It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Needs An Eyepatch - A Dec TR Complete 8/31

[Elevationist]

After the show we stopped for a photopass photo and I was really starting to feel the heat, stupid pants!

STUPID STUPID PANTS!!!!!!!!

I think it must be odd to work at WDW at a character meet and not know some basic references pertaining to that character/movie.

Seriously. Do your research, people!!

Back at the hotel she was lounging around the pool and doing some shopping in the gift shop and having surprise Dismeets with @Elevationist

So in other words, having pretty much the BEST. DAY. EVER.

 

[DisneyJo]

What fun Star Wars meets you had, although I've wached them many many times as D is a huge fan I need to brush up on my facts before our trip!

How fun that your Mom met Billie

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[emmaca]

STUPID STUPID PANTS!!!!!!!!

Seriously. Do your research, people!!

So in other words, having pretty much the BEST. DAY. EVER.

Yes, it was a perfect day! to relax around the pool and just by chance run into Billie in the giftshop, right before I left the hotel to meet up with the kids I saw that Scottny was at the hotel, but unfortunately we did not meet up.

 

[Elevationist]

Yes, it was a perfect day! to relax around the pool and just by chance run into Billie in the giftshop

And I loved running into you! Thank you so much for saying hello, and also to thinking to grab a photo!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

STUPID STUPID PANTS!!!!!!!!

What fun Star Wars meets you had, although I've wached them many many times as D is a huge fan I need to brush up on my facts before our trip!

How fun that your Mom met Billie

You'll probably be okay, I suspect that the new movie will be in the parks full force right now.

Lol, I'm afraid that I would also put Dismeets and relaxing over Star Wars. But I am glad that there is a balance at the parks of things that would appeal to different audiences. And although I enjoyed the original 3 Star Wars movies, they are really one and done's for me - I think my resistance has grown the more that DH narrows his movies down to superheroes and werewolves.

Everybody has their own tastes. Mom did miss some fun non-Star Wars stuff that day but her vacation so she can relax at the pool if she wants.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Istanbul - April 16

This was our last full day in Istanbul. We would have a half day at the end of the trip but after this we were off to explore the rest of the country!

That morning we walked about 5km crossing the Golden Horn and made our way to the Kabatas ferry dock.

Looking up the Bosphorus





Park along the Bosphorus





Once we found the ferry dock we had to find the ticket stand for the particular ferry that we wanted. I was starting to get worried that my research had gone wrong as we checked many booths and none were for the company that we wanted. Finally we found it tucked away and hidden by some construction walls. We purchased our tickets for the hop-on-hop-off Bosphorus cruise and then had an hour and a half to kill until our cruise departed. We were very close to Dolmabahce Palace so we decided to wander over there and check out the grounds. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to visit the palace properly as it is by guided tour only.

View of the palace from the ferry docks



We had to walk by their cool looking soccer stadium to get to the palace



To get onto the grounds of the palace you have to go through Security. I breezed through Security and was happily taking pictures of the ornate clock and did not notice that Alek and Dad were not with me.



When I finally did notice their absence I wandered back over to the Security building and found them. There had been a bit of a scary/confusing moment for Alek. Alek was wearing a money pouch under his shirt and did not understand that Security wanted him to take it off and run it through the bag scanner. He did not understand this as they were telling him what to do in Turkish. When he wasn't following their orders some soldiers with their big guns showed up and started yelling and gesturing at him. Finally, Dad figured it out and told Alek what they wanted and everything settled down. I am sad that I missed this all as it proved a good laugh for me once they emerged into the palace park. I am sure it was very intimidating having soldiers with guns yelling at you in a language you don't understand. That being said, i think Alek was being a bit dense as well since he had had to do the same thing the past two days when going through Security.

Once on the grounds we wandered around. There wasn't much that we could see since we would have had to pay admission to go in on a tour. But we could enjoy the clock and the ornate walls.





In the mid 1800's the sultan built Dolmabahce Palace and moved there from Topkapi Palace which we had visited two days previous. It was a huge difference in style and you could really see the Western European influence and all we got to see was the outside! Apparently the architect who built the Paris Opera was involved in building this palace.

We sat on a park bench enjoying the beautiful day for awhile and then decided to make our way back to the ferry dock. It was so busy there now, jam packed with people! Luckily, our boat showed up 30 minutes before our scheduled departure so we escaped the crowd and grabbed a good seat on the upper deck of the boat.

