Istanbul

Istanbul, largest city of Turkey with its 1538 square kilometers and 12.800.000 people living there. Especially known for the Hagia Sophia and the Bosphorus bridge. Motorsports fans will certainly know Istanbul for the Istanbul Park, a beautiful race circuit.

Hagia Sophia

Who does not know the Hagia Sophia? Shame on you. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. It was a former Orthodox basilica, later a mosque and since 1935 it is a museum. Every tourist that come in the Hagia Sophia, will be astonished. The monument is a good example of the Byzantine architecture. On the inside you can see paintings, the big dome, superb decorations, the great marble door,… the different parts of the 82 meter long building are all impressive. Going to Istanbul without visiting the Hagia Sophia is something you can’t do as a tourist.

Bosphorus Bridge

One bridge connecting two continents is a gravity anchored suspension bridge with steel pylons and inclined hangers. Made in three years from 1970 to 1973, it is the 4^th longest bridge in the world. The total length is 1510 meters, the width is 39 meters and the height is 105 meters. In the first four years of the existence of the bridge, pedestrians were allowed to walk on the bridge. Today no pedestrians and no trucks are allowed anymore.

Istanbul Park

Motorsports fans, that part is for you. We went to Istanbul Park, one of the best race circuit in the world. Take a look to the website of the circuit. You’ll be astonished about the amount of activities that are present there. There was no race when we were there but people are allowed to walk on the circuit to see what race drivers see when they are in their cockpit. Long straight lines but also difficult corners.

To see the whole city of Istanbul, we would certainly need 2 or 3 weeks, But we have to continue our trip. We are going to quit Turkey now. We hope you enjoyed our four Turkish blogs. See you next time in Bulgaria..