Blogs from Marmara, Turkey, Middle East - page 8

We arrived into the new Istanbul Airport (one word HUGE) late Monday evening from Seoul. We were swiftly picked up by our pre-arranged pick up service by a nice young man in flash BMW and taken to our hotel in the old city. We love staying around the Sirkeci/Fatih area of Istanbul – close enough the Sultanahmet and all of the old city attractions, and only a short walk over the Galata bridge to the shopping/hip district of Beyoğlu. My 6th visit to Turkey, and Bill's 5th. This city will never grow old for us – indeed this country sparks something special for us. Early the next morning (which is a great time as not too many people are out) we walked up the winding street dodging trams and cars to Sultanahmet. As we've done the ... read more

In Istanbul rumgelaufen. Völlig unbekannte Moscheen angeschaut. Den großen Bazaar geplündert. Auf schattigen Plätzen gestrickt und ein köstliches Abendessen verschlungen.... read more

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