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Friday 28 November 2014

Babil Street is Unlike Any Street You Know

Babil Street (Babil Sokak) is not the first place to read when you're searching for Istanbul. But it is one of the most vibrant streets in Elmadag, Istanbul, very close to Taksim.

Babil is the Turkish word for Babylon. You know Babylon was an ancient civilization that was famous for various nationalities of its inhabitants. Contemporary Babil almost represents its predecessor (except that it doesn't have a tower but series of buildings).

What is special about this street? Well, let me tell you my story shortly. About ten years ago, when I was working for a small publishing house in Cagaloglu (a district next to Sultanahmet), my boss wanted me to deliver some books here in Babil Street. I fell in love with the street then. Here I am now, with a little coincidence. After more than two years, I have never been bored and I don't think I ever will.

Babil Street is special for many reasons, especially for what it is and where it is.



What is Babil Street?


Babil Street is actually a very crowded and loudy street. But its elements merge in such harmony that you get addicted to the action. It's one of the rare places that you'll hear at least five languages (English, German, Arabic, Italian, Chinese, etc.) when you woke up, street cats fighting each other (Istanbul has lots of cats and Babil Sokak is no exception), sometimes people arguing but mostly Erasmus students laughing.

It looks mostly traditional with three or four storey apartments, women hanging down baskets for their market orders, children playing and youth talking on the street. It also looks contemporary with newly built suites. While the parallel streets are almost ghostly, in Babil Street you can find any shops you'd like to. From a tailor, a dry-cleaning, a locksmith, several markets, photographers to restaurants, a barbershop, a hairdresser, a real estate agency, stationeries, a baker, a drug store and many more.

These are only on the street at the enterance level. Try to imagine what may be above enterance. (Travel agencies are just one example.) And an entrepreneurial landlady owns a place where she cooks Spanish food with her husband. Babil Sokak is full of surprises!

Babil Street is also interesting in terms of religion. The first street intersecting Babil Sokak, Papa Roncalli Sokak, houses St. Esprit Cathedral within the confines of Notre Dame de Sion, a French high school. (It's also close to the Vatican Embassy.) The second street intersecting Babil Sokak, Harbiye Cayiri Sokak, houses a mosque at the basement of an apartment and a loudspeaker on the top.



Where is Babil Street?


Babil Street is in Elmadag, Sisli, Istanbul. It is ten minute walk to and from Taksim and Gezi Park, and Nisantasi and Tesvikiye the other way round.

If you are an expat in Istanbul, you'll probably go to work easily with buses or the subway. Business districts, such as Mecidiyekoy, Gayrettepe, Levent and Maslak are a couple of stations away from here.

It takes five minutes to walk to Dolapdere. It is not as a safe district as Harbiye or Elmadag, but nothing will likely happen in day light and early in the evening. Some famous cargos and some big hotels are here, and it is a quiet alternative to walk home than Cumhuriyet Street.

By foot, you can also go to Muhsin Ertugrul Theatre Hall, Lutfi Kirdar International Congress and Exhibition Hall, Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall and Kucukciftlik Park.

Where to Stay?


There are no big hotels at Babil Street. But it hosts several cosy suites that Erasmus students and travels at any age choose to stay. Any part of the street is favourable to stay. You can learn about the suites from travellers who stayed there. Babil Sokak and generally Elmadag (I'm inclined to say here is a part of Harbiye). I think prices are lower than Taksim, but not lower than any other non-touristic place in Istanbul.

I hope you enjoy Babil Street and the surprises it offers to you!

Monday 24 November 2014

8 Best Shopping Malls in Istanbul

Shopping mall is "alisveris merkezi" in Turkish. There are so many shopping malls in Turkey and more are added continuously. So, it's better to sort out some of them. That's my personal list. I considered the accessibility, the number of shops and restaurants, and the amount of quality time that can be spent. (Almost all shopping malls have cinema halls, so I won't tell about them individually.)

1. Istinye Park


Istinye Park is one of the best designed shopping mall in Turkey. It has a large variety of shops from less luxurious to more luxurious. The characteristic of the mall is the market place on the ground floor. You can find high quality coffees, olive oils, dried fruits and nuts, jams, pastry and many more. Take the metro to the ITU station, then walk about five minutes, there you are.

2. Kanyon


Kanyon is both an indoor and outdoor mall. You can walk along the open "streets" and enjoy the fresh air in contrast to other shopping malls. It has a small concert area at the ground floor. This one may be a little bit pricey, so if you don't have the budget you can prefer its neighbour, Metro City. Both are at 1. Levent. Get off the metro at Levent Station. You'll see them ahead at a few minute distance.

