Istanbul, The Bosphorus crown

Türkiye, June 2024

By Francisco Morais

August 19^th, 2024

Taksim

Living in Istanbul is to exist in constant motion. The city stretches across continents, and so does its rhythm: ferries crossing the Bosphorus like clockwork, streets pulsing with vendors, and neighborhoods that shift character every few blocks. It is a metropolis where history is not confined to monuments but woven into the daily commute, where the call to prayer rises above the hum of traffic, and where the scent of roasted chestnuts mingles with the salt of the sea.

Kadikoy, the asian side of Istanbul

To walk through Istanbul is to feel the tension between intimacy and immensity. In Kadıköy, the Asian side, life unfolds at a slower pace—cafés spilling onto sidewalks, conversations lingering over tea. Yet a short crossing delivers you into Taksim, where the city’s energy sharpens: neon lights, crowded avenues, and the restless beat of a capital that never quite sleeps. The contrasts are not contradictions but layers, each revealing a different face of urban life.

Crossing the Bosphurus

What defines Istanbul is not only its skyline of domes and minarets, but the choreography of its people. Commuters pressed shoulder to shoulder on ferries, families gathering in parks, street musicians filling alleys with sound. It is a city that demands resilience and rewards curiosity, where the vastness of a global hub is balanced by the intimacy of everyday rituals.

In the end, Istanbul is less a place you visit than a place you inhabit, even briefly. It teaches you that a big city is not just about scale—it is about the countless small lives that give it breath, the mosaic of moments that together form its crown.