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Practical information: Things You Should Know Before visiting Istanbul
One of the most beautiful things about traveling is to learn about our destination. Every trip makes us better people, because we get to know new things including: history, customs, people, languages, etc, of a new place in the planet… Traveling is then one of the most interesting and useful ways to learn, grow and expand our horizons. However, every journey has to start with a prior “preparation” that includes gathering the basic information about our destination. If you plan to spend a few days in Istanbul, the following is the information you need to know to avoid unpleasant surprises: 1) Visa: Not everyone requires a visa and not all nationalities have to pay on arrival fees. Those who need a visa have to be that you can get it at the customs or ask at the Turkish consulate in your country. The best thing you can do is to check all details before traveling. 2) Money & Currency: Turkey’s official currency is the Turkish Lira (Türk Lirası). If you didn’t have time to change money in your country, you can do it at any exchange office at the airport or at any bank in the main streets of the city. 3) Electricity and phone: The electrical voltage in Turkey is 220 V 50. Power sockets are the same as in most European countries (type C and F). Telephone code is +90, for the European part +212 and for the Asian part +216. 4) Time zone: In Turkey there is a GMT +2 time zone; in summer it becomes GMT +3. 5) Working Hours: Banks are open from 9:00...
The mystic Asian side of Istanbul
First time visitors to the ancient city of Istanbul often miss out on the unique experience of the Asian side of the city. With all the stunning architecture and history-steeped sites on the European side, the time just passes too quickly, and before you know it, you’re on your way home. When you’re planning your trip to Istanbul, just remember to set aside a little time to take in some of the fascinating sights, sounds and flavors of the city’s Asian section. Life in the Asian section moves at a different pace, far from the bustle and crowds of the major tourist attractions. But don’t let the lack of tourists fool you – there’s plenty to do and see. Here are a few of our favorite spots. The Kadiköy Tuesday Market This should definitely be your first stop in Asian Istanbul, and you can reach Kadiköy by taking the ferry. The boat leaves every 15-20 minutes, so catching one should be fairly easy. After a leisurely 25 minute ride, you’ll pull into Kadiköy port. Head on over to Söğütlüçeşme Caddesi where the famous Tuesday open air market is hosted. If you don’t feel like walking the whole way, hop on the nostalgic tram which will take you right from the ferry dock to the Altiyol stop. From there, you can slip into any one of the many market entrances. Grab a pastry and a coffee, then just enjoy browsing the vibrant, colorful market scene. Moda This spot has obviously seen better days – and some folks turn their noses up at it because of that. I’d say that it’s...
06 iDans Istanbul
Turkish artists, especially dancers, musicians and videoartists have difficulty creating new productions. The scarcity of grants and subsidies from institutions, have resulted, that artists independently has sought a way out of this problem. In this framework iDans was born in Istanbul, and has been organized for the last 6 years by the Bimeras Cultural Foundation. The International Festival of Contemporary Dance and Performance of Istanbul is one of the best in Turkey, and now one that is among the 14 best in Europe since iDans has been accepted, for their professionalism, in the European Culture Commission´s program . This sixth edition will be held from October 2012 to May 2013, under the name of “Silk Road of Dance”. So iDans 06 will be structured around the metaphor of the Silk Road. Recall that the Silk Road was a network of trade routes between Asia and Europe that stretched from China, Syria and now Turkey (formerly Constantinople) to Europe. So it was a huge network of exchange of goods, but not only that, but its ramifications had other exchange, crosses between cultures, religions and people … This is precisely what we want to convey in iDans 06. In addition to established artists and young talents in Europe and the Mediterranean coast, also contemporary performing arts of East and Southeast Asia take part. Thus, different styles, movements, expressions, will converge, to cross, to mix and be influenced in a contest dedicated to an intercultural mix, taking as its theme or main thread, the Silk Road. In parallel, iDans also develops Critical Endeavor Turkey, journalistic criticism workshop performing arts as...
