# ---Istanbul---



## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## cello1974 (May 20, 2003)

The most Western Oriental city! It is a good mixture of metropolitan and provincial flair! Great pictures btw...


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## DrasQue (Jan 10, 2006)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## Urban Girl (Sep 15, 2004)

great thread thanks nuricool, these pics are wonderful especially that daily pic from Istiklal avenue, what a crowded, but you dont feel it when you walk there


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## www.sercan.de (Aug 10, 2003)

where is that
http://s2.bilder-hosting.de/img/1H33U.jpg


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## balamir (May 26, 2006)

thanks nuricool


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## Arpels (Aug 9, 2004)

nice job, amazing metropolis!!


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## Rem (Feb 26, 2006)

Nice pics Nuricool, bravo !


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## rocky (Apr 20, 2005)

man this is one of the best pictures i saw here, and the best of istanbul. 

fantastic city!! the scenery and architecture is perfect.


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)

thanks Im glad you like it


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## zergcerebrates (Jan 23, 2004)

Very beautiful indeed. How much are the average house prices besides the waterfront?


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## yxz (Feb 11, 2003)

you don't want to know it


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## goodmood10 (Oct 23, 2005)

beautiful pictures , beautiful city.


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## maxxam80 (Apr 6, 2003)

In 12 hours time I will be there

for my very first time

I am taking my camera so will make a thread when I get back


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)

^^


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## Jakob (Feb 28, 2004)

The best collection of Istanbul pictures! Congratulations!


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## cosmos (Nov 15, 2005)

What a great city! Excellent pictures, thank you!


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## balamir (May 26, 2006)

excellent pictures nuricool


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## Phoenician Empire (May 21, 2006)

-------------------


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## Phoenician Empire (May 21, 2006)

edit.


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## Urban Girl (Sep 15, 2004)

www.sercan.de said:


> where is that
> http://s2.bilder-hosting.de/img/1H33U.jpg


probably kadiköy but im not sure.


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## samba_man (Dec 26, 2004)

So beaultiful and surprising ! :applause:


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## Gordion (Oct 26, 2005)

Well done Nuricool!! I was in Istanbul 10 days a go, i am already missing it.


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## Abdi (Jul 26, 2006)

it looks like halfway between barcelona and frankfurt


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## sbarn (Mar 19, 2004)

Wow! I love Istanbul... keep this thread goin'! :cheers:


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nastyathenian (Jun 17, 2006)

Istanbul is a wonderful city, its setting being unique in Europe. The only reason I haven’t visited it yet is because of its inadequate urban transit system. Indeed, if there were a world championship for cities with many diverse and poorly interconnected rail systems, Istanbul would take the gold medal! Imagine getting off a modern subway system and hopping into a funicular. I hope things get better when Yenikapi interchange opens.


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)

istanbuls new Funikuler sytem


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## Allan (May 4, 2004)

thanks for this great threat. i love it kay:


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## Lombak (Sep 29, 2004)

Keep up the good work NuriCool.


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## ryszard (Jan 27, 2006)

*Istanbul*

see mine Istanbul photos: http://www.world-city-photos.org/Istanbul/


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## Gordion (Oct 26, 2005)

istanbuls new Funikuler sytem








[/QUOTE]

Used this Funikuler system many times, while i was in Istanbul.


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## Maltaboy (Apr 15, 2006)

Nuricool, for God's sake post a fewer number of pictures at a time, my computer almost crashed trying to download your stunning images.


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

Absolutely stunning photos here. In fact, I was in Istanbul for a week about 1 week ago, and it was photos like these that encouraged me to visit the city. I have to say, this city is one wonderfully photogenic one. Unfortunately, the weather was horribly hazy and grey whilst I was there, and I couldn't come away with many good photos.

Still, I'll write off a few thoughts about the city. Keep in mind, that many are positive, and many others are negative, that's the way it goes, and these are my honest opinions.

First of all, I'll say I really did enjoy visiting the city.

Istanbul on film looks a very clean and modern city, with many amazing historical structures. In reality though it is a very different place. Although not terribly dirty as the street cleaners do a good job considering the crowds, it is quite decrepit in parts. The streets and footpaths are crumbling, many buildings in the central parts of town are empty and falling apart and the public transport for a city of this size is downright pitiful. I shouldn't have been surprised at this, as it is still a developing nation, and as the economy grows these things will improve.

That out of the way, it is geographically one of the most fascinating and beautiful cities in the world. When looking at photos of the Bosphorus prior to visiting, I always thought it one of the most beautiful urban waterways in the world. And once seen it with my own eyes, it didn't disappoint me. I was totally impressed by the Bosphorus, Goldern Horn and other area's around the water. Unfortunately, many of the public area's to view them are quite run down and disappointing, but when on a boat they look great.

The Haghia Sophia and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque are simply amazing, and the Topkapı Palace was worth a visit (although the way they organize the tickets, especially the Harem is terribly old fashioned and out dated). The Dolmabahçe Palace is also worth a visit, although neither this or the Topkapi Palace impressed me as much as the Budapest Parliament building, which is one of the most impressive government buildings I have seen. The Dolmabahçe Palace ticketing system was also shambles, it took 1 hour in a long line and everything needed separate tickets (they charged €3 for the right to take photos and an extra 1€ just to visit the gift shop! On top of that you needed seperate tickets for different parts of the palace).

