I had an urge to go to a Grand Prix, something I had not done since, I believe, 2017 when I visited Japan. I don't just go for the race but like something else to see on the same trip so Doha for the Qatar Grand Prix was the one I chose. It was a place I had visited very briefly between flights about five years ago but this time gave me the chance to see a little more of the country.
I decided to travel again with Turkish, an airline I had found very good when I last used them a few years ago. For someone of my height, I do find long haul flights a slight bother in planning and feel a bit put out at either having to wait and hope to find a seat with adequate legroom at the airport or pay quite a lot more over and above the actual fare for the peace of mind of knowing that I will not be cramped up. It feels like a bit of a penalty for being tall. The alternative - and the reason for flying Turkish - is to break the journey en route. Four scheduled hours to Istanbul and a further four to Doha was ideal and, after all, Istanbul is far from being the worst place to stop and I had an overnight stay there also which added to the enjoyment of the trip.
The only slight difficulty this time was what seemed to be a glitch on the Turkish website with scheduled changes of all of five minutes leading to perplexing messages online whilst looking at the booking. I did wonder whether it would prevent me from checking in online (and thereby potentially not being able to secure at the very least an aisle seat) but, to be fair, it did work out adequately as Turkish had pre-allocated me aisle seats and, on the first two flights, they went out of their way to then give me the emergency exit which was much appreciated So, yes, once again I was pleased with my choice of flying with them. Food and drink is included which isn't necessarily the case with other airlines on flights of the same general duration.

The first of the recent storms just beforehand scuppered our plans of driving to my aunt and uncle's house in Rugby to drop off my mum for her holiday so she stayed at home instead and I travelled from Swindon instead of Rugby. I may have been lucky to have made it as far as the bus stop for the first part of the journey to Gatwick, a polite and civil driver allowing me to cross the road with my suitcase only for the driver behind to not show the same politeness or restraint and overtake the first car... Sadly, I am no longer surprised at such behaviour.
Anyway, despite delays and train cancellations, matters improved and I was more quickly ensconced in the Travelodge at Gatwick earlier than the weather might have allowed. The next day, the flight to Istanbul was pretty much on time and arrived into Istanbul's vast airport slightly early. Predominantly, a travel card, Istanbulkart, is required to travel on the majority of buses and metro etc; I managed to make the machine work after a while and topped up the card afterwards but, sadly, the local H-6 bus was quite badly delayed, presumably stuck in Istanbul's heavy traffic.
When it did come, a very helpful chap wanted to talk and also made sure that I knew where to alight. I had actually selected the Med Life Istanbul Airport Hotel partly because it was near one of the bus stops on the H-6 bus route and also because it was next to a huge mosque, the Yesil Camii or Green Mosque. My sense of direction has not remotely improved and I felt that a huge mosque might give me a better chance of knowing where to leave the bus.
The Med Life Istanbul Airport was a terrific place to stay. It is almost right opposite the Green Mosque; the staff were very pleasant but, maybe the defining memory was being allocated a room overlooking the mosque. I have stayed in hotels before with terrific views but this one was right up there. Okay, the road outside was busy and quite noisy but the double glazing worked well. The muezzin, calling the faithful to prayer, was also likely to interrupt my night's kip although it was more of a pleasant interlude. When, though, I turned to my laptop to find the time which I had been roused from my solid kip, I was disappointed to find that it was 3:30 a.m. More surprised half-an-hour later when my 7 a.m. alarm woke me up and it was than that the penny dropped: the computer was still on U.K. time and the muezzin had actually started at 6:30 a.m.

Taking buses from the hotel to the city centre - which could take up to two hours depending on the route chosen - looked a precarious matter especially as not all transfers/connections necessarily arrived and departed from the same stop so I decided to return to the airport on the H-6 bus (which, if anything, was early) and then take the metro from there. It also allowed me to check in at the airport (and return later with my bag) and be immediately offered an emergency exit. It made a big difference.
The metro was busy enough that I rarely found a seat but was easier than travelling to bus. On the outbound flight, I had seen a picture-postcard view of the Bosphorus Bridge from Ortakoy, an area of Istanbul which looked delightful. and so I had a look at how to reach there. It worked out well: I caught the correct bus from the large Gayrettepe Metro Station, enjoyed a bad-tempered driver's regular cursing of other road users and duly found the delightful spot with the fantastic view.
It was probably simple enough to find a further bus down to the Galata Tower area of the city but it isn't every day that I have the opportunity of walking along the banks of the Bosphorus so I decided to walk which took about forty-five minutes. It was lovely, the only curse being the occasional person on a mobile telephone not watching where they were going.

The weather during my last visit to Istanbul had been dank but this time was gorgeous. It is, to me, a wonderful city and I enjoyed the highlights before setting out on the important business of Christmas shopping in one of the souqs on the other side of the water from the Galata Tower. I was surprised at the prices and expected higher and, by the time I warmed to my task of haggling over six bars of soaps, I was quickly turned down. Anyway, I returned with the said soap, two (uncabled) lamps, a handbag for my mum and a mug and knew that I would be returning to the exchange shop in Swindon for reimbursement of the unused Lira. The lamps may not have been the wisest move and I did seriously wonder whether they would survive three flights but they were something which we wanted. Survive they ultimately did, though.
My day in Istanbul was great fun and successful. Over the course of the holiday, I forgot the mantra of less haste, more speed. On the first evening, I had had an interesting meal with conversation relying upon the restaurateur's Google Translate. That worked well until I had that horrible feeling that I had put my bag down and lost it... I hadn't, having left it in the room but it was a panic which I had rather not put myself through. Whilst shopping the following day, someone else's Google Translate had been thrust in front of me and, with no keypad, I had essentially asked him what the hell I was supposed to do to which he replied, essentially also, just talk into it... All of which was, of course, translated into Turkish... When I arrived back at the Med Life after my shopping spree, I was replete with gifts but no room key so another was issued. Yes, I had left that in the room also.