3. City's Nisantasi


City's Nisantasi is one of the smallest malls in Istanbul. But its location and tranquil atmosphere makes it a nice alternative. There is "Mahalle" (Neighbourhood) at the top floor. There are restorants at Mahalle and the setting is quite cosy. If you are staying at Harbiye and Taksim, it is just a walk away.



4. Trump Towers


Yes, the name comes from Donald Trump. This is a very central and decent mall, too. At noon, it's packed with white-collar employees. (Mecidiyekoy comprises many many offices.) It has some kind of water decoration at the enterance and some quality restaurants. You can reach there by the metro and the metrobus, then you'll go on foot. Directions are written everywhere, so it won't be hard for you to find it.



5. Zorlu Center


Zorlu Center is fairly a new mall. It has both less luxurious and more luxurious part. It has a hall that host classical and quality concerts. You can reach there by the metro (Gayrettepe station) or the metrobus (Zincirlikuyu station). In any case you will walk for a while to reach the enterance.

6. Istanbul Cevahir AVM


Istanbul Cevahir is one of the biggest malls of Istanbul. It is located in Mecidiyekoy and is even more central than the Trump Towers. It is usually overcrowded and very loud. So, in my opinion, do your shopping and run to the top floor which is less loud and comprises nice restaurants and cafés.


And the last two mall are from the Anatolian coast.

7. Akasya


Akasya is the luxurious shopping mall (probably an equivalent to Zorlu Center). Kartal-Kadikoy metro has Acibadem station which takes you there. If you are staying near that metro, it's a viable alternative for shopping.

8. Kozzy


Kozzy won an award for the best European mall in 2011. It is rather small, but the use of space is very professional. If you are staying near Kozyatagi or Erenkoy, you can walk here. There are theatre halls on the top floor. All the plays are in Turkish, but if you like, you can but tickets to watch them.

Thursday 20 November 2014

Cuteness Alert! Cats of Istanbul

Cats of Istanbul is one of the first things you'll realize, even before the sights. Cats are a characteristic of Istanbul. You can see cats at any corner and at any street. Most of these cats are very friendly (as our blog is) and let you to stroke their heads and backs.

If you visit Istanbul you are lucky in two ways: you'll see the judas trees bloom and new kittens walk around. Every spring I feel like going crazy when I see those cuties. I visit particularly Nisantasi Demokrasi Park for feline reasons.



I have dozens of photos that I had difficulty to filter out. Some cats are more friendly, some cats run away. But what they have in common is that they are all so photogenic! So, unfortunately I can only share a few of them.

1. Nisantasi cats


These are my favourites. As I mentioned above, there are always new cats wandering every spring. Nisantasi residents are very nice to cats. Cats here have specially built residences, I would say "feline villas". They are never hungry thanks to generous people who bring cat food every day.



You can see these comfortable cats at Nisantasi Demokrasi Park, at the yard of Harbiye Military Museum and Cultural Center Commend and at the streets. Some kittens are taken home by the dwellers.

A cat selfie?

2. Bosphorus cats


By Bosphorus cats I actually mean Bosphorus University cats. Most cats are under the care and protection of academicians. The cats wanter in and out of the faculties. It's very common to attend a lecture with a cat on the chair next to you :)

Bosphorus University is founded on a vast area and has a garden covered with grass. If I were a cat, I would deem it the heaven on earth. The students are also mostly cat lovers. They share their foods and spend times with the cats.



You can come across these cuties everywhere, but unfortunately some people are hard on the cats and most drivers are careless of them (and of other animals, and humans). You can take a wounded cat to a veterinary or if it is extremely afraid, you can make it feel safe.

Tuesday 18 November 2014

The Street That Never Sleeps: Istiklal Street

Istiklal Street, or Istiklal Avenue, is between the Taksim Square and the Tunnel (the second oldest in the world). Istiklal Avenue is famous for its night life, but it has many attractions that shouldn't be missed at daytime. Although the street is losing its essence year by year, it seems that it will not lose its top 10 position in Istanbul.

Istanbul is a great metropolis with lots of interesting things, but Istiklal Street is probably the most colorful part of it. You can play authentic entruments, sing in any language you want, wear a Napoleon costume. You can go drunk, or go mad. That's why Istiklal Street is still one of my favorite streets, despite the meaningless gray concrete of the Taksim Square and attempts to ban alcoholic beverages.



