Istanbul Review

[english version below pictures]

Ia ca tot am vorbit atat de Istanbul da am uitat sa fac un review. Istanbul – primul oras din afara tarii care am avut ocazia sa il vizitez cand am trecut granita , o metropola de vreo 18 milioane de locuitori intinsa pe 2 continente. Capitala la 3 imperii si combinatia perfecta dintre orient si vest. Cand am ajuns eu pe acolo cu autocarul era cam 4 dimineata , dar soferul de treaba ne-a lasat si pe noi sa mai stam intinsi cateva ore pana la rasarit , iar la trezire am dat de un oras foarte mare , foarte multa lume , multe fete frumoase , masini , cladiri vechi printre care circula tramvaie si metrouri moderne , cam peste tot unde te uiti ceva se darama pentru a face loc  sau deja se contruieste si totusi am gasit usor statia de metrou (asa dupa o buna cercetare a  hartii inainte de plecare) , dat o fuga pana la aeroport , lasat geamantul la check in si taiato spre centru. Aeroportul Ataturk  este unul urias si foarte modern , cam cel mai mare din estul Europei iar privelistea oferita din metroul care iese de sub pamant si urca incet pe piloni nu este de lepadat. Am apucat sa vad prin centru Sfanta Sofia care e o veche catedrala crestina romana , mai tarziu transformata in moschee , astazi muzeu si vecina ei Moscheea Albastra , contruita de otomani sa arate ca stiu si ei sa faca , cam toata zona centrala , turnul Galata , tras si o plimbare rapida cu feribotul pana in partea asiatica , piata Taksim din care incepe strada pietonala de shopping Istiklal  , pe care circula si azi un tramvai de epoca foarte dragut , si totusi ma oftic ca nu am apucat sa vad marele bazar , apeductele romane , zidurile Constantinopolui (desi le-am vazut de pe vapor a doua oara 🙂 ), cartierul de zgarie nori Levent , si multe altele dar e timp. Orasul a fost si capitala culturala europeana in 2010 deci s-a renovat la greu prin centru istoric , de multe ori ai surpriza placuta sa iti raspunda lumea mai degraba in romana decat in engleza. Financiar este gen Romania , chiar mai ieftin la unele capitole  dar  oricum se merita , chiar intelegi ceva din banii cheltuiti. Un trip foarte frumos , sper ca in curand o sa revizitez acest oras uimitor.

Vezi alte calatorii / other trips : Brasov 02.2014 , Istanbul 01.2014 , Cluj Napoca 08.2013 , Sibiu 07.2013 ,  San Pedro , Bucharest 2013 , Varna 2012 , Los Angeles 2012 , Budapest & Viena , Salerno , Cluj Napoca 2012 , Firenze , Brasov 02.2012 , Amsterdam , Antofagasta , Valencia , Lima , Bremen , Istanbul 2009 , Valletta , San Juan , Barcelona , Singapore 2010 , Los Angeles 2010 , Transilvania road trip , La Spezia , Bosphor by ship , Sydney , Melborune , Auckland ,  San Francisco ,  Tauranga

Alternative tourism: Georgia , Burning gate of Turkmenistan , North Korea , Chernobyl   , Nouadhibou graveyard

In cealalta jumatate / How the other half lives : Guayaquil  , Lagos

click pic for big

Istanbul suburbs

old and new

small bazar

remains of the chariot track

Blue mosque

Hagia Sophia

old Istanbul

delicious turkish food

View of the Golden Horn

one of the other 2000 mosques in the city

Istiklal shopping street

Vezi alte calatorii / other trips : Brasov 02.2014 , Istanbul 01.2014 , Cluj Napoca 08.2013 , Sibiu 07.2013 ,  San Pedro , Bucharest 2013 , Varna 2012 , Los Angeles 2012 , Budapest & Viena , Salerno , Cluj Napoca 2012 , Firenze , Brasov 02.2012 , Amsterdam , Antofagasta , Valencia , Lima , Bremen , Istanbul 2009 , Valletta , San Juan , Barcelona , Singapore 2010 , Los Angeles 2010 , Transilvania road trip , La Spezia , Bosphor by ship , Sydney , Melborune , Auckland ,  San Francisco ,  Tauranga

Alternative tourism: Georgia , Burning gate of Turkmenistan , North Korea , Chernobyl   , Nouadhibou graveyard

In cealalta jumatate / How the other half lives : Guayaquil  , Lagos

 

[english version]

I talket alot about this city but  I forgot to do a proper review. Istanbul – the first city outside the country that I had the opportunity to visit when I crossed the border, a metropolis of some 18 million inhabitants spread on two continents. Capital to 3 empires and the perfect combination of East and West. When I arrived there by bus was about 4 am, but the driver was a nice guy and left us in to sleep  several hours until morning and upon awakening I found a huge city, with a lot of people, many beautiful girls, cars, old buildings between which modern trams  metros are crossing,  everywhere you look something is demolished to make room or is already building and yet I easily found the subway station ( after a good research of the map before departure), gave a run to the airport to check in and drop the luggage. Ataturk Airport is  huge and very modern, the biggest in Eastern Europe and the view offered in the subway that goes under the ground and slowly climbs on  the pillars is also very nice. I got to see the old center, Saint Sophia Cathedral which is a roman Christian, later converted into a mosque, now a museum and its neighboring Blue Mosque, built by the Ottomans to compete,  all of the downtown, Galata Tower,  and a quick ferry ride up in the Asian side ,Taksim square from which Istiklal pedestrian shopping street  starts for , which is  circulated today by  a very nice vintage tram, and yet I am sorry that I did not got to see the Grand Bazaar, Roman aqueducts, walls of Constantinople (although I have seen them from  the ship the second time:)), Levent  skyscrapers district, and many others butthere still is time. The city was the European Capital of Culture in 2010 and was renovated  hard through the historical center. The people are friendly and most young guys speak English. Financially is like Romania, even cheaper in some chapters but it’s worth it, money well spent. A very nice trip, I hope that soon I will revisit this amazing city.