Istanbul Things to Do Tips by caffeine_induced78

If you see a statue rising above the ground in the Istanbul area, you should put money on it that it's Kemal Ataturk. After expelling the Greeks from Anatolia during the Turkish war for Independence (1920-1922) he took on the massive task of reorganizing and modernizing Turkish society. A Constitution was adopted in 1924 and Islam ceased to be the state religion in 1928. Through the realization of many of his visions Turkey has become a bridge between Western and Eastern nations.

Statues, posters, postcards, on your money. Ataturk is everywhere.

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Directions: These posters line the west side of Besiktas Cad in the neighberhood of Besiktas. A series of about 30 or 40 posters chronicle the life of Ataturk.

Okay - I have in the past considered joining the Navy.

When I told Ivan this he burst out laughing. NOOOOO - they are not all gay. Well, maybe the ensigns are - but I wanted to be an officer.

Turkey's Naval Museum in the neighberhood of Besiktas is on the European Shore about 2.5 km northeast of the Galata Bridge. Admission is 3 million lira and another 5 million lira if you want the pass in order to take photos. In the museum you can find cannons, a partial old submarine, paintings, and a detailed account of the Naval engagements during the campaign at Gallipoli.

The museum is closed on Monday and Tuesdays.

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Directions: in Besiktas next to the Besiktas ferry terminal.
Website: http://www.mersina.com/Turkey/Marmara/Istanbul/naval_museum/

I saw the large fishing poles - they must be for something the size of a sturgeon. Walking behind the myriad of fisherman I saw the small fish swimming in buckets.

That must be the live bait.

No - it was the catch. They used huge poles to catch what was maybe 3 or 4 of these bite sized fishies. Ivan and Feyza took me to a restaurant and there they were, battered and fried, I ate them head and all.

Walking underneathe the bridge along the lower level you will find several restaurants and shops. Medium sized ships and ferries pass underneath, and if you look like a foreigner somebody will try to sell you something.

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Directions: The easternmost bridge over the Golden Horn. Linking the neighberhoods of Eminonu on the southern side with the neighberhood of Karakoy on the northern side.

The ferry to Uskudar sails just North of this former defense point. A chain could be stretched from here to the European side of the Bosphorus making it impassable to enemy ships. Another chain was also used across the Bosphorus further north to block that end. A boat can take you out to the island which now holds a restaurant for about 2 dollars. Other than that there is not much of interest to be found on the island itself. I found it better to walk south from Uskudar and then relax on the Asian shore with a good view of the tower, skyline, and passing ships while sipping a tea.

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Directions: Just east of of the suburb Salacak in the Bosphorus.

Ivan and I were wandering the back alleys of the Grand Bazaar. Ivan brought up the study that found that taller men make more money, get more dates, and recieve promotions quicker, irregardless of intelligence. That started a nice little conversation.

We walked up the stairs through the Silverworks area, passing little windows and doors that showed men working in grimey little shops with amazing care on the Silver.

There he was waiting for the customers in his unprime location. It was a midget shoe shiner.

"He must not make very much," Ivan said. A nice and witty remark.

Every back alley will produce a story at the Grand Bazaar.

When you are in the area of saw blades and chainsaws you are not likely to see many women - same as in a Wal-Mart.

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Directions: East of Istanbul University. It's hard to miss because it's huge.

"Does it ever reverse flow and go back towards the Black Sea?" This would mean that the tidal levels between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara are trying to equalize.

"No"

Well damnit. This thing always seems to flow towards the Marmara. It could be the pressure of the water flowing into the Black Sea (primarily the Volga and the Danube) forcing it out.

The best that I can figure out is that the atlases I have are lazy, leaving out a piece of info - that the Black Sea is higher than sea level.

So I have some maps on order that should tell me.

Ships, ships, ships all the time. One of the most strategically important waterways in the world.

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They swarm looking for people like me.

Foreigners. At places like the Sultanahmet they look for us because we have money to spend. I am pretty good at saying no - look them in the eye and say no, repeatedly.

Still - it would have been nice to have another load of Japanese tourists walk by. They travel in packs, almost always (even in Denver), for protection - theirs and unintentially mine.

Constructed between 1606 and 1616 by the architect, Mehmet Aga, to rival and surpass the nearby Aya Sofya. Dodge the hawkers and make your way to the entrance to the mosque. Take off your shoes and enter. Pictures are hard to get. The inside is so expansive that no single camera shot can truely convey the grandeur.

Donations are welcome at the entrance and the exit - the same thing.

The Sultanahment area is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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Directions: In the Sultanahment neighberhood.

Just west of the Blue Mosque, so close that you may as well see these.

Back in the day, first with the Byzantines and then with the Ottomans this was the scene where political uneasiness fermented into uprisings.

Now several monuments inhabit the spot that is now just a tourist attraction.

In the foreground is the spiral shaped Snake Column which was originally much taller. It originally stood in the town of Delphi to commemerate the victory over the Persians by the Hellenic Confederation from 478 BC until about 330 AD, when Constatine the Great had it moved here.

In the background is the Obelisk of Theodosius which was originally carved from Granite and erected in Egypt in around 1500 BC. The Byzantine emperor Theodosius had it transported to Constaninople in 390 AD.

Notice that the taller Obelisk was moved here only 60 years after the Spiral.

We call that one-upmanship.

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Directions: just west of the Blue Mosque