The flight to Doha was on time and comfortable but I was always going to be arriving at the Best Western Plus Hotel far earlier than the normal 3 p.m. check-in time. I was extremely lucky that not only did a room become available around 11:30 a.m., but that I was upgraded to a vast suite with living room, double-bedded bedroom and big bathroom and with excellent views of Doha. The hotel certainly went well beyond the call of duty for me and I was undoubtedly very fortunate, and grateful. The hotel is in a good area around a fifteen-minute walk from the Souq Waqif and its Metro station. I did not use the restaurant but it seemed good when I popped in to ask a question and other facilities include a spa and all the staff were very friendly and attentive. It was a good choice. Alcohol is not allowed to be taken into the city from the airport and, whilst I had read that a scanner would pick up any illegal items, it did not quite materialise in that way unless, of course, the bags were frisked before passengers saw them. Whatever, I had not tempted fate. The Best Western Plus had a selection of bars and clubs within its premises although these were separate entities using the same building as the hotel.
I used The Irish Pub almost at the top of the building and found it friendly and welcoming with decent prices. Happy Hour prices applied from its opening time at midday until 9 p.m. and the food portions were good. I don't wish to suggest that my tongue was hanging out but I did feel easier when my reservations - and I am not entirely sure that I necessarily needed them for the hours I went - were made.
The Qatar Grand Prix organisers laid on an excellent show. At the airport's metro station, a free pass was given to all visitors on presentation of a valid ticket which was a nice bonus. The circuit is at Lusail, the last stop on the metro but still some way away from the circuit. However, buses were laid on and the process was not only very quick but friendly too. The onward journey to the circuit took around fifteen minutes after which there was a fifteen to twenty-minute walk to the General Admission (or Lusail Hill) area. I had booked my ticket through Motorsport Tickets who were excellent so everything worked very well. I rather enjoy the Sprint races of which Qatar was one this year and which started at 5 p.m. on the Saturday and at dusk. I had imagined that the General Admission area would have quite a distant view of the start/finish line and long run down to the first corner but it was closer than I had imagined. The Lusail Hill was attractive and ticket holders could sit down on the grass or anywhere where there was space or just stand up. And, of course, move around. Ticket prices were very reasonable, my ticket having cost around £110 for three days. All in all, good fun.
Doha by night was a delightful sight. It's quite a struggle to cross roads: the lights do not often seem to change and the traffic travels pretty quickly. The palm-leafed shaped lights made for an interesting view as did the illuminated buildings on the other side of the water. There is plenty of space too so my first main experience of the Qatari capital was most favourable.
I took to the Souq Waqif the following morning. Even though I had bought more than I had expected in Istanbul two days earlier, I nonetheless had bits and pieces to pick up in Doha and discounts were offered without having to ask. I suspect that I might have done better but, anyway, buyer and seller parted ways pretty satisfied and there was no need for Google Translate.
The weather was nicely warm and a breeze - which made a jumper advisable at the Lusail International Circuit - made it ideal for walking about. I was treated to a caravan of camels riding by after I finished my shopping at Souq Waqif and enjoyed another walk along the promenade with its nice views. After being watered and fed in the early afternoon in The Irish Pub, I had an easy journey up to the circuit for the main race which started two hours later than the Sprint the previous day, at 7 p.m. There was another kerfuffle at the first turn but, this year, Hamilton survived but two back markers didn't and the safety car became a regular feature of this year's race. All things considered, it was a pretty decent race and a nice atmosphere with the recently-crowned World Champion ( for the fourth successive year), Verstappen again coming home first after which the fireworks started.
My tongue was hanging out by the time I reached the hotel an hour-and-a-bit later but I survived a proposition from a lady in The Irish Pub by telling her - politely, of course - that I was soon checking out and had little money or time available. As it happened, I was served with a larger than anticipated beer so gave her the lion's share of it and left when she was making a telephone call. For once, I wasn't cursing mobile telephones and so left her with her beer but not her ideas which she had had for me.
It was a short night and I am not sure that I had much sleep. The flight was full and no emergency exits were available but, once again, the flight was on time and I tried my luck for the onward flight to Heathrow only to be scuppered by lengthy checks at the departure gate after which the Turkish Airlines person had gone for his lunch. Someone else basically fobbed me off saying that the flight was full: it wasn't, and I tried again just as we were boarding and was told to ask on board for seat 24F which I did and had a better flight back for it. Although the flight took off a little late, it was still back earlier than the scheduled time and just early enough for me to back home earlier in the evening than I had anticipated having just made a train connection by the enamel on my teeth.
My mind is now wandering on where my next Grand Prix might be for next year...