IstanbulPersonal travel impressions in stories and pictures from Istanbul, Turkey. Click on the pictures to enlarge, send as a free e-card, or download for personal use. You can locate Istanbul and navigate the world using Google Earth Show on map
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Once a much larger country and reaching far into Europe, Turkey is still now a large country for European standards. And it has the almost unique feature of a European and an Asian part of the country. Although Ankara is the capital, Istanbul, or Constantinople as it was formerly known, is the most important city, precisely because of its vicinity to the borders of Europe. Centuries ago, it was even the most important city in Europe, head of the Catholic Church.
Even the city itself is divided among two continents, by the waters of the Bosporus Strait. Strolling around the shores of the city, it is possible to get great views of the city. Although it is possible to use one of the bridges, crossing by boat is certainly recommendable for the views. In the city itself, a very interesting mix of east and west can be found. You can stumble upon small mosques, you can see people dressed in obviously Muslem clothes, you can wonder around busy markets where almost anything can be found. But at the same time it is possible to see churches, to see huge modern buildings and shopping malls.
And, if you go in winter as I once did, you can also have snowy conditions and actually be very cold. Then, it is a good idea to visit the Topkapi Museum, the Aya Sofia church and the Blue Mosque, or Turkish baths. At least the summer crowds will not disturb you. You get the additional bonus of a fairy tale view of the Aya Sofia in the snow. Whenever you go, just hope that there will be no earthquake, since this city has been destroyed repeatedly by them.