Turkey

From Beograd to Istanbul took us only 26 hours by train. But it was an interesting experience: to sleep in a very instable bed, crossing Bulgaria, stop in Turkish border at 3am to wait for a stamp for one hour outside the train and to party with Serbians :)

We were received by the organization at the train station and we went directly to the first dorm where we would be staying.

During that trip with tram and bus, we were immediately surprised with this image:

Now, that was impressive!

After that we went to Taksim, which is consider one of the centers of Istanbul (in such a big city, there is not only one center), which is basically a huge street with restaurants and shops in every door, and all kinds of people you can imagine.

Near that street we went to the top of a building with an amazing bar where you can have Turkish coffee, Turkish tea, and off course sisha/nargila. With an amazing view, that was one of the best moments that Unur (our Turkish guide and friend) made possible to happen.

That day we also had the opportunity to visit the huge office from MC in AIESEC Turkey, to dinner Turkish food and to party in a club.

The day after the Study Tour to Istanbul, organized by the Local Chapter of AIESEC in Istanbul, started with approximately 160 people. In that day we went to Topkapi Palace and to Blue Mosquie:

And Hagia Sophia: After the dinner and party, during the last day of that visit we went near the sea to a very rich palace, a sort of museum, the Dolmabahçe Palace: After we went to Basilica Cistern and then to Gran Bazaar:

Then we crossed a bridge that took us from Europe to Asia. What a feeling (please notice the guy in the beginning of the bridge selling a typical bread):

So, to wrap up, Istanbul in an incredible city: it’s full of special places to visit, hundreds of Mosques, amazing views to the sea, always with something to discover, filled of historical symbols; on the other hand it has too many tourists, too many people and too many people that don’t speak a word of English, it can be confusing and it makes one feels very small, but it’s impossible not to feel passionate about that city with such atmosphere that it’s possible to feel in every conner…