Istanbul part 2

Before going back to my usual food related posts I still would like to show you several more pictures from Turkey. This post will be a bit general, while I’m still preparing one more related to amazing Turkish food.

Apart from it’s historical center, Istanbul has quite many other interesting districts. One of them is Beyoğlu and if you won’t find your way to there, you basically haven’t seen the city at all. Beyoğlu is a lively district located on European side of Istanbul. It can be called entertainment and shopping district as it bursts with restaurants, pubs, nightclubs and designer shops. Many will tell you that it is the art heart of Istanbul too. Among elegant Neoclassical and Art Nouveau buildings you’ll spot lots of small galleries and workshops. Istiklal Caddesi is a sophisticated main street running into neighbourhood from Taksim Square. Right nearby is famous Nevizade street packed with rows of historic pubs and restaurants.

Galata is a stone tower that dominates over Beyoğlu. Built as a watchtower during Genoese rule it was the city’s highest structure. It is over 65 meters high and the wall thickness is amazing 3.75m! Nowadays, this medieval landmark offers a fantastic panorama of Old Istanbul and Bosphorus.

Historical center and Beyoğlu are within walking distance from each other. To get from one place to another one has to pass a bridge that goes over a small Bosphorus bay. It wouldn’t be any particularly interesting spot, but it happens to be one of favourite fishing places. No matter if its early morning or late evening, you’ll find if just packed with people trying to get hamsi – delicious little sardines that are plentiful in Bosphorus.

One of the “must do” things in Istanbul is to take a ride along the coasts of the Bosphorus – the world’s narrowest strait used for heavy navigation that divides the city between Europe and Asia. One can say that it is only thanks to Bosphorus that Istanbul was established. As it is the only passage between the Mediterranean and Black Sea it is of huge strategic importance and therefore already the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great decided to found in this place his new capital – Constantinople. Nowadays, a bunch of ferries and hundreds of tiny fishermen’s boats traverse Bosphorus restlessly. Not to mention tens of cargo ships going through this busy tiny strait every day.

The ride was really worth it. On the way one may gaze at amazing waterfront houses and historic mansions. We were quite unfortunate though, because of the weather the visibility was low and it was bloody windy so we were mostly sitting and shivering inside the boat. I believe it can be fully appreciated only with the nice weather. Nevertheless, better to take it even in bad conditions that not at all. As in the evening the weather was improving we have decided to take another ferry and finally to go for a walk on the Asian part of Istanbul. I won’t deny it, the main point of that trip was that though we went there just for 2-3h I can now proudly say I’ve been to Asia 😉