Elbow-deep in flour, sugar and sprinkles this week, I thought I'd at least post some photos. (My Valentine's Day baking classes started today and will continue through the 14th.)
On Sunday, we took advantage of the short-lived sunshine and walked along the Bosphorus - all the way from �sk�dar to Kadik�y. Last week, I hibernated inside our apartment except for the single day I captured some snow photos in Sultanahmet. I needed to get OUTSIDE!
The weather felt like a warm, spring day, and people were everywhere! I took a ton of photos, and we both soaked up the rays while we enjoyed our �ay.
It was almost 5 p.m. when we walked across the bridge that spans over the train tracks by Istanbul�s Haydarpasa Gari (Train Station). This castle-looking structure, dating from 1906/1908, is the first and last stop in Asia, depending on how you look at it.
Apparently, Haydarpasa was an important link in the railway chain of the Kaiser's "Berlin-to-Baghdad" railway scheme, part of the German Empire's Drang nach Osten ("Drive to the East") during the late 19th century.
Soon, Haydarpasa will close for renovations, and some people fear it probably will be turned into a hotel down the road. Let�s hope the building�s structural integrity will remain and not be forsaken for modernity (as has been the latest case for an ancient palace in Sultanahmet.) (Sadly, as of June 19, 2013, I�ve learned the last train used the station, and it will be converted into another shopping mall. See this article: Haydarpasa Train Station is Closing with New Terminal.)
When you catch a ferry along the Bosphorus over to Kadik�y, Haydarpasa is one landmark you can't help but notice. I often wonder about the thousands of people who have passed through here. Now, I'll just have to continue to wonder as another historical building closes.
