Elbow-deep
in flour, sugar and sprinkles this week, I thought I'd at least post some
photos. (My Valentine's
Day baking classes started today and will continue through the
14th.)
On
Sunday, we took advantage of the short-lived sunshine and walked along the Bosphorus -
all the way from Üsküdar to Kadıköy.
Last week, I hibernated inside our apartment except for the single day I
captured some snow
photos in Sultanahmet. I needed to get OUTSIDE!
The
weather felt like a warm, spring day, and people were everywhere! I took a ton
of photos, and we both soaked up the rays while we enjoyed our çay.
It
was almost 5 p.m. when we walked across the bridge that spans over the train
tracks by Istanbul’s Haydarpaşa Garı (Train Station). This castle-looking
structure, dating from 1906/1908, is the first and last stop in Asia, depending
on how you look at it.
Apparently, Haydarpaşa
was an important link in the railway chain of the Kaiser's "Berlin-to-Baghdad"
railway scheme, part of the German Empire's Drang nach Osten ("Drive
to the East") during the late 19th century.
Soon, Haydarpaşa
will close for renovations, and some people fear it probably will be
turned into a hotel down the road. Let’s hope the building’s structural integrity
will remain and not be forsaken for modernity (as has been the latest case for
an ancient
palace in Sultanahmet.) (Sadly, as of June 19, 2013, I’ve learned the
last train used the station, and it will be converted into another shopping
mall. See this article: Haydarpaşa
Train Station is Closing with New Terminal.)
When
you catch a ferry along the Bosphorus over to Kadıköy, Haydarpaşa is
one landmark you can't help but notice. I often wonder about the thousands of
people who have passed through here. Now, I'll just have to continue to wonder as another historical building closes.
8 comments:
I especially love the second photo. The clouds seem to match the mood of the old building!
We fear for dear old Haydarpaşa. REALLY hope it reopens after all the work is done to the new tracks...Great photos though and glad you got some sunshine. We've had a couple of days recently but we're still feeling a bit starved of blue sky!! :)
@Sue, thank you! Got really lucky with the photos. That bridge is really a perfect spot to capture the station.
@Julia, I know it's hard to say what will happen. =( Today, we've got rained mixed with a pinch of snow it looks like from our windows. Yuck.
Love the photos - and especially how you made them look so dramatic with the edging!
@Terry, thanks for the nice comment! Trying some new photo editing techniques.
@Jana, welcome and happy to have you join us here!
Took a peak at your blog and love all your cooking too. I used to speak pretty decent Spanish, but since living in Turkey the more Turkish I've learned, my Spanish has disappeared. "Ahora, estoy hablando un pocito espanol!" =)
Beautiful images in this interesting post!
What they are closing this station for renovation?! Guess we will have to stop at the second or second last station (depending on how you see it) next time!
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