Artık karşıya geçmek çok hızlı. Hele de metro bağlantılı yerlere. Yalnız iş trafiği dışında saatler…read moreseçmekte fayda var, yoksa binmek imkansız. Bi de yerin, suyun filan altından gidiyor, o kalabalıkla iyice klostrofobik olabilir. Nautilus alışveriş merkezinin hemen dibinde. Belki de bu yüzden küçük bir büfe ya da otomat koymaya gerek duymamışlar. Ancak bunlar küçük de olsa önemli, hayatı kolaylaştıran ayrıntılar diye düşünüyorum. Girişte İstanbul kart doldurma ya da tek bilet alma makineleri var ki bu süper bir şey. Mesela Zincirlikuyu Metrobüs istasyonunda tek bilet alınamıyor!

This is a great metro stop to get to Belgrad Forest. Just take the 42 bus and you'll get near the…read moreentrance of Belgrad Forest in 20 minutes without traffic. Beware! On the weekends traffic is something else and it can take twice as long. I only explored the entrance of the forest, which seemed to be overflowing with picnickers barbecuing their kebabs. I will go back and try to go deeper into the forest where there is less meat grilling. Try to go on a weekday or early early (yes I meant to write early twice, that is how emphatic I am) on a weekend. Best to take this great metro than drive.

Deep in the bowels of the earth are the trains that take you to and from this conveniently located…read moremetro station. I don't remember how many escalators I took to get back to open air, but there were a lot. Well, actually around four, but seemed like way more. Like , even five. ... Ok ok I know you are unimpressed. This metro will leave you at the far end of Istaklal street far from Taksim Square. Galatea Tower, however, is pretty close. I really like the windy streets of the Galata Tower neighborhood.

Led by our intrepid tour guide, Gayle and I spent several stretches Day 2 in Instanbul on Public…read moreTransit. All we needed to do was scan our credit card at the entrance turnstyles and for 88 cents US, we were on our way. We found Istanbul public transit to be a safe, clean, and efficient experience, of which people watching the locals was fun and interesting. Our adventure included lots of light rail choices, plus 2 funiculars, of which the Taksim Karaköy Tünel was the most interesting. This historical line, which opened on 17 January 1875, covers the 573-metre route (uphill for us) between Karaköy and Beyoğlu in approximately 102 seconds. And before I could pull my camera out and frame a shot, our ride was over!