Galata.

Having now been to İstanbul and returned home, every time I see the city on the TV, there is one landmark that I am always on the lookout for: The Galata Tower. If nothing else, it is a perfect way of referencing İstanbul, and you can quickly and easily work out whereabouts in the city you are by taking sight of this notable structure. The Galata Tower was built in the 14th Century and replaced a much earlier, wooden version, and is siutuated in the Galata Neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, across the Haliç from Sultanahmet.

So I decided it was time to cross the Golden Horn from Sultanahmet to Karaköy and Beyoğlu. You can do this numerous ways: by metro, tram, bus, ferry or by the method I chose, on foot. Galata Bridge itself is a hubub of activity. Interestingly, it has 2 levels, so as far as the central arch where the boats pass through, you can walk underneath past rows of resturants and cafes. On top, you have innumerable fishermen tryng their luck with the busy, churning waters below.

So having strode across the Galata Bridge, I planted my feet firmly in Karaköy. Not far from that spot, (about 20 minutes walk), is the Pera Palace Hotel where Agatha Christie was a frequent guest and allegedly wrote ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ from her room, 411. I can well imagine that an extended sojourn in Istanbul would bring out the writer in many of us – it’s that kind of place that stimulates the senses and beckons you to imagine and explore.

It was well past lunchtime, so I was hungry, and wandering down a side street, I soon found myself at the Gümrük Resturant. Perched on a seat outside the restaurant, I contentedly watched the world go by. The menu was inviting, and service was really helpful and friendly. It was a refreshing change from the usually overpriced tourist fare on offer in Sultanahmet, and almost immediately, you felt you were getting more ‘bang for your buck.’ The whole offering was much more acceptable and excellent in my opinion. Having been seated at my outdoor table, I ordered a glass of Efes beer which appears to be the local brew and was most acceptable. To accompany this, I ordered Pasta with Turkish Metaballs, and for 190 Turkish Lira (about £4.70), was good value for money.

The inside of the resturant was really interesting and I had a quick look around before I sauntered off down the lane and encountered some old guys passing the time of day who didn’t seem to be that keen on me taking their photo. Notwithstanding that, I carried on and headed for my next port of call: Galata Tower. This great stone edifice sits atop a hill and commands an unparlelled view (more about that later), so it was a reasonable slog to ascend said hill. Nearing the top, I was grateful to meet an elderley gent selling cold, bottled water for the very reasonable price of 5 Turkish Lira (£0.12).

Having been suitably refreshed, I pushed on up the hill towards Galata Tower itself. This obviously very popular tourist attraction was loudly and vividly announced by the sheer magnitude of people queuing to get inside and climb the ancient stone steps. I hurriedly bought my ticket from the booth, joined the long line and waited my turn as we slowly, but surely, edged towards the entrance. I remember watching a film recently long after my return from Istanbul, that featured the Galata tower, and the main charcater entered through the doorway into a palatial hallway with numerous rooms. It is nothing like that inside; it is as you would expect a stone, cilyndrical tower to be.

There are 3 levels that you can view İstanbul from, and all are equally breathtaking. İstanbul is a vast metropolis. I wouldn’t normally use the word metropolis, but with the size and vastness of this city, it seems to lend itself to that very word. I remember hearing an american guy talking on the phone, who sounded like a reporter, as he vividly and enthusiastically decsribed the panorama that lay before him. His account and depiction of Istanbul was so compelling that I really wanted to hear the entire conversation, but not wanting to appear to be eavesdropping, I slowly moved away. I remember thinking that we Brits lack some of that passion and excitement at times, because we are too busy being English and cool about everything. It’s good to be thrilled about a place, and there was much to stimulate the senses in this city where Europe reaches out and touches Asia.

As you stare out across this expanse of buildings and people, in any direction, you will see something interesting. Gazing out over the rooftop bars, restaurants, and people’s homes with their laundry drying in the sun, you can see so much, whether you are looking up the Haliç towards the Western District, or south towards Eminonou and Sultanahmet, with the impressive Sulamaniaye mosque commanding prime position. Alternatively, you can view the Bosphorus, snaking away into the distance, under the bridge of the same name, as it makes it’s slow and ponderous way north towards the Black Sea and Ukraine.