Once the cruise started we sailed past Dolmabahce Palace. An impressive view from the water.

Here are some of the other views we had during our cruise up the Bosphorus





We sailed past many ritzy Bosphorus neighbourhoods





We passed Rumeli Hisari which we would be visiting later in the day.





And then we were at our stop which was the neighbourhood of Emirgan. Getting off at Emirgan meant that we missed out on the rest of the cruise which would have gone along the Asian shore but we had other plans for the day so we were happy to settle for half of the cruise. Taking the hop-on-hop-off cruise was the most scenic and relaxing way for us to get to our destination, Emirgan Park, and allowed us to have a bit of a Bosphorus Cruise which is a must-do in Istanbul.

What was in Emirgan Park? It is the locals destination to enjoy the tulip festival. It is supposed to be the best location for viewing the tulips during the festival. It was very beautiful and would have been even better if we had been there a week earlier when the tulips were at their peak. That didn't stop people from enjoying the park though, it was insanely busy! It was fun though being out of the touristic centre and seeing the locals enjoy a Saturday out at the park. I think we were some of the only foreign tourists there that day. We also saw tons of bridal parties getting their wedding photos taken among the tulips.





It was an insanely hot day and the park was laid out on a huge hill. We really got a workout exploring the park. I'll do anything for a beautiful view though!









Continued in next post...

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I took pity on Dad and Alek at this point and told them we could move on. They had humoured me by going with me to the park to see the tulips and now it was time to go do something that would be fun for them too.

Our plan was to walk the approximately 5km from Emirgan Park to Rumeli Hisari which was the fortress we had sailed past while on the bosphorus cruise. This was a nice walk as it went along the Bosphorus and took us through some of the ritzy waterfront neighbourhoods. It was so hot though and we were insanely thirsty. We were desperately looking for a store where we could buy some water. Finally, about halfway through the walk we found a corner store and we all got a bottle of water. What a relief!

To make this Disney relevant: ads for Frozen bottled water!



We stumbled upon this Japanese garden. Dad was hoping to find a bathroom here but it was locked.



We arrived at our destination and were told that tourists are no longer allowed up on the walls. That was disappointing but we still had great views despite that since the fortress was built on a hill. Despite the warnings to not go up on the walls we saw a couple try to do so and witnessed their getting told of by Security, hilarious! The reason for this new rule is that a part of the walls crumbled and took a person with it! Safety first people!

This fortress was built in 1452 by the Ottomans and played a key role in their conquering the Byzantine city of Constantinople, today's Istanbul. It was built in just 4 1/2 months and still stands today, amazing!



The fortress was beautiful with views over the Bosphorus and the flowering trees all around.

















Isn't it just the perfect place for imagining yourself into the a romantic medieval story?

Continued in next post...

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

The original plan after leaving Rumeli Hisari was to catch a bus back down to where we had started that morning but it was such a nice day so we decided to walk along the Bosphorus a bit and just hop on a bus once we got tired... Well, that never happened, we walked the entire way back. I think we are probably the only tourists crazy enough to do that. We told a few people what we did and they could not believe it.

It was a beautiful walk. The temperature had dropped so it was now a comfortable temperature outside and it was late afternoon/early evening and the light was just right. It was perfect if a bit long of a walk, about 10km.



We saw this cute pup swimming around in the Bosphorus fetching a ball that its owner was throwing for it.






This man was going up to cars and trying to sell flowers.



We saw so many fancy cars on our walk. There is so much money in the neighbourhoods we were walking through. Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, you name it we saw it.

We stopped at one point for dinner once we were only a few kilometres away from the ferry dock which was our destination. The restaurant we stopped at had several tables on ground level and one up on a pedestal, well, that is where they sat us. They literally were putting tourists up on a pedestal. We thought this was funny but I can understand why they did this and why the other restaurants we ate at sat us in highly visible spots. It is because they were trying to draw in more customers. If other tourists saw us eating at the restaurant then they would perhaps eat there too. We did see this tactic work several times. One restaurant told us we were their good luck for the night and brought them many customers.

Once we were fed we continued on with our walk back.

We passed this old Ottoman graveyard and found it very interesting.






Maiden's Tower. You may recognize it from the James Bond film "The World Is Not Enough"



Back at Dolmabahace Palace!





Once we got back to the ferry dock we had a choice to make. We could walk a further 5km back to the hotel or hop on the tram. We opted for the tram since we had walked about 20km already that day.

