Istanbul for free

Istanbul Energy Museum by C.Kremenak  CC The Energy Museum Istanbul at Santralistanbul is one of the few free museums in Istanbul. And sadly often overseen by visitors as it is not along the typical tourist routes people take while visiting Istanbul. Nevertheless it is well worth a visit. Especially as not only the entry is free, there is even a free shuttle service . Energy Museum Santralistanbul Originally called Silahtaraga it was a power plant providing Istanbul with energy from 1914 until 1983. Being assigned to the Bilgi University in 2004 it was converted into a campus in 2007 and received its new name "Santralistanbul". Becoming a centre for arts, culture and education and Turkey´s first industrial archeology museum. Santralistanbul by P. Sten CC The museum itself is located in the area where once the turbine-generators and the steam boilers where situated. In the Energy Museum one can see turbine-generators from companies like Siemens and AEG, and the s

One of my favorite viewpoints, and yet most of the times overseen by people, is the Halic Metro Station . Situated in the middle of a bridge crossing the Golden Horn the Station provides a great view up the Golden Horn and down to the Bosporus. Recently it also has two small passenger bridges at both ends inside of the station, which provide an even better view to all sides. Without the need to leave the station at all. Also the Halic Metro Station is a good starting point to explore Balat, Fener or to visit the Süleymaniye Mosque , probably the most beautiful mosque of Istanbul , which also provides a nice view.  View from Halic Metro Station Here are some pictures taken by me at the Metro Station to give you an idea why I think is one of the most stunning viewpoints in Istanbul, especially at night. The view goes from Eyüp with Pierre Loti over the Fatih and Süleymaniye mosque, the Yeni mosque down to Topkapi, the Galata Bridge and the Galata Tower. View from Halic Metro to T

Maiden Tower & Old Town View from Üsküdar, Istanbul Üsküdar provides one of the nicest viewpoints in Istanbul, even though it does not provide a view from above. But therefore it is one of the best spots to see the sun going down over the historical district of Sultanahmet with the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and the Haiga Sophia. And of course the  Maiden´s Tower , another one of Istanbul's famous landmarks, prominently situated some hundred meters off the Üsküdar shore. The most renowned sad legend says an emperor had a much beloved daughter and an oracle prophesied that she would be killed by a snake on her 18th birthday. The emperor, to keep his daughter away from land, had the tower built in the middle of the Bosphorus to protect his daughter until her 18th birthday. On the 18th birthday of the princess, the emperor brought her a basket of exotic sumptuous fruits as a birthday gift, delighted that he was able to prevent the prophecy. Upon reaching into the basket,

Yet another hidden gem in the always surprising city of Istanbul is located on the Asian side, in Kadiköy. There, located in some in the first glimpse normal streets of a standard neighborhood of Istanbul, around almost every corner there is an impressive piece of street art to find .  Backstreet Street Art The street art in the backstreets of Kadiköy mainly features murals  which have been painted during the Muralist Festival   2012 and 2013. For those who wonder what a mural is, a mural is is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. But now some of those impressive and marvelous murals should speak for themselves. Here are three out of eleven wall high murals, not counting all the graffitis which are to be found around the area.  Occupy Antartica from B.Shanti of the artist collective " Captain Borderline ".  Elephant at Night by South African rooted artist Freddy Sam  Resistencia by INTI, an ar

Turkish Food is well known for its variety and tastiness. That applies to the snacks and the main dishes as much as to the side dishes. Here are the most famous, and eventually the most tasty, ones: Typical Turkish side dishes Pilav - the most plain version of Pilav is just plain rice cooked with oil or butter, called sade pilav. It normally comes in variations. Cooked with eggplants or chickpeas and combined with chicken or other meat. And of course spiced up with pepper, salt or cumin. Another variation is Bulgur Pilav, where the rice is substituted by wheat. Cacik -one of the classic refreshing dishes. Yogurt with a mixture of shredded cucumber, garlic and mint. In the summer time often served with ice cubes, even more refreshing! Mücver - Lightly fried in olive oil it is made of shredded zucchini, eggs and flour, sometimes green onions, mint and white cheese are added - as one likes.  Fried vegetables - those are a lot to find in Turkish Cuisine, basically every veggie wor