Train Trips to Istanbul

I love train trips. It is the best way to witness the culture and life of the people where you are travelling. It is not the destination, it is the pleasure of travel itself. (This what BMW tells us in TV commercials.)

I went to Istanbul by a train from Ankara. I boarded in the night, and I was in Istanbul, Haydarpasa Pier next morning. I took a single seat instead of private cabin. Because I don't like to isolate myself and go to sleep but I like to see the people while travelling.

Tughra: The Sultan's Seal

A tughra is a calligraphic seal or signature of an Ottoman sultan that was affixed to all official documents and correspondence. It was also carved on his seal and stamped on the coins minted during his reign.

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Hagia Irene over the Ruins of Byzantium

Photo: Hagia Irene Church seen from Istanbul ferry over the Ruins of Byzantium. Hagia Irene is a former Eastern Orthodox church located in the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. The building reputedly stands on the site of a pre-Christian temple. It ranks, in fact, as the first church built in Constantinople. Roman emperor Constantine I commissioned the first Hagia Eirene church in the 4th century. In 381 the First Council of Constantinople took place in the church. It served as the church of the Patriarchate before Hagia Sophia was completed in 537.

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Antique fine porcelaine plate with drawing: Acropolis

Antique fine porcelaine plate with drawing: ACROPOLIS, PATENT D W, with motto stamp "DIEU ET MON DROIT, HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE", by "C.L.A.Q. BRO"

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Istanbul Backpacker

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