Today’s pootle around Istanbul takes in Eminönü and the Galata district, both fascinating areas to visit.
Besides being a transportation hub, Eminönü has some popular sights: the Egyptian Bazaar, the Yeni Cami (New Mosque), Rüstem Pasha Mosque and Sirkeci Station.
You can also check out the gilded gaudy Balık ekmek – fish sandwich – boats that bob up and down at the water’s edge. This is where fishermen sell their catch to passer-by’s.
They built grills and fryers right in their boats, built fires in them, grilled fish fillets, stuffed them in half a loaf of bread, and hand out the fish sandwiches from the boat
We’re crossing the bridge over to the Galata district, with its distinctive (and very expensive to visit!) tower. We happened to be in Istanbul during the marathon and enjoyed seeing the balloon being deflated!
Once across the bridge we are delighted to find several little transportation modes including The Tünel.
This is a historic, underground, rubber-tyred funicular line which runs uphill and is about 573 metres long. This whisks you up into the heart of the district in seconds and avoids a long toil upwards!
Plus there’s an adorable little tram which naturally we will hop on later!
The Galata district is a lively, chic and quirky place to while away some hours. Stop at a cafe, enjoy the street scenes and snap away at the colourful sights.
The main focal point of course is the tower, Originally a wooden tower, Magalos Pyrgos (Great Tower), it was built in the 5th century to oversee Constantinople and the Golden Horn.
However, fires, earthquakes, and other misfortunes led to the complete destruction of the original tower.
In 1348, the Genoese community rebuilt the tower and it has served as a jail, observatory, and watchtower during the Ottoman era. Now though it is a very expensive tourist attraction that we skipped!!
Instead we jumped on the quaint little tram that trundles you up to Taksim Square.
The word Taksim means “division” or “distribution” in Arabic. Taksim Square was originally the point where the main water lines from the north of Istanbul were collected and branched off to other parts of the city (hence the name.)
Taksim Mosque can hold up to 3,000 worshippers at the same time. It is a relative newcomer to the scene as construction only began in February 2017, and lasted for four years.