We broke our #1 rule of no two international flights in one day. This rule was instituted mostly to make sure a delay with one flight will not impact the next flight. This day's travel took us from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Istanbul, Turkey to Sliema, Malta. The issue was with Istanbul where the airport is so far away from the city that there is little development near the airport. What lodging that is there is exorbitantly priced. So we booked both flights in the same day and toughed it out. We had to get up at 4 AM in Colombo to catch the 4:30 shuttle to the airport. The first flight was at 7 AM and we got to spend some time in the lounge getting breakfast. Then the flight to Istanbul on Turkish Air was 9 hours and the business glass was OK but the seats were old school. Our two seats were side by side and although Leslie was able to sleep some I was not. The Istanbul Airport was massive and the Turkish Air Lounge was a delight. The four hour layover went by very quickly. Lots of people watching and snacking helped pass the time. The next flight was only 2.5 hours and we reached Malta just as the sun was setting. Our AirBnB host met us and explained everything which was very nice of her. We actually checked in a day early. We had a hotel booked but the host said we could check in early. It was a win win because the host was going to fly out the next day and now she has the whole next day for herself. Thanks!
Sri Lanka is very verdant
The airport is north of the main city
We saw a few taller buildings as the sun is rising
More breakfast
Trying some Turkish wine with lunch
Flying over the Zargos mountains of Iran
It is a reminder that it is still winter in the northern hemisphere
Very rugged landscape
Extensive mountain range
Beautiful
Landing in Istanbul from the Black Sea side
Lots of construction going on around the airport
Istanbul Airport
There is even a museum in the terminal
"Smoking Kills" labels do not stop any smokers. I think that they should say smoking causes impotence, that will get more attention
Istanbul Airport from the Turkish Air lounge
Looking down at the folks flying coach
Antiquities
Not the King of Beers
So many different traditional outfits
Some very bright
Some just a simple white
The moon is already out as we are landing
Some large harbors
Lots of boats
The inter island ferry
Looking at the Mediterranean Sea from our balcony
Another balcony in the back
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Our street is narrow
Very old building next door