Istiklal Street houses restaurants, bars, shops, bookstores, cinemas, passages, cultural centers, embassies (that's actually why Istiklal Street was made for, wait for the history section) and many more. It is almost impossible to get bored here. Here there are also a lot of activities and gatherings are going on throughout the year.

A little warning: You will learn the meaning of "crowded" here, especially you're walking at the weekend. You should be careful about pickpockets, but it doesn't mean that there is a pickpocket at every corner. Just being careful would be enough. And don't believe the people who invite you a place assert to be great for the tourists, or you'll probably learn the meaning of "expensive".



History


A little bit history will show why Istiklal Street is different than the other parts of Istanbul. Istiklal Street has a very long-standing past. First appearance of the city is after Byzantium era. At that time Galata was a Genovese colony (and the Galata Tower is a Genovese structure.), but the part that Istiklal Street lies today wasn't.

The old city of Istanbul is actually is actually Suriçi (the historical peninsula), which includes Sultanahmet, Topkapı and Eminonu. (Although my grandmother lived in Istanbul, she would say "I'm going to Istanbul" when she was going to Eminonu.) The opposite and newer part of the Peninsula was called Pera (the part over Karakoy and Galata.)



Originally Pera consisted wineyards, orchards and couple of houses. After Ottomans got hold of the city, the trade of Galata developed dramatically. As Latins grew more crowded, they had to find new residences, one of which was Pera. The more the trade developed, the more migrants came from the historical peninsula, including colonies of Venice, Pisa and Amalfi, the French, the Netherlander and the English.

Today Istiklal Street houses lots of embassies which were places at that time. You can see most of them while walking down the street. Beautiful buildings indeed. But you won't probably enter and take photos, because it's forbidden. The embassies and consulates at Istiklal Street are France, Netherlands, Sweden, Russia, England, and the near ones are Italy, Germany and Greece.

Sights


Let's return to present and start from the beginning next to the Taxim Square, and learn about some of the important/interesting buildings or places.

Holy Trinity Church (Aya Triada Kilisesi): When you are about to enter Istiklal Street from Taksim Square, you will see the dome and the towers of this church. I would like to say "the whole of it" but there are some ugly buildings in front of it. There are some petitions to demolish them, so the chuch will show it's glory, but for now you can enter there from the side street. It is an eastern orthodox church. According to the tablet in front of the building, the date it was built is September 14th, 1880.



French Consulate and Cultural Center: This plain and nice building is not only for visas. It has a cosy restaurant and cafe in it. If you want to learn French, here is the place. There is also a cinema hall where you can watch selected movies (not the movies in theatres).

Çiçek Pasajı (originally Cité de Péra, literally Flower Passage): This gorgeous and famous passage was built after the big Beyoglu fire in the place of Naum Theatre in 1876. It had 24 shops and 18 luxurious apartments. In 1908 the owner changed. Lots of flower shops were opened the armistice years and so the name changed. In 1940's the pubs started to attract numerous customers. Today it is mostly remembered by its pubs, but pubs that are usually preferred by intellectuals, writers and artists. It had collapsed all of a sudden in 1978 and it wasn't rebuilt until 1988. The façade of the building is one of the most decorative ones at Istiklal Street and the interior is just as good as that. The prices may be a little bit high, but entering and taking photos are free.



Galatasaray Lisesi (Galatasaray Highschool): Galatasaray Lisesi is importand both historically and touristically. It is in the middle of Istiklal Street and many people meet there (another famous meeting point is Burger King, the one next to the square). It is one of the oldest educational institution in Turkey and the education language is French. You won't probably be able to enter the building, but you can watch its huge doors, reminding its glorious days.



Cezayir Street (Algerian Street): It is also called French Street. It is a nice narrow street with lovely building and cosy pubs. As for me, it looks like a street in a small European city.




Hacopulo Passage (Hazzopulo Passage): There are many historical passages at Istiklal Street: Çiçek Pasajı (as mentioned above), Rumeli Passage, Atlas Passage, Halep Passage, Aznavur Passage, Suriye (Syrian) Passage, Elhamra Passage, Markiz Passage, Avrupa (European) Passage. But Hazzopulo is an outdoor passage with teahouses stuffed with the youth. There are also second-hand booksellers and many old stores (Madam Katia Hats, wine house, and so on) that matches well with the nostalgic atmosphere.



