Turkey 15 - Istanbul /the funicular up to Taksim Square /the heritage tram, the long downhill walk to the Galata Tower

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We left our guide with that warm fuzzy feeling of something that had been extremely enjoyable . Sometimes you can do something and say it was not long enough/too short/could have been better /was the best thing since sliced bread . We both agreed that our trip on the boat had been one of the best things we had paid to do whilst in the city. It had delivered on every count . It was just long enough without becoming boring . It had been an experience we would remember after the memories of the city began to fade .

Our next stop was to head up to the business /shopping part of the city . High on the hill Taksim Square was the place to go if you wanted shops . We expected it to be busy so it was not any surprise as we found ourselves on the underground waiting for the funicular to take us up to the Square . We had to cross the busy main road to get across to the station . That is an ordeal at times as the roads can be four carriageways wide . The drivers stop for nothing except a red light . We had to wait a while for the green man to appear telling us it was safe to cross . Even then you need eyes in the back of your head as sometimes car drivers do ignore the lights and carry on straight through .

We were going to ride the F1 the Kabitas to Taksim funicular line part of the city metro system . Much of the system is to be commended and this was no exception . Clean , tidy , it felt safe and the Istanbul rail card gave us free access to the funicular railway saving us a long hike to the top of the hill . The system however is not perfect as it is impossible from Old City to get to the new airport unless you use two trams and a train . The funicular had been built by Doppelmavr Garaventa Group and opened in 2006. The ride takes you up 1,949 foot to the top and takes around 2.5 minutes . The escalators took us to platform level and our cards opened the machines . Never knew how much a trip cost . It seemed irrelevant at the time .

The funicular carries in excess 30,000 passengers mostly standing between 6.15 in the morning and midnight . 195 daily trips are taken every day as the underground train rattles up and down the hill.

Stepping out of the funicular in the modern hilltop station was like walking into a different Istanbul . It felt more crowded than the old City . It felt as if it were the place there would be pickpockets . There was a large contingency of armed police . A lot of noise . Shouting and the bustle of a modern city . We walked past the Attaturk Republic monument and the massive new mosque Taksim was situated in the Beyoglu district and considered the heart of modern Istanbul . The square was flanked by a large hotel , The Ataturk cultural centre . The word meant distribution or division and the area was originally the place where all the main water lines collected and branched out to the rest of the city.

Our plan was to have lunch . Yes it would be touristy but there would be no shortage of places to eat . We wanted to ride the historic tram from the square down to Tunel at the bottom of the hill .

Lunch was sorted . Donner meat and french fries . We were in the middle of McDonalds land where everything was tourist driven from the food to the tat shops . Both sides of the streets were lined with shops full of bling and food . We ate at a small cafe . The food sufficed but would never win a medal . The staff were helpful . The toilets clean and we had the advantage of hearing the tram as it trundled slowly up the hill . I left my coat behind but the staff rushed out to hand it back to me .

We walked back up to the tram stop on the F2 line. Described as historic, underground , rubber tyred funicular tram . Two stations were served . Karakoy - perhaps we should gone on it there rather than in Beyoglu . When it finally came up the hill it was full . One carriage heaving with no spaces to stand or sit . Young kids hanging onto it on the outside . Another example of lack of any supervision or health and safety . The trip is 1880 feet long and the tram was inaugerated in 1875 . Still running it is the second oldest underground urban railway London comes first and in Europe it pre-dates the Budapest Metro by 21 years. The timetable was virtually useless as the tram due at 2 never past us even when we walked all the way down to the Galata tower . The queue was impossible to fathom . Who was waiting for the tram ? Who was just standing around ? We gave up in the end and headed through the crowded streets to the Galata Tower. Photographs were not feasible due to the crowds that packed the area and the scaffolding that covered the building . We can say we have seen the tram but not ridden on it and we have seen the Galata tower but not been lucky enough to eat in the restaurant at the top . Today was a some you win day - the boat trip and some - the tram that you lose . That is life .

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