Gazing in the opposite direction, you will witness a never ending conveyeor belt of ocean going vessels travelling up from the Mediterranean, having navigated the Dardenelles Strait, and now coming clearly into view across the Sea of Marmara with the Prince’s Islands shimmering on the far horizon. For me, the Galata Tower is the ultimate lookout in İstanbul, situated as it is in the heart of the city, but nonetheless offering the most impressive of views. It is 100% worth your time and pennies, and so if you should find yourself here on the edge of Asia, factor it into your itinerary as it will not disappoint at all.

İstanbul, Eminönü, Haliç and a trip up the Bosphorus.

Destinations, Travel, Turkey

Is it Europe or is it Asia? Geographically both, but İstanbul feels like Asia with some European influence and is a flavoursome melting pot of each continent. Admittedly, I did spend most of my time on the European side, but yet there is still a heavy Asian influence, with a proliferation of mosques and Islamic script in every district of Istanbul, and the wailing sound of the Muezzins across the city issuing their call to prayer. And even though İstanbul is a mere 1,555 miles from London, it feels like a long way from home.

There is so much to see in this colossal city (population of approximately 15.8 million), you could stay for weeks, maybe months, and still not exhaust the list of things to do or see. Beyond the major sights like the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Galata Tower, there is a whole slice of İstanbul life just waiting to be explored. Thankfully, İstanbul is well served with public transport, so getting from A to B isn’t too much of a problem. In fact, it isn’t a problem at all.

So, here I was in İstanbul, and a whole raft of adventures lay before me. Calling briefly at the tourist information office, very conveniently located just off Sultanahmet Park and not far from the Hagia Sophia, I got some information about entrance fees for museums and duly helped myself to bundles of leaflets about various tours and things to do. Armed with my Lonely Planet, I quickly exited the building to explore this great city. I soon found that İstanbul can be quite overwhelming, as there is so much to see and take in. It is a city full of myriad sights, experiences, sounds and smells.

Looking northeast over the Bosphorus
Looking south over Halic, towards the Sea of Marmara

The next challenge was buying the all-important red İstanbulkaart which was another hurdle, I and many other tourists had to overcome. Eventually, I purchased one from this chap who was hanging around the charging station conveniently located by the tram stop, probably for a slightly more inflated price than what I would have paid at the Metro station. Nonetheless, it opened wide the gateway to public transport. Another reason I wanted to purchase an İstanbulkaart so quickly was I wanted to use the public toilets nearby, and one method of entry was yes, you guessed it, this humble but now vital little red card (same colour as the Turkish flag).

Istanbulkaart & local currency
Street signs near the Blue Mosque
Turkish Tea Set
Minaret
View from the restaurant

Later, I headed down to the waterfront at Eminönü where many of the ferries dock, and being frenetic, noisy and lively, it became a fascinating insight into İstanbul life around the water. If you want to get around the city, then by boat is best and sooner or later, you will eventually arrive here. Eminonu is the vital crossing-over point to other districts of Istanbul; by ferry or over the Galata Bridge on foot, by bus, car or tram. The Metro uses the Golden Horn, or Halic Bridge, further up the estuary. Whether you are heading to Karaköy, Beşittaş, or Kadıköy, there will be a ferry or some other suitable mode of transport for you.

The busy waterways of İstanbul are alive with water-borne craft and floods of people on them, and once I had worked out that the İstanbulkaart was my ticket to ride, resembling a multi-purpose Oyster card, I used it with great liberality. I now realise why there never seemed to be any ticket office staff at the ferry docks; you just don’t need them. You can use the İstanbulkaart on ferries, trams, buses and the Metro after you have applied some credit to it by presenting the card at one of the innumerable charging stations across the city and stuffing the machine with Turkish Lira (you can use your credit card but cash is simpler). You can then travel in any direction and on just about anything you fancy for a very cheap price.

And that is what I did. By the end of the week, I was getting about like a local, even giving some confused visitors instructions on how they could get to their chosen destination. As would be expected in an area laden with tourists, there were plenty of ticket touts selling overpriced circular boat trips, but thinking this would be a superb way of viewing this vast metropolis as a whole from the water, I purchased my ticket and boarded the boat with a mass of other tourists eager to experience maritime joy with a cruise up the Bosphorus.

