Before departing for Istanbul I read about weekend brunches being held in some of the cities historic buildings. It sounded like a great way to spend a relaxing first morning in the city so we decided to check out one of the brunches.
The walk across to Yildiz Park was further than I expected, but strolling through Besiktas we got to orientate ourselves with some of the wharves and palaces I visited later in the week.
Yildiz Park seemed to be a popular venue with the locals who were setting up picnics under the trees or, like us, heading to Malta Kosku for brunch. There were several small concrete statues in the park of non-native animals (e.g. a kangaroo) which was an odd touch.
Brunch on the terrace of Malta Kosku was a fun experience. The buffet was constantly swarmed with locals who seemed to be taking pride in piling their plates as high as possible.
After brunch we walked back to our hotel and had a quick siesta during the heat of the day.
In the afternoon we followed the Rick Steves walking tour of Galata, walking across the two level Galata bridge and in the areas immediately on either side. Rick was a new travel guide to me, but I enjoyed the detail he went into on his guided walks.
After the bridge we headed up the hill to the Galata Tower (top picture) for 360 degree views of the city. The walking platform had a slightly unnerving downward slope to it, but once I'd got over that it provided some fantastic views of the city.
After a little bit more exploring it was back to our apartment. Despite our siesta the heat was sapping my energy and it was quite a tiring day!
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I never got to visit the Galata Tower as it was closed when we visited. I did like that area, though. And how odd to see a kangaroo statue in that park. I'd really love to get back to Turkey sometime!
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