Beautiful places of Barcelona and Catalonia: TURKEY - ISTANBUL: BOSPHORUS AND SPICE BAZAAR

After nine days in Turkey, six of them in Istanbul, I must admit that Istanbul has surprised me. Istanbul is a really lively and warm city with an special charm. There are always a lot of people walking along its streets, which made me feel quite comfortable.

And the other 3 days we visited Cappadocia, a region of central Anatolia, where nature has created really amazing shapes. It's really worth walking between this strange shapes and enjoying the other secrets this region hides.

I really expected this day because we had planned that we spent the morning of our third day in Istanbul in Ortaköy and in a cruise up the Bosphorus. The views are truly fantastic! But before we visited Dolmabahçe Gardens.

Mosque of Ortaköy and behind the Bosphorus Bridge, which links Europe and Asia

Visits of the day:

Dolmabahçe gardens *
Ortaköy *
Ortaköy Mosque *
Cruise up to the Bosphorus *
Beyazit and University of Istanbul
Sülemaniye Mosque *
Rüstem Pasa Mosque

* Strongly recommended

Dolmabahçe Gardens

Dolmabahçe Gardens in Istanbul are quite beautiful but small or, at least, the garden we could visit without buying a ticket. I thought that it would be larger. However, this mosque, the turkish flags and the Bosphorus make this small garden really interesting

Clock tower in Dolmabahçe Gardens in Istanbul

One of the gates of Dolmabahçe Palace. This gate is the entrance for tourists

Imperial Gate of Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul

The Imperial Gate of the Palace is the main entrance to the palace. It's very decorated

Ortaköy

This mosque is really beautiful, actually like a small palace and is, together with the Bosphorus bridge, one of the great landmark of Istanbul

A fisherman of Ortaköy with Haghia Sophia in the background. Ortaköy is actually a fishing district of Istanbul

From here left our cruise only few minutes later. Meanwhile we enjoyed the fantastic views of the Bosphorus from this lively place of Ortaköy

We took some photos before the departure of our cruise next to this mythical straits

Ortaköy streets are really peaceful and it's really pleasant to walk along between its colourful buildings

The quayside square is a lively and colourful place of Ortaköy

Cruise up the Bosphorus

Our cruise had just begun when we cross the Bosphorus bridge, which is quite high and long (with its 1074m is the world's ninth longest suspension bridge)

We were lucky because the day was lovely, perfect for a cruise along this strategic straits. The environment of the Bosphorus is really beautiful and revitalizing

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge was built next to the Fortress of Europe, on the left, because this is the narrowest point on the Bosphorus. This fortress with this bridge offers, like Ortaköy mosque and the Bosphorus bridge, a landmark of modernity and history in Istanbul

This fortress of Europe controlled a major Byzantine supply route and was essential for the invasion of Constantinople by the Ottomans. This fortress is in excellent condition and is a pleasant place for an afternoon outing with wonderful views of the Bosphorus

An overview of the first bridge built across the Bosphorus straits that divide Istanbul and separate Europe from Asia

Behind this colourful building appears the Fortress of Asia, situated also at the narrowest point of the Bosphorus but in the asian continent

Typical houses of the Bosphorus with their own quays

The peaceful environment of the Bosphorus contrasts with the lively and busy life of Istanbul

Beylerbeyi Palace in Istanbul beside the Bosphorus

Beylerbeyi Palace, a little palace in the right bank of the Bosphorus

One last view of the Bosphorus bridge

Ortaköy Mosque

And after this peaceful and nice cruise, we visited the Ortaköy mosque, and I can say that is one of the most beautiful mosques of Istanbul. It's like a little palace

The dome of the amazing Ortaköy Mosque

Like in Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, I could see also in the Ortaköy mosque some calligraphic roundels

Beyazit and University of Istanbul

This Moorish-style gate leads to the Istanbul University

Beyazit Mosque just opposite the gateway which leads into Istanbul University. I like this picture because I think it shows the daily day of this district of Istanbul

Sülemaniye Mosque

Tomb of Süleyman inside the courtyard of Sülemaniye mosque

Sülemaniye mosque in Istanbul with one of its minarets. It was a pity that this mosque was closed because of restoration works since this mosque its impressive

Golden Horn from Sülemaniye mosque in Istanbul

View of the Golden Horn and the Galata bridge from the Sülemaniye mosque. In Istanbul, the sea can be seen from almost every point of the city

Rüstem Pasa Mosque

Raised above the busy shops and warehouses around the Spice Bazaar, the Rüstem Pasa mosque is the most magnificently tiled mosque in Istanbul

Tiles in Rüstem Pasa mosque

Inside the Rüstem Pasa Mosque there is few people and the environment was really peaceful and cozy with its faint light and red carpets. It's really worth entering this mosque

Spices shown in a shop of one of the crowded streets around the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul

Having dinner in Beyoglu

Finally, after an intense day, we went to a restaurant to have dinner in Beyoglu and I really enjoyed my meal: a huge chicken salad

We were enjoying a lot in Istanbul but, unfortunately, the next day would be the last one. Clicking on the next link, what we visited in our last day in Istanbul. Besides, clicking on the next link you will find all the interesting places in Istanbul and Cappadocia we visited during this trip.

You can see more pictures of these days I spent in Istanbul and Cappadocia clicking on the links below:

- First day in Istanbul

- Second day in Istanbul

- The three days we spent in Cappadocia

- Third day in Istanbul

- Fourth day in Istanbul

- Last day in Istanbul

Finally, other great cities I have already visited are: