Was there a problem in Istanbul over the weekend?
 

I was half heartedly watching CNN and the crawl said something about "a cafe in Istanbul". I tried to watched the whole crawl sequence again, but did not have time to watch the whole thing. Did anyone else hear anyhing?

Thanks. ccc

Yes, there was something:

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- A bomb blast at an Istanbul cafe late Saturday night injured at least two people, police said.

The blast, which police said was caused by either a remote-controlled bomb or a bomb on a timer, took place at a cafe at the bottom of the Galata bridge, a popular area for tourists and Turks to go for fish dinners.

Link to story:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/....ap/index.html

Thanks for being "in the know" Flyboy. ccc

Flyboy, I tried to e-mail you something about three weeks ago, but I think you never got it. I found your e-mail address in one of your Fodors posts, but it may not have been current (Plato-something, I think).

I've noticed several times that incidents like this are NOT being covered in the Turkish Daily News: http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/

Hello, I just returned home from Istanbul last night. Yes, there was a bombing of a cafe near the Galata Bridge, but I am not sure which side. The bridge was open to traffic Sunday. Security in Istanbul is EXTREMELY TIGHT. Expect to get to the airport at least 4 hours before your flight. You will be searched at least 3 times before you finally board the airplane. My mother had all of her gifts, which were wrapped, opened by security officials. Security at the big hotels--Ritz, Hyatt, Ciragan Palace, Inter-continental--is also tight. You must pass through a metal detector and have your bags put through an x-ray machine to enter the hotels.

Welcome back Thin and Gorgeous!

How was your trip? I'm excited to hear about it.

I will post a trip report when I am rested. I am very tired and my mind is disorganized.