If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul. ~Alphonse de Lamartine
A bike ride in a beautiful Istanbul morning
It’s March now and March is the month of misty, chilly mornings in Istanbul. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the roads were empty. But it would be crowded soon, so I hurried to ride my bike for an hour or two.
It was really chilly and misty this morning. I first did a fast downhill to the Bosphorus, then headed south to Ortaköy.
Early in the morning, at Kefeliköy, İstanbul. It was really chilly and misty. Where’s the Bosphorus?
After returning back from Ortakoy, I decided to go to Rumeli Kavağı to take some photos.
Rumeli Kavağı, İstanbul
The sun was shining beautifully, so I decided to climb up to Havantepe to take some more photos.
A beautiful view of Bosphorus, from Havantepe road, Sarıyer.
Havantepe road is a steep (up to 20%) uphill with a few hairpins.
The road climbing atop Havantepe.
The view from atop Havantepe is beautiful. I took a selfie there.
Early in the morning, at Kefeliköy, İstanbul. It was really chilly and misty. Where’s the Bosphorus?
Rumeli Kavağı, İstanbul. Rumeli Kavağı is a neighborhood of Sarıyer district. “Rumeli” is the Turkish name for Thrace, and “Kavak” means “control post” in Ottoman Turkish referring to the strategical position of the location on the Bosporous. Formerly, it was a small fishing village. In the 17th century, a castle was built to check Cossack naval assaults from the Black Sea. In 1877, during the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878), a part of the immigrants from the Russian occupied provinces settled in Rumelikavağı. Up until the 1960s, most of Rumelikavağı was a restricted zone by military.
There are many places of interest in Rumelikavağı, such as ruins of medieval castles, mosques, churches, fountains, hamams etc. The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge (also known as the third bridge) over the Bosphorus is to the north of the neighborhood.
A beautiful view of Bosphorus, from Havantepe road, Sarıyer.
A beautiful view of Bosphorus, from Havantepe road, Sarıyer.
A beautiful view of Bosphorus, from Havantepe road, Sarıyer.
The road climbing atop Havantepe.
The road climbing atop Havantepe has a few hairpins.
The road climbing atop Havantepe is really steep (up to 20%) and has a few hairpins.
