"Istanbul in Winter" a Istanbul Travel Page by June.b

“ If the Earth was a single state, Istanbul would be its capital. ” Napoleon Bonaparte.

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Good to be back again! A short 5-day break from March 11 - 15, 2009, but still I enjoy the city, as usual.

Everytime I think about this city's former name (Constantinople), my brain can’t help humming the famous They Might Be Giant’s 80’s hit with the same title. All my travel plans got stucked in Istanbul for good reasons. I was planning for other cities, yet, when I reached Istanbul for the first time in 2005, it beckons to me like a shining beacon. But who won’t be enthralled with a city that prides itself of a long interesting and remarkable history, sights, sounds and interesting places and the friendliest people on the planet.

So for the __nth time, I want to scratch my itchy foot and head to Istanbul.

December18, 2007, arrived at the usual early winter morning, puff a couple of cigarettes at the huge Kemal Ataturk airport just at the end of the conveyor while waiting for my luggage. Change a hundred dollars and headed to the Metro station just beneath the terminal, I already have memorized this routine from my previous trips. Got off at the Zeytinburnu tram station and waited for the first tram. Took the tram and standing at the tram makes me sigh with those 2 words… Am back! Reached the Sirkeci tram station where I got off, the hotel I booked the previous nights is just around this area, no sweat (winter, remember?), I found the place. Took a nap and had to refresh myself with the usual sight of Sultanahmet.

I already have built my Istanbul page based on my first travel, but things change, so in my desire to give update, I am building this another Istanbul in Winter.

But don't forget to checkout my Istanbul in Summer , it has a lot of insights.

Istanbul is different in winter, at least to my personal view. My second winter in the country though. The usual sights are there, but the colours are different. It’s like painting the same subject using different colours and theme, or dressing a person – looks differ with a different clothing – that is Istanbul in my eyes. It’s a bit like melancholic but pleasing – I don’t know if that makes sense.

Less colours, people are mostly in basic colours – black, grey, earth shades. Trees are not as lush as during summer, so less green too. And on the first week of January 2008, the snow came in Istanbul, painted the whole Sultanahmet area in white in just an hour. And somehow, it was a delightful sight and a respite from the all-year-round warm weather where I came from.
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The info on the popular Istanbul sights can be found on my other (mostly summer) Istanbul page , and most info on these new pages are mostly narrations (and a little info perhaps) based on my personal experiences during winter in Istanbul.

You may also go direct to :

Popular Tourist Traps

Nightlife

Shopping

After a week in Istanbul, got a little grey (or blue?), so I decided to swing around the charming town of Safranbolu - a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Black Sea region. A 7-hour bus ride from Istanbul.

Glad to be back in Turkey again! Go ahead, browse my updates – hope you may get sumthin’ …worth-of-note perhaps.

I put all of those endless questions I've read on Turkey Forums on my General Tips .


* US$ or Euro? The currency question

* Safety Question for lone Female traveler & dress code

* Budget-a-day for budget traveler

* Is it safe to drink tap water?

* Electrical Plugs

* The language barrier question

* What is the best time to visit Istanbul?

* 1-Day Recommended Itinerary

* How far is the airport to the city centre?

* How far is the main bus terminal?