A hundred shades of holiday or acquaintance with Istanbul (continuation)

 Photo. Gull-laughing But gulls in Istanbul behave very boldly sometimes. As predicted by the watchers, they were all over Istanbul. In such a short time waiting and Odessa. But watching their flight and behavior, it is necessary to feed-it is a real pleasure!  Photo. Bird's mosque I was fascinated and touched by another. These are architectural small castles for birds in mosques. Just thank the architects! You look at these wonder creatures. A small mosque for the birds Shine with their beauty. Nearby there are small houses with a hole. There are a lot of beautiful bird houses in Istanbul. We considered only the example at the mosque in Uskudar. The mosque is named after the Valide Sultan.  Photo. A dock with a shelter for birds in Besiktas Earlier, according to Ottoman tradition, the palaces necessarily had a bird's corner. From different countries brought a gift of exotic and common birds. Directly on the territory they walked, poultry farmers fed and bred birds. So always in palaces it was possible to hear singing of various birds and to admire their clothes.  Photo. Dolmabahce Palace This tradition has been preserved to this day in Dolmabahce Palace. There is a bird house, which is home to 13 species of birds. Be sure to take a look at the tour. It's worth it. Birdwatching was a natural therapy for the Ottoman emperors against stress and fatigue.  Photo. On the streets of Istanbul Istanbul is growing rapidly every year. In the year you receive over 30 new streets. And soon there will be a new airport. The Turks threaten that it will be the largest in the world in all respects. Will open in stages. This year the first Harbor is to be launched. I am still amazed at the speed of construction in Turkey. Like recently only the tunnel began to build another across the Bosphorus. And it is already functioning and allows the Asian part for 30 minutes to be at Ataturk airport, for example. Previously, a taxi could go in traffic for more than 3 hours. It was just unbearable.  Photo. National Turkish clothing Upon arrival in Istanbul, the eyes immediately caught the large families. It's so cute when a big family. The main thing that the father had the strength to raise all on their feet. Usually only a man works in Turkey, and a woman looks after the house and brings up children. In the villages, of course, the woman works a lot. But this is such a big topic that I will tell you more another time.  Photo. Turkish Souvenirs Still living in Istanbul I can't get used to the fact that there are no traffic rules for them. On Zebra can be long stand... But the Turks, with their large families, cross the road wherever they want. But drivers in traffic jams can not only fight, but also to get a weapon. Even frightening as something. Many Turks have a pistol at home. Better let only on holidays are shooting. They have such a tradition at weddings.  Photo. On the streets of Istanbul Turkey is the most Smoking country in the world. In Istanbul, rarely even meet a woman who does not smoke. I wonder what this could be about. The fact that tea is like a drug to them, they do not hide. And don't even know how not to drink tea.  Photo. Pier To Kadikoy The first year of my stay in Istanbul I was struck by quite frequent small earthquakes. It turned out that Turkey is one of the most dangerous seismic zones on the planet. Istanbul lies on the Northern Anatolian fault line. This is one of the most active faults on the planet. After 1999 will be accepted maximum measures for safety.  Photo. The Kadikoy District No wonder Istanbul is called the city of contrasts. It manifests itself in everything. In character people, in history, in excellent architecture and monuments. But more on that later. To see all the monuments and historical places, you need to live here at least seven years. Istanbul plays a variety of colors. My story today is about the first day of stay and some interesting facts of Istanbul. Them here so that you can write over the years. And as you know, this is my opinion, others may have different things.