Galata Bridge Looking at the fishing boats crossing under the Galata Bridge, with feeling impressed that I am standing in the middle between Europe and Asia, time pass like a blink, and here I am after 25 years same place same smell same sound, but this time with my wife.
After 25 years of my first visit to Galata Bridge, my foot step on the same bridge in Turkey Istanbul. My first visit was with my family. I have three brothers and one sister, and I am the big brother, when I was only twelve years old my parent toke us in a car trip to Istanbul. We visited my historical museums, parks, and the famous Grand Bazar market. I was fascinated with one historic momentous, it was the Galata Bridge. Until today I remember all the details like it was yesterday. I remember this moment when I was standing in front of the bridge me and my brothers. My father point to the bridge and said with his deep voice “it is the bridge connects two continent Asia and Europe”. Galata is not a classic bridge, it is two story bridges, cars use the upper story and restaurants and café shops use the lower story, in addition Galata have the ability to involving to let the big ship pass through. We walk the Galata Bridge twice at that day. First we walk on the upper story there is nice wide side walk, with two car lines in each side and two lines in the middle for the city Train. Both side sidewalks are full with people walking on the both sides some people just stand there and enjoy the nice scene, the city view was fantastic. I remember my father stop in the middle of the bridge, there was a red line in the ground. He pointed his finger to the city and he told as this is Asia, he turn to other side and said this is Europe we are exactly in the middle. From time to time I was locking to the small ships that crossing under the bridge. The bridge was long, I field tired and so as my brothers. When we reached the other side of the bridge, my father ask us if we would like to go to one of the restaurants on the lower story of the bridge to have a bite. I answered “YES” I was very tired I just need place to sit for a minute. The lower story of the bridge was much more interesting. It is near the water the view is so nice, I could see the fishing ships from short distance, I can recognized the sealers faces. I remember the smell of the water mixed with the smell of grilled fish from the restaurants. I was amazed. I felt the water of Bosporus hit the flour whenever a ship passes through, in the same time you can fell the vibration in the bridge when a big car or track pass in the upper story. My parents chose a nice restaurant we sat there to have lunch. I saw a group of young men and women smoking water pipe (Hockha). I did not know at that time what this is. I want to try it. The vacation end we returned home, with the bridge in my mind. Years pass and the bridge popup in my drawing, in history class, in my dreams, but after some years it start to disappear, it just gone. Time pass, I grow up. And just start planning my wedding, and my honeymoon. We “me and my future wife” was thinking about different places to go, my idea were to go to Dubai. My wife refuse it, she said it is too hot for her, beside she like nature. Dubai is a nice city stranding by the desert from one side and the see from the other side, there is no nature, and the humidity is high. She suggest Turkey, she told me that one of her dreams is to visit Turkey. I could not argue with her Dubai is much more than that. In the other hand Turkey is