Over the weekend, temps reached in the 50s (10 C), and I was itching to get outside and take advantage of the partly sunny skies.
After stuffing ourselves with a totally non-Turkish brunch of Eggs Benedict and pancakes at White Mill Cafe in Cihangir, we set out to explore the city. (FYI: the Eggs Benedict dish is good here and even has real bacon on it! All that�s missing are the English muffins.)
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| My delicious Eggs Benedict at White Mill Cafe in Cihangir in Istanbul. |
Along the residential streets in Cihangir and elsewhere in the city, you�ll find trees full of spring blossoms. Although we�ve had a mild winter in Istanbul, these flowers definitely make me cheerful.
We decided to work our way down to the shore road because we planned to take an afternoon vapur from Karak�y to Kadik�y. On Sundays, the vapur comes every 30 minutes instead of the normal 20 minutes on other days.
One of the things I love about Istanbul is that you can always discover something new. This lively metropolis is constantly changing. For me, that means more opportunities for some cool photos.
We turned down a random street in Cihangir that we hadn�t been on before and walked down a flight of cement stairs. Suddenly, we were facing the beautiful Bosphorusand the Nusretiye Camii, which is in front of the Istanbul Modern Museum.
We both were in awe for a moment. When you�re not expecting such an incredible view, it literally takes your breath away.
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| Looking at Nusretiye Camii from the park, with Sultanahmet in the background. |
Located by and slightly above the Tophane-I Amire Culture & Arts Center is a random park called Sanatkarlar Park. Now, I�ve walked behind and in front of the arts center building several times and somehow never noticed this very small park.
There�s nothing special about this park per se, but it�s definitely worth searching out for the views that we discovered. The minarets on the Nusretiye Camii act as the perfect framing device for photos. Of course, there�s a small shack nearby where you can order �ay, sit on a stool and admire the seaview below the park.
We walked down a worn, muddy path through the park, past an apartment building, through a parking lot and then we were on Defterdar Yoksu (Street). This is the main street that runs down from Cihangir and through Tophane to the shore road. I�ve also walked down this road several times, even just a few days ago, and didn�t notice this view below in my photo.
Again, I was confronted with another excellent view of the city�s architecture. This time it was the domes of Mimar Sinan�s Tophane-i Amire Culture & Arts Center on the left and the Galata Tower to the right that caught my attention.
Maybe it was the partly sunny skies. Maybe it was the spring blossoms. Maybe it was the happy discovery of a new place.
No matter how many times I walk the streets here, I always discover something new.