"I am listening to Is ..." a Istanbul Travel Page by KIZGINdamdakiKedi

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/

I AM LISTENING TO ISTANBUL

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
At first there blows a gentle breeze
And the leaves on the trees
Softly flutter or sway;
Out there, far away,
The bells of water carriers incessantly ring;
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
Then suddenly birds fly by,
Flocks of birds, high up, in a hue and cry
While nets are drawn in the fishing grounds
And a woman's feet begin to dabble in the water.
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.
The Grand Bazaar is serene and cool,
A hubbub at the hub of the market,
Mosque yards are brimful of pigeons,
At the docks while hammers bang and clang
Spring winds bear the smell of sweat;
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
Still giddy since bygone bacchanals,
A seaside mansion with dingy boathouses is fast asleep,
Amid the din and drone of southern winds, reposed,
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.
Now a dainty girl walks by on the sidewalk:
Cusswords, tunes and songs, malapert remarks;
Something falls on the ground out of her hand,
It's a rose I guess.
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
A bird flutters round your skirt;
I know your brow is moist with sweat
And your lips are wet.
A silver moon rises beyond the pine trees:
I can sense it all in your heart's throbbing.
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

wrote by Orhan Veli Kanik on 1966

i guess,thats the best poem by Orhan Veli, tells about what Istanbul-Lovers are feeling about that beautiful city...

check this web site,before you visit Istanbul :
http://english.istanbul.com/?Vst=2

Istanbul ( Turkish spelling: İstanbul); until 1930 Constantinople and in ancient times Byzantium or Byzantion. With a population of between 11 and 15 million people,Istanbul is the largest city of Turkey and by some counts one of the largest cities in Europe , despite only 3% of the city's landmass being on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait . The city is also the administrative capital of the Istanbul Province .

Founded by the Roman emperor Constantine on the site of the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium ,and called Constantinople after him, it became the eastern capital ofthe Roman Empire and later the capital of the Byzantine Empire . After the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 it became part of and sooncapital of the Ottoman Empire . Only on March 28 , 1930 , was the city officially renamed Istanbul.

The old city is mainly located on the Bosporus strait, which separates Europe from Asia and the Black Sea from the Marmara Sea . However, the modern city is much larger and covers both European andAsian sides of the Bosporus. Famous tourist destinations include Sariyer, Eyüp and Taksim on the European side, and Beykoz,Üsküdar, Kadiköy, Moda, Bostanci and Adalar (the Prince's Islands) on the Asian side. Although Istanbul is no longer the capitalof Turkey, it is still arguably the most important city to Turkish industry, commerce and culture and the most important importand export center.
Places to visit
--------------------------------------------------
Topkapi Palace
Hagia Sophia
The Grand Bazaar, Istanbul
TheSpice Bazaar, Istanbul
Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Blue Mosque
Suleymaniye Mosque
Istiklal Avenue
Basilica Cistern
Bulgarian St Stephen Church (also knownas Bulgarian Iron Church)
Golden Horn
Galata Tower
Prince's Islands
Dolmabahçe Palace
Taksim Square
Beyoglu
Bebek fish restaurants
Maiden Tower

Education
--------------------------------------------------
BahcesehirUniversity
Bogazici University
Istanbul Technical University
Istanbul University
Koc University
Sabanci University
YeditepeUniversity
Yildiz Technical University
Fatih University

Airports
--------------------------------------------------
Atatürk International Airport ( IST )
Sabiha Gökçen Airport ( SAW )

Districts of Istanbul

An.(Anatolian,Asian side)
Eu (European side)

İlçe (District) Nufus (Population)
------------------ -------------------------------
ADALAR (Islands) 17.760
AVCILAR (E) 233.749
BAGCILAR(E) 556.519
BAHCELİEVLER(E) 478.623
BAKIRKOY (E) 208.398
BAYRAMPASA (E) 246.006
BESiKTAS (E) 190.813
BEYKOZ (An.) 210.832
BEYOGLU(E) 231.900
EMiNONU (E) 55.635
ESENLER (E) 380.709
EYUP (E) 255.912
FATiH (E) 403.508
GAZiOSMANPASA(E) 752.389
GUNGOREN(E) 272.950
KADIKOY (An.) 663.299
KAGITHANE (E) 345.239
KARTAL (An.) 407.865
KUCUKCEKMECE(E) 594.524
(Out of the city)
MALTEPE(An.) 355.384
PENDIK (An.) 389.657
SARIYER (E) 242.543
SİSLİ (E) 270.674
TUZLA (An.) 123.225
(Out of the city)
UMRANIYE(An.) 605.855
USKUDAR (An.) 495.118
ZEYTİNBURNU(E) 247.669

BUYUKCEKMECE(E)384.089
(out of the city)
ÇATALCA (E) 81.589
(out of the city)
SiLiVRi (E) 108.155
(Out of the city)
SULTANBEYLI(An.) 175.700
SİLE
(out of the city) 32.447

TOTAL POPULATION=10.018.735 (by 2000)

Suggested Areas to stay or to look for an hotel around :
BESiKTAS :Besiktas,Yildiz,Ortakoy,
BEYKOZ :Beykoz,Anadolu Hisari,Beylerbeyi, Anadolukavagi,Goksu,Kanlica, Kavacik
BEYOGLU:Taksim
KADIKOY :Kadikoy,Moda,Erenkoy,Suadiye,Bostanci,Kalamis,Goztepe,any place on Bagdat Avenue.
MALTEPE :Maltepe,Cevizli,
SARIYER:Sariyer,Tarabya,Arnavutkoy,Bebek,
SISLI :Sisli,Nisantasi,Etiler,Levent,Pangalti
USKUDAR:Uskudar,Salacak.

------------------------------------------------
*ORTAKOY for kumpir( baked patato)
night life ,bosphorous tour,drinking cay -tea (chai) front of the sea,
buying imitation necklaces,ear-rings,etc,to learn your future by fortune teller (tarot or turkish caffee)
if she doesnt speak english,ask to any young people there :-)

*BEYKOZ: taking a clean ?! breath cuz the area is all green

*Anadoluhisari or AnadoluKavagi :Drinking raki and eating grilled fish front of the Bosphorus

*Kanlica :there are some famous yogurt places,Try to eat REAL Yogurt there (as all Turks,i will say : Yogurt is totaly Turk product!!) :-)

*Goksu :seeing,ooden water residences

*Taksim: whoever likes night life and dinamic atmosphere.

*KADIKOY area: Less Noisy than European side ,more green and more beautiful.Search the streets,there are many nice,small bars around.

*Moda: its delightful that drinking tea in any of gardens there and watching the see.By the way :try the ice cream of pastry names "Mado " or "Ali Usta" with desert Dolama.

*SARIYER :going to "Sariyer Borekcisi" (Pastry of Sariyer) Try REAL BOREK (pie) there!! you gonna love it. Yeahh,,thats turkish stuff too
:-))

*Bebek:if you search carefuly, you will find many nice bars around with a great view of Bogazici! (bosphorus)Famous Bosphorus University(Bogazici) is there too.So,ask to the students.

*Etiler and Nisantasi :do you like shopping? then go there ,visit Akmerkez in Etiler and just take a look around in Nisantasi .Believe me you will find something interesting.;-)

*Salacak: did you hear about the Maiden tower? do you like there? then thats the area to go.

i will add more,whatever i remember.
i am far from my city around 5 years. :-(
Yes,Anatolian side is my favorite but guys,please stop going around in Sultanahmet area.
There are many places out of Sultanahmet area.
You havent seen Istanbul yet! ;-)