Our 2 days in Istanbul (december 2014)
First of all we have to say that thanks to my cousin Catherine SANDNER, who gave us a guide book of Istanbul. I’m really proud to say that she didn’t only write this guide, but she managed this guide to be perfectly efficient ! It’s amazing how small enough it is to be taken and read during the flight. There’s a load of useful and easy Turkish words to learn in it !
Then, Claire, our french buddy, welcame us in Istanbul, where she’s been living for the past 5 months. In addition of the guide book, she provided us with some nice tips for the subway, the "vapur" (ferry),
buses and "taksi".
We strolled with her around the city for a grand total of 20 hours, filling our eyes with Istanbul’s wonders as much as we could !
Istanbul, at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, boasts 2700 years of History and 14 millions inhabitants sharing that heritage. Not only inheritors,
but active members of a joyful and lively community, enjoying up to date infrastructure.
Archs and cupolas of the “big blue mosque”
Alternately a greek, roman and byzantine city, Istanbul was conquered by the crusaders, who themselves fell a prey to the Ottoman empire’s might. Even Nowadays Ankara is the capital city of Turkey, but Istanbul remained anyway the main city of Turkey, an Islamic republic since 1923.
The Balat district in Istanbul
Terraces fill up during the evenings, the streets come alive. Even if it’s mere 8°C (46°F), turks still like living outside.
The city was built on either side of the Bosphorus, also named “the Golden Horn”.
Fine, neat craftsmanship can be found there. The 1001 lamps shop was our favorite and amazed us at first sight !
Best of all are the onctuous turkish coffees, releasing their oriental magic with each sip. George Clowney would "what else" those all day!
For more details about life in Istanbul, feel free to check our friend’s Claire’s (french) website here: Into The Wind
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