We got off the tram at the stop by our favourite sweet shop as we thought we deserved some baklava after all the walking we did that day.



Bellies full of baklava we headed back to the hotel and passed by the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque looking beautiful at night.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Ugh about Alex and the problem with security. I can kind of relate to that. When I flew over to Barcelona in 2007 I had to change planes in Germany and got kind of lost in the airport and on my way back to the gates after finding the right way. I ended up back at security with along line and I was worried I was going to miss my connecting flight. I saw another section opening up and got in line for it the security person at it yelled at me in German and then realized I didn't understand and told me to wait in english. I apologized and she said it was fine and let me through as soon as the machine was ready. Luckily my flight ended up being delayed but I had made it back on time anyway.

 

[hokieinpa]

Wow! You really are a family of walkers. That baklava was totally deserved!

Beautiful scenery on the cruise and in the park. I love that you explored the "real" city versus the tourist destinations. That makes visiting another country so much more special.

How scary for Alek! I would have been terrified but it seems to have resolved itself!

 

[tazdev3225]

I love the pics with Darth Vader and Chewie. We had the greatest time with Chewbacca in March. My husband told him we had a dog named after him and he was motioning a big dog. He was very confused when we said she is very little. I have a Pug.

I love the pictures from Turkey. I am fascinated by history and architecture. I think I better look for some off the beaten path places in Edinburgh as we have 2 days there mostly on our own.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Truly gorgeous - really, when you think about it, how lucky you were to be able to see all of that. I love old stone buildings - solid and lasting. Gorgeous tulips, and very interesting to see the bridal fashions. And though I do enjoy walking a lot, I think I would have been trying to hop back on the cruise for the luxury of it

I am definitely lucky to have had such a wonderful trip and seen so much.

The bridal fashions were very interesting. There was such a wide range.

Sadly, hopping back on the cruise was not an option for us as we had missed the last one due to visiting the fortress.

Ugh about Alex and the problem with security. I can kind of relate to that. When I flew over to Barcelona in 2007 I had to change planes in Germany and got kind of lost in the airport and on my way back to the gates after finding the right way. I ended up back at security with along line and I was worried I was going to miss my connecting flight. I saw another section opening up and got in line for it the security person at it yelled at me in German and then realized I didn't understand and told me to wait in english. I apologized and she said it was fine and let me through as soon as the machine was ready. Luckily my flight ended up being delayed but I had made it back on time anyway.

That definitely sounds very stressful!

Wow! You really are a family of walkers. That baklava was totally deserved!

Beautiful scenery on the cruise and in the park. I love that you explored the "real" city versus the tourist destinations. That makes visiting another country so much more special.

How scary for Alek! I would have been terrified but it seems to have resolved itself!

Yes, i'm glad that we branched out a bit. So many tourists just stick to the area around Hagia Sophia which is a shame as there is so much to see. Even though we branched out a bit there was still so much of the city that we did not see.

I love the pics with Darth Vader and Chewie. We had the greatest time with Chewbacca in March. My husband told him we had a dog named after him and he was motioning a big dog. He was very confused when we said she is very little. I have a Pug.

I think it is hilarious that you named your small non-hairy dog after Chewie.

I love the pictures from Turkey. I am fascinated by history and architecture. I think I better look for some off the beaten path places in Edinburgh as we have 2 days there mostly on our own.

Two days wandering around Edinburgh sound divine!

 

[GoofyFan1515]

We stopped for photos and the photopass photographer apologized to me saying that he didn't think I would get a "normal photo from those two". I told him that was fine and I was used to it.

The PPP was very quick but then, it's not like that perception is Rocket Science..............

My feet were really bothering me from wearing flip flops all week so I opted to wear my running shoes, that meant no dress that day which meant pants. Boy did I regret that as it turned into a blistering hot day! I am definitely part of the "I hate pants" club that @Elevationist and her followers often talk about.

Pat is a firm believer in the "I hate pants" club! But then, even when it is cold, she very seldom wears pants and is at least in shorts with her heavy jacket! During trips in the hotter months, she has become a huge fan of dresses.

It was a bit strange not seeing the big hat as the centrepiece of the park. I know the theatre was supposed to be the centrepiece but you can't even really see it due to the stage that they have set up.

I agree, but at least the stage has become less obtrusive than the original one they put in.

The stand-by line for Star Tours was short so we went on that. All the scenes were from the new movie which we enjoyed. Sadly none of us were picked to be the rebel spy.

