Overpriced coffee, spectacular views and traveling inspiration.
Istanbul: Europe’s largest City, one of the oldest as well. So much has happened here, so much history all around. The past and the present share each street. The silk road has passed through this Town on the edge between Asia and Europe. How many donkeys, horses, cars, boats passed through this place?
Very inspired by the little knowledge I have of Istanbul’s story, I feel like I must make the most of my time and soak up all the inspiration I can possibly find in those streets.
But my legs are still tired form the 4’500kilometres I cycled until I reached this town. And my feet don’t want to walk me around these streets longer than an hour or so.
Strolling through narrow streets, steep hills, I look up and seem to have discovered a rooftop-cafe on top of one of those millions of old houses.
We decide to go up. Have a rest, and enjoy a bit of the city, overlooking it from far above. Leaving all the buzzing and the noises downstairs.
The prices are almost as overwhelming as the view, but that was to be expected.
100 Lyra, for one espresso. But the cup is cute, the coffee excellent and the view astonishing, I am willing to forgive the price.
And here she lays, this ancient town, buzzing like a beehive.
Mosques reaching high up in the skies with their minarets. Skyscrapers shooting up like sprouts.
Bridges filled with little dots, humans and cars moving along slowly.
Even the water is crowded, big container ships crossing the Bosporus into the black sea and back, ferries and fisher boats.
It feels good to step back for a little moment and observe from far.
Imagining all the different lives, that come together in such a human centred place. People living here and, apparently, around 10million tourists passing by each year.
I can’t help but wonder, how many more people must have passed this place throughout the whole of its history.
Overwhelming but also inspiring. Change, movement, travel and all those different cultures meeting in one place.
Istanbul.
Thank you all for stopping by, have a wonderful day!
All photos and words are my own, taken and written by me.
