In the footsteps of Leon Trotsky

Ferry arrives at Buyukada Splendid Palace Hotel, where we stay, on left Under refurbishment, like so much here Trotsky’s erstwhile home Fire axe in hotel Horses and carriages Istanbul on the horizon

We took the ferry out to the Princes’ Islands, having lunch on Heybeliada, where we saw the house of Mustafa Ismet Inonu (Ismet Pasha), who followed Ataturk as President. Once on Buyukuda, the largest of the islands, we walked among the huge villas, enjoying the almost complete absence of cars, although the racing horse-drawn carriages almost filled the gap in terms of safety hazards, before finding our way to the house where Leon Trotsky lived in exile, between Moscow and Mexico.

Couldn’t help fretting about the condition of the horses, which seemed pretty poorly treated – something a woman who had lived on the island for 35 years sadly confirmed. But I always enjoy the smell of horses – and the view from our front-of-house room in the Splendid Palace Hotel, a place that had clearly seen much grander days, was fabulous. The bathroom, however, left a great deal to be desired, a plastic implant in the room which seemed designed to leak into the rest of the room.