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| Istanbul Guide
As the nicest metropolis, Istanbul is not a place that you can visit in a day or two. But what I can assure is that you will see the most interesting sites of it with me. For example, if you are a shopaholic, we can visit not only the really touristic parts like the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market, but also the Mahmut Pasa where locals go for shopping. I will even teach you how to bargain with the Turks. The legend of the foundation of Istanbul is derived from classical mythology: Zeus fell in love with Io, the daughter of Inachus, King of the City of Argos and God of the River of Argos. The King of the Gods temporarily transformed the girl into a heifer in order to protect her from the wrath of his wife, Hera, Queen of the Gods. In her wanderings Io crossed the Bosphorus, giving the strait its name (''boos-foros'',''cow-ford''). After reassuming her original form, she gave birth to a girl, Keroessa. Later, Keroessa bore the son of Poseidon, sovereign deity of all waters from the Pillars of Hercules to the Hellespont. Keroessa's son, Byzas the Magerian, in time became the founder of Byzantium and named the Golden Horn ( Chrysokeras ) after his mother. “Pera Palace & Agatha Christie” Pera (Taksim and Beyoglu) means ‘other side’ in Greek and during Byzantium time Jewish used to live there. Then, in Ottoman times, Christians joined them as well and it became entertainment centre. It is still the same... Anything is possible in Istanbul. |
If you really like to explore Istanbul all you need is a pair of good walking shoes, public transportation 
What we know about Agatha Christie is that she came here and most probably she completed ‘Orient Express’ there, too. Rumors also say she used to have a Turkish lover. Don’t you think it would be nice to go to Pera Palace by the second oldest metro in the world and have a tea there with the great view of old Istanbul?