Istanbul through my lens

Here is my selection of pictures from our recent trip to Istanbul. This city is so photogenic and beautiful to capture from every angle, every corner and every hill. No wonder I returned with nearly 1000 pictures after just five days.

It wasn't my first time to Istanbul so we didn't visit the Sultanahmet area this time with it's famous mosques. Also we didn't do The Bazaar this time, Topkapi Palace, Dohlmabahçe Palace and climbing the Galata Tower for a 360 degrees view as we have seen and admired them before. But in case you are planning your first trip to Istanbul this year; do visit those sites. They will take you back into the times of the Ottoman Empire and there's so much you can learn about that era and the city from them.

There is so much to say about Istanbul. So much to show. And to experience. It's impossible to summarize everything in a few lines.
We had such a nice time, exploring different neighbourhoods like Nişantaşı (where our hotel was), Şişli, Beşiktaş, Cihangir, Bebek, Arnavutköy, Etiler, Ortaköy, Kadiköy, Caddebostan and much more. We had lovely breakfasts, mostly by the water, and cozy dinners, drove around in countless taxis and walked a lot. We met up with our dear friend Ahmet, celebrated his birthday together in Beyoğlu and went to see the Fenerbahçe - Kasımpaşa match together on sunday.
One thing that I could never get enough of is taking the ferry to cross the Bosphorus. 15 minutes of wind, water, seagulls, çay, smell of the salty sea and a breathtaking view at the city hills and skyline.

The weather was gray and humid the first three days. Moody skies, romance and nostalgia hanging in the streets of Beyoğlu .. very Sezen Aksu-ish. The last two days of our stay the sun came out.. together with thousands of people on the streets. It was warm and crowded, in fact it was very very crowded. We loved it though.

I just gonna go ahead and let the impressions below speak for itself. Enjoy! xx

I will be adding these and more pictures to CB's Facebook page soon. Stay tuned yani.. ;)

Taksim Square, Beyoğlu

İstiklâl Caddesi

Çiçek Pasajı

Galata Tower

At the entrance of the Özel Alman Lisesi  - Deutsche Schule Istanbul. My dad and Tante Tina went to school here.

Mısır Çarşısı, Eminönü

Ortaköy

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Fishermen on the Galata Bridge

Ne var?

Eminönü

Boats ♥ Birds ♥ Bosphorus ♥

Fifty shades of Istanbul

'

Ah, to be a seagull in this city for just one day...

Beşiktaş Sahil

Dolmabahçe Çay Bahçesi

Caddebostan

Streets of Cihangir

Ready to kick ass :)

We won!!! End score: 3-1 for Fener.

Sooo cute! Little BIG fan :)