Galata District & Tower – Istanbul Turkey

Istanbul Turkey is truly one of the greatest cities in the world. There are so many different neighborhoods each with their own style and charm. One of our favorite neighborhoods in the city called Galata. This is one of the oldest sections of the city and still retains its charm. We experienced this area on our first morning in Istanbul. It was a beautiful summer day and we worked our way to the Galata bridge which is a beautiful old bridge that connects key areas of the city. Directly on the other side we could see the Galata neighborhood with its prominent tower rising above the city. The Galata Tower is a beautiful old medieval tower (has been reconstructed) that is perched atop a hill in the Galata neighborhood. This was our ending point but we were very excited to wander our way through the streets to get there. The area around Galata Tower is beautiful. There are old alleyways and streets that wind there way up the small hill with tiny shops and little squares around every corner. The architecture is bright and the buildings are all very close together which makes for a beautiful little neighborhood. Furthermore, there are lots of people around the area which makes for some great people watching. We found ourselves stopping numerous times to take in the scene. Luckily there was always a little store or kabob restaurant where we could get a coke and Kabob. We did this numerous times and I remember vividly sitting on the sidewalk experiencing our first Middle Eastern Kabob (meat and veggies in warm bread). We also found a beautiful old church and spent a few minutes chilling in the courtyard with the local dogs. :) We eventually made our way to Galata Tower and paid the small fee to go to the top for the view. We both expected a great view but were blown away by what we saw. On this particular morning you could see the entire city of Istanbul laid out in front of you. The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia (Istanbul's most iconic structures) rose above the dense buildings of the old city. There was a light haze lingering over the entire area and the sun was making the blue waters of the Bosphorus sparkle. We easily must have spent an hour just admiring the incredible beauty of the city. I have been told my entire life how beautiful Istanbul is but seeing it from this vantage point was breathtaking. We finished off the afternoon by wandering over to Istiklal Avenue for a little window shopping. We got ourselves an ice cream and wandered around this beautiful old avenue which is lined with beautiful architecture, fancy shops and has a cute old street car. Indeed Istanbul is a city of many neighborhoods and Galata is one of our favorites.