Istanbul, part 3

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Day 3

The third day started with even better weather than the second one. However, Topkapı Sarayı (Topkapı palace), the residence of the Sultans, is a must-see, so I did not change my plans to visit it.

First I had some nice baklava and a çay for breakfast, though. I missed it in the hostel because of the late walk back from Beyoğlu the day before.

Topkapı was the centre of power of the Osman Empire, so basically something like the White House and the Pentagon / Kremlin for several hundred years, before the empire declined. It is really a huge complex full with ornaments and gold. It took me the whole afternoon to visit it. This is also why I am not off to tell you a big story about this now! Check out the photos for some impressions.

After some kebap it was slowly starting to get dark again (also here the days are shorter now, sunset is close to 6 p.m.) and to rain, but there was no museum open at that time any more and I had to be at Haydarpaşa train station on the Asian side at 21:30 anyhow, so I just walked around in some places I had not been before and had a beer in one of bars below Galata bridge before grabbing my baggage from the hostel and going for the night train to Ankara, leaving at 22:00.

I did not make everything I wanted in those three days in Istanbul, but this is a place you could spend 10 days without a problem, and also I will be back for another day in 9 days again.

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Photos

Blue mosque
This time in a better look due to the better weather!

Baklava
Anyone for some tasty baklava?

Topkapı 1
The entry of the Topkapı palace from the court of the Janissaries.

Topkapı 2
There is a lot of precious ornaments in the palace - symbol of the now gone power and wealth of the Osman Empire.

Topkapı 3
Nice architecture in one of the inner courts of the palace. Actually the palace has four separate court complexes. Whether a person was allowed to enter them was depending on the positiıon in the imperial hierarchy, gradually increasing from the outermost to the innermost court, finally ending with the harem, the area reserved for the emperor´s family and eunuchs only (do not know why the word later got the meaning of "all the wives the sultan has" - it actually means more something like "reserved").

Harem
The biggest and most prestigious room of the harem, the royal family´s private part of the palace.

Evening scene in Eminönü
The Galata bridge links Beyoğlu with the southern of the European parts of the city.

Topkapı 4
Topakpı Sarayı seen from the other side of the Golden Horn at night.

Galata bridge
The upper part of the bridge is a paveway with tram tracks. Downstairs there are some nice fish restaurants, while upstairs agaın some people are fishing all the time. Notice all the rods hanging down on the right side! No matter at which time I passed by here I always saw them doing it - even at 1:00 a.m.!