Istanbul Trip, April 2007 - Galata Köprüsü (Galata Bridge)

View of the European side of Istanbul from the lower platform of the Galata Bridge. The mosque in the background is the New Mosque.

View of the Asian side of Istanbul from Eminönü

The European side of Istanbul is connected to the Asian side via several bridges. One of the most important one is the Galata Köprüsü (Galata Bridge), which links Eminönü (European side) and Karaköy (Asian side).

According to Wiki:

It is a bascule bridge, ranking first of its type in the world which is 490 m long with a main span of 80 m. The deck of the bridge is 42 m wide and has three vehicular lanes and one walkway in each direction. It has also recently had tram tracks added to it, allowing the Istanbul Tram to run...

We first crossed the bridge on a Sunday, which we ventured onto the Asian side for the first time. As the tram travelled along the bridge, we found a very interesting sight: there were many locals trying to fish from the bridge!

All the people trying their luck to catch their dinner, or to earn some more income, on their day of rest.

A view from the lower platform of the bridge

When we walked along the bridge in the afternoon, we spoke to some of the people. Some of them didn't do very badly and managed to catch a box filled with fish!

Of course, if you can't catch any fish, there is always the fish market at the Asian end of the Galata Bridge! There are shops that will take your fish and cook it for you, so you can sit in the park area, which overlooks the Bosphorus, while you eat!