned last night from Istanbul, having had a ball . as usual on my travels , Rosie was with me all the time , her passport in my bag and her photo next to my heart . She would have loved it , the people, the food, the games , the buzz….

Do any of you remeber Marty Feldman – he was a commedian who used to do a sketch show and one of the items was a speeded up film of an adventure ?Well this is a Rachel Feldman take on what we did in Istanbul …….

Thursday morn and early cab to hearthrow T5- john and my blood pressure shot right up when the driver took us via the M25 and wewere stuck in stationary traffic. Nerves were calmed by breakfast in Gordon Ramsays and a couple pf large brandies on the plane ! We were met by Jacob wearing his imitation nylon Addidas Tracksuit – i thought for a minute we were in benidorm. The whole outfit cost £4 – none of us liked to say anyting – it was his idea of a joke. taxi to talabashi and walked 4 flights up ( with cases) to jacobs pad – we would have gone to the hotel , but I forgot the address…then 4 flights down and off to the hotel .We walked down to the Bosphorous , sat outside in a bar , with a cold Effes ( nothing that some Hemaeroid cream can’t put right ) and a plate of mussels and calamari and watched the boats going crazy on The Golden Horn bliss to be with the 3 people I love most in the world. back up the hill and dins in a fab restaurant and coffee and ckes somewhere else. Pooped , bed at 2.

All met up and had Borek for breakfast ( spinach and fetta pastry – not Borats cousin ), walked to the port and got the ferry over to The Asian Side . Strolled round the antique shops, fish market , market and went to Jacobs friends Hassans pad , met Mathias. onto uskadar – fab bar and learnt toplay ‘tabla’ ( backgammon) from then on we were pretty much addicted. ( gotta speed up – nearly bell time at work ) – so kebab, ferry, walk , dins at swanky ‘360’ and bar , shisha, terrible coffee, tabla, contract whist , beddy byes.

Then on Sat , we met jacobs lovely roomies , Susie , who we know and who ran for Rosie, David ( pronounced Davide- more Ginola than Beckham ) and Hanna, Emre who lives upstairs Shot off and did the Spice Bazzaar – all going well until one stall holder called John ‘Baldy man’. Got lost in the grand bazzaar, took photos in the Cistern ( underground NOT toilet ), went and watched rugby in the sports bar , ate fresh fresh fis at a cafe in the fish market, played tabla in a bar and dined in a very Turkish restaurant . back to our local cafe , got thrashed at Contract played on on Jacobs roof terrace. . ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ’s

Sunday and it was areal buzzy local market right outside Jacobs flat . there was a dodgy moment when we had to squeeze past the egg stall with our cases. John paid at least £2 for some trakkie bottoms- so now him and Jacob look like something out the 118 118 advert. Plane home, boo hoo. Missing AF already