Galataport to Karakoy

From what I’d been able to see while walking down the hill from Beyoglu towards Galataport I already knew what to expect so when I entered it after my dental appointment I wasn’t surprised to see what looked like a large block of apartments looming ahead of me.

It wasn’t a block of apartments, of course, but one of the three enormous cruise liners that were moored alongside taking up the whole of the quayside from one end of Galataport to the other.

I decided to head towards the northern end of Galataport before turning back and walking down to Karakoy at the southern end and on my way I saw this sign.

I’m not sure I’d be keen to hang around in an underground cruise terminal this close to the sea as so far I’ve not been that impressed by the quality of basic Turkish engineering. The buildings that have stood for hundreds of years stand much more chance of being around in a few hundred more than what’s going up now, but what do I know…

The Galataport entrance that I’d used last time I was here was now closed and I’d been ‘advised’ by a policeman with a machine gun to walk a bit further down the road and find another way in. From the look of it it was maybe being used exclusively by cruise passengers, or maybe it was being redeveloped as works were going on outside. Nevertheless, there was plenty of port activity going on there.

That’s the Asian side of Istanbul on the other side of the Bosphorus and in the left of centre in the next shot is the Bosphorus Bridge.

Now photographs of what caught my eye walking the length of Galataport from Kabatas at the northern end to Karakoy, what was an enjoyable experience made even better this time by the lovely weather. The first of the three cruise ships, a Viking liner registered in Bergen, Norway. I’ll bet those Norwegians could be doing with a bit of sun after their winter 😉

The liner was the Viking Mars.

Then came a modernist ‘sculpture’ celebrating Istanbul calling itself ‘The City of Names’. It does so, apparently, in honour of all the places from which visitors to the city come. It appears to be in the form of a long roll of coloured stainless steel tape into which all the place names have been punched. Now look, I don’t mean to be overly churlish, but although you can make one or two of them out, you can’t read them, so it seems to me to be colourful but a bit pointless really 😕

Carrying hastily on, the next cruise ship, registered in Hamilton, Bermuda, the Sun Princess.

Looking back up from the quayside you could see passengers swimming around in the ship’s pool which has transparent sides and hangs out over the deck below it. A somewhat weird experience, actually, probably even weirder for other passengers looking up from the deck underneath 🙂

Lastly, the third cruise liner, the Celebrity Equinox.

A couple of shots looking back from the quayside towards the road behind it which is separated from it by a security barrier.

I couldn’t eat much as my mouth was numb after my dental work but stopped in a quayside café along the way for a plate of chips (frites) and a draught local beer. Then I took a last look back up the quay before heading out into the streets of Karakoy.

The last time I was here I was looking for a route back to my hotel via the Galata Tower but this time I didn’t need to so was able to explore Karakoy a bit more. And I was very pleasantly surprised by what I found.

I headed out of Karakoy past a service station showing fuel prices of around 1€ per litre for all grades and types which made me whince when I think what we’re paying in France and the UK. But anyway, I left Karakoy with the thought that I’d have to come back again soon.