Being the Rebel Spy is still on my bucket list.

We still had time before our ADR so I suggested that we go see Santa Goofy. we had seen him at Animal Kingdom but he has a better backdrop at DHS.

That was a meet that it took a while to finally get a short enough line to take advantage of.

It was another hilarious character meet. Erich listed off for Santa all of the outlandish things he wanted for Christmas including having his name written in the stars. Santa Goofy nodded his head to each insane request and then put his hand on Erich's shoulder and indicated he would do his best.

I'm sure Santa Goofy has a lot of experience dealing with difficult children........

Another beautiful day in Istanbul. After enjoying breakfast in the hotel courtyard we walked the short distance to the Hagia Sophia which is one of the landmarks of Istanbul.

An amazing place!

Also in the park was public exercise equipment. None of it would give you a serious workout but it is better than nothing. We saw this equipment all over Turkey.

An interesting concept, and an interesting "presentation."

He then tried to convince Alek that he needed his running shoes buffed! We thanked him but said no and continued on.

Well doesn't everyone need buffed running shoes..........???

Instead of going back the same way that we came I directed us down to the water and we walked along the Golden Horn until we reached the area of the Spice Market.

Another amazing place! That's a whole lot of spices!!!

After lunch at Sci-Fi we decided to go see the Indiana Jones show. We have seen it many times in the past but who knows if it will still be around by the time we next visit so we had to make time for it!

That's an excellent thought process. Has been the case with a lot of attractions there lately!

More beautiful shots in Turkey, of the water front and the park especially!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

But then, even when it is cold, she very seldom wears pants and is at least in shorts with her heavy jacket!

That is hilarious!

During trips in the hotter months, she has become a huge fan of dresses.

My top choice as well!

I'm sure Santa Goofy has a lot of experience dealing with difficult children........

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

it was now time to use our Fastpass for Toy Story! We all really love this ride!



Since Mom wasn't with us I had to ride by myself while Alek and Erich went together. I didn't mind as I can't come close to beating either of them so I got to have fun without the competition factor.

Here's my score, not too bad for me.



We had a bit of time to kill afterwards before our next fastpass so I grabbed a delicious refreshment from Min and Bill's Dockside Diner and we grabbed a nice spot and just chatted for a bit while enjoying the beautiful day.

What was my delicious refreshment? It was the Blue Milkshake! Seems this has a Star Wars tie-in??? Anyways, it was delicious! It reminded me of my favourite ice cream treat which I get every year when I visit my family in Ohio, Smurf soft serve ice cream. It is essentially a light blue raspberry flavour.



We eventually walked the short distance over to the theatre that hosts the Frozen Singalong show. Oh my gosh, this show was so funny!!! We had no idea what to expect from this going in and it ended up being a highlight of the trip. The "historians" that host the show were fabulous and had us laughing the whole time. They were spot on and interacted really well with the crowd. At one point they made a joke and Erich yelled out "I get it!". They laughed and pointed him out. So funny!

The singing was fun too of course, even if Erich did hit my arm every time I tried to singalong.

I recommend that you see this even if you don't want to sing as the comedic historians are worth it. Two thumbs up from Alek and Erich and they didn't even want to see this show at first.

We were going to meet up with Mom at this point as she said that she would meet us at Star Tours around the time of our fastpass. On her way into the park she grabbed some photopass photos.







Reunited at Star Tours we watched some of the Jedi Training Academy before using our fastpasses.





Once again we did not get picked to be the Rebel Spy and all the scenes were from the new movie. I think it was on this second ride of the day that they loaded us into a car that had a burning mechanical smell so we had to unload and wait for another car to become available. The smell gave me a bit of a headache but luckily it went away within an hour

After this we wandered around One Mans Dream. I love looking at all the models.

Tokyo Disneysea, one day I will visit you!



We watched Beauty and the Beast after and I only snapped a couple photos as I opted to watch the show without fussing with the camera.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Loved this show myself, and have seen it several times. It's hard to explain to some people, but I love the historians, and they have different jokes depending on who is performing that day.

I hope the show sticks around as I would love to see it again.

 

[englishrose47]

Wow 3 updates , First of course I loved the Goofy pix of the Bros , poor PP photographer , how would he know that he was in the presence of the Bros Grimm !!
Your pix of Turkey were amazing , the artwork and the mosaics are phenomenal . I loved the stilt ladies !! They were soooo colorful. The Star Wa
s character interaction was great, don't you love it when it is like that!!