We stayed in the Galata area, sort of in between the two stations of the Tünel, which although quite rundown, was showing signs of becoming a trendy new inner-city area. It was an easy walk to the ugly Galata Bridge (what was the original bridge like, this one is aweful?) and the busy and attractive İstiklal Caddesi. 

We found the food that we tried in Istanbul to be average. The breads were wonderful though, incredibly fresh, but our only luck on a great restaurant was the "galata House", which specialized in Georgian, Russian cusiene. But such a short time in a city this size cannot be a judge on the quality of food. I am sure we were just not lucky to come across other equally fine restaurants.

I also visited the wonderful area around Lavent, where some of the skyscrapers and modern malls are. It surprised me that even here in this modern area, the footpaths were in poor shape, falling apart, but the highlight was the Kanyon Mall. This really is one of the most beautiful malls architecturally I have ever seen. I wish we had this mall in Frankfurt! The Metro City mall was ok, but just the bland modern international design that can be found anywhere. What surprised me was the security to enter the malls. It was like going through an airport security check. All bags go through x-ray machines, pockets had to be emptied and we had to walk through metal detectors - and this was just a mall.

Now to the public Transport. This was really a let down for such a big city. It seemed to me that the limited metro lines are just for some suburban area's. I never came across a metro station in the central city at all. To get to Lavent from where I stayed in Galata either meant the Funicular Tünel to İstiklal Caddesi, then the historical tram to Taksim (which was not an option as the service was either too poor or the trams were not operational), and then change again to the metro. This should have been a single metro trip, and will be when the finish the extension. But still, it's 2006 and that metro line finishes before you reach the central city. We used the 2nd option, which was a tram to the new funicular, a wait to get that up the hill, then swap again to the suburban metro - and for us tourists 3 different tickets to be bought!

There is a single tramline that runs through the central city and across the Galata Bridge - but it's frequency simply wasn't enough for the crowds using it. We were sandwiched in like sardines, whatever time we used it, and my fiance was molested three times. She has never been molested on public transport before, and it happened on three occasions in Istanbul, on one trip, by three different men! Basically, the tram was a novel gesture, but it should never have been chosen over a metro service, especially in the busiest part of the city.

There was also no proper signage for the public transports. Maps were out of date (and many didn't even show the tram could go over the Galata Bridge). Not that you could take away maps - we never found a place that hands them out.

Speaking of maps, Istanbul is the worst city I have visited for finding good street maps. Most don't show all streets, some show them inaccurately, and all were out of date, especially with the public transport info on them.

Hmmm, I hope I haven't been too negative here about the city. I really liked Istanbul. It is seriously beautiful, and most of the people we met were really friendly and helpful (although the constant harassing by restaurant and stall owners wore quite thin by the end - locals are lucky not to have to worry about this, as they only bother tourists).

My other highlight (after the Bosphorus) was the Grand Bazaar. I thought this would be a tourist trap, and yes, there is very little of interest there for me to actually buy (although the nearby book bazaar was great for my wallet), but it was still an amazing set of structures and the oldest mall in the world. I simply loved it, and had a great breakfast there, one of the best scrambled eggs I have tasted - I wish I could remember the name of the cafe, Julies or something like that.

We also visited the Asian side, by taking a ferry to Kadıköy. The first sight of Kadıköy from the ferry is terribly disappointing. The beautiful old train station, although looking great in these photos, is in shambles and the shorefront is derelict and rundown with an enormous bus parking ground between the waterfront and the streets. But behind all this was a lovely set of narrow alleys with wonderful shopping and eating area's. They really have to modernize this waterfront area, as it was worth visiting for the ferry ride and the narrow streets.

As a city, I think Istanbul has a great future. Once the economy catches up with the developed world, it will really take off. Public Transport will be improved, as will the services and quality of streets and public areas. It is an incredibly lively place, full of friendly people who know how to have a good time. Some great historical buildings, and modern ones as well. It does make a great city holiday, although I did find it didn't have as much to offer as other large cities of similar size in Europe such as London or Paris.


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## Brett (Oct 26, 2004)

Great thread guys, makes me want to visit even more!


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)

Justme said:


> Absolutely stunning photos here. In fact, I was in Istanbul for a week about 1 week ago, and it was photos like these that encouraged me to visit the city. I have to say, this city is one wonderfully photogenic one. Unfortunately, the weather was horribly hazy and grey whilst I was there, and I couldn't come away with many good photos.
> 
> Still, I'll write off a few thoughts about the city. Keep in mind, that many are positive, and many others are negative, that's the way it goes, and these are my honest opinions.
> 
> ...



Thanks a lot for this great Travel Report :cheers: 

Have you visit yerebatan cistern ?


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

nuricool said:


> Thanks a lot for this great Travel Report :cheers:
> 
> Have you visit yerebatan cistern ?


You bet I did. When we first went there it was closed, so we went on another day only to find it closed in the morning. Not a prob, as there was a lot to see in that area.

I should have mentioned it, as it was another highlight. I first saw this in the James Bond film, I believe then, you needed a boat to go around (it was in the 60's). Absolutely stunning down there.

I took a similar photo to you. Unfortunately, I didn't have my tripod, so this is basically just resting on the ledge with water dripping on the camera.


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## Nainawaaz (Jul 8, 2004)

this is the best city I have ever visited so far in my life time. I can not describe the atmosphere in this city. I have been to paris, london, and other cities, but this is the best.


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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)




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## nuricool (Dec 17, 2005)

*Istanbul extra large*


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