Great adventure in Istanbul

Istanbul is a huge and diverse city that surprised me every day. 

Warsaw (the capital of Poland, where I live every day) has always seemed to me a big city (2 million inhabitants). Meanwhile, 15 million live in Istanbul (unofficially almost 20 million). This is almost half of the entire population of Poland. 

The commute to work in Istanbul normally takes at least an hour, sometimes even two. Everything is far away. The city is always jammed and never sleeps. I liked Istanbul the most at 4 or 5 in the morning. It was probably the quietest time of the day. 

My greatest discovery was the metrobus - a bus that moves on a designated lane as often as the subway. A very convenient means of communication in Istanbul. If someone lives in the Asian part and works in Europe, he or she could could to work by ship.

Metrobus stop 

For a long time I tried to get used to the big dogs walking around the city. Not because I was afraid of them. In Poland, if a dog walks around the city alone, it is taken to a shelter. In Istanbul, dogs are raised on the street. I have a 12-year-old Labrador at home and I was sad to look at these dogs. I had the impression that someone left them - which was not true because people take care of them. I always had food for dogs in my backpack and water for a dog that I met on my way to work. She was always in the same place (every dog ​​has its own area).

The dog I fed on the way to work

Istanbul is on the one hand a city of glass high buildings and on the other hand very conservative and old districts like Faith. One of my biggest surprises was the Polish town in Istanbul - Adampol. The place looked like a quiet Polish village and is only 40 minutes by car from the center.

Polish restaurant in Adampol

It was impossible to be bored in Istanbul. There are many places to visit and you will find restaurants serving all the cuisines of the world. My favorite Lebanese had a view of the Bosporus.

Lebanese breakfast

Although after a whole day of work (I worked from 10 am to 6 pm plus commuting 1.5 one way) I didn't have enough strength to explore the city. I usually did it on weekends, often with friends.

With Orla, EU Aid Volunteer from Ireland in Harem (Dolmabahce Palace) 

These few months in Istanbul were a great adventure, during which I met many interesting people, I became friends with some of them and we keep in touch even when I left Istanbul.