Галатский Мост (Galata Köprüsü). Балык Экмек на Рыбном рынке. Стамбул 2020.

Galata Bridge (Galata Köprüsü) is a favorite and popular place among tourists, it is one of the most famous in Istanbul 2020. It is the Galata Bridge that first meets ferries entering the Golden Horn Bay. It happens that tourists mistakenly think that by crossing the Galata Bridge they will get from Europe to Asia, this is not so! The Golden Horn Bay divides the European part of Istanbul in two, and the Galata Bridge connects the old Fatih district and the new Beyoğlu district. The length of the bridge is almost half a kilometer. The bridge is two-story, now we are on the lower level of the bridge, there is a long promenade area with many fish restaurants, but there is one "but" - the prices here are decently inflated and the overly annoying restaurant barkers will definitely not let you walk calmly where we are now. But it is still worth trying fish on the Galata Bridge with a gorgeous view once. It is morning now and the restaurants are empty, but in the evening it will become very crowded, music will be playing everywhere, the restaurants will light up with evening lights, and at night the bridge will attract even more attention, it will be all aglow with lights, it will become very elegant and festive. You won’t be able to walk along the lower tier of the bridge from the beginning to the end, only to the middle, then there is a section where ferries move, and right in the center there is a drawbridge for large ships. On the upper floor there is a central part of the bridge for trams, on both sides there is a lane for buses and cars, and on the edges there is a spacious pedestrian part, it is 42 meters wide. The main people on the Galata Bridge are fishermen, it will be very difficult to count how many fishermen are on the bridge, because there are a lot of them on both sides of the bridge. And they are here at any time and in any weather. Fishermen catch fish and sell it to passers-by right there. The bridge offers views of Istanbul's main attractions: the Galata Tower, the New Mosque, the Suleymaniye Mosque and, of course, a magnificent view of the Golden Horn Bay. The Karakoy district starts from the Galata Bridge, we turn left to get to the fish market. At the market you can buy fresh fish, just caught from the sea, and frozen fish is not sold at the market at all. For example, you can buy horse mackerel, mackerel, dorado, sea bass, salmon, tuna, anchovy, in addition to fish they sell oysters, shrimp, mussels, squid. And right there at the market in one of the cafes the fish that you buy will be cooked in front of you. We were eager to try the popular Turkish fast food balik ekmek, in Karakoy near the market it is cooked in lavash, not in a bun, like on the Eminonu pier. Balik ekmek is mackerel fried and wrapped in lavash with spices and vegetables.