Picture Time

Seeing as how it would be next to impossible to detail my experiences here over the past few weeks, I'll try and get caught up with a compilation of pictures to give you an idea of what life is like here. Later on down the road I'll start to detail specifics such as school life, dining, etc.

The Bosphorus Bridge, connecting Europe and Asia.

On the left is me, with Emre, at first my host student, now my best friend in Istanbul!

These pictures were all taken at a lovely sea-side cafe in the Asian side if Istanbul.The breakfast was a wonderful pastry type dish, with layers upon layers of thin dough with either meat or cheese in between. And of course, tea, which is a necessity with breakfast, after any meal, and basically any time you're not in transit from one place to another.

There's a lot of very cool street art around Istanbul, here are just a few examples from when I had time to grab my camera.

The Blue Mosque is the larger one to the left, Hagia Sofia standing alone on the right.

Still in Asia, this is a shot from Moda, a very relaxed section of town on the southern coast. The photo looks across the Bosphorus Strait to the 'old city' of Istanbul in Europe. It is from the same location as the sunset photo in my last post.

And now we are in Europe! This is Istiklal Avenue, the main street running off of Taksim Square, which is the epitome of nightlife in Istanbul. Always crowded, and don't expect the party to start before midnight, or end until the wee hours of the morning.

If you are near the water, you better like seagulls. They are everywhere.

The ferries are part of the public transportation system here, which makes sense for a city lying on two continents. Coming from Arizona, I still get a kick out of this, but to the locals it is no different than catching the bus or a taxi.

The central monument in Besiktas Square, practically across the street from my school, Bahcesehir University. It is a great location, a central hub of all transportation and near to the old city, night life, and many universities. Luckily I managed to find an apartment just five minutes from the location in this picture.

That's it for now, more to come soon!