Category Archives: Istanbul
Away from the Golden Horn – what lies outside Istanbul’s centre (2/2).
Across the Bosphorus: Kuzguncuk. Istanbul, it can be argued, is a world of its own, and as in every self-respecting world you need a guide. Not a handbook, but someone who can direct you, offering insight and advice. Dante had … Continue reading
Posted in Europe, Istanbul, Turkey
Tagged Beşiktaş, Bosphorus, Istanbul, Istiklal Caddesi, Kuzguncuk
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Away from the Golden Horn – what lies outside Istanbul’s centre (1/2).
Symbols you won’t find on your keyboard: Beşiktaş and Örtaköy. I turned a corner on Beşiktaş caddesi and basically run into them. Milling around on civilian buses and police vans, sitting besides the mammoth hydrants that usually turn up, at … Continue reading
Posted in Europe, Istanbul, Turkey
Tagged Ayran, Örtaköy, Büyük Mecidiye Camii, Beşiktaş, Bosphorus, Hagya Sophia, Kabataş, Lale devri, Turkey, Yahya Efendi sokak
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The places in between: wanders through Fener and Balat.
I saw them from the above, a rare treat for a city like Istanbul, where landings seldom come from the north: huddled close together, squashed between the Golden Horn and the minarets of Ottoman mosques, were the houses and streets … Continue reading
Posted in Europe, Faith, Istanbul, Turkey
Tagged Balat, Beyazid, Constantinople, Fener, Galata, Golden Horn, Istanbul, Mehmed II, Saint Mary of the Mongols, Turkey
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Hagia Sophia – a tour through an icon’s history
The Hagia Sophia museum has an entry price which is nothing short of a rip-off. Outside, you’ll be harassed by street sellers and impostors posing as guides. Inside it’ll be full of noisy and disrespectful people either yapping on their … Continue reading
Posted in Europe, Faith, Istanbul, Overlooked locations, Turkey
Tagged Ayasofya, Byzantium, Chuch, Costantinople, Dome, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Mosaics, Mosque, Museum, Turkey
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Overlooked places – Moda, Istanbul’s Asian side
“Çai tea Çai tea…” the litany resounds from aisle to aisle in the open deck of the ship, echoed above by the tremulous shrieks of seagulls trailing in our wake. The ferry waiter, immaculate in his white shirt and blue … Continue reading
Posted in Istanbul, Music review, Turkey
Tagged Asia, Ferry, Istanbul, Kadiköy, Moda, Overlooked places, Turkey
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Beyoglu: on the trail of Istanbul’s revolts
Intrigued by my enthusiastic reviews, my boss and his partner visited Istanbul earlier this May and, as it often happens when visiting a new place whose non written rules and behaviour are unknown to us, they merrily walked straight into … Continue reading
Posted in Istanbul, Overlooked locations, Turkey
Tagged Beyoglu, Gezi Park, Istanbul, Istiklal Caddesi, Revolt, Taksim Square, Turkey
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Backbone of the city: a praise for Istanbul’s ferries
Istanbul lies in probably the best geographical location in the whole world; its strategic importance might not be as prime as it used to be when the Byzantine Emperors used to run the shop, but its looks are still as … Continue reading
Posted in Istanbul, Overlooked locations, Public Transportation, Sea, Turkey
Tagged Eminönü, Eyup, Ferry, Istanbul, Kadiköy, Sehir Hatlari, Turkey
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