Just before venturing out for our final day in Istanbul, I look out of our room window; First thing I see is a kitty across the street. This should be a good omen for the rest of the day. Our goal today was to see the Quincentennial Museum of Turkish Jews. The museum is located not far from the…
Our last full day in Istanbul. Today, the plan is to take a cruise up the Bosphorus. Anyone who’s read Orhan Pamuk’s book, “Istanbul” knows the importance the Bosphorus Strait plays in the lives of the people of Istanbul. The 19 mile-long Bosphorus serves as Istanbul’s main highway, hosting a never-ending stream of vessels, from little fishing boats to humungous…
Today I thought we’d try something a little different. Today we’re gonna pop on over to the Asian side of Istanbul. Our destination is Uskudar, a charming district easily accessed by ferry and teeming with historical mosques. Exploring Uskudar gives us a chance to experience the streets of a quiet, everyday neighborhood, without the opulent architecture, modern style and throngs …
To fully appreciate the urban Istanbul of today, you must leave the Old Town and plunge headfirst into the hip, happenin’, lively, upbeat, European-feeling New District, and that’s what we did. After spending the first two full days exploring the classic sites of the Old Town, we indulged in the part of the city where our hotel was located. We…
Today turned out to be one of the most exhausting days of the trip. We decided to tackle the famous Topkapi palace. This is the place where the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror decided to set up shop after capturing Constantinople. It ended up serving as the sole administrative palace for Ottoman sultans for more than 400 years. It housed…
We left the hotel early, since we had a big day ahead. A quick review of geography may be in order here, before we proceed. Istanbul is a huge city, with almost 15 million people. The city spreads over a very large area, on both banks of the Bosphorus strait. The Bosphorus runs north and south, dividing the city…
After many months of being very busy practicing veterinary medicine, in which it seemed that every cat in the city was sick and they all wanted to come to my hospital, I finally got to take a much needed vacation. The destination: Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, formerly Byzantium, the city that straddles two continents, the city where east meets west. Insert…