The Bosporus and Istanbul

 

I have traveled via Istanbul a few times, but this was the first time I stepped outside the airport. The first few days were spent in meetings though we did get out to sample a lot of local food at restaurants as high profile as the Nusr-Et to the roadside eateries and sweet shops. I grew quite fond of the Turkish coffee and tea and spent quite a few catch-ups with one of the either. We were staying quite close to the Dolmabahce palace in one of the more active areas of town called Besiktas at a stone's throw from the Bosporus. With a bunch of eateries, artsy places and a vibrant party scene, the street was alive all night. I had a garden facing room which was still not too noisy, but the area was always buzzing whenever I walked out of the hotel.

 

 

After work was completed, I had a few days off to explore the city, so I started with Taksim square on the first evening that I was free. From the republic monument, I went in for a quick view of the Taksim mosque and then continued down Istiklal street popping into shops as well as landmarks as and how I came across them. The first major landmark I hopped into was the Church of Sant'Antonio di Padova, and further on were a bunch of churches, historical landmarks such as the Old Galatasaray post office and a bunch of modern shops all blending in with music, dance, tourists and food disturbed only by the occasional tram cutting through. I finally stopped at the tower of Galata and took in the panoramic views of the city and the strait from the top before walking back and closing the day. The way back to my hotel was a long 4 km walk, so I cut across on a cable car going through the city on its last trip which was another great view.

 

The next day started early for me as I got to the Dolmabahce palace as it opened and spent a good 3 hours walking through the largest palace in Turkey. With quite a few history lessons on Ataturk and the museums in its premises, the palace can be quite an engaging experience. After a quick lunch, I decided to take a ferry out to the Princes' island for the rest of the day. The ferry through the Bosporus was quite a fun ride with seagulls being fed by the locals, good views of landmarks from the strait and sales guys selling trinkets to the travelers in their own style. At the Büyükada island of the Adalar chain, I got off and went sight seeing. The houses and the local style looks right out of one of those old school movies, and a number of hiking trails let me walk through some of the more green hills to get to the Aya Yorgi church. The hike had delayed me so the church was closed, but without hanging around for too long, I got back quickly as I caught one of the later ferries back to Istanbul watching the sunset on the Bosporus.

The last day in Istanbul was reserved for all the tourist hotspots, so I started at the blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia watching the obelisk and other architecture on the way. Took the wrong bus and the wrong metro first, but then managed to get to the Sultanahmet Square to start the day. With a number of interesting places to cover, I spent most of the day walking all around the district. I wanted to go to the Basilica cistern, however it was closed for renovations so watched the sound and light show at the Cistern of Theodosius. The evening was spent exploring the Topkapi palace and the grand bazaar. To close the trip I took a dinner cruise through the Bosporus after sunset to see the city from the strait. The trip was a short and hurried one, but one that I did manage to cover at least the touristy city spots and mostly while walking.

Istanbul & Bosporus photos