The boat left the ferry dock and we surged out over slightly rough water disturbed by a gusting sea breeze, heading in the direction of the Bosphorus Bridge and the Black Sea beyond it. Hugging the European bank of this iconic Strait and cruising past the beautiful and ornate Dolmabahçe Palace in Beşittaş, we turned in the shadow of the Bosphorus Bridge and sailed down the Asian side of İstanbul, before heading back to ferry docks at Eminönü.

There is nothing like being with a boatload of passengers and observing first-hand the many and varied interactions between families, friends, honeymooning couples, tourists and others. İstanbul is magnetic in its draw towards visitors from all over the world and there is much to be gained, experienced, viewed, savoured and enjoyed. This city that forms the bridge between Asia and Europe will leave a lasting impression on you and will provide a lifetime of memories that will neither diminish or fade.

İstanbul.

Destinations, Travel, Turkey

Baking in the heat and humidity of the late summer sun in coastal İstanbul, I began to explore, observe, listen and understand this new environment, discovering again that cities are wonderful places to people watch. There is a burgeoning population here of almost 18 million locals, jostling alongside waves of fascinated tourists from around the world thronging to see the ancient wonders of this ‘second’ city in Western Turkey. In regard to touristic overload, it reminded me of the packed crowds of travellers in Venice, but, I am an İstanbul newbie and everything is just wow.

İstanbul sits between the Sea of Marmara to the south and the Black Sea to the North. It’s also famously that bridge between Asia in the East and Europe in the West. It feels truly significant and magnificent… Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman influences and architecture dot the city as İstanbul’s Islamic culture and religion continue to dominate life here in this modern, busy metropolis. There are mosques everywhere you look, of varying shapes and sizes, but all of them are architectural triumphs and ornately, and beautifully fashioned.

İstanbul is big, in fact, it is huge. A city built on seven hills, set on both sides of the Bosphorus Strait, there is a lot of life and much going on here. There are numerous districts on both the European and Asian side, but I was staying in the proverbial thick of it, in Sultanahmet. Here you will discover 3 of the most prominent and sought-after sights: the Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) and the pavillions and harem of Topkapı Palace. The call to prayer rings out regularly across Sultanahmet at the expected times in the daily Islamic calendar, summoning the devout and pious to prayer and worship. Its mournful cry reverberates across the city and is of course deeply emblematic of this and every Islamic nation.

There is so much to see in İstanbul: Byzantine and Ottoman treasures galore. It’s a little challenging to know where to start but you have to start somewhere. One thing you quickly realise is that in İstanbul, boats are king, because there is so much water everywhere and they appear to be the preferred means of transport. Sultanahmet, the Bazaar and Western Districts nestle in the south, and they are separated from Beyoğlu, Karaköy and Beşitaş in the north by a large stretch of water called the Golden Horn, locally known as, Haliç. But If boats aren’t your thing, then the city is ably served with an extensive tram and metro network too.

To the East, the Asian side of İstanbul (principal area of interest is Kadıköy), is sperated by the main Bosphurus Strait. I remember gazing down at these waterways from Topkapı Palace, and the seeemingly imnumrable boats criss-crossing this way and that, and I counted about 60 vessels in the water at any one time. Significantly, there is steady flow of maritime traffic coming up from the Mediterranean via the Dardanelles Strait, and across the Sea of Marmara, heading towards various ports in the Black Sea. I’m slightly suprised there aren’t more boat crashes, because they all seem to be going in different directions at the same time!

There is much more to say about the city of İstanbul, but this will suffice for now as I gather my thoughts and consider what an absorbing, engaging and pervasive experience this visit was.

Colossus

Destinations, Travel, Turkey

Arriving into Istanbul by air simply takes your breath away. Passing the Bulgarian border into the far western landscape of Turkey, you soon find yourself skirting the northern coast of the Sea of Marmara heading towards Istanbul.

As the plane banks left and thunders north towards the main international airport, in the direction of the Black Sea, you cannot be anything but amazed.

Huge. That is the only way of describing the city of Istanbul and its environs. Seemingly endless. That would be another alternative in describing this vast slice of human habitation.

Eventually escaping the airport and driving back towards Sultanahmet, as you approach the Ataturk Bridge, you are once again overwhelmed by the sheer scale of Turkey’s ‘second city,’ (Ankara is actually the capital).

In this deeply Islamic country, there would seem to be a mosque atop every hill, and whatever your religious or spiritual predilections maybe, architecturally and historically, they are a magnetically fascinating and engaging sight.