Church of St. Anthony of Padua: This is the biggest church in Istanbul, in terms of the building and the congregation. It was first built on Galata in 1230 under the name of Saint François. It was burnt down two times in 1639 and 1660. After 1696, the church was moved to Pera and named as St. Anthony. The architecture of the church is very stunning indeed. The church with red brick façade was built in the place of the old one in 1906 and was opened to worship in 1912. The style is Italian Neo-Gothic. The shape is Latin Crucifix. There is an entrance with two buldings for the sake of the church. You will see this 38 meter long entrance first, then the yard and the church.



Mısır Apartment (Misir Apartimani): Apartman is the Turkish word for apartment. When it is written "apartimani", it is an older spelling and means that you're about the deal an old apartment. It is the neighbour of the Church of St. Anthony of Padua. When the Trocadero Theatre was demolished in 1910, Misirli Abbas Halim Pasha (Misirli = Egyptian) built this apartment as winter mansion. It is one of the first reinforced concrete in Istanbul. There are offices, restaurants, art galleries and many more.

Church of St. Mary Draperis: This church is a little bit hidden compared to the Church of St. Anthony of Padua. You go down some stairs before entering the church. It was established in 1584. It is an old Catholic Roman Parish, actually one of the oldest in Istanbul. The church has a neoclassical enterance that with a little statue of Virgin Mary. This can be seen on the street, but to see the square plan of the church, you have to enter from the gates.



Narmanli Inn (Narmanli Han): This beautiful building was built in 1831. It was used as Russian Embassy until 1880 and Russian prison until 1914, then became a property of Narmanli Family and used as a residence. It hosted many famous writers and artists, including Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar, the writer of magnificent novel, The Time Regulation Institute (Saatleri Ayarlama Enstitüsü).



Crimean Memorial Church: It is an Anglican Church situated on the Kumbaraci Yokusu. It was built as a memorial for Crimean War in 1868. It has a Neo-Gothic style. Today its congregation is Sri Lankan and Far Eastern.

Asmalimescit: Asma means grapevine, mescit means small mosque, alltogether "the small mosque with grapevines". Because Bayezid II had had a mescit built there. And some time at recent history there was a brothel there (how ironic), so my parents didn't like the idea of me going to the Istiklal Street. But the reality is it was gone with the wind before I even heard of it. I cannot spend much time in Asmalimescit anyway, for the fear that food and drink may be pricy (especially for students). For cheaper drinking options, you can take a look at Nevizade or Kucuk Beyoglu (Little Beyoglu).

Transportation


Istiklal Street is closed to the traffic. The transportation vehicle on the street is the nostalgic tram. It is usually too crowded, so I always prefer going on foot. You can use Sishane metro to reach the other end or just walk down there. But unless there is a storm or a police interference, I don't think it's necessary and boring then walking on the street.

You will probably have no difficulty to arrive at Istiklal Street. As Taksim is a very central place (in fact, more central than the old city), you can either come from Beyazit and Laleli, or from the Anatolian coast, Kadiköy and Bostanci. And good news: The metro line from Aksaray to Yenikapi has just opened. From Atatürk International Airport, you can directly come to Istiklal Street.



Where to Stay


There are many hotels at Istiklal Street, and some are very luxurious. Not so luxurious ones may also be somewhat expensive from hotels situated in other districts. You may try Elmadag, Harbiye and Pangalti (Pancaldi) hotels for price comparison. Nisantasi and Tesvikiye may be as expensive, but if you are willing to walk for a while or take a taxi, Fulya is also a pretty alternative. Karakoy hotels and Eminonu hotels are close to both Taksim and Sultanahmet. There are also some hostels there.


Monday 17 November 2014

Hi everyone! Interested in İstanbul?

Curious about Istanbul? Then, here you are at the right place. We will tell you about Istanbul, but from the eye of a friend. We are two sisters who will write this blog. We are living in Istanbul since we were born. Even to us, Istanbul has still unexplored places, untasted foods, roads of which we haven’t yet taken photographs. We will learn as we write, we will share as we learn.

Maybe it's your first time in Istanbul, or you have been Istanbul before, liked it so much, and want to visit there again. This blog goes for all of you! Our aim is to be your guide before and during your Istanbul trip, and show you alternatives apart from cliché routes. While we are doing this, we will tell you about sights, food and drink, shopping, transportation, accomodation, activities and districts, and give you some quick tips.

You can always share us your questions, offers, worries, excitement via the comments or the social media, and we will respond you and help you as soon as possible.

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