Blogs from Istanbul, Marmara, Turkey, Middle East - page 7

Hotel Hilton Garden Inn Umraniye - 6nopti =55euro pe noapte camera dubla, queen family room, imensa, spatioasa, curata si hotel apartinand unui lant si care se afla intr-un centru comercial-mall. Situat un pic mai departe de centru si de punctele turistice pe care le-am vazut intens cu ocazia altor vizite-palatul Topkapi, moscheile, muzeul de arheologie, bazarurile totusi nici de aceasta data nu ne-a tinut deoparte de alte descoperiri si aici in partea asiatica Umraniye. Clima a fost superba, practic am fost acolo in intampinarea verii impreuna cu pescarusii. Asa am descoperit cel mai mare acvariu din Europa- Acqua Florya, acvariu situat si el intr-un mall-Florya. Iar elementul de rezistenta l-a constituit jocul pinguinilor din bazinele imense. Am prins sezonul florilor in gradinile palatului Topkapi. A fost un concediu de Paste placut combinat cu plimbarile feribotului, colindatul ... read more

What a city to take pictures — especially on the water, on the routes of the ferries that constantly shuttle between 2 continents that the city straddles. Check out this amalgamation of videos taken during our visit There’s a lot to like about Istanbul. As the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires (and even the Roman Empire just before its collapse), it has an amazing history. As a commercial and political center and the largest city on earth for a very long time — it attracted many ethnic groups, all of whom left their marks. Modern day Istanbul is a major city in Turkey with a population of 15.5 million residents including at least 1 million displaced Syrians. Its Old City reflects cultural influences of the many empires that once ruled here. In the Sultanahmet ... read more

So here I am back on the road again, taking in three days in Istanbul en route to a guided tour of the three Caucasus countries. This is in fact my first visit to Turkey in 44 years, the last visit being as an irresponsible young backpacker and sadly, given that I got completely inebriated my first night in Istanbul then, I have no real memory of the place and thus no point of comparison. This time I’m travelling with my mate Bruce and I’m pleased to report he took better care of me than my travel companions clearly did all those years ago! I was amazed to hear that Istanbul, which of course is partially situated in each of Europe ... read more

Having said goodbye to most of my group yesterday - lots of them left early this morning and I'm not getting up that early for breakfast - I am now on my own in Istanbul for a few hours to look around places I'd missed on my first day of the tour. First off on my wish list is a visit to the Topkapi Palace. This sumptuous residence was built in 1459 for the Ottoman Sultans to swan around in. Over the centuries it was added to and improved. Earthquakes and fires took their toll but it was renovated and redecorated to within an inch of its life. The life of a Sultan in the Topkapi Palace was that of a spoilt little rich kid getting whatever he wanted. He had his very own harem of ... read more

It's been raining heavily over night leaving a fresh feel to the air as we set off on a guided tour of the main sights of Istanbul. We start in Gülhane Park just near our hotel and I'm surprised to see green parakeets flying around the tops of the tall plane trees. There are also a few storks building precarious stick nests in the highest branches. The Park is heaving with perfect pink and white tulips painted with drops of water, the after effects of the night's deluge. I'm so caught up with watching the bird life I almost miss the tulip story. Tulips first came to Istanbul from Kashmir as bulbs. At first people thought they were some kind of root vegetable and tried to eat them. A few conversations along the lines of 'What ... read more