ISTANBUL

I just wanna write about Istanbul this time ...
No Charleston not this time !

I missed Istanbul , I missed my friends , family my life everything ! So this time it's gonna be about my lovely country . Turkey and my hometown ISTANBUL !

Istanbul is the biggest city in Turkey and the most crowd ( almost 14 million NOT KİDDİNG )  . It has 2 sides , Asian and European which gives him a long history . Starting by Neolithic time . The earliest known settlement dates from 6700 BC (discovered in 2008) .

Then colonizing of Byzantine on the European side of Bosporus (until 1453)

Then Ottoman Empire ,

On 29 May 1453, Sultan Mehmet II "the Conqueror", entered Constantinople after a 53–day siege during which his cannon had torn a huge hole in the Walls of Theodosius II . Istanbul became the third capital of the Ottoman Empire.

When the Republic of Turkey was founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on October 29, 1923, the capital was moved from Istanbul to Ankara.

Anadolu Hisarı (Anatolian Castle) Aviation Martyrs' Monument Arap Mosque (Dominican Church of St. Paul) Beylerbeyi Palace Blue Mosque (popular name for the Sultan Ahmed Mosque) Bodrum Mosque (Myrelaion) Boukoleon Palace Bulgarian St. Stephen Church (also known as the Bulgarian Iron Church) (Sveti Stefan Kilisesi) Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (also known as the St. Esprit Cathedral) Chora Church (Kariye Müzesi, Kariye Camii or Kariye Kilisesi — the Chora Museum, Mosque or Church, respectively) Column of Constantine (also known as the Burnt Column) (Çemberlitaş sütunu) Column of Marcian (Kıztaşı, meaning "column of the girl") Column of the Goths (Gotlar Sütunu) Doğançay Museum, contemporary-art museum Dolmabahçe Palace Fatih Mosque Fenari Isa Mosque (Theotokos tou Libos) Fethiye Museum (see Pammakaristos Church) Galata Mevlevihanesi (Galata Convent of the Whirling Dervishes) Galata Tower The Gate of Galatasaray High School Galatasaray Museum Great Palace Mosaic Museum (Büyük Saray Mozaikleri Müzesi) Great Palace of Constantinople Hagia Irene (Aya İrini) Hagia Sophia Hippodrome of Constantinople Istanbul Archaeology Museums (İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri) Istanbul Aviation Museum (İstanbul Havacılık Müzesi) Istanbul Military Museum (İstanbul Askeri Müze) Istanbul Modern Art Museum (İstanbul Modern Sanat Müzesi) Istanbul Naval Museum Istanbul Toy Museum (İstanbul Oyuncak Müzesi) Istanbul UFO Museum (İstanbul UFO Müzesi) Istanbul Zoology Museum Kalenderhane Mosque (Theotokos Kyriotissa) Kilic Ali Pasha Mosque Küçüksu Palace Little Hagia Sophia (Ss. Sergius and Bacchus Church) Milion, a mile-marker monument used for measuring the distances between the city (when known as Constantinople) and other cities of the Byzantine Empire (also known as the Eastern Roman Empire) Monastery of Stoudios Monument of Liberty Monument of Republic Mosque of the Stablemaster (İmrahor Camii) (see Monastery of Stoudios) Museum of Classical Ottoman (Divan) Literature Museum of Illumination and Heating Appliances (Aydınlatma ve Isıtma Araçları Müzesi) Museum of Islamic Art (see Istanbul Archaeology Museums (İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri)) Museum of Printing Press (Sultanahmet) Museum of the Ancient Orient (see Istanbul Archaeology Museums (İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri)) Ortaköy Mosque Palace of the Porphyrogenitus (Tekfur Sarayı) Pammakaristos Church Panorama 1453 History Museum Proje4L / Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art Rezan Has Museum Rahmi M Koç Museum Rumeli Hisarı Rüstem Pasha Mosque St. Esprit Cathedral (see Cathedral of the Holy Spirit) Sadberk Hanım Museum Sakıp Sabancı Museum SALT SantralIstanbul (includes the SantralIstanbul Museum of Energy and a modern-art museum) Serpentine Column Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque (Sokollu Pasa Camii) Süleymaniye Mosque Sultan Ahmed Mosque (popularly known as the Blue Mosque) Tekfur Palace (Tekfur Sarayı) (see Palace of the Porphyrogenitus) Topkapı Palace Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum (Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi) Walls of Constantinople Yedikule (Seven Towers) Castle Zeyrek Mosque (Church of Christos Pantokrator) As you can see there are churches , mosques and also synagogues which shows that  Republic of Turkey don't have a common religion . It's a wonderful sign of a cultural mix !

After being under control for  all of these civilizations Istanbul has so much to show ! 

Revna and I , we started traveling around Istanbul at our first year in High School . We saw lots of places but you can see , we haven't finished yet . I have a saying in turkish "Istanbul gez gez bitmez ! " which mean : You can never finish travel Istanbul ... ( THATS NOT A JOKE ) 

Istanbul can always make you surprise, you can find the best cafe in a random street which is hidden in a corner or You can go to the most expensive places and near these places another street which is just 2 miles away there can be the poorest place . You can always see the conflict which is another interesting thing for me . 

Now : These are my favorite places in Istanbul . You are gonna see some of them in Revna's posts  .

Bağdat Street : (In Asia)

This is the most known street , in the Asian side of Istanbul . This is where I live . 
With all shops and cafes this is the safest place in Istanbul . It's a very big city that's why you should always be careful but Bagdat Street is the safest place . 

Taksim / Beyoğlu : ( In Europe ) 

 One of the most historical places . With all these restaurants, cafes , museums, bars and pubs . Thats where we spend our most of the time . My school also in Taksim . Sainte Pulcherie French High School (1846). My school is one of the best known and historical school in Istanbul  . In Turkey we have foreign schools like Italian , Austrian , French and American which are the most known old schools. 

Ps : Revna is gonna tell you more and more about these places I am just doing the opening :) 


Curcuna and Tektekçi : ( In Europe ) 

Tektekçi is like a shot bar . They have lots of interesting shots like ( with all fruits , tequila , and interesting mixes like gummy bears , m&m , gum ...).

 Curcuna is a new place which is just opened this September by Pi Group . With his crazy decoration and good music (dance music , don't expect more )   you can have good time in Curcuna . These were my last places that I went before leaving İstanbul with my friends . 

 It was my last day in Taksim Ela and Nice taken by Başak :)










Places that I am letting Revna to tell !
Kız Kulesi ( Asia ) 
Eminönü ( Europe ) 
Sultanahmet 
Kadıköy
Cukurcuma 
Cihangir 



Taksim ( MORE ) 
Karaköy 
Küçük Beyoğlu 
Nişantaşı
Bebek
Ortaköy 
Anadolu Hisarı
Kanlıca 
Cadde
Arnavutköy


Lots lots lots of places that I can't remember names right now ... 

One of my pictures of Bosphorus 

This time I just wanna write about my home because I was feeling so much homesick today . It really helped me to remember  ,  to think about and I realized that when I write I feel better  :) 
This is my school by the way :) We have school uniforms !! 
Revna is gonna tell better about Istanbul . It's was just for me :) I am so tired this is all for tonight :)

Kisses from far far away -Lara