Istanbul II

Friday, January 14, 2011

Istanbul was amazing. Julia already said it, but I know you wanted to hear it from me. It was so nice to finally be in the hustle and bustle of a large city. And large might be an understatement, the Istanbul city boundary lines cover 707 square miles. We did our fair share of walking but were very thankful for the metro. 

One of the coolest things about visiting Istanbul, is learning the history behind this massive city. Istanbul used to be called Constantinople (maybe you've heard of it)-- one of the most important cities of European history. And later, Byzantium. This city has a pretty impressive resume as the former capital of the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Latin Empire, and Ottoman Empire. During the middle ages, it was Europe's largest and wealthiest city. The name Constantinople was dropped in 1930 in favor of the Turkish name Istanbul. 

To be able to visit historic sites in this city is a treat. One of our very helpful readers, Janis, recommended checking out The Rumeli Fortress which is located on the European side right on the Bosphorus (the strait that creates the border between Europe and Asia). Rumeli Fortress is a brick, castle-like structure built in 1452 by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II to control the waterway at the narrowest point in the Bosphorus strait, before he conquered Constantinople. We had a great time exploring the fortress and climbing up the walls on steep, narrow stairs with no rails. The top was the perfect place to take in the awesome views across the Bosphorus.

After the fortress we took a nice stroll along the Bosphorus and arrived in Bebek, which was a small but posh little part of Istanbul with lots of seafood restaurants, waffle houses, multiple Starbucks, and charming up-scale houses. We continued on into Arnavutköy, another historic neighborhood of Istanbul  where we found a great little seafood place called Takanik and had a great dinner to celebrate Thanksgiving without family. Instead of the traditional American Turkey, we had fish for dinner, and for dessert they luckily had pumpkin cake.

-Yuriy
  

The following are photos of Rumeli Fortress, the Bosphorus, and nearby little towns we explored on foot (Bebek & Arnavutköy) .

17 comments :

  1. Every single photo you take is gorgeous!

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  2. A cool little bit of info, if you don't know already, is that Istanbul comes from the Greek words 'eis ton poli,' meaning 'to the city.'

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  3. Gorgeous photos, as usual. Istanbul really is such a diverse, intriguing city.

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  4. aw thanks for the little shout-out! man, these photos bring me back... thank you!

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  5. Your guys' blog is soooo inspirational! It's even more special to me, because i'm able to read them right when I wake up in the morning. Thank you both!

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  6. Wondering what brand of digital camera did you used? The pictures are great! How I wished I can go there!

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  7. oh i am so madly in love with your photography.
    i've been wanting to go to turkey for a while - we're thinking of ending our honeymoon on a Turkish island :)

    what a wonderful experience you have been able to enjoy together!

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  8. Just discovered your blog and i absolutely LOVE it! I love to travel and to see some familiar places and many new places through your beautiful pictures is a delight!

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  9. Anonymous- Nope didn't know that. Thanks for the bit!

    Brad- Check out our FAQ at the top of the page for camera info. But short answer: Nikon D700.

    Camilla- I would highly recommend Turkey for a honeymoon in a heartbeat over many tropical places.

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  10. this is such a big city and bustling for sure.

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  11. Yes, this city is absolutely stunning. It's 5am and I haven't been sleeping for an hour already. Restless night and a sick one too, so I'm feeding myself some Julia/Yuriy blog medicine. Loving it!

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  12. Istanbul is an amazing city and you captured it perfectly. Makes me want to go back there again!

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  13. These are so beautiful. I wish I was able to capture Istanbul this well when I was there two summers ago <3

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  14. i feel like crying everytime i see your photos. I just don't know how u made them very lovely and they seemed to talk to me. Good to know u both are having fun.

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  15. Wow. Your photos quite literally took our breath away. Your eye for aesthetic, is truly truly commendable. And thank you for getting me even more excited about my upcoming trip to Istanbul!

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