Some people call it Constantinople, some others Istanbul.. I prefer to call her "The City".
This nickname is given to Isatnbul simply because she is the most beautiful city in the world.
You can find anything in this huge cosmopolitan metropole,all the contnents collide, the bridge of Europe, Asia, East and West. It is a meeting point of every culture and religion and this is obvious from the very first moment you reach the Ataturk airport. At the passport control you forget your maternal language and your birthplace and you start to listen 10 different foreign languages at the same time. There I saw people coming from civilizations I have never heard before. I became a better person because I learnt how to respect every kind of person in a different way and how to respect someones' differencies.
But, Why do I love this city? For uncountable reasons. I love the locals, who have an endless supply of hospitality and good humour at their disposal. I love the fact that when I walk down a city street, layers of history unfold before me. I love listening to the sound of the müezzins duelling from their minarets.
The locals have an endless love for life. Dispite they work hard to make ends meet they know how to eat well, party hard, care for their family and friendships, and have no problem melding tradition and modernity in their everyday lives. Τheir favourite spots – çay bahçesis (tea gardens), kahvehans (coffeehouses), meyhanes (Turkish taverns) and kebapçıs (kebap restaurants) – will be a highlight of your visit.
As for the tradition and hidtory you have a lot to explore, too. Istanbul is an open museum where you can find the Greeks, Romans and Venetians took turns ruling before the Ottomans stormed into town and decided to stay – physical reminders of their various tenures are found across the city. The fact that the city straddles two continents wasn't its only drawcard – it was the final stage on the legendary Silk Road linking Asia with Europe, and many merchants who came here liked it so much that they, too, decided to stay. In so doing, they gave the city a cultural diversity that it retains to this day.
The cuisine is as diverse as its heritage, and delicious to boot. There is even a greek movie called "political kitchen" discribing how the people in Istanbul build their whole life around the kitchen. The restaurants are the best in Turkey and due to the high level of turism there are even italians and asians most visitors prefer to sample the succulent kebaps, flavoursome mezes and freshly caught fish that are the city's signature dishes, washing them down with the national drink, rakı (grape spirit infused with aniseed).
The art and the architecture is a culture mixture. The old buildings used to be first greek and then when the Ottomans conquered the city tried hard to leave their signature. The Ottomans, were quick to launch an ambitious building program and the magnificently decorated imperial mosques that resulted are architectural triumphs that together form one of the world's great skylines. In recent years, local banks and business dynasties have reprised the Ottomans' grand ambitions and endowed an impressive array of galleries, museums and festivals for all to enjoy.
Unfortunatelly, nowadays the terorism is spread around the city. The subburbs, the shoppinf centers and the famous turistic streets lost their brilliance. However
they call it chaos, I call it home!
This nickname is given to Isatnbul simply because she is the most beautiful city in the world.
You can find anything in this huge cosmopolitan metropole,all the contnents collide, the bridge of Europe, Asia, East and West. It is a meeting point of every culture and religion and this is obvious from the very first moment you reach the Ataturk airport. At the passport control you forget your maternal language and your birthplace and you start to listen 10 different foreign languages at the same time. There I saw people coming from civilizations I have never heard before. I became a better person because I learnt how to respect every kind of person in a different way and how to respect someones' differencies.
But, Why do I love this city? For uncountable reasons. I love the locals, who have an endless supply of hospitality and good humour at their disposal. I love the fact that when I walk down a city street, layers of history unfold before me. I love listening to the sound of the müezzins duelling from their minarets.
The locals have an endless love for life. Dispite they work hard to make ends meet they know how to eat well, party hard, care for their family and friendships, and have no problem melding tradition and modernity in their everyday lives. Τheir favourite spots – çay bahçesis (tea gardens), kahvehans (coffeehouses), meyhanes (Turkish taverns) and kebapçıs (kebap restaurants) – will be a highlight of your visit.
As for the tradition and hidtory you have a lot to explore, too. Istanbul is an open museum where you can find the Greeks, Romans and Venetians took turns ruling before the Ottomans stormed into town and decided to stay – physical reminders of their various tenures are found across the city. The fact that the city straddles two continents wasn't its only drawcard – it was the final stage on the legendary Silk Road linking Asia with Europe, and many merchants who came here liked it so much that they, too, decided to stay. In so doing, they gave the city a cultural diversity that it retains to this day.
The cuisine is as diverse as its heritage, and delicious to boot. There is even a greek movie called "political kitchen" discribing how the people in Istanbul build their whole life around the kitchen. The restaurants are the best in Turkey and due to the high level of turism there are even italians and asians most visitors prefer to sample the succulent kebaps, flavoursome mezes and freshly caught fish that are the city's signature dishes, washing them down with the national drink, rakı (grape spirit infused with aniseed).
The art and the architecture is a culture mixture. The old buildings used to be first greek and then when the Ottomans conquered the city tried hard to leave their signature. The Ottomans, were quick to launch an ambitious building program and the magnificently decorated imperial mosques that resulted are architectural triumphs that together form one of the world's great skylines. In recent years, local banks and business dynasties have reprised the Ottomans' grand ambitions and endowed an impressive array of galleries, museums and festivals for all to enjoy.
Unfortunatelly, nowadays the terorism is spread around the city. The subburbs, the shoppinf centers and the famous turistic streets lost their brilliance. However
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου